MSO Symposium on Insurance Claims, Consolidation

MSO Symposium Looks at What Lies Ahead for Auto Insurance Claims, Consolidation

Vince Romans of The Romans Group consulting firm has been monitoring the growth of multi-shop operations (MSO) in the collision repair industry for more than 15 years, and at the “MSO Symposium” held in Las Vegas in early November, he said even the pandemic didn’t halt consolidation within the industry. In fact, he said, the recent growth of MSOs has been “as aggressive as almost any year that we’ve been tracking this.”

In 2020, Romans said, there were 26 MSOs (each with two or more locations) that were acquired by other chains; those acquired MSOs had a total of 311 locations and $801 million in combined sales. This year is on pace to potentially match that, Romans said. Through the first 10 months of the year, 38 MSOs with 254 locations and $698 million in combined sales have been acquired.

Romans said there are currently 14 private equity firms with investments in collision repair businesses. Of those he noted, not one was involved in the industry when the first MSO Symposium was held a decade ago. Today, those MSOs have combined annual sales of $9.1 billion, a market share of about 26 percent of the entire collision repair market. Looking at the industry more broadly, all the collision repair businesses that each have $10 million or more in annual sales control about 43 percent of the total market.

Romans predicts that will rise to nearly 49 percent by 2025; he also shared a more aggressive forecast showing their market share potentially exceeding 61 percent by that year, though he acknowledged “that could or may not happen.” Another mainstay speaker at the MSO Symposium, Susanna Gotsch of CCC Intelligent Solutions, offered her annual look at where things stand in terms of auto insurance claims, and what may lie ahead as the nation continues to move through the pandemic.

Gotsch said that through the first three quarters of this year, overall claims counts are up about 9 percent – but still remain down a significant 15 percent compared to 2019. The rebound varies widely by state. Non-comprehensive claims are up 13.4 percent through the third quarter of 2021 in Illinois, 15.2 percent in Ohio, 15.5 percent in Nebraska and 16.4 percent in Iowa – yet only 1.1 percent in North Dakota, 3.6 percent in Minnesota, and 4 percent in Colorado. Gotsch noted a variety of changes in driving patterns have taken place during the pandemic. Overall miles driven are up so far this year – not surprisingly after the pandemic shut-downs of 2020 – and in some months are approaching 2019 levels. But recovery in urban road systems is substantially slower than in rural road systems, and even interstate miles show substantially larger growth in truck miles versus passenger miles. Most critically, Gotsch said, is the continued significant drop in traffic congestion during the morning and afternoon traditional commute times that disproportionately contribute to claims counts. Looking ahead, she said, a key factor will be the degree to which the 30 percent to 40 percent of workers still working remotely return to offices. She foresees many businesses offering more flexibility, with employees across many industries allowed to continue to work from home at least one day a week. On the other hand, she doesn’t foresee a sudden drop in the increased distracted driving and speeding that has taken root during the pandemic. “People do not unlearn bad driv-

Shop Showcase ing habits quickly,” Gotsch said. “They learn them quickly, but they with Ed Attanasio do not unlearn them quickly.” Overall, she said, she thinks it’s likely that claim counts in 2022 will remain down from what they were in 2019.

Social Media for Shops “But we expect we will continue to see steady growth, month over with Ed Attanasio month, so by 2023, we will likely be more on par with where we were in 2019,” she said. She said overall cost of repairs has increased “way above anything

SEMA Show Goes On I have seen historically.” One reason: the cost of parts. CCC data with Ed Attanasio shows that the average cost per part – across all part types – has been fairly stable over the past couple of decades, typically rising 1 percent

Media and Publicity for Shops or 2 percent a year. That’s changed in 2021, however, with the average with Ed Attanasio cost per part being around $130, up 7 percent so far this year, the largest

Shop Strategies with Stacey PhillipsSusanna Gotsch of CCC Intelligent Solutions said with 30 percent to 40 percent of workers likely to continue working at home at least one day a week, congestion – and resulting accidents – during traditional commute times Body Shops Givwill not fully rebound next year ing Back with Stacey Phillips

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Vincent Romans of The Romans Group consulting firm said multi-shop operators (MSOs) have been “just as aggressive” about acquisitions during the pandemic as before

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increase CCC has seen going back to 1997. “With parts manufacturers paying significantly more for things like raw materials and shipping, the average cost per part has increased across the board,” CCC reports. But Gotsch projects that the rise in parts cost will not be the only factor raising overall cost of repairs.

“We haven’t seen the same inflation in labor [rates] yet, but I think we’re going to,” Gotsch said. “Repairers, just like everybody else, are having significant wage pressures: signing bonuses, paying people with the [increasingly complex] skill sets required. It’s not just body work. It’s mechanical work, the knowledge of electronics, understanding how telematics and the systems of the car work, how to read the manuals from the OEMs. All of that requires a higher set of training and tooling. That cost will have to be passed on. So I think we’re going to see more inflation on labor. I think that’s going to start to find its way into appraisals as well. It just has to.”

CCC has also seen a change in one of its metrics related to cycle time for DRP claims. In the first three months of this year, fewer days elapsed between completion of an estimate and when the vehicle was brought in for repairs when compared to the same months in 2020 and 2019. Starting in April and continuing through July, however, the length of time between completion of an estimate and the vehicle being brought into the shop was longer this year than in the last two years. This was true for estimates for both drivable and non-drivable vehicles.

Gotsch said parts delays caused by supply chain disruption could be one factor slowing how quickly shops are getting those vehicles in for repairs. She also pointed to findings by CRASH Network showing that shops’ backlog of work rose sharply in the third quarter of this year, with the national average scheduling backlog reaching an average of 2.6 weeks, a full week longer than shops reported just 90 days earlier.

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Autobody News attended Pro Spot’s Distributor Awards Event at Top Golf, Las Vegas on Wednesday, November 3rd

Pro Spot International again hosted its annual Distributor Awards Fun evening at the 2021 SEMA Show at TopGolf Las Vegas.

“We were so pleased to be able to have our Annual Distributor Appreciation Night this year,” said Ron Olsson, Pro Spot president. “Our distributors work so hard for us and we really like to show our appreciation with a fun night and present our Annual Distributor Awards.

“With the cancellation of SEMA 2020 because of COVID, we really wanted to have a very special evening this year,” Olsson continued. “With such great successes during 2021, we are really looking forward to what 2022 will bring.”

Canadian Distributor of the Year: (l to r): Ron Olson, Alvin Krishanna, Ken Sheroob,

Russ Duncan

Eastern Regional Sales Award: (l to r): Ron Olson, Kevin Walters President Joe Biden announced the Port of Los Angeles will begin operating around the clock as part of an effort to help speed up shipping delays arising from global supply-chain backlogs.

Issues up and down the supply chain, from ships waiting days longer than usual to come to port, to goods waiting at the dock to be picked up and truckers being unable to unload at warehouses, have created massive delays and concerns about inflation and the coming rush of Christmas shopping.

The Port of Long Beach, which along with the Port of Los Angeles handles 40% of shipping containers entering the U.S., began 24/7 operations in September. However, shortages of available truckers and warehouse operators stalled much of the progress expected from the extended hours.

Biden created a Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force in June to identify transportation bottlenecks across the nation and identify solutions. The Task Force has been meeting with business and union leaders to help coordinate actions by the many private firms that control the country’s transportation and logistics supply chain.

To help address the problem, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union announced its members are willing to work the extra shifts created by the extended hours of operations at the Ports of LA and Long Beach.

Large shippers and retailers such as UPS, FedEx, Walmart and Target have made commitments to use the extended hours of operation to unload cargo, which will allow ships to dock quicker. Additional measures across the country will be pursued in the coming weeks to address transportation congestion and delays.

For more information, contact Caroline Fletcher at carolinef@sema.org.

Source: SEMA

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With six years of data now available from “Who Pays for What?” surveys, Mike Anderson of Collision Advice can point to some changes within the industry the survey results reflect.

“This summer, nearly three of 10 shops—29%—reporting being paid to set-up and perform destructive weld testing ‘always’ or ‘most of the time’ by the eight largest national insurers,” said Anderson, who conducts the surveys with CRASH Network. “That’s more than twice the percentage—just 12%—who found that to be true back in 2015 when we started the surveys.”

In 2015, Anderson said, about 81% of shops said they’d never sought to be paid for performing test welds. That’s fallen to about half that today, just 43%.

“Whether through the surveys or other training, shops are increasingly understanding the requirement to perform destructive tests on welds before welding on a vehicle, and can choose whether to bill for it when appropriate,” Anderson

‘Who Pays for What?’ Survey: Continued Increase in

Auto Body Shops Billing for Destructive Weld Testing More than 100 U.S. House lawmaksaid. ers on Oct. 12 urged Speaker Nancy He said the final of the four Pelosi to keep a $4,500 tax credit in2021 “Who Pays for What?” surcentive for union-built electric vehiveys, which focuses on scanning, cles in a massive spending bill. calibrations, shop supplies and In a letter seen by Reuters, 107 aluminum repair, is scheduled Democrats urged Pelosi to retain the to close at the end of October at credit supported by the United Auto https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ Workers union, the AFL-CIO and XC67NPT U.S. automakers. The $4,500 credit Survey participants receive a free report with complete survey would provide a significant boost to Detroit’s three automakers—Generfindings along with analysis and al Motors, Ford and Chrysler-parent resources to help shops better un- Stellantis. “We strongly support levderstand and use the information eling the playing field between nonpresented. union and unionized workforces by Anderson said the survey, including the added $4,500 incentive which will take about 15-20 min- to support union-made EVs,” the letutes, can be completed by anyone ter said. The push was led by Rep. in a shop familiar with the shop’s Thomas Suozzi, D-NY, who said billing practices and the payment the incentives “help guarantee that practices of at least some of the working men and women are an inlargest national insurers. Each tegral part of that success story.” shop’s individual responses are Pelosi’s office declined to comheld in the strictest confidence; ment. Foreign automakers do not only aggregated data is released. have unions representing assembly The results of previous sur- workers in the U.S. and many have veys are also available online foughteffortstoorganizeU.S.plants. (https://www.crashnetwork.com/ Twelve major foreign automakers in collisionadvice). September urged Democrats to reject Source: CRASH Network the proposed $4,500 tax incentive

100-Plus Lawmakers Rally Support for EV Tax Credit Bill

and have been lobbying lawmakers to reject the union incentive. A House panel last month approved legislation to boost EV credits to up to $12,500 per vehicle, including $4,500 for union-made vehicles and $500 for U.S.-made batteries. The foreign automakers said the proposal “would unfairly disadvantage American workers who have chosen not to join a union and produce more than half of all vehicles in the United States and the vast majority of American-made EVs.” The tax credits, which are part of a proposed $3.5 trillion spending bill, would cost $15.6 billion over 10 years.The EV proposal also does away with phasing out tax credits after automakers hit 200,000 electric vehicles sold, which would make GM eligible again for the $4,500 credit. Tesla vehicles would not get the credit. Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested on Twitter the EV proposal was “written by Ford/UAW lobbyists...Not obvious how this serves American taxpayers.” Source: Chicago Automobile Trade Association

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Sales of battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S. are on track to set an all-time record in 2021, with sales up more than 88% through the end of September.

With new players entering the field and consumer choice expanding rapidly, the EV market is on course to grow to 400,000 vehicles this year, and Cox Automotive is forecasting EV sales to double in the next 24 months.

Still, despite the rapid growth, EVs will account for only 3% of the new-vehicle market this year and, according to new research released by Cox Automotive, many barriers to EV adoption remain.

The 2021 Cox Automotive Path to EV Adoption Study provides a look at the major consumer barriers that continue to slow EV adoption. It also uncovers market perceptions and customer experiences with the EV shopping and buying process.

The research was conducted in June and July and included a survey of nearly 5,000 in-market consumers who owned, considered or rejected a pure battery-electric vehicle in that timeframe. Additional Cox Automotive studies were considered in the analysis.

The study had three objectives: to understand the nuances of EV adoption and the key barriers to overcome, explore how the shopping experience for EV and traditional gas-powered vehicles differ, and uncover market perceptions and consumer experiences with EVs.

Overall, the 2021 Cox Automotive Path to EV Adoption Study illustrates, while barriers remain, consumers in the U.S—particularly younger Millennial and Gen Z buyers—are becoming more open to the idea of an electric vehicle future.

Availability of charging stations, vehicle range and battery concerns have become less of a barrier for potential buyers. Vehicle price, however, continues to be a major obstacle for many.

“This latest round of EV research opened our eyes to a number of shifts in the market,” said Vanessa Ton, senior industry intelligence manager, Cox Automotive. “As the traditional barriers come down, attributes like styling and affordability move to the front, much like traditional gas-powered vehicles. That’s an indication that consumers are looking at EVs more like automobiles, less like science projects.”

During the research phase of the study over the summer, consumers had nearly 300 different models to choose from, but less than 20 pure electric models, with most being higher-end, luxury offerings. The average price paid for a new EV was close to $60,000 before rebates, and well above gasoline-equivalent vehicles.

And while the number of EV models continues to grow, with new models being added every quarter, the Cox Automotive study shows the path to EV adoption remains difficult at best.

The Industry Must Build Higher Consideration Among Shoppers

Among consumers in-market for a new vehicle, general consideration for a pure electric model is relatively high, at 38% of all shoppers. New research from Cox Automotive, however, indicates consideration drops off notably to 21% of in-market shoppers saying they are more than 50% confident their next vehicle will be an EV.

Further still, only 3% of shoppers in the study indicate that their next will, for certain, be an EV.

Vehicle range and price remain the top barriers, according to this research. The study also shows that automakers and dealers would benefit from focusing on those issues as they market their new EVs.

Range Anxiety Shows Signs of Waning

In good news for EV sellers, the study shows some select barriers to EV adoption are shrinking. For example, two years ago, 47% of in-market consumers noted low vehicle range was a concern. In 2021, that number dropped to 37%.

Notably, younger shoppers— Gen Z and Millennials—are far less concerned about vehicle range, with only 20% and 29%, respectively, indicating range was holding them back from buying an EV. Also noteworthy: In the most recent study, 57% of consumers point to a lack of charging stations in their area as a top barrier, but that percentage is down from 64% in 2019. Range expectations among consumers considering EVs continue to increase, but vehicle performance is increasing rapidly as well, which is one reason range anxiety is slowly dissipating among in-market shoppers.

In 2019, the minimum expectation for range on a full charge was 184 miles, and, at the time, the average EV delivered 195 miles per charge, approximately 6% above the minimum acceptable level. In 2021, range expectations jumped to a minimum of 217 miles. Among EVs offered today, the average range is approximately 257 miles, 18% more than the minimal accepted range.

“As EV battery performance improves and the charging infrastructure is slowly built up, traditional EV concerns will fade,” said Lea Malloy, head of electric-vehicle battery solutions at Cox Automotive Mobility. “Consumers are experiencing the typical learning curve with new technology. And we believe range will be even less of an issue as new generations of battery technology are launched. It is astounding how quickly improvements are being realized.”

Reaching Price Parity Will Help Clear the Pathway to Adoption

While range and charging station availability is becoming less of a concern for EV considerers, price remains a significant issue with half of all EV intenders. The new study shows 51% of shoppers said EVs were too expensive to seriously consider, a similar number to the results in 2019.

EVs are in fact on average more expensive to purchase than their gasoline-powered counterparts. In October, when average transaction prices for a new vehicle topped $46,000, the average EV was above $56,000, a premium of more than 20%.

The research demonstrates that price parity would greatly improve serious EV consideration. Indeed, nearly 60% of vehicle intenders would consider an EV if there was no price premium, up from the 38% currently considering an EV. Further, that number jumps to 71% in a case where EVs are priced $5,000 below an equivalent gas vehicle.

Dealers, Automakers Struggle to Effectively Reach Consumers

Another key finding in the 2021 Path to EV Adoption Study suggests auto dealers need more help to prepare for an EV future. The study shows dealers play a crucial, influential role in the process, with nearly 80% of EV owners noting the dealer influenced their purchase decision.

At the same time, in a survey of dealers reviewed for the study, 71% indicated they were “only somewhat” or “not at all” prepared to sell more EVs in the future.

Many automakers continue to struggle with consumer awareness of their EVproduct offering, certainly a first step in consideration.While 83% of EV considerers are aware Tesla sells electric vehicles, only 44% of EV considerers are aware Ford has a competitive EV model, the all-new Mustang Mach-E, launched in the spring of 2021.

Worse still, even though Nissan has been selling the all-electric Leaf model in the U.S. for more than a decade, only 37% of respondents in the survey were aware of Nissan’s EV offering. Chevrolet has similar issues. The all-electric Bolt was launched in late 2016, and yet 69% of current EV shoppers are unsure if Chevrolet even makes an EV.

Source: Cox Automotive

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1Collision announced the addition of Center Collision in Tacoma, WA, and Sudden Impact Collision Center’s two locations in Glen Burnie, MD.

“A good friend recommended 1Collision to me after he had a great experience in the network and after looking into it myself, I can see the benefits of being part of a much bigger organization with the support to overcome many of the common struggles in this industry,” said Kevin House, owner of Center Collision.

“After extensive research, 1Collision was appealing to because of the rebate deals in place, and a great support team of people committed to helping me grow, while allowing me to stay as independent as possible,” said Dennis Marsch, owner of Sudden Impact. 1Collision and partner CSN Collision Centres, a Canada-based network, have a combined presence of more than 240 locations in North America.

Source: 1Collision More than 1,000 collision repair professionals each year grade the performance of the auto insurers in their state through CRASH Network’s “Insurer Report Card”—and the insurance companies and consumers are paying attention.

“No one sees on a daily basis which insurers really stand behind their promise to deliver top-quality repairs and customer service after an accident better than those providing that collision repair work,” said John Yoswick, editor of CRASH Network. “The ‘Insurer Report Card’helps the repair industry get that unique perspective out to vehicle owners, and gives the highest-graded insurance companies another way to communicate what sets them apart from the companies that receive lower grades from shops.”

Yoswick said Forbes Advisor, which offers independent information to consumers about financial decisions, now incorporates the “Insurer Report Card” grades into its auto insurance rankings. Insurers like Chubb and Acuity that have consistently received top grades tout that in their marketing and social media. The latest “Insurer Report Card” is now open to shops at www. CrashNetwork.com/gradebook

It asks collision repairers to grade each company based on how well the insurers’ claims practices help ensure quality repairs and customer service. By assigning insurers a grade from A+ to an F, shops can let consumers know which insurers push for quality repairs and provide great customer service when consumers have a claim— and which may have some room for improvement.

“Because each state has a different mix of insurers, the ‘Insurer Report Card’ allows repairers to grade insurers specific to their state,” Yoswick said. “As in the past, we’re asking about more than 160 different auto insurance companies across the country, making it far more extensive than any similar surveys, which generally focus on just the 10 largest national insurers. The results of the ‘Insurer Report Card’ can help consumers know, for example, if some smaller or regional insurers they may not be as familiar with are really great at taking care of customers.”

The “Insurer Report Card,” open only to collision repairers, can be completed in less than three minutes—though shops are encouraged to spend time to explain why they gave each insurer the grade they did—and all individual shop grades and identification information will remain confidential.

Shops that complete the “Insurer Report Card” and provide an e-mail address will be sent the results to share with their customers, at no charge, once they are compiled.

Shops can go to www.CrashNetwork.com/gradebook to grade the insurers.

For more information about the weekly CRASH Network newsletter, visit www.CrashNetwork. com. Source: CRASH Network

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A panel discussion at the Collision Industry Conference on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas focused on the current state of artificial intelligence within estimating in the industry, acknowledging current shortcomings and challenges, but also offering a glimpse into the coming growth in the use of the technology.

Jason Verlen of CCC Intelligent Solutions, for example, said AI alone doesn’t currently address all estimating scenarios, but it already can significantly speed many initial claims processes for consumers.

Also during the meeting, Bud Center of the CIC Talent Pool and Education Committee held a panel discussion with shop managers discussing successful efforts they have made in working with schools trying to improve collision repair training in their market.

Amber Alley, of Barsotti’s Body and Fender in San Rafael, CA, said she’s working with a school with a two-year program that cycles students from eight weeks at the school to eight weeks working in a shop. Justin Clubb, of Deery Collision Center in Iowa, said he brought concerns about a local community college’s collision repair program to a dean at the school, Ashlee Spannagel; she recently worked with him and others in the industry to overhaul the program’s facility and curriculum.

A full write-up will be posted to the website soon

Among the panelists at the Nov. 2 CIC were, left to right, Bud Center of the CIC Talent Pool and Education Committee; Amber Alley of Barsotti’s Body and Fender; Ashlee Spannagel, dean of CTE at Southeastern Community College; and Justin Clubb of Deery Collision Center.

by John Yoswick

After being held virtually in 2020, the MSO Symposium returned to an in-person format Nov. 1 in Las Vegas, with opening speaker Susanna Gotsch of CCC Intelligent Solutions asked to tackle the question: “2022: Will the pandemic finally be in the rear view mirror?”

Gotsch said with 30% to 40% of workers likely to continue working at home at least one day a week, congestion—and resulting accidents—during traditional commute times will not fully rebound next year. But the increased distracted driving and speeding seen during the pandemic is likely to continue, leading claims counts to continue to rise next year as they have in 2021, getting closer to a full rebound to 2019 levels by late 2022.

Vincent Romans of The Romans Group consulting firm also offered his annual assessment of the consolidation trend in the collision

Vincent Romans, left, of The Romans Group, and Susanna Gotsch, right, of CCC Intelligent Solutions, spoke during the MSO Symposium, held Nov. 1 in Las Vegas. Credit: John Yoswick

repair industry, calling MSOs “just as aggressive” about acquisitions during the pandemic as before.

A full write-up of the MSO Symposium will be posted to the website soon, and will be printed in the December issue of Autobody News.

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