More than 100 new jobs are set to be created in Wellingborough after one of the UK’s leading motor insurance management firms unveils plans to expand its workforce.
Vizion Network, the largest vehicle repair network in the UK, will take over the NFU Mutual claims centre in Wellingborough.
The move has safeguarded the jobs of the 42 staff currently working from the Embankment based building.
Fears for the future of employees were raised in October when NFU Mutual announced the closure of sites in Wellingborough and Cardiff.
Chris McKie, managing director of Vizion Network, said: “At the moment we have 42 people in Wellingborough, using about 20 per cent of the building’s capacity.
“We expect our team there to increase to about 150 by the end of this year.
“There is gradual recruitment going on now and there are conversations going on about how quickly that will progress.”
Vizion Network took the opportunity to continue an expansion programme which has seen the company grow from just one member of staff in 2009 to become the biggest tenant at The Deep Business Centre in Hull.
Mr McKie added: “At Wellingborough we’ve got 15,000 square feet over three floors and it gives us a good footprint in the Midlands and a base for expansion into the south.
“Hull will be our primary call centre but the Wellingborough office will support our growth forecast of 18 per cent this year and will also help us introduce additional services including providing replacement vehicles and providing additional services for customers with claims arising from the total loss of their vehicle.
“We already provide a 24/7 service for recovery of stranded vehicles and we plan to do the same with other services.
“Wellingborough will also be the hub for web-based and app-driven features such as registering claims and transmitting images, helping us to provide drivers with a seamless and less frictional service.”
Last year Vizion Network managed 221,000 claims from insurers including Aviva, AXA, LV, NFU Mutual, Allianz and Markerstudy. The firm’s client base includes BMW, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault, Subaru, Volvo and VW Group.
The company expects to process 265,000 repairs this year.
Freya Cross, business and corporate manager at The Deep, said: “Vizion Network’s expansion is great news for the people in Wellingborough who have kept their jobs as a result of the acquisition and for the people in Hull who have helped to build the business.”