Familiar systems feel safe – until they start limiting visibility, control, and adaptability.

The automotive industry is evolving at a rapid pace. Electrification, ADAS, digital retail, and increasingly complex repair standards are reshaping how vehicles are built and repaired.

Yet when it comes to managing dealer and collision repair networks, many OEMs still rely on technology designed for a different era.

Not because those systems are best-in-class. But because they’re familiar and bundled with other services from a single supplier.

When Familiar Becomes a Constraint

For years, bundled platforms offered a practical solution: one supplier, multiple services, minimal disruption. In a less complex environment, that approach made sense.

Today, network certification and compliance require far more:

• Real-time visibility into network performance.

• Flexible workflows that adapt as standards evolve.

• Faster responses to new repair technologies and methods.

• Greater OEM control and flexibility in the way programs are structured and managed.

When systems struggle to evolve, their limitations can quietly become accepted as “industry standard.” Over time, convenience begins to outweigh capability.

Asking Better Questions

Rather than asking:

“Does this platform come from one of our existing suppliers?”

A more strategic question is:

“Is each tool in our ecosystem genuinely best-in-class at what it does?”

Strong service partnerships are valuable, but they don’t automatically equate to strong software. Excellence in logistics, inspections, or parts supply doesn’t guarantee excellence in digital workflows, data insight, or system flexibility.

Why Vendor-Agnostic Thinking Matters

Vendor-agnostic platforms enable OEMs to be intentional about their technology choices.

They allow networks to:

• Select tools based on performance, not packaging.

• Integrate with existing partners rather than replace them.

• Upgrade specific capabilities without wholesale disruption.

• Build ecosystems designed to evolve.

Interoperability is critical. Modern platforms are built to connect, share data, and coexist within broader ecosystems – supporting progress without unnecessary risk.

I Can’t Afford To Have Multiple Supplier Relationships

A view shared by many Network Managers in OEM organisations today; however, modern SaaS platforms are designed to improve the ecosystem, not replace it, and offer advanced user access permissions that enable the platform to be used by the OEM’s lead supplier – replacing the legacy system, enhancing the ecosystem. No requirement for another new supplier. 

Adaptability Is No Longer Optional

As EVs, ADAS calibration, and advanced repair methodologies become standard, certification frameworks must keep pace. OEMs need systems they can adjust, govern, and evolve directly without lengthy development cycles or external dependency.

Rigid platforms risk becoming constraints. Flexible, modular systems become enablers.

A Pragmatic Path Forward

This isn’t about disruption for disruption’s sake.

Modernisation can be precise and measured – strengthening the weakest links while preserving the partnerships that already work. The goal is greater visibility, better control and flexibility, and technology that supports decision-making rather than dictating it.

Looking Ahead

The remainder of this decade will reward OEMs that treat network technology as a strategic asset, not a static utility.

Those that regularly reassess their tools, challenge assumptions, and prioritise adaptability will be better positioned to protect brand integrity, uphold standards, and support increasingly complex repair networks.

The real question isn’t whether existing systems still work. It’s whether they’re ready for what comes next.