driversshield.com Teams With Parts.com to Utilize TradeMotion
18 October 2000
driversshield.com Teams With Parts.com to Utilize TradeMotion
SANFORD, Fla.--Oct. 18, 2000--Will Reach 3,000 Collision Centers and 650,000 driversshield.com
Members Solutions Offered Free to Body Shops and Repair Facilities
First Priority Group, Inc. (Nasdaq Small Cap: FPGP) announced today that driversshield.com is teaming up with Parts.com (Stock Symbol: MIRM) to bring the "best in class" technology, nationwide dealership network, as well as Recycler and Aftermarket Partners to the insurance and fleet industry in order to significantly lower overall operating costs, reduce repair time and achieve higher levels of customer service not previously possible.
driversshield.com's national fleet service subsidiary services IBM(TM), Coke Cola(TM), Time Warner(TM), Media One(TM), Cablevision(TM) and Hershey Foods(TM) as well as many others. This partnership provides insurance and fleet companies, as well as collision and mechanical repair facilities, with a total Internet solution for building customer loyalty and increasing retention, beginning with the customer's first contact with their carrier to report an automobile accident. Insurance personnel can guide the customer through the entire repair process from making an immediate appointment - in real time - to delivery of the vehicle back to the customer and each process in between. This provides customers with instant access to repair status information and places the customer back in their vehicle faster than any other process available today. Customers receive the highest quality repairs, backed by lifetime warranties good anywhere in the United States. Customers also receive free membership in a nationally acclaimed automotive services and discounts program, including discounts through the Parts.com marketplace including vehicle maintenance and repairs.
"We've looked at many Internet-oriented parts procurement companies, and we've found that Parts.com, with its Marketplace and TradeMotion(TM) solutions, adds the most value to our clients and to individual drivers," said Barry Siegel, chairman and CEO of driversshield.com. "Everybody involved benefits from this partnership - it's a win-win situation."
This partnership provides complete parts supply chain management covering OEM, Aftermarket, Recycled and Remanufactured repair parts through Parts.com's TradeMotion Solutions, which pulls parts requirements directly from damage appraisals. By utilizing Parts.com's Marketplace and TradeMotion Solutions, driversshield.com's marketplace will be able to maximize parts availability and delivery cycle times, enabling repair shops to reduce overall repair cycle times and costs. All participants enjoy a "win-win-win" situation, starting with the insurance carrier customer who receives their repaired vehicle in the fastest time possible. The carrier recognizes expense-reduction benefit through fewer rental car days and collaborative purchasing power. Parts Distributors, Dealerships and Collision and Repair facilities improve operating efficiencies, increase turnover and reduce costs.
TradeMotion empowers driversshield.com to provide insurance carriers with a complete set of management information tools for order and account management. Carriers can create reports that track usage, parts consumption, missed sales, cycle time from parts request to parts fulfillment. All reports are maintained in a secure environment, along with imaging and damage appraisals on all vehicle repairs utilizing TradeMotion Solutions.
"This partnership brings a tremendous amount of demand to the Parts.com Marketplace and the dealerships utilizing Parts.com's TradeMotion StoreFront(TM) Solution. Parts.com was granted the exclusive RFQs from driversshield.com's 3,000 Collision facilities nationwide and more than 650,000 members," stated Shawn D. Lucas, President of Parts.com. "This partnership also strengthens driversshield.com's position with its impressive client roster," concluded Mr. Lucas.
First Priority Group, Inc.
Since founded in 1983, First Priority Group has built a national reputation for efficient, cost-saving management of collision claims for self-insured corporate and municipal vehicle fleets through its subsidiary, National Fleet Service (NFS). NFS's clients include IBM , Hershey Foods , Coca-Cola , Time Warner , Media One, Cablevision and a host of other prestigious national and international companies. Driversshield.com was established in early 1999 to exploit the parent company's long established auto claims experience and proprietary systems using Internet-based e-commerce techniques. FPG provides these services through a national member network of over 3,000 nationwide collision facilities.
About Parts.com
Parts.com, based in Sanford, Florida, provides business-to-business e-commerce software solutions for the auto parts industry and other verticals. Parts.com's TradeMotion Solutions creates value for participants throughout the supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors, dealerships, collision repair shops, garages, recyclers and insurance companies as a result of its unique, direct business model which offers a number of efficiencies and opportunities throughout the supply chain.
This announcement contains "forward looking statements." Words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," and other similar expressions as they relate to the Company and its management are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company and its management believe that the statements contained in this announcement are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such statements will prove correct. Factors that could affect the occurrence of events or results discussed herein are included with those mentioned in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.