Category: Announcement

Pinewood DMS is certified by BMW

Pinewood is the first DMS certified by BMW Group Northern Europe

06 October 2022 No Comments Announcement, OEM

On 26 September 2022, BMW Group Northern Europe announced Pinewood DMS as its first certified system for retailers in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway – following the completion of a rigorous certification process to ensure the necessary processes and integrations are all available.

This builds upon a working relationship that has ensured BMW integration has been a feature of Pinewood DMS since 2003. Pinewood has been certified by BMW in the UK & Ireland since 2021, supporting BMW, MINI, Motorrad, and Rolls-Royce businesses.

Karl Zaar, Customer Service Director at Pinewood Technologies Northern Europe explains:

“We are delighted to have earned the opportunity to work with BMW who are recognised leaders in technology and customer experience, and we look forward to working closely with BMW and MINI retailers across Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

Our partnership with BMW maximises productivity for retailers, reducing costs, and bringing flexibility to more dealers in the network. Retailers can be confident that they’re complying with BMW standards – with automatic data sharing between dealers and BMW Group.”

Pinewood’s strategy is to continue building on its leading all-in-one cloud DMS solution. The DMS today incorporates built-in mobile apps, video services, and document storage. Customers can also benefit from integrated digital services, such as eSignatures, customer privacy preferences, and online payments. Pinewood’s objective is to make IT management simpler. This is achieved by offering a smooth digital journey for customers and a single view for business leaders.

Pinewood DMS has been designed with multi-franchise groups in mind, supporting this through continuous updates. The system includes comprehensive OEM integration, modern BI capabilities, and group stock management tools. These include internal transfers, plus vehicle stock funding with financial organisations.

“Our development team is working on the latest technologies and has a deep and detailed understanding of the automotive industry. We are continuously investing in creating the best tools for retailer success. This certification and partnership with BMW Group is an exciting opportunity to offer retailers greater choice, resulting in improved tools to drive dealer profitability”, says Zaar.

Pinewood DMS is available to multi-brand retailers across the globe. The DMS has been certified by BMW in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

Secure payments in Pinewood DMS with Vyne Open Banking

Pinewood and Vyne Offer Secure Payment Option

01 September 2022 2 Comments Announcement

Pinewood DMS, one of the leading global solutions for automotive dealer management, is now integrated with Vyne – providing dealers with an instant, secure payment option – further extending their digital omnichannel offering.

Neville Briggs, Managing Director, Pinewood Technologies, comments –

“Car buyers are increasingly looking for the omnichannel option when searching for a new vehicle. We recognise the importance of providing a low-cost, secure solution to dealers and this includes our payment offering.

Vyne’s open banking software removes the hassle of sharing bank details or personal data. The latest integration with Pinewood DMS means dealers can be confident when requesting payments for vehicle sales and service work, enhancing our digital offering.”

No need for manual bank transfers

The integration between Vyne and Pinewood eliminates the need for manual bank transfers by leveraging Open Banking technology. Although a common payment method in the UK automotive industry, manual bank transfers can offer a poor user experience prone to manual errors. Compared to account-to-account payments, which can be completed securely in as little as three clicks on a customer’s smartphone.

As payments are settled in real-time, customers can leave a deposit and take their vehicle home on the same day. For consumers, this enhances the experience of purchasing a new vehicle, and for dealers, increases conversion rates.

Reducing costs for large dealer groups

Pendragon PLC is one of the UK’s leading automotive retailers, serving hundreds of thousands of customers online and in-dealership every year. Pendragon’s brands can now bypass card networks and their associated fees. This is through offering Vyne’s payment solution in Pinewood DMS, which reduces costs and accelerates cash flow with instant settlement.

Bill Berman, Chief Executive Officer, Pendragon PLC, comments –

“Customers are at the heart of what we do, and we strive to provide the best possible experience for those choosing their next car. It was great to become the first automotive brand in the UK to offer account-to-account payments in dealerships in June. By also integrating Vyne into Pinewood DMS, we are thrilled to be able to improve the automotive retail experience for more customers across the country.”

A great addition to the omnichannel offering

Vyne’s innovative technology eliminates middlemen while improving the consumer experience – providing faster, simpler, cost-effective payments. By integrating Vyne into Pinewood DMS, dealerships will be able to offer Vyne’s payment solution to all customers. Initially, this will be through in-store payment operations, and in future on their websites.

Karl MacGregor, CEO, and Co-founder of Vyne adds –

“It’s fantastic that Pinewood has chosen to offer Vyne’s Open Banking solution to its customers. As Pendragon is one of the largest and most influential automotive retailers in the UK, we are thrilled to be the selected account-to-account provider trusted in providing a seamless Open Banking experience to even more automotive customers.”

Vyne integration in Pinewood DMS is available now to all Pinewood customers. Register your interest.

Pinewood partners with Tjekvik

Pinewood Partners with Digital Service Reception Tjekvik

18 July 2022 1 Comment Announcement, Partnership

Tjekvik is delighted to partner with Pinewood Technologies to improve the digital service experience for their mutual automotive customers.

The Tjekvik Digital Service Reception software enables dealers to digitalise the customer journey, alongside the built-in tools in Pinewood DMS. Tjekvik lets customers skip service desk queues using the at-home and in-dealer self-service check-in and check-out software. This ensures a quicker and easier process for the customer. It also reduces pressure on dealership staff. This is especially useful during busy periods such as early mornings and early evenings prior to closing time. The software includes dealer-set customer journeys, invoice enhancement opportunities, and online payments, providing dealers additional revenue as well as improving the customer experience.

Year to date, Tjekvik dealers in the UK have sold £1.2 million in added value items. They’ve generated 21,000 leads for service plans, and collected over £1.5 million in online payments through over 700,000 customer interactions.

Neville Briggs, Managing Director at Pinewood added:

“Through our partnership with Tjekvik, we’re supporting dealers to further improve their service experience. Dealers must have the right tools to satisfy customer needs – especially in today’s competitive market where flexibility and convenience are priority.”

Tjekvik Global Business Development Director, Nick Pratt commented:

“We see our partnership growing with Pinewood delivering even more efficiencies to dealers in the UK and abroad. We will work together to improve connectivity and make the process even more efficient, saving valuable time for both dealers and customers”

Tjekvik integration with Pinewood DMS has already begun rolling out into dealers across the UK. It is now available to Pinewood customers.

Get in touch to find out more.

Pinewood offers electronic signatures to customers, with Scrive

Pinewood DMS integrates with Scrive eSign

12 May 2022 2 Comments Announcement, Paperless

Scrive, the European pioneer in automating contract-based business processes, is bringing momentum to the digitalisation of the UK automotive industry. Working closely with Pinewood Technologies, Scrive is now offering its electronic signatures within the DMS – supporting dealers to provide the ultimate digital omnichannel experience.

Within the automotive sector, Scrive also works with VW, KIA, Europcar, and BMW Financial Services. By co-operating with Pinewood, one of the leading solutions for dealer management, Scrive is making a significant contribution to closing the last gaps in digital manufacturer and dealer processes. The challenge of switching to digital processes in the automotive industry is great. Above all, compliance with manufacturers and the desire of customers for digital omnichannel processes requires smart solutions.

Offer car buyers the optimum buying experience

Many customers today want a digital omnichannel process when buying a car. The digital showroom has become increasingly important, along with the option to buy a vehicle partially or completely online. For this, dealers need an innovative digital system that enables a contemporary customer experience. Pinewood, as a provider of such software, is now closing the last digital gaps in its solution. This includes the use of eSignatures – businesses need to manage finance documents, vehicle orders, job cards, and invoices.

Without digital signatures, dealers would need to print out, sign in person (or through the post), and scan every document back in – then store these in a physical folder. Digital signatures simplify the workflow, save time, and reduce costs. Pinewood has thus solved an important problem in the industry with the integration of Scrive. Franchise operations, used car dealers, and truck and motorcycle distributors benefit from significantly simplified customer management and the complete digital purchasing process.

Pinewood chooses secure eSignatures from European provider Scrive

Scrive is one of the few providers that meet all eIDAS requirements for a qualified electronic signature, which is fully equivalent to a handwritten signature in legal terms. They use blockchain technology to seal every digital document, to ensure that it’s secure against fraud and forgery. Scrive is compatible with various hardware and software and works on all devices. This allows customers to conveniently provide an eSignature from any location.

Customers can sign finance agreements in the Pinewood DMS apps or remotely, using Scrive’s integrated eSignature service. The use of eSignatures eliminates manual steps in dealer processes, to save valuable hours. Dealers eliminate the need to enter data, print, and re-scan documents back in – so deals are increasingly quick and easy to complete.

Neville Briggs, Managing Director of Pinewood, explains the background to the decision to work with Scrive:

“Sending documents for signature via email was the main service we needed. In addition, we now also enable sending via SMS to give retailers multiple options for sending messages – depending on how their customers want to transact. Working with the team at Scrive was really easy. They know their product and the market extremely well. They also offer a competitive pricing structure that works for our customers. We look forward to getting more dealers on board and seeing the results.”

Victor Wrede, CEO of Scrive, also emphasises the importance of the collaboration:

“Our goal is to provide our customers worldwide with a cost-effective and user-friendly way to send digital documents for e-signing, making the entire car buying and service process 100% digital. We will see success when dealers provide their customers with the digital omnichannel experience they are looking for.”

Scrive eSign is available now to Pinewood users. Contact us today for more information.

BMW Partnership

BMW Group Renews Development Partnership with Pinewood

25 November 2021 No Comments Announcement, OEM

BMW Group has renewed its partnership with Pinewood Technologies for 2022. Pinewood is one of only four global BMW Development Partners shaping the future of retail integration services globally.

Neville Briggs, Managing Director at Pinewood Technologies explains:

“We’re proud to continue working closely with BMW in Munich to create services that enable a premium customer journey. With more customers looking for an omni-channel experience – from booking through to paying online – the complexity of systems needs to be reduced and to do so, we are using the innovative cloud-based technologies at our disposal”.

As a Development Partner, Pinewood has earned the opportunity to help design and test new interfaces and will be among the first to make new services available to BMW retailers.

BMW UK recently announced Pinewood as its first certified DMS provider and following this, Pinewood has been in talks with numerous BMW and MINI retailers across the UK and Ireland. Pinewood’s distinctive DMS approach is an appealing alternative to other vendors in the market, so it’s no surprise that many dealers are enquiring to explore the extensive manufacturer integration and digital solutions on offer.

Nasser Mohammed, Group Finance Director for Eastern Holdings explains why Pinewood DMS works for their business:

“With almost 40 trading entities across Scotland, it is imperative we have a DMS which easily connects our businesses and staff, giving scope to scale as well as real-time visibility. The system gives complete transparency of every site, both horizontally and vertically with instant access to live data in just a few clicks. We have seen and experienced substantial benefits, including always being on the most up-to-date technology platform at no extra cost – which has helped us to compete at the forefront of our sector.”

Pinewood DMS is available to retailers worldwide. The DMS today includes built-in mobile apps, video services, document storage, as well as integrated digital services such as eSignatures, customer privacy preferences and online payments. The objective is to make IT management simpler with the benefits of offering a smooth digital journey for customers and a single view for business leaders.

“Pinewood’s BMW/MINI system has been core in maximising our productivity – enabling us to automatically share data with BMWGB as a manufacturer, in complying with their standards allowing us to streamline our processes. Undoubtedly, their certification will bring flexibility to more dealers in the network, being the only all-in-one, integrated system.” Says Mohammed.

Any dealers interested in Pinewood DMS and the available BMW integrations can contact the team here.

Pinewood’s 2021 Software Placement scheme has kicked off!

01 July 2021 No Comments Announcement

11 new Software Development Placement students have started their career with Pinewood Technologies.

Pinewood’s placement programme has been running for nearly a decade, and through close relationships with universities, they saw almost 300 applications for their Software Development scheme this year.

Pinewood’s placement year is designed with the end goal in mind. Carefully mapped out by their placement successors and talent team, they’re able to nurture and mould students from scratch – developing their technical skills and providing an understanding of dealer expectations.

Kiran Kundra, HR Business Partner at Pinewood explains –

“Our placement scheme has produced some of our most valued team members – so it’s really key we choose candidates who are a good fit for our business, both in skillset and outlook. We want to retain them, so need people who share our drive, right from the offset, supporting our growth in markets across the globe.

We work closely with some of the best universities across the UK to find the most talented and driven students, giving them a wide range of projects to get stuck into. This gives them the optimum footing, boosting their confidence and ability to succeed in a career in tech. We’re looking forward to seeing what the students can bring to the table!”

Pinewood provides extensive training and support from day one, including team-based projects, dedicated mentors, technical workshops, and the chance to work with the UX team on a project to improve user experience.

Successful students are offered a full-time role upon completing their degree, with 80% of last year’s students having received an offer to return. Pinewood is also on track to recruit 10 Graduates during Summer 2021 in a similar scheme, fuelling an exciting period of international growth.

Pinewood DMS is growing fast in the Nordics

03 June 2021 No Comments Announcement

After two years of refinement, feedback, and fine-tuning, Pinewood Technologies have had a great reception from dealers excited about the new system choices available, with Pinewood DMS now being adopted by dealer groups in Sweden and Norway.

Pinewood DMS is a cloud-based, all-in-one dealer management system, providing dealer groups around the world with the tools they need in the current digital age.

Pinewood work closely with over 50 vehicle manufacturers to deliver a modern system without the need for costly add-ons – giving multi-franchise dealers the tools to focus on delivering results.

Through building a strong relationship with Porsche Norway, Pinewood have now implemented their DMS into every Porsche dealership to replace their legacy on-premises solutions and implement the latest processes.

Petter Johannessen, CEO at Porsche Center Oslo explains:

“Porsche Center Oslo introducerade Pinewood DMS i augusti 2019 och målet var att få en bättre integration med vår tillverkares system och skapa en effektivare vardag för våra anställda med bättre arbetsflöde, högre kvalitet på utfört arbete samt att skapa bättre kundupplevelser. Det finns alltid utmaningar med att implementera ett nytt DMS, men Pinewood har varit intresserad av att anpassa och vidareutveckla systemet till förmån för oss som kund. Vi är fortfarande i en fas där vi hela tiden utnyttjar fördelarna med övergången till Pinewood och är mycket nöjda med att ha ett system som uppfyller alla våra behov inom avdelningar och funktioner.”

With over 40 years’ experience in the Automotive industry and over 30,000 people using the DMS daily, Pinewood Technologies are always looking to develop the latest and most valuable tools to reflect the changing climate.

With a focus on innovation and dealer profitability, Pinewood proved their value and resilience during the COVID pandemic. Dealers using Pinewood DMS found a range of new tools at their disposal including online service booking, digital signatures, video messaging, online payments, and eLearning – all built-in to the DMS without the need to bolt on additional systems.

“We’re growing rapidly, working with manufacturers in Sweden and Norway to implement across their dealer networks. From small, single-dealer businesses to large corporations with hundreds of locations, Pinewood DMS can enable it all. With a focus on bringing every aspect of the dealership together from workshop to sales, to accounts. We focus on saving the dealers money, so there’s no need to buy extra software and there’s no rekeying into multiple systems, it’s all in one place and simple to use.” Says Karl Zaar, Customer Service Director for Pinewood Sweden.

Any businesses across the Nordics that are interested in finding out more about Pinewood DMS can visit the website and have a demo with one of the team. Pinewood Technologies is currently hiring in Sweden, new roles are being added regularly and are available on Pinewood’s website.

Pinewood customers boost VHC revenue with Bumper finance integration!

08 March 2021 No Comments Announcement

Pinewood Technologies has partnered with Bumper – offering dealers a built-in tool to boost VHC revenue. Motorists can pay for their Vehicle Health Check using interest-free monthly repayments, making costly repairs more affordable. Spreading payments has been a game changer, with dealers already seeing significant results.

Chris Taylor, Group IT Director at Cambria Automobiles PLC explains:

“Many drivers are worried about expensive repairs on their cars, especially in today’s climate – but Pinewood’s Bumper integration really makes the difference. Splitting VHC bills into smaller payments makes them more affordable, so more of our customers are happy to go ahead with extra work. It’s a win-win!”

Using Pinewood’s Tech+ app, technicians can record a video, showing any red (urgent) or amber (advisory) work they’ve identified. This can be quickly sent to the customer for approval – straight from the DMS, with the option to apply for finance at the same time.

Taylor explains – “We build trust with our customers by highlighting any issues we find on their vehicle in a friendly video straight from the ramp. Alongside this, the flexibility of monthly payments has led to a significant rise in the take-up of VHC work across our dealerships, all integrated within the DMS. It’s really helped us to boost VHC revenue.”

The process is seamless, taking just moments from end-to-end. The customers’ details instantly pull through to Bumper from the DMS, populating the finance application form. Once approved, the work is invoiced directly to the dealers’ Bumper sales ledger accounts, so payments can be quickly allocated with no fuss.

Bumper finance integration is now available in Pinewood DMS.

Pinewood’s new VWG integration makes managing leads easy

15 February 2021 No Comments Announcement, OEM

Pinewood Technologies have released their latest integration with Volkswagen Group, supporting dealers to manage leads and boost sales, joining their full suite of VWG interfaces.

Neville Briggs, Managing Director at Pinewood explains – “We’ve worked closely with VWG to create the ultimate integration suite – Volkswagen Lead Management System (LMS) is a great new addition. Dealers can expect to see significant benefits, from boosting sales to saving time rekeying, allowing them run their business more smoothly and profitably. Data is seamlessly shared between VWG and the dealer behind-the-scenes in the DMS, so the sales team can focus on what they do best.”

New leads can be picked up immediately by the sales team. Pinewood DMS automatically creates a CRM record and sales opportunity for all fleet and retail enquiries from VWG, enabling them to respond to enquiries faster and more efficiently – improving customer experience. Volkswagen Group also get an overview of the entire sales process, so are able to highlight any significant challenges in the business, supporting dealers to improve their sales experience.

LMS has improved transparency for both the dealers and VWG, eliminating the need for information to be inputted manually in both systems – saving time and improving data accuracy. Pinewood’s LMS integration is now available to VWG customers, alongside their full suite of DMS interfaces.

Pinewood achieves Ford REACT! certification in Ireland

28 January 2021 No Comments Announcement

A bright start to the year for Pinewood Technologies! Following the successful pilot of their Ford REACT! integration into Bright Ford’s Phibsborough site, Pinewood received the news that they are now Ford REACT! certified for Ireland.

Using the proven REACT! integration in Pinewood DMS, invoice details for vehicles, parts and workshop are automatically sent to Ford via a daily feed for business analysis.

Henry Flanagan, Director at Bright Ford explains – “This latest Pinewood DMS integration for our Ford dealerships will bring a number of benefits and reinforces our decision to have partnered ourselves with Pinewood Technologies. We now continue to roll out the integration to our 3 other Ford locations in Dublin.”

With Bright Ford leading the way, Pinewood have already had significant interest from other Ford dealers across Ireland, with many more sites eagerly lined up to enable the integration in the coming weeks.

Pinewood works closely with vehicle manufacturers across the globe to build time-saving integrations. Ford REACT! is one of many key features planned for release throughout the year, bringing substantial benefits to Pinewood DMS customers.

Pinewood welcomes back Green 4 Motor Company!

03 December 2020 No Comments Announcement

Green 4 Motor Company have successfully re-implemented Pinewood DMS into all of their dealerships, supporting their Mazda, Suzuki and used car businesses.

Alison France, Finance Director at Green 4 Motor Company explains:

“We found the transition back to Pinewood easy from start to finish! We had an excellent project manager who kept us informed along the way, so we were fully prepared for our go live date. This went extremely well with the help of Pinewood and their excellent team.” 

France explains how the entire process was seamless, with the safety of team members and customers made a priority. Pinewood’s eLearning platform proved to be of significant value, helping staff relearn key parts of the system whilst minimising risk and contact amidst the pandemic:

“The Pinewood team were diligent and professional. When onsite they respected our rules, due to the COVID pandemic and the need for extra care and attention at all of our sites to protect our workforce and our visitors. Our staff enjoyed using eLearning and found it most useful, reminding us of how good Pinewood is. The end-of-module tests certainly created a buzz around the dealership with colleagues challenging each other.”

Pinewood are pleased to be supporting Green 4 once again and look forward to introducing some exciting new features to the group in the coming months.

“Using Pinewood will ensure that our staff are accessing a modern up-to-date DMS and it means we can give our customers the optimum buying experience, using new technology when they enter our showroom. We are very happy with the move back!” – France concludes.

During the pandemic, Pinewood have supported their customers – old and new. With the help of their zero-touch tools and eLearning platform, they have managed to implement sites remotely and in-person with successful results.

eSignatures extend Pinewood’s range of zero-touch aftersales tools

26 August 2020 1 Comment Announcement, Feature

As lockdown restrictions ease, dealers must take steps to boost customer confidence and reduce unnecessary risks. To help this, Pinewood Technologies have made it even simpler, faster and safer for dealers to provide a contactless service experience.

Pinewood DMS hosts a range of contact-free features, all completely integrated as standard. By making a booking on the dealer website, customers can simply select a time and date with live availability information to book their car into the workshop.

This is where Pinewood’s latest contactless tool comes into play. Before the vehicle even arrives, dealers can now gain approval for the repair work by requesting an electronic signature, eliminating any contact with physical paperwork required whilst in the dealership.

Using Adobe Sign, customers can now approve repair work from home, reviewing and signing the job card remotely.

Neville Briggs, Managing Director at Pinewood explains: “It’s quick and easy for service customers – they’re sent a link straight from the DMS which shows them the job card with all work planned for their vehicle. All they have to do is read the document and sign their approval on a desktop or mobile device. The entire process is seamless and updates the job automatically within the DMS.”

Having secured approval for the initial work, the customer can drop off their vehicle with minimal interaction, perhaps leaving their keys in a sanitised area. Alternatively, the collection and delivery service arranged at the booking can remove the need to enter the dealership.

While the vehicle is being worked on, the customer can track their progress online and electronically approve any additional work required using the integrated health check and video solution.

The customer can pay online before collecting their vehicle, removing the risks of handling card machines, whilst minimising time spent at the dealership.

Integrated with Barclays ePDQ, this is a secure payment solution, enabling dealers to take remote payment from the customer. All major credit and debit cards or PayPal are accepted.

Pinewood’s range of contactless tools – including the Adobe Sign solution –  are now available to all dealerships using Pinewood DMS for no additional charge, providing the ultimate contactless end-to-end solution.

Contact Us
Scroll to top