SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - October 29, 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 industry-related news items and statistics.
This edition's Quarterly Feature, "Measuring Alternative Parts Usage,"
(APU) analyzes the increasingly popular trend of APU and the important role
it plays in the collision repair industry, given that parts can typically
comprise 40% of a repair's dollars. The recent analysis, which
cross-referenced a random data set of estimators and estimates against
Mitchell's extensive database of parts prices, clearly shows that the
practice of choosing less expensive parts of equal quality over parts from
an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) has been on the rise for several
years.
The analysis also demonstrates the various methods used to measure APU,
including Percent of Dollars and Percent of Part Count, and their
relationship to part cost differential. The study's results indicate that
the higher APU percentage, the higher the parts cost differential.
"Our analysis shows, without a doubt, that APU percentages and parts cost
differential are closely linked to one another," said the feature's author,
Jamison Day, Senior Director of Information Solutions at Mitchell
International. "It's also quite interesting to note that our analysis
shows that both APU metrics appear to be equally accurate predictors of
cost differential."
This edition also includes a special feature by Greg Horn, Mitchell's Vice
President of Industry Relations. The article examines the possible impact
that importing Chinese vehicles into the U.S. could have on global salvage
prices.
Other valuable points of interest in the current issue of Mitchell's ITR
include:
-- In Q3-2007, the average Property Damage appraised vehicle Actual Cash
Value was $11,957 compared to Q3-2006's average of $11,957 -- reflecting no
change from this time last year.
-- At $14,070, the average Actual Cash Value of vehicles appraised for
Collision losses during Q3-2007 was $673 more than in Q3-2006 and also
reflected the presence of slightly older vehicles.
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 (
www.mitchell.com) 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.
Contact Information: Contacts:
Jennifer Forman
Sr. Director, Marketing
800-238-9111 x6585
or
Kam Hashim
Boston Communications
617-292-7316