A UK bodyshop organisation has been used as the model for the establishment of a network of car repair centres in Holland. ABS Holland has adopted the name and the corporate identity of Acoat Bodyshop Services (ABS), which is based in Northwich.

The Dutch company consists of a group of 130 bodyshops which operates on a co-operative basis to form a network for major customers such as large fleets and insurance companies. The links between the UK and Holland were established through the Acoat Partner programme, which has 900 bodyshops in Europe.

The Acoat Partner programme was founded in Holland 23 years ago, arriving in the UK in 1986. However, the UK has pioneered the ABS concept where bodyshops form a collaborative network which provides much enhanced centralised buying power and central work provision. ABS is owned by the 107 independent member bodyshops which it forms partnerships in the UK. ABS acts as a central buying and marketing club for the network. The organisation counts several major UK insurance companies among its customers.