PHILADELPHIA and PHOENIX -

As one of its auction locations received accolades for hiring older workers, Cox Automotive is continuing what the company said is its drive to simplify the automotive logistics supply chain and enable clients’ success.

Last week, Manheim Logistics announced that BATS CRM is the new preferred broker customer relationship management solution partner for Central Dispatch.

The company explained BATS CRM was selected due to its advanced technology, support for mobile devices and all-inclusive toolset for Central Dispatch, which is one of the nation’s largest transportation marketplaces that connects shippers and transporters to keep the automotive supply chain moving

“In today’s wholesale market, having a highly-efficient automotive logistics supply chain has never been more important,” Manheim Logistics vice president Joe Kichler said. “We are committed to helping our clients be as effective as possible — and that starts with having the right technology in place.”

Central Dispatch explained this new integration comes at just the right time. With tight inventory and record wholesale values as Kichler also mentioned in this episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast, dealers are buying vehicles via digital wholesale channels more than ever.

These circumstances have led to an increase in the number of vehicles being transported — as well as an increase in the average distance vehicles are shipped.

So far this year, Manheim Logistics has seen the average distance of vehicle moves double, going from 225 miles in Q1 2020 to 460 average miles in Q3 2021.

With brokers moving more vehicles longer distances, Central Dispatch acknowledged that having the right technology to connect into the nation’s largest transportation marketplace is essential.

As the preferred broker CRM of Central Dispatch, the company said BATS CRM has built unique integration capabilities that are not currently available in other CRM solutions, enabling clients to:

• Post and update orders without browser plug-ins or email parsers

• Benefit from automatic order status updates as carriers mark them as picked up or delivered

• View all carriers that are available on Central Dispatch directly in BATS

BATS CRM explained that it offers clients the ability to automate common, repetitive tasks, such as email notifications and lead pricing, to save time and provide higher level of service to your customers. It also natively can support work from mobile devices, so regardless of where clients are, they can still run their businesses.

According to the news release, everything from an electronic document signing platform to automated messaging campaigns, invoicing, secure credit card storage, fully managed pricing engine, reporting, commission tracking and more are included in the BATS system.

Tom Kustura, chief executive officer of BATS CRM, said the migration to BATS CRM for Central Dispatch broker clients will be easy.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to grow the BATS platform via this new integration with Central Dispatch. This is another acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication that our entire team has given to our customers. BATS is committed to continued development of cutting-edge solutions that will help our customers run more efficient and profitable businesses,” Kustura said in the news release.

Manheim Philadelphia honored with the American Legion’s Employer of Older Workers Award

In other news from Cox Automotive, the American Legion recently honored Manheim Philadelphia with its Employer of Older Workers Award for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The annual award gives recognition to one employer in each state for an outstanding record in the hiring and retention of older workers (age 55 and older).

The company said Manheim Philadelphia was selected for the award in 2019, but the presentation ceremony was delayed until September due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The American Legion is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization aimed at advocating patriotism, honor and continued devotion to fellow service members and veterans.

The company said Manheim has a strong track record for hiring and employing older workers, both at Manheim Philadelphia and across its more than 75 locations nationwide, with 36% of its workforce age 58 or older.

“We could not operate our businesses without the assistance of all of our team members, but certainly not without our older workforce,” Manheim Philadelphia general manager Charlie Pollina said in a news release. “They are the heart and soul of our operations. They come to work day in and day out, good weather and bad, and just get the job done.”