The agreements, which came into effect earlier this month, saw the car maker select three brands, Akzo Nobel's Sikkens and Dupont's Dupont Refinish and Spies Hecker. The parent companies will provide support for the Mazda approved bodyshop programme.
The use of one of the three paint systems for warranty work is now mandated across all Mazda's approved bodyshops nationwide.
There are 163 Mazda franchised dealerships and authorised repairers in the UK currently operating with a network of 152 bodyshops.
Steve Jelliss, Mazda aftersales director, said the group was focused on further raising the standards of their approved bodyshop network. “We believe paint manufacturers have a significant part to play in the development of Mazda's approved bodyshop network in the UK, with Akzo Nobel and DuPontCoatings becoming key partners for us,” he said.
Mazda also revealed plans to take better advantage of work from insurance companies.
“Mazda has also appointed an independent agency with considerable experience in the field, Oxford Automotive Group. The principal objective of this change is to add more value to participation in the approved bodyshop programme including the maximisation of referral work from insurance companies,” said Jellis.
Commenting on the deal with Mazda, David Hayes, OEM aftermarket approvals manager of DuPont Coatings said: “It is encouraging to see growing manufacturers such as Mazda investing much more in the aftermarket area. We are particularly pleased to join forces with Mazda UK on the Approved Bodyshop project in a bid to improve standards in the aftermarket industry.”