Testing as a matter of policy

摘要

The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre at Thatcham, near Newbury, was set up in 1969 by the British insurance companies to keep the cost of claims down while maintaining quality. Director of research Ken Roberts tells Richard Burman more about the organisation's 30-year history. The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, or Thatcham as it is widely known, translates its aim of containing or reducing the costs of motor insurance claims broadly. It does this by working with the collision repair industry, motor and equipment manufacturers and suppliers, and, of course, insurers. To achieve this work, which is never-ending because of the continual introduction of new vehicles, new materials and new techniques, it employs about 100 people and the research and training facilities now cover more than 8,000m~2. These include a wide range of collision repair equipment and a Vehicle Certification Agency-approved crash rig facility, which can impact vehicles of up to 2.5 tonnes at speeds of up to 72 km/h. Supporting services include high-speed cameras, industry standard instrumentation and high-quality video equipment.