The Vehicle Recycler’s Association has awarded SYNETIQ with the Stage 2 UK Standard for Reclaimed Parts from End-Of-Life Vehicles, following a two-part assessment at SYNETIQ’s Doncaster Head Office.
This new industry standard covers the removal, processing, and traceability of parts from damaged vehicles, ensuring they are safe for reuse. SYNETIQ supplies these ‘green parts’ to major fleets, Bodyshops, garages and private customers across the UK.
SYNETIQ sells original equipment (OE) non-safety related parts, such as collision panels, engines and gearboxes, through its parts procurement platform MyGreenFleet. Each part is graded from A to C, with any minor damage clearly highlighted. This quality control process is well established and means customers know exactly what to expect when ordering, with the item condition reflected in the price. The cashable saving from RRP can be as much as 75% when compared to new OE parts.
“We’re right behind this new VRA standard – it is a very positive step,” says Jason Cross, Client Relationship Director at SYNETIQ. ”We see it as being perfectly aligned with our vision: to lead the way in creating a vehicle recycling industry we can all be proud of. New, robust industry standards create a benchmark and inspire trust in the use of Green OE Parts. This can only help us and the insurance and fleet clients we serve.”
While reusing vehicle parts was traditionally a price-led decision, more information is being revealed about the environmental benefits of use. Last month, SYNETIQ reported it has helped British Gas to save 120,000kg of CO2, simply by using recycled replacement doors instead of comparable brand-new OE.
Jason added: “We’ve been supplying green parts to the fleet industry since 2010, and we’re now undertaking several trials with major UK insurers for use in insurer funded repair. Attitudes are changing towards green parts, and we’re grateful to the VRA for their efforts to raise the standards further.”
SYNETIQ, the UK’s leading salvage and vehicle recycling company, has been externally verified with the International Standard ISO 45001.
The new accreditation is a welcome reminder that health, safety, and welfare remain at the heart of SYNETIQs operations. Colleagues continue to work together to ensure the business remains proactive in its approach to health and safety, striving to continuously improve together.
ISO 45001 has helped SYNETIQ focus on the minimisation and, where possible, elimination of risk. The business already operates an integrated management system which includes ISO 9001, 14001 and 27001; this has proved to be an effective way of achieving standardisation across sites.
SYNETIQ strives for excellence both for its colleagues and customers, and this accreditation further demonstrates the robust health and safety processes which are in place.
“I am proud and delighted that SYNETIQ has been awarded the ISO45001 accreditation. It is a testament to the hard work of all colleagues; especially the HSEQ Team and a real signal of our commitment to putting the Health and Safety of our colleagues at the forefront of our business. It reflects and recognises our investment and significant progress in this area since SYNETIQ was created. The focus now must be on ensuring we maintain the level of quality, focus, discipline and improvement to retain this year after year.”
Tom Rumboll, Executive Chairman, SYNETIQ
“2020 continues to be a challenging year for all due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we all continue to pull together to work through the challenges we face. Achieving ISO45001 accreditation despite these additional challenges gives us a great sense of pride and further demonstrates our commitment to putting health and safety first in all that we do as an organization.”
Mark Harrison, Head of Health, Safety, Environment & Quality, SYNETIQ
SYNETIQ, the UK’s largest salvage and vehicle recycling company, has welcomed three new additions to its IT team – a mark of its commitment to investment and innovation.
Two new Senior Developers have joined to strengthen the team’s capacity, as the business prepares for the next chapter of its capabilities.
Sean Maller is the latest addition to the .Net Team, and will focus on software improvement, ensuring SYNETIQ remains a market leader in innovation and process.
Robert Ralston is the latest addition to the AWS development team and brings his experience gained in the Fleet Management industry, making him ideally placed for the role. SYNETIQ is a leading provider of Green Parts and Mechanical Solutions to fleets across the UK; Robert’s knowledge of CRM system development will enhance client and customer experience.
Navya Areti joins as Amazon Web Services (AWS) DevOps Engineer, and will be working closely with SYNETIQ’s IT development teams. Navya’s background is in the creation of cloud infrastructure – she will help the team move projects into the cloud, reduce cost, improve reliability, and continue to plan for the future.
Dave Harcourt, IT Director at SYNETIQ, said: “Investment in our team will help us offer the best possible experience to our clients and customers. I’m excited for what’s in store over the coming months and confident we’re set up to drive our industry forward through investment and innovation.”
The UK’s largest salvage and vehicle recycling company has announced a new partnership with Stocalfe Response, a provider of accident and fleet management services.
As part of the relationship, SYNETIQ will exclusively handle salvage vehicles involved in motor claims on behalf of Stocalfe Response. This agreement will provide Stocalfe Response with unrivalled returns for its total loss vehicles.
Steve Dodson, Client Relationship & Business Development Director, said: “I’m pleased to welcome Stocalfe Response as our newest client. We’ve worked closely with their team to make sure the transition was a smooth one and I’m delighted to report that everything’s working really well.”
Stocalfe Response is based in Warrington and offers a full management service, including credit hire and intervention hire. It works with a wide range of clients and customers; handling claims on vehicles ranging from small cars to HGVs.
Students at the Bromley Beacon Academy have received a donation of motorbikes from SYNETIQ, the UK’s largest salvage and vehicle recycling company.
The academy is based in South East London, and supports young people with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs around the borough. The donated bikes will play a key role in the delivery Level 1 & 2 Motor Mechanics courses, where students can develop their practical skills and technical knowledge.
Bromley Beacon’s state of the art centre is equipped to the same standard as a professional garage, including all the relevant tools and safety equipment. Courses are designed to set students up for their working life, leading to a career in mechanics or engineering. As well as a donation of motorbikes, Bromley Beacon’s motorbike department has also received support from the Metropolitan Police service. The force’s own Motorbike Police team recently joined students at the school to share stories, vital information on keeping safe on the road, and their own experiences with motorbikes. All students reacted positively, helping to forge positive relationships between students and the Police.
SYNETIQ has announced its intention to expand its Gloucester site after sharing the news with its clients and colleagues last week.
A multi-million-pound investment is already underway that will deliver new concrete works, large-scale racking systems, more purpose-built depollution facilities, and remodelled premium breaking and parts storage facilities.
The changes will mean the closure of the long established Cinderford site by the end of September, with the migration of most of its employees, capabilities and processes transferring to the new flagship SYNETIQ site.
This announcement of SYNETIQs commitment to expansion in the South West follows shortly behind a similar strategy and show of commitment to expanding its operations in Scotland to provide national coverage for clients and customers.
Jason Cross, Client Director of SYNETIQ said:
“The investment in the expansion of our Gloucester site is exciting, driven by our aspiration to lead the industry whilst delivering an exceptional, compliant and innovative service to our clients. This move is testament to our confidence in our business and our people, who will have the chance to develop and grow within our ambitious and scalable organisation.”
As Coronavirus caused unprecedented disruption to businesses across the UK, SYNETIQ, as a DEFRA-classified key service, continued to support its key worker clients, including Insurers, Ambulance services, Police forces and supermarket delivery vehicles, providing salvage and dismantling services, green parts and Mechanical Solutions and this investment is continued evidence of that commitment.
SYNETIQ has successfully begun relocating to its new Glasgow site, marking further investment in its vehicle processing capacity.
The new Torrance premises is significantly larger than the outgoing Alexandria location and retains Julie Hubbard as Manager. The site has extensive concrete storage areas, large workshops, storage and office areas, meaning its suitable for many client services – including salvage, vehicle recycling, green parts and mechanical solutions.
The move is the next step in a strategic 5-year growth plan, where the business invests in new sites to strengthen its total UK coverage. So far this year, SYNETIQ has also opened two others – in Aldershot and in South London, the latter being the first of its kind in the industry.
SYNETIQ Torrance has plenty of space for further growth; an important consideration when choosing the site. By reinforcing its strong presence in the North, SYNETIQ can deliver the best possible experience to its clients – including Insurers, Police forces nationwide.
The business is now increasing efficiency through standardised ways of working, with the same high standards of compliance, safety, and efficiency across all its locations.
British Gas is one of the UK’s best-known companies, with a history stretching back over 200 years. Its iconic bright blue vans are a regular sight on the road, carrying thousands of Engineers between homes and businesses across the country.
The British Gas fleet is made up of around 11,400 vehicles, making it one of the largest in the country. Managing a fleet of this size comes with significant responsibilities – from environmental performance to the practicalities of vehicle downtime and cost reduction. Steve Winter, Head of Fleet at British Gas, says the business is always open to exploring new, innovative ways of working.
“We’re constantly considering new initiatives to keep our engineer’s mobile whilst doing right by our customers, employees and the environment,” says Steve. In March 2020, the business was named as Fleet of the Year at the Fleet News’ Awards, for its range of initiatives concerning vehicle downtime, driver welfare and environmental performance.
British Gas is in partnership with MyGreenFleet, a service provided by SYNETIQ, the UK’s largest salvage and vehicle recycling company. SYNETIQ prides itself on intelligent solutions and provides the compliant handling of British Gas salvage vehicles. No salvage vehicles are resold, with the shells crushed and recycled on site, ensuring they can never return to the road.
Some vehicles still contain perfectly good, non-safety-related parts – known as green parts – and these are sold back to British Gas repair partners (Hitachi and SOPP+SOPP) for re-use on its own vehicles. This simple yet incredibly effective process has helped British Gas save millions of pounds since it began in 2012.
“What surprises me is the number of fleets which aren’t considering the use of green parts,” says Steve. “The cost savings and environmental benefits are clearly visible in the data provided by SYNETIQ, and we’re happy with the service provided.”
SYNETIQ green parts are OEM, non-safety critical, quality-controlled parts, such as doors, bumpers, and lights, and are perfect for reuse on damaged repairable British Gas vehicles. Parts are often already painted and stickered to match and are delivered to British Gas accident/fleet management partners using SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet inhouse logistics, within 48 hours. This means Engineers can get back on the road more quickly, and unnecessary manufacturing of new parts is reduced.
Since 2012, SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet have supplied over 1200 doors alone, for use on British Gas vehicles – saving more than 120,000kg of CO2 against comparable new doors. Over 6500 non-safety related green parts have been supplied in total, generating a truly significant saving.
Green parts are up to 70% cheaper when compared with new, OEM parts, and act as a like for like replacement. Accurate data is available to British Gas within MyGreenFleet, providing insight on cost savings, units, and performance against agreed service level agreements – such as delivery time. Use of green parts often reduces vehicle downtime, meaning Engineers can get back on the road more quickly.
Jason Cross, Client Relationship Director at SYNETIQ, says the business is proud to be trusted by British Gas. “We like saying yes,” says Jason. “We pride ourselves on removing the barriers or problems that crop up when operating such a vast fleet.”
SYNETIQ also provides ‘waste and destock’ services, where a SYNETIQ employee can empty vans of equipment and personal belongings and securely return them, disposing of any waste.
Technical equipment used by Engineers can also be transferred from one vehicle to another in the event of it switching drivers. Ladders and scales are stored securely on SYNETIQ sites, and either returned to British Gas or transferred to another vehicle. This protects valuable equipment from theft and further reduces ‘vehicle of road’ (VOR) time.
“We’re very proud to be trusted by British Gas – it means a lot to our business,” says Jason. “I’m pleased to share that Steve recently awarded us a score of ‘10’ in our recent client satisfaction survey. We’re looking forward to working with them to provide more intelligent solutions for the future.”
The latest Insurance Tomorrow podcast is now available to listen to – featuring our Client Relationship Director, Jason Cross.
The podcast is created by Allianz UK; during each episode, an expert panel discuss major global business trends, their impacts on the insurance industry and the challenges they pose to insurance brokers.
This time, Steph McGovern speaks to Jason Cross, alongside experts from Allianz , Climate Wise and Plastic Surgeon – discussing the future of sustainable claims in the insurance industry.
Did you know, you can now order and pay for your parts online and collect them from your nearest site?
During the lockdown period, we wanted to take the opportunity to make some improvements for you. Click and collect makes it safer and easier to buy from us at the moment – but it’ll also have lots of benefits going forward.
When using click and collect, you get a quick answer on what we have in stock before you visit us. It also means less waiting time once you arrive! What’s not to like?
Live Chat & automatic Chat Bot
We’ve also launched SYNETIQ Live Chat, available through a link on our website. This is now the way to contact us if you’re looking for parts for your vehicle.
We’ve received a huge response so far – we’re carrying on improvements and training more of our colleagues, so we can answer your queries more quickly. You can use Live Chat for any type of question, whether related to auction, parts or anything else.
As of today, we’ve also switched on a Chat Bot – this aims to automatically respond to your question with a link to our new Knowledge Base. Again, this will make sure your questions get a speedy response – it’ll also be available all around the clock.
We’re hard at work, making sure you have the best experience possible when using SYNETIQ. Hope to see you soon!
