Claims will be loaded onto the system by dealers and submitted online to MAPFRE, who will use 1link Service Network to validate the claim. Alan Easterbrook, operations manager at MAPFRE, said: “1link provides an ideal route for us to process motor warranty claims in a fast and effective manner while minimising costs.

“It means we are linked directly to dealer service departments and workshops up and down the country, making communication easier and claims processing quicker and more transparent.”

David Wallace, sales and business development director at epyx, explained that several motor warranty companies were now using 1link Service Network for administration.

He said: “The platform means that warranty companies can ensure that claims being made are competitively priced and processed as rapidly as possible, which is also good for their customers.

“We are very pleased to welcome MAPFRE onto 1link Service Network and are looking forward to working with them.”

MAPFRE, through their MAPFRE ABRAXAS and MAPFRE WARRANTY brands, is one of the leading providers of motor warranty, GAP and other add-on insurance products to the UK automotive manufacturer and retail industry.

According to BusinessCar, 2012 saw a stronger field in terms of the number and quality of entries. These awards focus on the growing importance of technology involved in the successful running of today’s business vehicles and they “commend the most forward-thinking gadgets and technology-led products on the market.”

This year’s judging panel consisted of BusinessCar’s expert editorial team along with Bracknell Forest Council head of operations and ACFO deputy chairman Damian James.

Best Servicing, Maintenance and Repair System: epyx’s Price Check.

We triumphed in the category dedicated to keeping business cars on the road, with Price Check, described as “a seriously clever piece of technology that monitors exactly what companies are spending money on in order to keep their fleets on the road and ‘learns’ how they can spend less.”

Many of you already using 1link Service network will be taking advantage of Price Check or at least aware of its benefits. In essence, its purpose is to enforce the supplier’s commercial terms that are already in place. When a saving has been identified once by a fleet using the platform, it can be set to automatically apply to all similar purchases in the future.

So impressed were the judging panel that one remarked: “I want this system for my own car. It’s a really clever use of technology to ‘learn’ parameters and implement fleet savings.”

The company says that it is seeing increasing efforts to cut downtime through its Downtime Management module, part of the 1link Service Network e-commerce platform.

David Wallace, sales and business development director, explained: “A vehicle which is off the road is an unproductive vehicle and impacts directly on company productivity. A working vehicle like a delivery van or a salesperson’s car needs to be available all the time and if it is not, it means additional costs in terms of a hire vehicle or lost opportunities.

“At a point in time when the economy is weak, we are seeing more and more fleet managers proactively trying to reduce their downtime in order to boost their fleet productivity. There appears to be an ever clearer understanding that downtime is a cost issue.”

Wallace explained that Downtime Management was being used by greater numbers of fleets and also employed more aggressively.

He said: “The module enables fleet managers to generate reports that monitor their downtime and also put a set of automatic reminders in place that e-mail dealers and drivers if a job is slow, with an escalation process in place when results are not achieved.

“Managing downtime can be very time consuming and the module creates an infrastructure for minimising off-road time that is simple and effective. It is proven to both reduce the overall level of downtime and associated costs such as hire vehicles.”

The company, which was founded in 1972 and has more than 300 sites in France and 6,000 employees, will use epyx’s 1link Service Network e-commerce platform to manage transactions and provide central invoicing for company cars and vans.

Using the technology will hugely increase Feu Vert’s attractiveness to new fleet customers as well as providing the company with access to several major vehicle leasing companies that already make use of 1link Service Network for tyre purchasing.

Alain Moury, director of the fleet business at Feu Vert Enterprises, the business to business section of Feu Vert, explained: “When a fleet driver arrives at a Feu Vert Enterprises centre, an in-house interface allows a simple click to replace telephone calls to leasing company customers. A transaction number is then automatically recorded on our jobsheet and this serves as a basis for completion of the job and invoicing.

“The time taken to obtain work authorisation is reduced to a few seconds, providing a valuable saving of time on all sides as well as limiting errors and invoice complaints. Also, prior validation and checking of tyre-related work to be carried out on corporate fleets allows costs to be more easily controlled. “All current and future partners of epyx are invited to negotiate a national framework contract with Feu Vert Entreprises and their company car drivers are also welcome.”

Patrick Olson, managing director of epyx France, added: “Feu Vert are among the most important suppliers in the French automotive sector and we are very pleased to welcome them onto the 1link Service Network platform, as well as to be working with them closely in the future.”