New milestones and new markets; 2022 was a year to remember…
It’s been another year of milestones for Pinewood Technologies – scaling into new markets worldwide, entering valuable partnerships, supporting dealers across the globe, and being announced as the first provider certified by a major manufacturer.
Every user has benefitted from more than 120 significant DMS updates and releases throughout the year, helping to streamline costs and drive profits using the latest digital tools in the market. There’s been no shortage of progress or innovation for Pinewood, and much to their customers’ delight, they’re set to continue accelerating in 2023 and beyond.
But first, a look at some of Pinewood’s key moments in 2022…
International Expansion
With so much change happening in the automotive industry, from ongoing chip shortages to OEMs rolling out agency models across their retailers; manufacturers and dealers alike are looking for a provider that is looking forward and prepared for the future of motor retail.
Pinewood has experienced high demand for an innovative, cloud-based system across Europe and the rest of the world. In 2022, Pinewood DMS moved its way across Sweden, Denmark, and France, covering brands including McLaren, Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini.
Q4 saw a hive of activity with demand for Pinewood DMS stretching beyond Europe. Due to a strong relationship with the Porsche brand, Pinewood celebrated its entry into South-East Asia. Focused on optimising and digitalising sales activity, they were keen to immediately adopt Pinewood’s Sales+ app. Pinewood also announced its entry into the Middle East, with the first dealership now live using Pinewood DMS.
UK and Ireland Activity
Alongside Pinewood’s international growth, their Birmingham-based team also took a substantial number of new orders in the UK and Ireland. This equated to thousands of new users welcomed to Pinewood DMS and its integrated mobile apps, including the likes of DAF business Ford & Slater, and Brownhills.
Despite being a relatively new entrant to the Irish market, Pinewood hit the ground running by securing strong orders in 2022. Most notably, they implemented their system across Ireland into Blackwater Motors covering VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, and VW Commercial Vehicles. With a healthy pipeline and an abundance of interest registered, Pinewood looks to continue making good progress in Ireland in 2023.
OEM Certification
In September, 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 and previous certification with BMW UK.
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.”
Product
With thousands of new users added from recently implemented and existing sites, it’s no surprise that Pinewood’s eLearning suite was well-utilised in 2022. Almost 2,000 new people signed up for the platform, and 15,000 training courses were started by existing customers – supporting dealers to get more value from the DMS.
During 2022, Pinewood partnered with a select few new providers – Scrive, Tjekvik, and Vyne – each complementing Pinewood’s digital offering.
Pinewood’s Scrive integration was made available to customers, offering a cost-effective solution to capture digital signatures within the DMS. This streamlines the process of managing finance documents, vehicle orders, job cards, invoices, and more, allowing the dealer to gain approval quickly, securely, and remotely.
Victor Wrede, CEO of Scrive, emphasises the importance of this collaboration:
“Our goal is to provide our customers worldwide with a cost-effective and user-friendly way to send digital documents for eSigning, making the entire car buying and service process 100% digital. We see success when dealers provide their customers with the digital omnichannel experience they are looking for.”
By partnering with Tjekvik in early 2022, mutual customers are now improving their service experience using the Digital Service Reception in their dealerships.
Alongside the built-in tools in Pinewood DMS, the partnership brings a new wave of flexibility to vehicle servicing. Tjekvik lets customers skip service desk queues using the self-service check-in and check-out software. The integration with Pinewood DMS reduces pressure on service teams and provides a quicker and easier visit for customers.
Similarly, Pinewood partnered with Vyne in 2022 to provide dealers with an instant, secure payment option built into Pinewood DMS – 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.”
With the recent spotlight on information security, Pinewood is now certified by TISAX – Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange. The industry-standard certification involves a rigorous assessment process to determine compliance, which evaluates information security for organisations in the automotive industry.
Thanks to all our customers and partners for a great 2022. We’re set for another whirlwind year. Stay tuned!