Adaptability defines the future

The repairer panel discussion at ILC’s repair sector event – ARC360 – in June offered a practical perspective from businesses navigating the market challenges every day.

Bringing together representatives from independent repairers, major repair groups and the wider industry, the discussion explored how businesses are responding to changing demand, growing vehicle complexity, technological advancement and continuing skills shortages.

Chaired by ARC360 Co-Founder and ILC Content Director Mark Hadaway, the panel featured Tina Williams, General Manager of Autocraft Telford; Keiran Perks, Managing Director of Express Bodyworks Group; Clare Davies, Chief Operating Officer at Solus Accident Repair Centres; and Martyn Rowley, Executive Director of the NBRA.

While their businesses differ significantly in scale and structure, a common theme quickly emerged: success in today’s repair market is no longer about standing still and waiting for work to arrive. It is increasingly about adaptability, investment and a willingness to challenge traditional ways of operating.

Continued development

For Tina, that philosophy has been central to Autocraft’s continued development.

Operating two sites across the Midlands, including a manufacturer-approved repair centre and a smaller operation focused on SMART repair activity, the business has deliberately diversified its offering in response to changing market conditions.

“The market changes all the time,” she explained. “There’s always something to look at.”

That willingness to evolve has become increasingly important as repairers face rising costs, changing vehicle technologies and shifting customer expectations.

“We’ve all got to keep moving,” Tina said. “We’ve got into a routine over the years where we change really well and we change really quickly because we can’t afford not to.”

Her comments resonated throughout the discussion.

Sector DNA

For many repairers, the pace of change can feel relentless. Yet the panel repeatedly returned to the idea that adaptation has always been part of the sector’s DNA.

Businesses operating today are fundamentally different from those of five or 10 years ago. New technologies, manufacturer requirements, electrification and changing insurer expectations have forced repairers to continuously evolve.

Perhaps nowhere was that more evident than in the story shared by Keiran.

Over recent years, Express Bodyworks Group has expanded from a traditional single site, repair operation into a multi-site business incorporating mobile repair capability and specialist technical services. Yet Keiran admitted the journey has not always been straightforward.

Reflecting on the challenges faced during 2024, he described a period when declining volumes forced the business to reconsider some long-held assumptions.

“I wasn’t particularly confident we’d make it through that year,” he admitted.

For too long, he suggested, parts of the industry had become accustomed to relying on established work streams without fully considering where future opportunities might come from.

“We had got a little bit lazy,” he said. “Work landed in your inbox every Monday morning and if it wasn’t there we’d ring our insurance partners and ask where it was. The reality was it was never ours to rely on.”

Proactive approach

Rather than waiting for market conditions to improve, the business chose to take a more proactive approach.

Returning to the principles that helped establish the company in the first place, Keiran and his team focused on building relationships, generating local demand and exploring new service models.

Partnerships with local organisations, investment in mobile repair capability and a renewed focus on customer acquisition helped create new opportunities and identify future growth areas.

“We went back to where we first started,” he explained. “We knocked on every single door, we spoke to customers, we advertised.”

The lesson, he suggested, was a simple one: “There isn’t a more resilient industry than what we are.”

Consolidation

The conversation soon moved to consolidation and the changing shape of the wider market.

With significant activity taking place across both the insurer and repair sectors, delegates were keen to understand how larger structural changes may affect independent businesses.

Clare offered insight from the perspective of Solus – an Aviva company and the ongoing integration of Direct Line operations following the recent acquisition.

While acknowledging that consolidation is likely to continue across the industry, she emphasised that success will ultimately depend upon agility rather than size alone.

Capacity patterns are changing, regional demand remains inconsistent and businesses increasingly need to respond quickly to fluctuations that would previously have been more predictable.

“We’ve had to be quite agile and, at times, reactive in our planning,” she explained.

At the same time, Clare highlighted the growing importance of customer outcomes as insurers continue to operate within an increasingly competitive market.

A comment she referenced from a recent industry event perhaps summed up the current environment best: “In a soft market, claims is the battlefield.”

That observation reinforced a recurring theme throughout ARC360: the importance of claims and repair as strategic differentiators for insurers.

Customer experience, repair quality and service delivery are no longer peripheral considerations. They are increasingly central to competitive advantage.

Growing influence

The discussion also explored the growing influence of vehicle manufacturers and the challenge of preparing for technologies that continue to evolve at pace.

For Tina, the decision to pursue manufacturer approvals was driven largely by customer expectations and future-proofing considerations.

Customers increasingly recognise manufacturer approval programmes and often view them as an important factor when choosing a repairer.

However, achieving those approvals requires significant investment in equipment, training and compliance.

“We had no choice but to go down that route,” she said.

Clare echoed the importance of looking ahead, particularly when it comes to understanding emerging vehicle technologies and repairability challenges.

At Solus, significant effort is invested in understanding future vehicle trends, supporting underwriting decisions and ensuring the wider repair ecosystem can support increasingly complex vehicles.

“It’s great having these vehicles coming into the market,” she said. “But we have to be able to repair them.”

A persistent concern

The panel then turned to one of the industry’s most persistent concerns: skills.

While electrification, ADAS and software-defined vehicles continue to dominate conversations about the future, attracting and developing talent remains one of the sector’s greatest challenges.

Keiran suggested the next generation of technical specialists may look very different from those traditionally entering the industry. The future, he believes, may require individuals who are as comfortable working with technology and diagnostics as they are with tools.

Martyn expanded on the wider challenge facing the sector.

While many businesses recognise the need for new talent, not all are prepared to make the investment required to develop it.

“We need people into the industry,” he said, arguing that repairers need to take a longer-term view when investing in apprentices and new entrants.

While acknowledging the commercial pressures facing businesses, Martyn suggested that the industry must continue to create opportunities for the next generation.

“We need to nurture people,” he said. “We don’t grow enough in our industry.”

Removing barriers

Clare highlighted how Solus has sought to remove some of the barriers traditionally associated with apprenticeship recruitment, focusing less on academic qualifications and more on attitude, behaviours and potential.

“We recognised that if we’ve got the right person, we shouldn’t constrain ourselves because of an academic requirement,” she explained.

Tina shared a similar example from Autocraft, where one of the company’s most experienced technicians had been repositioned into a dedicated training role to help develop the next generation of skilled technicians.

The decision represented a significant investment but one the business believes will deliver long-term benefits.

Looking ahead

As the session drew to a close, delegates were asked to look ahead.

While each panellist outlined different priorities for the next 12 to 18 months, common themes emerged: investment in people; investment in technology; stronger relationships; and greater collaboration.

Martyn said, “You’ve got to embrace change and you’ve got to be agile,” pointing to developments such as secure vehicle access, increasing levels of vehicle technology and changing repair requirements.

He warned that businesses which fail to adapt risk being left behind as the pace of change accelerates across the sector. At the same time he emphasised the investment required in order to keep pace needs to be a shared responsibility amongst stakeholders.

Although the industry remains under pressure the outlook is far from pessimistic. If anything, the discussion highlighted just how resilient the repair sector has become.

The challenges facing the industry are significant. Vehicle technology continues to advance, consumer expectations are evolving and market structures are changing.

Yet the businesses represented on stage demonstrated that adaptation is not a new challenge. It is simply the latest chapter in a sector that has spent decades reinventing itself.

And if there was one message that emerged most clearly from the discussion, it was this: the businesses that continue to invest in people, relationships and capability will be the ones best placed to shape the future.

Supported by Corporate Partners Allscreens, BASF, e2e, Exclusive Repair Network, iBodyshop, Mirka, NWVA, Prasco UK, Repairify, S&G, Sherwin-Williams, Solera Audatex and Spire Drive, alongside sponsors Partly, Silverlake Automotive Recycling and Thatcham Research; as well as  Industry Body Partners AutoRaise, MIB, NBRA and Trend Tracker; and Vehicle Manufacturer Partner Stellantis, ARC360 2026 attracted close to 400 key persons of influence from across the UK vehicle repair and motor claims sector.