NORCROSS, GA – Nobilas Claims & Fleet Solutions, an Akzo Nobel Business Unit, has launched a new communication platform for the vehicle repair market. The IT platform connects all relevant parties in the vehicle accident management value chain. Through the Connect Communication Platform, Nobilas' insurance company clients will benefit from instant availability of important data, enabling maximum process efficiency. Following a successful pilot in Germany involving 2,500 claims, Nobilas Connect is being rolled out across Europe and North America, beginning with Germany and the U.K. Thomas Geiger, general manager for Nobilas Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, said, “Feedback from our German customers and body shops involved with the pilot has been very positive. We will continue to develop the system and add elements such as invoice processing.” The Nobilas Connect platform provides all parties involved in accident management with online access to the system. The communication center employee, body shop manager, adjuster/appraiser, and the Nobilas client all work from the same platform in real-time with the latest information. The total Accident Management process can be initiated with one phone call – the first notice of loss when a driver damages his or her car. The online system improves the quality of claims handling significantly, and reduces the total repair cycle time, according to Nobilas. With Nobilas Connect, which is integrated with Nobilas' major IT applications, all information relevant to the repair – including customer and vehicle data, body shop data, damage photographs, repair estimate, and actual vehicle repair start and end dates – are accessible from a single database. “In the Accident Management process, Nobilas acts like the conductor of a symphony orchestra, coordinating the activities of all the various players. Nobilas Connect is one of the tools that facilitate the realization of that vision. The tool allows us to minimize cycle times, offering our clients significant cost reductions for connectivity while maintaining high service levels,” said Geoff Bullen, general manager for Nobilas International.