“Continuing our 54 years of industry leadership, the Mitchell Hub will provide the electronic infrastructure necessary to drive a fundamental process and business redesign throughout the entire industry,” said Jim Lindner, Mitchell’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Hub participants including collision repair shops, insurance companies, car rental agencies, tow companies, parts, paint and equipment vendors will realize new and growing partnering opportunities, shared efficiencies, and enormous cost savings while delivering a more pleasant experience to their customers.”

    Unique industry first applications and Mitchell’s portal site are available today. “The industry trusts Mitchell to first offer substance and then to back up its promises,” said Lindner. “Our Hub has real applications and value-adding content. Last year, we introduced iNTOTAL.com, the industry's first on-line total loss settlement solution. Recently, we completed the successful beta testing of FirstEstimate.com, the industry’s first on-line estimating system. Both are available on the Hub.”

    In the coming months, Mitchell will add more hub functionality such as user personalized “virtual desktops” with all the information and online applications needed to seamlessly integrate their information, work and business collaboration needs. Over 35 new strategically targeted business functions are planned, including online imaging, vehicle status tracking, productivity tools and online review processes. In the long-term, the Mitchell Hub will improve visibility into and throughout the supply chain and provide targeted and real-time information for more efficient resource management, scheduling and capacity planning.

    Mitchell’s Hub features a central server for storing and forwarding data among all parties involved in collision repair, and will interface to insurance company legacy systems. Its open infrastructure will allow any authorized user to access information with only a web browser – no special hardware or software is required. This open participation is consistent with Mitchell’s philosophy to conform to Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) standards and the XML Internet standard.

    In addition to announcing several strategic partners to the Hub in the coming months, Mitchell is leveraging more than 50 years of industry experience, business relationships, product leadership and connectivity services to deliver the premier e-business site for the industry. There are currently more than 90 people dedicated to the Hub’s development and management. Hub partners can count on Mitchell’s many field representatives and award-winning customer support staff for assistance.