Ford Leads The Way in Body Repair Standards

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM – December 15, 2009: Ford is leading the automotive industry in securing BSI Kitemark certification for its network of approved repair centres.

More than 40 per cent of the 153-strong Ford Approved Repair Centre chain have already gained the increasingly important BSI PAS 125 standard and Kitemark licence and now, thanks to incentives offered by Ford, almost all of the remaining centres have signed up to become certified by the end of 2010.

“Ford is the first manufacturer fully to embrace the BSI PAS 125 Kitemark,” said Nick Halliday, Ford’s manager of collision repair marketing. “We believe that it’s a vital standard to be achieved, a symbol of a quality product which brings peace of mind for the customer.

“The quality of repairs performed by our centres on Ford vehicles is already protected by our own rigorously checked standards; achieving the BSI PAS 125 Kitemark will mean that our repair centres can additionally offer a certified standard for non-Ford vehicles, which is something that leading insurers are increasingly insisting upon.”

The PAS 125 Kitemark is operated by the independent standards and certification organisation BSI, and is an industry-agreed technical specification covering the whole process of vehicle body repair, detailing the minimum requirements for personnel training and maintenance of equipment, as well as the suitability of repair methods and the quality of materials used.

Scott Hanney, Sales Manager at BSI says “It is a fantastic step forward to have a vehicle manufacturer on board with Kitemark Vehicle Body Repair and we truly believe that Ford will soon see the benefits of this much-trusted Kitemark scheme.”