Historically committed to the use of second-hand car parts for the repairs of its members, MAIF, an insurance company in France, continues its action in this area by deploying its own online platform for reused parts.
MAIF – a long-term commitment to the use of reused parts
From 2010, MAIF was involved in the reuse sector in car repairs in Poitou-Charentes, France, before rolling out this process nationwide in 2012. Since 2019, the mutual insurance company has asked its partner recyclers to deconstruct all damaged vehicles over 8 years old in order to supply the spare parts market.
Each year, MAIF entrusts 30,000 non-repairable vehicles to its network of approved recyclers. Hoods, bumpers, wings or doors, all the parts that are still usable (excluding safety elements) are made available to repairers to live a second life. An approach that has made it possible to reach more than 15% of repairs with at least one second-hand part by the end of 2022!
Beyond its obvious ecological interest, in a difficult situation for car repairers, affected both by problems of availability of new parts and by substantial inflation, the reused part appears to be an essential alternative solution. However, it must be easily accessible, of good quality and allow the repairer to maintain his margins.
A reused parts platform without an intermediary for MAIF’s partner networks
This national platform, whose purpose is to create a short and standardized circuit for the distribution of reused parts, facilitates the connection between recyclers and MAIF partner repairers. It provides them with an overview of the reused parts available in the network.
It guarantees each partner repairer to benefit from a “key account” discount on the purchase price of reused parts from all partner recyclers, regardless of the volume of purchases made individually.
It is important to specify that MAIF does not charge any commission on orders placed on this platform to maximize the margins of repairers.
MAIF has also standardized the presentation of parts and the associated quality index to allow repairers to have the most complete view possible of the part available. This standardization work allows repairers to ensure the quality of parts and thus to order with confidence.
This approach contributes to reducing the cost of repairs and pushes back the limits of the economic repairability of vehicles, which very often allows the member to keep his vehicle and have it repaired.
For its part, the MAIF guarantees for life the repairs of its claims carried out with reused parts.
Cédric Videau, Manager of the networks of Insurance and Assistance service providers MAIF, said:
Cédric Videau
“We started from a double observation: the availability of parts often penalized the repair of vehicles, and the reuse sector was mainly connected to platforms charging commissions. In an inflationary and environmental emergency context, we believe it is essential to act. Thanks to this platform for connecting our recyclers, repairers and experts, we want to promote the use of reused parts.”
About MAF
6th largest car insurer and 1st insurer in the voluntary sector, MAIF covers all the needs of more than 4 million members (property insurance, provident insurance, health, assistance, savings, credit, etc.), for a turnover of nearly 4.5 billion euros in 2022.
Regularly acclaimed in terms of customer relations, MAIF has become a company with a mission in 2020, with the raison d’être of paying sincere attention to others and to the world and to place it at the heart of each of its commitments and actions.
