IBIS speaker interview – Jennifer Boyer
- June 4, 2018
- Posted by: Simon Wait
- Categories: Content Updates, IBIS News
Jennifer Boyer, global collision business and strategy manager of Ford Motor Company, is one of the influential names set for the stage at IBIS Global Summit 2018. Prior to the event the Dutch trade publication Aftersales Magazine had a brief interview to find out more about her upcoming presentation.
Focusing on innovation, process efficiencies and brand loyalty, Jennifer will be offering an informative and influential view from a vehicle manufacturing perspective. Jennifer has been with Ford Motor Company for 25 years. ‘During my tenure, I have held a variety of positions in the Marketing, Sales and Service organization,’ she said.
She continued, ‘In my current role as the global collision business and strategy manager, I am very excited about the future of the collision repair industry and the opportunity to lead the team. The industry is at a pivotal point of change driven by the new technologies in our vehicles of today and tomorrow which makes it a time for new and revolutionary thinking.
‘My presentation will align with the IBIS theme of Challenging Perspectives and speak to how we are challenging perspectives within the industry to deliver the collision repair experience our customers desire and deserve.’
In spite of the general expectations on reduced accident numbers by advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), they are not yet visible in the figures. ‘To date, we have not seen a decline due to the units in operation and increase in the number of miles driven around the world. Industry Groups such as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) have started to study the effects of ADAS on claim frequency and severity. While the data is still maturing, the expectation is that these systems will reduce accident frequencies over time.’
In relation to this in the coming years, Jennifer explained, ‘I expect to see the OEs taking a more active role in the industry as the stewards of our brand experiences and experts in our vehicle technologies. Also, I expect we will see a change in the insurance industry as we know it today due to the ability to leverage the connected vehicles to manage a great majority of the processes in place. Finally, I expect that all vehicles will be repaired by certified repairers using Ford repair procedures due to the complexity and sophistication of vehicle systems.’
Continuing on the subject of ‘brand management’, Jennifer was asked on her thoughts on the use of aftermarket parts or original but reused parts. ‘Ford Motor Company does not endorse the use of aftermarket parts,’ she said. ‘The safety of our customers is of the utmost importance.’
She continued, ‘The best way to ensure a safe, quality repair is to use genuine OEM parts and follow the manufacturer’s repair procedures completely in order to ensure the vehicle is returned to pre-accident characteristics. Ford engineer’s conduct on-going testing and in the wake of the John Eagle Collision incident, we even asked an independent test lab to determine whether aftermarket copy versions of two F-150 parts frequently replaced in a collision repair would meet Ford dimensional design specifications, and the answer was a resounding ‘no’. This is just one example of many. We do not endorse the reuse or salvage of our parts.’
