28 February 2008

MVRA MEMBER IS FIRST SOUTH WALES BODYSHOP TO ACHIEVE KITEMARK ACCREDITATION

On January 23 2008, MVRA member, SMS Garages in Cardiff, became the first bodyshop in the Welsh capital city and South Wales to be recommended for the award of the Thatcham/BSI Kitemark for PAS125. It received official notification of the award on 14 February and is now only the second bodyshop in the whole of Wales to have received this accolade.

SMS is owned and managed by its directors, Andy Dawson and Gary Moore, and has been in business for more than 20 years. It focuses on car, van and truck repairs and benefits from high levels of repeat business from fleet, insurance and private customers. Both Directors are particularly proud of the bodyshop’s high levels of staff retention, believing that this is crucial to the ongoing success of the business.

SMS Garages began working towards PAS125 in September 2006 when BSI invited it to join its pilot scheme and, in November 2006, SMS was the first bodyshop in the UK to undergo a pilot audit by BSI.

SMS’s implementation project began in earnest in early 2007 when Andy Dawson, Managing Director at SMS and Eleni Moore, Systems and Audit Manager, started working closely with Martin Churchill, MVRA’s Regional Quality Manager, and Peter Hunt, MVRA’s Regional Health and Safety Manager, to set up the systems, operational procedures and paperwork necessary to demonstrate compliance in all five sectors necessary to gain the Kitemark.

During 2007 the SMS team invested hundreds of man-hours and significant amounts of money into getting its processes, people, equipment and materials up to the standard required by BSI’s Kitemark. For example, 15 bodyshop productives - and Andy Dawson himself - proved their technical competence by passing their Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) Assessments. As Andy says “We knew all of our bodyshop estimators, painters and panel beaters were a cut above the average but, for some of them, the ATA Assessment was the first time they'd been formally tested on their knowledge. Their collective success is a great endorsement of their ability and we’re really proud of them all. I’d also like to thank Gary Evans and his team at Coleg Glan Hafren for their support and training.”

Martin Churchill adds, “We’re delighted that SMS is the first bodyshop in South Wales to achieve accreditation. Andy and his team all worked incredibly hard over many months and have every right to be proud of themselves. It’s difficult and challenging to reach and maintain the standards required by the BSI Kitemark and the bodyshops that do make the grade can be confident that they can prove they are amongst the very best in the UK.”

MVRA Ltd is a member of the BSI Associate Consultant Programme and is perfectly placed to help repairers achieve Kitemark accreditation. It offers help at every stage of the process; from registration guidance, to initial gap analysis, implementation structures and processes, pre-audit assessments and, once accreditation has been achieved, it offers a programme of ongoing visits to assist with maintaining compliance.

Andy Dawson concludes, “The guidance and expertise we received from MVRA, particularly from Martin and Peter, was invaluable and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend their services to other bodyshops starting to work towards the Thatcham/BSI Kitemark for PAS125.”

At the moment less than 60 UK bodyshops have achieved accreditation. MVRA is currently working with a further 191 repairers, all of whom are on course to achieve the Kitemark in 2008.

Notes to editors

Press enquiries:
Gill Nichol
Mosaic Communications
T: 020 7249 3486
M: 07956 414371
E: gill.nichol@btconnect.com

www.mvra.com
www.sms-garages.co.uk

The BSI Kitemark PAS125 was launched in February 2007 with the ultimate objective of enabling bodyshops to demonstrate their commitment to quality and the ability to ensure the safe repair of vehicles.

There are three different registration scopes:
1. Structural – aluminium and composite (defines those who can prove they are equipped and trained to work on the latest generation vehicles with new materials and technology)
2. Structural – Steel (for those repair centres capable of carrying out most repair types, equipped for most vehicles and able to carry out welding and structural replacement of panels. This is the level that most bodyshops opt for).
3. Cosmetic (confined to minor bodywork repairs such as paintwork touch-ups and bumper scrapes).

The Kitemark is technically based and all three registration scopes requite bodyshops to meet extremely high standards is the following five areas:
1. People (including training and qualifications)
2. Repair Method
3. Equipment
4. Materials
5. Process Management

Full implementation, up to and including the BSI audit, is usually possible within 6-9 months of starting the process.

The Capita Group Plc is the UK’s leading provider of integrated professional support service solutions. The Group’s service capabilities encompass business process outsourcing, (BPO), customer services, administration and support, human resources, ICT, property consultancy, finance & treasury and consultancy delivered to both public sector and private organisations. With 30,000 employees at more than 250 offices across the UK, Channel Islands, Ireland and India, Capita is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (CPI.L), and is a constituent of the FTSE100 with revenues for 2006 of £1,739 million.

Further information on The Capita Group Plc can be found at: www.capita.co.uk

---

 

SMS Fly the PAS125 Flag in Wales

Cardiff based SMS Garages are the first in Wales to receive the British Kite Mark for PAS125 Accreditation.

SMS began the process in September 2006 when they were chosen as part of the British Standards Accreditation process in the UK - and have since invested a massive £70,000 in processes and equipment to meet the exacting standards set.

Director Andy Dawson commented: “As a business we take our quality of standards and our investment in people very seriously, we are very proud to be the first in Wales to be awarded the full British Kite Mark for PAS125. The improvements made will continue to benefit our customers and our ongoing commitment to quality repairs.”

SMS is owned and managed by Gary Moore and Andy Dawson and has been in business for over 20 years. The business has grown substantially over that time carrying out car, van and truck repairs with a high retention of Fleet, Insurance and Private customers. SMS also enjoy a high retention of staff – something that both Directors are very proud of and believe is crucial to the ongoing business success.

15 Bodyshop processing staff proved their technical competence having passed the PAS125 exams – from Estimators to Painters, Panel Beaters and MET. Gary Moore at SMS comments: “Our business has evolved through being at the forefront of customer care and our investment in PAS125 will ensure we continue to deliver a service to our customers that is second to none.”

The British Standard Accreditation is voluntary and recognised within the industry as being held by organisations and bodyshops who wish to demonstrate that they work to a recognised and auditable standard.

Page two

Steve Hawes, Glasurit Brand Manager comments: “As a Paint supplier, Glasurit are stringent in all training and processes. We have been delighted to be involved in the process of SMS gaining PAS125.”

Press Contact

Alison MacKintosh
MW Communications Ltd

T 020 7727 7611
M 077 1009 7609
E alison@mackintoshwilliams.com

www.glasurit.co.uk
www.sms-garages.co.uk