French ICMIF member MAIF has historically been committed to the use of used car parts for the repairs of its members’ vehicles and now it is deploying its own online platform for reused parts.

As early as 2010, MAIF was involved in the reuse sector for car repairs in Poitou-Charentes, before deploying this process nationwide in 2012. Since 2019, the mutual insurer has been asking its partner recyclers to dismantle all damaged vehicles over eight years old, in order to supply the spare parts market.

Each year, MAIF entrusts 30,000 non-repairable vehicles to its network of authorised recyclers. Hoods, bumpers, fenders or doors, all parts still usable (excluding safety elements) are made available to repairers so that the parts may live a second life. This approach has made it possible for over 15% of repairs to include the use of at least one used part by the end of 2022.

Beyond the obvious sustainability benefits, in a difficult situation for car repairers, affected both by problems of availability of new parts and by current inflation, the reused part appears to be an essential alternative solution. However, parts must be easily accessible, of good quality and allow the repairer to maintain his margins.

A reuse parts platform without intermediaries for MAIF’s partner networks

This national platform, the purpose of which is to create a short and standardised distribution circuit for reused parts, facilitates the connection between recyclers and MAIF’s partner repairers. It allows the recyclers to offer the repair partners an overview of the reused parts available in the network.

The platform also guarantees that each partner repairer will benefit from a “key account” discount on the purchase price of reused parts at all partner recyclers, regardless of the volumes of purchases made individually.

MAIF says it is important to note that it does not charge any commission on orders placed on this platform in order to maximise repairers’ margins.

MAIF has also standardised the presentation of parts and the associated quality index to allow repairers to have the most complete view possible of the available parts. This standardisation work allows repairers to ensure the quality of parts and thus order with confidence.

This approach helps to reduce the cost of repair and pushes the limits of the economic repairability of vehicles, which often allows the member to keep his vehicle and have it repaired.

For its part, MAIF guarantees for life the repairs of its claims carried out with reused parts.

Cédric Videau, Head of MAIF Insurance and Assistance Service Provider Networks, said: “We started from a double observation: the availability of parts often penalised vehicle repair and the reuse sector was mainly connected to platforms that took commissions. In a context of inflationary and environmental emergency, 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.”