Lindsay Ford bodyshop in Lisburn, has become the first bodyshop in Northern Ireland to gain the Kitemark quality standard. Commenting on the achievement, Dean McVeigh, Group Bodyshop Manager of Lindsay Ford said, “The industry needs a standard and the Kitemark standard goes much further than just a checklist, it is an extremely thorough process.” He added, “We decided to be proactive and be ahead of the game and we wanted to be the first in the region to attain the Kitemark certification, as we believe soon insurers will be mandating it in Ireland as well as England.”

    The Kitemark programme is a joint initiative developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI) and Thatcham. It is based on the PAS 125 technical specification, giving repairers the opportunity to demonstrate that they have reached certain set criteria in body repair quality. It also allows repairers to benchmark their services and working practices and in so doing, demonstrate an on-going commitment to the safety and integrity of repairs.

    There are now over 800 bodyshops in the UK that have achieved Kitemark recognition and it is fast becoming the recognised quality standard in the UK body repair industry, with many work providers now adopting it as part of their repairer selection criteria.