Dekra acquires a minority stake in Spearhead

German vehicle inspection company Dekra has acquired a minority stake in Spearhead AG. Founded in 2015, Spearhead AG focuses on automating vehicle claims from FNOL to claim settlements using a telematics solution to create the first notification of loss.

“Acquiring part of Spearhead is the next logical step for us after the companies’ strategic partnership, which was agreed upon in 2018. We decided to take this step as part of our international digitalization strategy. This way, we can offer customers – and not only those in the insurance industry – a complete package, as they will expect us to do in the future.” – Wim Ter Voert, Dekra Executive Vice President and Head of the Service Division Claims & Expertise.

“Ideally with this solution, the insurance agent will receive a qualified initial assessment of the severity of the damage, the part of the vehicle that is damaged, and the anticipated repair costs just seconds after the accident. The agent, therefore, knows whether the damage is slight, severe, or if the vehicle is total-loss, and can take proactive and situation-appropriate action immediately.” – Guido Kutschera, Executive Vice President for the Dekra Region Germany and Chair of the Management Board at Dekra Automobil GmbH. This means, for example, calling a towing service or a workshop, dispatching an expert, or commissioning a digital expert service.

The information is analyzed using AI and linked to a database of real accident damage and damage appraisals. Information from the detailed vehicle identification and an up-to-date vehicle valuation is also incorporated into the analysis. As a result, the Spearhead system determines all central parameters for correctly classifying the current damage event.

If the vehicle isn’t equipped with the relevant telematics hardware, the advantage of the Spearhead solution boils down to a “dynamic question catalog.”