SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - August 13, 2007) - Mitchell International, a leading provider of
information, workflow, and performance management solutions to the
collision claims and repair industries, today released the third quarter
2007 edition of its Industry Trends Report (ITR) -- the company's quarterly
publication that highlights news items as well as industry statistics.
This edition's Quarterly Feature explores whether or not specifying
aftermarket parts on initial estimates affects supplement frequency and the
effect that this practice has on cycle times. The Feature also looks at the
substitution rate of common aftermarket parts for OEM parts and
investigates whether CAPA-certified parts perform differently than non-CAPA
parts.
The recently published study reviewed over 500,000 aftermarket parts and an
additional 145,815 CAPA-certified parts and factored in all supplement
types. The study's results indicate that supplements, regardless of reason,
can add an average of 1.5 days to a repair's cycle time.
"Our study provides significant insights into exactly how cycle times are
affected by supplements generated due to the use of aftermarket parts,"
said Greg Horn, Vice President of Industry Relations, Mitchell
International. "Because we sampled such a large data set and examined the
results so carefully, we were able to gain an accurate view of how much the
use of different part types affects supplements, and in turn, cycle times."
Other notes of interest in the current issue of Mitchell's ITR include:
-- In Q2-2007, the average Property Damage appraised vehicle Actual Cash
Value was $11,370, compared with Q2-2006's average of $11,696, an increase
of a mere $34.
-- During Q2-2007, Mitchell reported that paint and materials average
dollars per repair labor hours rose slightly, but the total cost of those
materials as a percentage of the estimate dollars decreased slightly
compared to Q2-2006.
Complete content is available in the latest Industry Trends Report, which
may be downloaded in PDF format by visiting
www.mitchell.com. First
published in April 2001, Mitchell's Trends Report has grown in both content
and circulation, now reaching more than 23,000 collision and casualty
industry professionals.
About Mitchell International, Inc.
Mitchell International is a leading provider of information, workflow, and
performance management solutions to the automotive insurance claims
industry, serving carriers, collision repair facilities, and other
commercial participants in the physical damage and auto-related medical
claims markets. Mitchell facilitates millions of electronic transactions
between more than 16,000 business partners each month to enhance their
productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction levels. For more
information on Mitchell International, visit its Web site at
www.mitchell.com.
Contact Information: Contacts:
Jennifer Forman
Senior Director of Marketing
800-238-9111 x6585
or
Kam Hashim
Boston Communications
617-619-9803