Ogilvie Group, the parent company of Ogilvie Fleet, has acquired privately-owned Active Auto Solutions for an undisclosed sum to support plans to grow its daily rental business.

Formed in February 2007, Lincoln-headquartered Active Auto Solutions provides claims handling and support services to fleets and clients of commercial insurance brokers and intermediaries across the UK following motor accidents and incidents.

In addition to managing motor vehicle claims, Active Auto Solutions provides temporary vehicles following collisions.

Ogilvie Fleet is planning to launch a standalone rental division within the business and sees Active Auto Solutions providing major synergies with that operation.

Meanwhile, Ogilvie Fleet will continue to work in partnership with its existing accident management providers to deliver a cradle-to-grave service to its fleet customers.

Post the acquisition, Active Auto Solutions will sit alongside Ogilvie Fleet within Ogilvie Group and will continue to be led by managing director James Parczuk.

Ogilvie Group bought the business from Parczuk and fellow founding shareholders Kevin Paul and Rob Wilkinson, who have both retired from the industry.

Parczuk now leads an Active Auto Solutions’ management team that is completed by operations director Simon Andrew and finance director Allen Curtis.

Ogilvie Group chief executive Duncan Ogilvie said: “A large proportion of the Active Auto Solutions’ business relates to providing vehicle replacement and that means there are many synergies with our expanding daily rental business. Those synergies were the prime motivator for the acquisition.”

Active Auto Solutions operates UK-wide and Ogilvie said: “We will be looking at improving efficiencies within the business, including offering access to our own fleet expertise.

"Additionally, we will provide access to working capital to enable Active Auto Solutions to further expand and potentially provide the company with its own vehicle fleet.

“We expect Active Auto Solutions to expand its customer based in the future and our intention as the new owner is to provide a supporting role and allow the company’s team to manage the business on a day-to-day business.”

He added: “The contract hire and leasing world is changing and Ogilvie Fleet is diversifying as part of its forward-thinking strategy.

"The acquisition, coupled with the expansion of our existing daily rental operation, continues to see Ogilvie Fleet become a supplier of mobility solutions with vehicles available on short-term hire or lease from just half-a-day to three or four years.

“Ogilvie Group continues to have ambitions to both expand and diversify and the purchase of Active Auto Solutions is the latest development in that strategy.”

Active Auto Solutions has seen significant growth from its birth in the credit hire sector - the supply of temporary replacement vehicles to non-fault parties following road crashes - and the provision of a range of motor claim handling services.

The company currently employs 30-plus people at offices in Lincoln and Leeds and is due to open an office in Bournemouth shortly.

Picture: James Parczuk (left), managing director, Active Auto Solutions, and Duncan Ogilvie, chief executive, Ogilvie Group, shake hands on the acquisition in front of Lincoln Cathedral.

 

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