Identifying a serial disaster and managing an international crisis

Context

An electronic payment terminal exploded in a restaurant in Singapore causing injury to a customer.

TGS x GMC – Stelliant Expertise Entreprise was called in under the EPT manufacturer’s public liability insurance. When another EPT made by the same manufacturer exploded in a bank in Bangkok, managing the claim moved up to the next level.

Stelliant’s action

After investigation in the Group’s internal laboratory, TGS x GMC, Stelliant Expertise Entreprise was able to reveal the source of the two explosions: the lithium batteries which came from the same supplier and the same production batch.

With the threat now identified, we had to move fast as the risk to people was very real and was taking on an international scope.

In less than one month, a team of complementary business specialists was formed and was able to launch a real action plan to:

• Support the policyholder with the management of this crisis and trace the terminals equipped with these faulty batteries among its direct customers and distributor customers.
• Find qualified suppliers able to produce a large number of replacement batteries quickly.
• Draft a letter to customers to inform them without damaging the reputation of the EPT manufacturer.
• Control the financial risks: the legal regulations are not the same from one country to another.
• Bring action against the battery supplier. Financial negotiations were therefore undertaken to make the supplier bear part of the cost of the operation.
• Relay information to the insurer at each stage.

The Stelliant Group loss adjusters were able to adapt and demonstrated great responsiveness in their management of this initially simple, isolated case which escalated into a large-scale international claim.

Collaboration in project mode between the public liability loss adjusters, the internal laboratory at INQUEST, the Stelliant Conseil & Prévention subsidiary, and the contribution of the group’s financial experts and international lawyers achieved efficient management of this claim.