Launch of www.sma-group.co.uk and www.cva-auctions.co.uk - 10/01/2009

January 2009 sees the launch of www.sma-group.co.uk, the new website of Scottish Motor Auctions Ltd. Developed by Kingfisher Systems in conjunction with Bluegg Creative Ltd, the site provides SMA with a visually impressive and highly functional online solution.

January also sees the installation of Auction Manager at SMA Leeds (formerly Premier Motorauctions). Ian Fisher, Director of Kingfisher says ‘Premier Motorauctions was one of our target auctions for the best part of ten years. The installation reinforces Auction Manager’s position as the industry standard solution for all independent motor auctions in the UK and Ireland. The last six months has seen more than 10 new installations of Auction Manager, with over 50 auctions now running the system.’

Kingfisher has also completed the redevelopment of www.cva-auctions.co.uk. A joint development with Concept Websites for Commercial Vehicle Auctions, the site has been upgraded to provide detailed stock information across all the company’s auction sites.

Acquisition of Auction Management Systems - 05/06/2008

Kingfisher has today completed the acquisition of Auction Management Systems, the auction software division of Augmented Reality Ltd. (previously Triumph Computer Systems Ltd).

The purchase covers Augmented’s General and Vehicle Auctioneer products and all related support and maintenance agreements. The deal brings the number of auctions running Kingfisher solutions to the 50 mark, with all but seven of the members of The Society of Motor Auctions now running our software.

June will see installation of Auction Manager at Westcoast Motor Auctions in Blackpool, and Birmingham Car Auctions in the West Midlands.

Kingfisher launches new Vehicle Inspection System - 01/04/2008

April sees the release of Kingfisher’s latest Vehicle Inspection System.

Developed on the .Net framework, the handheld solution allows a vehicle to be barcoded and fully inspected at time of collection.

A graphical vehicle splat allows damage details to be recorded and costed. Supporting pictures can be taken of the vehicle highlighting any refurb requirement.

The customer’s signature can be recorded and a printed inspection report left with the customer detailing any damage or additional charges.

The resultant inspection report can be emailed direct to the vendor providing an end to end paperless solution.

Year End Deals  - 01/12/2007

The latter part of 2007 has seen Kingfisher conclude a number of deals:

Auction Manager: New installations at Thompson Ltd, the Barnsley based plant and commercial auctioneers; and South Western Vehicle Auctions in Poole. Auction Manager is the product of choice within the motor auction industry, with over 40 auctions throughout the UK and Ireland now using the product.

As part of the sales package, South Western Vehicle Auctions were also supplied with Sage 50 Accounts. 2007 has in fact seen a large increase in Sage sales as a result of a number of targeted marketing campaigns.

50 Accounts 2008

No longer are clients happy with accountancy software that simple looks after the figures. With transactional email and online banking becoming the norm, and with the demands of EU sales reporting and the problems of Carousel fraud resulting in changes to vat treatments, businesses are now looking for a system that will take care of the bigger picture.  Sage 50 Accounts 2008 can do just that.  With Transactional Email and Ebanking already activated, a new Vat ledger and improved links with HMRC this latest version of the tried and trusted Sage software will carry its user into a faster, efficient, greener future.

50 HR

Similarly with our “people software”.  The days of over stuffed filing cabinets full of personnel records are a thing of the past.  Employment legislation and compliance regulations are placing an ever increasing burden on businesses.  The diversity and complexities of our staffing and the soaring number of industrial tribunals are making the need to keep accurate, up to date staff records a necessity.  Add to this the realization that our staff are the most important element of our business and are certainly worth looking after; and the need to drag the HR function into the 21st Century becomes a pressing reality. Increasing numbers of businesses are now seeing the great advantages of literally having their HR records at their fingertips.

New Business in 2007 - 01/04/07

The first quarter of 2007 has seen Kingfisher secure a number of new contracts across all product lines:
 

• CRM Consumables: February saw the installation of CRM Consumables at Spanish firm GOES, based in Madrid. This is Kingfisher’s first software installation in continental Europe.
  
• Lift Inspection System: Glasgow firm Lift Maintenance Ltd is to transfer all maintenance recording on to the product.
  
• Auction Manager: New installations at Morris Leslie Ltd, Scotland’s leading plant and commercial auctioneers; and Commercial Vehicle Auctions in Doncaster.
  
• Limo Manager: Installation at The Platinum Limo Company, Aberdeen.
• Work Experience: Kingfisher has won the contract to provide Dumfries and Galloway with a management system for their work experience program.  This follows the successful running of the system for Careers Scotland over the last 3 years.

 

Stoneacre CRM 20/12/2006

Kingfisher has developed a CRM solution for the Stoneacre Motor Group. Stoneacre has 17 branches throughout England, with a tele-marketing call centre based at their Doncaster site. The CRM solution will help co-ordinate and monitor the day to day work of the Marketing Department. In a separate deal Kingfisher is to supply the group’s motor auction, Newark Motor Auctions, with Auction Manager.

December will also see the installation of Auction Manager at Swansea Motor Vehicle Auctions.

 

Northwest Frontier 01/08/06

Following a marketing campaign targeted at the northwest of England, Kingfisher has completed installation of Auction Manager at Ellesmere Port Motor Auctions and Olympia Motor Auctions, Preston. With the existing installation at Queensferry Motor Auctions and one pending at Chester Motor Auctions, Auction Manager is the product of choice for the region.

In other news, Kingfisher has developed a web based portal for the Scottish Motor Auction Group, providing a single central management point for the group’s four branches.

 

 

Consortium choose Auction Manager 20/12/05

Kingfisher has reached agreement with The Motor Auction Consortium to supply Auction Manager to the group's three motor auctions. Installation at Chelmsford Car Auction was completed in December with the two remaining auctions due to come online early in 2006.

In addition to the Consortium deal, 2006 will see the installation of Auction Manager at a number of other motor auctions taking the number of auctions running the product up to the 40 mark.

 

We passed! 10/03/05

Kingfisher Systems was successfully reassessed against the Investors in People Standard on 3rd February 2005.

Retaining the IIP Standard is a reflection of our continued commitment to our staff as well as our commitment to ensuring that our clients receive the highest quality of service possible. In maintaining our policy of self-development, training and skills development we will continue to provide innovative solutions to our expanding client base whilst encouraging a culture of growth and ambition among our employees.

Partnership with AutoTrader 01/03/05

Kingfisher has become a data partner for AutoTrader's TraderLink Product. TraderLink is an innovative new service for the UK motor trade, devised and operated by AutoTrader.co.uk, part of Trader Media Group Ltd (TMG). A specialist in the automotive sector, TMG has over 70 publications, including; Auto Trader, Bike Trader, Top Marques, Truck Trader and AdTrader.

TraderLink offers dealers:-

- An efficient way to buy stock
- A powerful way to obtain best prices for unwanted part exchanges
- The option to sell cars to other dealers, whilst continuing to advertise to the private buyer

Kingfisher's Auction Manager product feeds Traderlink with latest stock information from motor auctions throughout the UK and Ireland. For more information on Traderlink go to http://www.autotrader.co.uk/TRADERLINK/.

Careers Scotland 01/12/04

Following the success of the current Workexperience Management System in Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway, Careers Scotland has commissioned four new regions to be covered. The web solution, developed over a 3 year period, currently manages work experience placements for over 6000 pupils. The four additional regions will increase the total number of pupils on the system to just under 20,000.

Teachers are able to log into the system and assign Careers Scotland placements to pupils in their school. This helps centralise the management of the placements and reduce the work required by the Teachers. Careers Scotland is able to track how many placements are required for each school and can find more placements as and when required.

European Stage for Auction Manager 10/06/2004

Kingfisher has reached agreement with European Motor Holdings to supply Auction Manager to the group's three motor auctions. Installation at Telford Motor Auctions was completed in May with the two remaining auctions due to come online later in 2004.

In addition to the European deal, July will see the installation of Auction Manager at two independent motor auctions taking the number of auctions running the product through the 30 mark.

Long White Car 16/04/04

Kingfisher is pleased to announce the launch of Limo Manager, a management solution for the limousine hire sector. The product provides complete financial and logistical management of the hire process. Developed in conjunction with The Platinum Limo Company the product will be rolled out across the UK in 2004. For more information visit www.theplatinumlimocompany.com.

New Home for Kingfisher 25/08/03

Kingfisher has reached agreement with Business Homes (Scotland) Ltd to purchase office accommodation at The Approach in Glasgow. The premises, part of a new build development, will be completed in late October 2003 with the company relocating in early November.

The Approach is situated within the 79 acre Glasgow Business Park, located on the M8 (Junction 9) with access to both the M73 and M74 within 5 minutes drive. Existing Office Occupiers at Glasgow Business Park include Real Radio, Miller Group, David Wilson Homes and the Lovell Partnership to name but a few.

Says Ian Fisher, MD of Kingfisher Systems, “Over the past few years we have experienced a period of rapid expansion and have outgrown our existing premises. We are looking to take on more staff in the short term and have spent considerable time looking for suitable premises that would provide us with a solid foundation for our future growth. Finding The Approach was perfect – it not only suits our needs in terms of being able to purchase the property, but it has provided us with a high profile building that is within our budget.”

Auction Manager integration with Glass's Guide 12/05/03

Kingfisher has completed the development of a link between its Auction Manager product and Glass's Guide allowing automatic vehicle valuations. Glass’s pioneered the analysis of used vehicle values in 1933 and has built up exceptional experience and expertise in this field. Over 70 years on, Glass’s Guides still remain the trade’s leading price guides for used vehicle valuations*.

This new feature adds to Auction Manager's existing links which include integration with Experian, HPI, Cap and Royal Mail among others.

April saw the installation of Auction Manager at Independent Motor Auctions, Leeds and Saltash Car Auctions, Cornwall bringing the number of auctions running the product to over 25.

*ABC certified circulation figures.

Auction Manager for the Pocket PC 01/01/2003

January 2003 will see the launch of a handheld vehicle inspection unit for Auction Manager. Developed on the Pocket PC, the handheld module allows a vehicle to be fully inspected at point of arrival. A graphical vehicle splat allows damage details to be recorded and costed.

The information on the Pocket PC can then be downloaded to Auction Manager removing the need to manually enter the vehicle onto the system. The resultant inspection report can be emailed direct to the vendor providing an end to end paperless solution.

January will see the installation of Auction Manager at Stoodley Vehicle Auctions in Manchester.