Page 12 - Australaasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2022

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NEWS
PAINT&PANEL
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
OLA REPAIR NETWORK
BRIEFS
AUSTRALIAN FACTORING COMPANY
(AFC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Butn which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in July 2021. Shortly after listing Butn secured a stra- tegic partnership with Ola, the ride- sharing platform. Rael Ross, co-founder and co-CEO of Butn recently announced the partnership will see Ola drivers in Australia have access to Butn Assist. This is a 24/7 hotline for assistance in case of accident or breakdown, with an extensive national network of panel shops ready to get drivers back on the road quickly.
Ola’s 100,000 drivers in Australia wel- comed the new Butn one-call-solves-it- all solution. Previously, at scenes of ac- cidents, Ola drivers were typically left contemplating their next move.
AFC’s head of operations, Karen Smith, is engaging with the entire Butn Network of preferred repairers through-
out Australia, emphasising the signifi- cance of timely and quality repairs for Ola drivers. “We have been judicious in selecting panel shops in our major capi- tal cities, covering each from its inner- city region, through to the outer suburbs and to all points of the compass. This will ensure, that in the event of an acci- dent, an Ola driver will have a go-to re- pairer in close proximity to the collision. Ola drivers in regional towns and cities are also accommodated, with a pre- ferred paint and panel shop ready and capable of getting drivers back on the road quickly.”
REWARDS FROM CAPRICORN
CAPRICORN, IS CELEBRATING THE FIRST
anniversary of its revamped Capricorn Rewards program.
Introduced in late 2020, over the past year, more than 70 per cent of all 24,000 Capricorn members logged into the Cap- ricorn Rewards website, with more than 140,000 logins generated during this pe- riod. This resulted in Capricorn members redeeming products to the value of $37.5 million during its introductory year.
An array of retail products in the pro-
gram include: electronics, homewares, outdoor living, sports and fitness equip- ment, along with experiences and gifts. Capricorn members are still able to use their rewards points for gift vouchers or to pay their Capricorn trade account at the end of the month.
Reward points allow members to gain value for everyday business purchases, earning 1.5 points for every dollar spent on eligible purchases. Members can redeem reward points at a rate of 100 points per $1.
AMA MANAGEMENT CHANGES
Another senior manager has left the AMA Group. Chief operating officer & chief technical officer at Capital S.M.A.R.T Brian Thiele left at Christmas. He worked closely with former S.M.A.R.T CEO at AMA Group and CEO of Drive division, Dave Marino, who left in October.
Meanwhile, David Chin has been appointed interim executive general manager of the Drive division. Chin was formerly interim executive general manager for Wild Breads an artisan bakery. Before that he was CEO of the Décor brand which supplies solutions for the kitchen, home and garden into the retail sector.
QBE TO BUY ZURICH GENERAL INSURANCE?
Media reports are hinting that QBE Insurance Group Limited is in talks with Zurich Insurance Group about acquiring its general insurance unit.
Zurich is offering its Australian general insurance division (excluding its travel insurance arm) which has an estimated value of $500 million. Negotiations are in the second stage.
IAG has also been eyeing the business, sources said.
AEB MANDATORY
ANCAP Safety has welcomed moves by the federal government to introduce an Australian design rule (ADR) mandating the fitment of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) in light vehicles.
The new ADR specifies the regulatory requirement for AEB systems to be fitted on new vehicle models from March 2023, then all models on sale in Australia from March 2025.
AEB has been shown to reduce police- reported crashes by 55 per cent, rear-end crashes by 40 per cent and vehicle occupant trauma by 28 per cent.