AssessorsJournalMagSpring2024 web - Flipbook - Page 24
JOURNAL
TECH:FOCUS
Malcolm Banner,
Managing Director,
National Accident Repair Group.
National’s head of昀椀ce in Doncaster.
TALKING TECH WITH
MALCOLM BANNER
Launched in 2009, the National Accident Repair Group has established itself as one of
the leading vehicle repair networks within the UK. Witnessing the company’s growth
over the last 15 years, Managing Director Malcolm Banner has been instrumental in
spearheading the technological advancements to enhance not only National but their
customers' businesses. Here, Malcolm spoke to Auto Body Professional about all
things tech and how it’s positively impacting the automotive repair – and automotive
engineering – sector.
What is the importance of
technology at National?
From early on, we knew that to
navigate the vehicle repair sector
many parties have to communicate
with one another effectively. From
policyholders and insurers to
repairers and management groups,
such as ourselves, we must be on
the same page. When challenged
with external factors such as market
upset, industry delays, increased
prices and world events, having the
technology to manage your internal
factors is essential for longevity and
development.
What operational pain points
have you seen in the vehicle
repair sector?
Insurers were experiencing an
increasing pain point of losing repair
work simply because they couldn’t
deploy a claim as quickly as needed.
In an era where customers want
24
immediate solutions, implementing
the right software systems enabled
insurers to connect with reputable
repair centres in real time. The 昀椀rst
step was to give our customers the
latest deployment technology. Now
we’re at a phase where a complete
repair journey needs to be visible
to all parties involved; long gone
are spreadsheets of customer data.
Arti昀椀cial Intelligence (AI) is playing a
big role in our future plans, and that
will only improve our operational
processes and communication
touch-points moving forward.
It’s been four years since
Silverstone Software was
established. What’s the link with
National?
After a spell of outsourcing IT
solutions, we identi昀椀ed a gap within
the National Accident Repair Group
where we could offer and oversee
an in-house software management
solution. In 2018, we established
Silverstone Software, a software agency
with the vision to solve and support
automation processes for all parties
involved in vehicle repair.
What is the role of Silverstone
Software?
Silverstone Software is a core part
of our service and plays a key role
in the day-to-day operations of our
customers. Four years on, we’re
developing the most innovative
software to reduce repair cycle times
and provide expert service for our
customers and their policyholders.
Silverstone Software manages the
entire National digital programme,
including maintenance, tech support
and new project development. During
2023, we employed six new software
engineers based in Northamptonshire
to extend our software capabilities,
such as .NET services and bespoke
system builds in Microsoft
technologies.
THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL | SPRING 2024 | www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor
