An Industry First -- Mitchell Provides Collision Estimating Procedure Pages Free Online; Mitchell Posts the Information at eMitchell.com As a Service to Industry Participants.

Business Editors/Automotive & Insurance Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 2001

As a service to the collision repair and insurance industries, Mitchell International, Inc. announced today that it is supplying free online access to Procedure pages (P-pages) for its print and electronic estimating products. The information can be accessed at www.eMitchell.com, Mitchell's open Internet workspace and marketplace for the collision repair and claims industries.

"We believe that both shops and insurers should be able to easily access the information they need to correctly interpret an estimate," said Tom Fleming, Mitchell's vice president of database development and communication. "We see this as an industry service and are proud to make this important information more readily available." Mitchell is currently the only information provider in the industry to provide its P-page information free and online. These procedures apply to the printed Mitchell Collision Estimating and Reference Guides and Replacement Assemblies Estimating Guide, as well as to Mitchell's UltraMate and FirstEstimate electronic estimating systems.

To access the P-pages, users need to have or to create an account at www.eMitchell.com. Creating an account is free and requires users only to fill out a short, simple form that is accessed by clicking on "create an account" on eMitchell.com's home page. Once completed, users click on the Industry tab in the upper left-hand corner and then click on the eMitchell products tab at the top of the page. Next click on the "Ppages" link displayed on that page, which will open the Procedure Pages.

In posting the information, Mitchell is following through on a commitment made to the Collision Industry Conference (CIC). "We listened to the industry feedback that repairers and insurers alike need P-page information to perform their daily tasks. And, as we've demonstrated with our products and our open communication stance, we keep our promises." Fleming noted that Mitchell has never charged for the P-page information. "We have been providing the information to customers who requested it. But we realized, we needed to make it more easily accessible."

Mitchell's P-pages list collision repairs by type, such as "Front Suspension O/H," and then list the labor operations included or not included in the replacement allowances in Mitchell's estimating systems. Mitchell's Collision Estimating Guides' P-pages cover labor operations for replacement with new parts, while its Replacement Assemblies Estimating Guide covers those with recycled parts and assemblies. "Having easy access to this information will greatly assist shops and insurers trying to understand or resolve differences - such as overlap disputes -- between an estimate prepared with Mitchell's estimating software and that of another vendor," Fleming said. "We're ensuring that people can easily understand the estimate's labor times. We feel there shouldn't be a charge to be able to correctly interpret an estimate."

Another factor in Mitchell's decision, Fleming added, is the company's longtime leadership position as a database provider. The Mitchell Parts and Labor database has been the recognized leader in collision repair information for over 55 years -- trusted for its accuracy and respected as the industry standard. "As the keeper of the most prominent database, we feel it is important to ensure that people understand what operations are included in our labor times regardless of whether they are Mitchell subscribers or not. It's really an issue of sharing information to help the industry work more effectively and easily. We're pleased to provide this service."

About Mitchell International

Mitchell International, founded in 1946 and headquartered in San Diego, Calif., is The Source for information software and e-business solutions for the insurance and automotive repair industries. Providing services that enhance productivity, profitability and customer satisfaction, Mitchell facilitates several million electronic transactions between more than 16,000 business partners each month. Mitchell's own parts and labor database, a critical connectivity point between shops and insurers, is trusted for its accuracy and respected as the industry standard. For more information on Mitchell International, call Chris Andrews, director of marketing, at 858/578-6550 ext. 8321. Visit our web sites at www.mitchell.com and www.emitchell.com.