June 2022 Southeast Edition by Autobody News

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Hyundai to Build Its First U.S. EV Plant in Georgia Hyundai Motor Group on May 20 announced it has entered into an agreement with the State of Georgia to build its first dedicated full electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

The new EV plant and battery manufacturing facilities represent an investment of approximately $5.54 billion. The new facility will

break ground in early 2023 and is expected to begin commercial production in the first half of 2025 with an annual capacity of 300,000 units. The battery manufacturing facility will be established through a strategic partnership, which the details will be disclosed at a later stage. Hyundai plans to produce wide range of full electric vehicles for U.S. customers at the new Georgia EV plant. Details of production models will be shared at later dates. The EV and battery manufacturing plant will be located on a See First U.S. EV Plant, Page 18

Massachusetts Auto Body Techs Demanding Higher Pay Surround Beacon Hill by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald

Auto body repair mechanics crashed the Massachusetts State House on May 18, joined by dozens of tow trucks circling the building, horns

AASP-MA/Facebook

blaring, to push for a pay hike on what the industry says are the lowestin-the-nation reimbursement rates. “34 years—we’ve changed almost nothing,” Tom Ricci, legislative director of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts (AASP-MA), said to a raucous crowd of auto body shop owners and workers. “This is our day to make a lot of noise—not just a little, don’t be shy, let’s go, let’s rock this place—we’ve done this for so long, since 1988,” he said. See Higher Pay, Page 11

Vol. 13 / Issue 4 / June 2022

North Carolina Lawsuits Could Challenge State’s Red Light Camera Law by Victor Skinner, The Center Square

A Raleigh, NC-based law firm is representing residents challenging red light cameras in Greenville and Wilmington based on alleged violations of a state constitutional prohibition on local legislation aimed at public health. The firm Milberg, Coleman, Bryson, Phillips, Grossman, PLLC is representing eight residents in the Greenville lawsuit and a single plaintiff in the Wilmington lawsuit to challenge the North Carolina statute on the “use of traffic control photographic systems”—the state law authorizing spe-

cific cities to operate red light camera programs. Both lawsuits, designed as class action suits, claim the statute is a local law that “authorizes (red light camera enforcement programs) in only a select few of the 552 total municipalities in North Carolina.” The law currently allows the programs in Charlotte, Greenville, Wilmington, Raleigh and Fayetteville. The lawsuits cite Article II, Section 24 of the North Carolina Constitution that bans local acts related to health, sanitation and nuisances, which See Camera Law, Page 6

Ford Dealers Defying Company Orders with Insane F-150 Lightning Markups by Simon Alvarez, Teslarati

Ford has made it clear over the past months that dealers should not overcharge for popular electric vehicles like the F-150 Lightning. CEO Jim Farley has spoken up against it, and Ford has written a sternly-worded letter to dealers warning them of the consequences they may face if they charge too much for the all-electric pickup truck. Ford and its CEO’s warnings appear to have fallen on some deaf ears. As mentioned by the Lightning Owners’ forum to Teslarati, a Ford dealer in California has been spotted charging around $145,000 for a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum SuperCrew. The same dealership, DCH Ford of Thousand Oaks in Westlake Village, CA, also had a couple more Lightning options available for about $130,000. Another dealer in Napa, CA, had a 2022 F-150 Lightning Platinum listed for almost $134,000. That’s a markup of about $40,000, or about

the same amount as a base F-150 Lightning Pro. While the F-150 Lightning Platinum starts at about $91,000 and options could easily bloat the vehicle’s price, a markup that puts the all-electric pickup truck well into the $130,000- to $145,000 range is substantial. It could even, perhaps, result in some Ford dealers being punished by the company.

Ford has been clamping down on improper dealer behavior, especially with regard to its all-electric vehicles. Just recently, the Blue Oval said dealers might be fined $25,000 for selling demo units of the F-150 Lightning early. Fined dealers would also be blacklisted from the Ford Courtesy Transportation Program (FCTP).

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CONTENTS REGIONAL

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UPDATED DAILY

Florida Classic Car Dealer Charged with Fraud �� 8 Ford Funds Stream Restoration at University of Tennessee’s Lone Oaks Farm �� 16 Hyundai to Build Its First U.S. EV Plant in Georgia �� 1 Maaco SVP Recognized as Top Young Business Leader by Charlotte Business Journal �� 6 NABC Recycled Ride Program Donates ®

Vehicle at WIN Conference �� 10 North Carolina Lawsuits Could Challenge State’s Red Light Camera Law �� 1 Rivian’s Tax Agreement for Georgia Manufacturing Plant Gets Approval �� 8

Loftus Dies at 79 �� 47 Consumer Skepticism Toward Autonomous Driving Features Justified �� 47 CREF Introduces 2022 Executive Committee �� 10 Farmers Insurance Wins NABC Award �� 46 Fisker PEAR to Be Produced in Foxconn’s Ohio Plant �� 11 Ford Dealers Defying Company Orders with Insane F-150 Lightning Markups �� 1 Ford F-Series Tops List of Vehicles Targeted Most for Catalytic Converter Theft �� 19 Ford Recalls Certain 2021 Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators for Potential Fire

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Collision Repair Industry Trailblazer Sheila Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Contributing Writers: John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, Ed Attanasio, Stacey Phillips Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Norman Morano, (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Digital Marketing Manager: Bryan Malinski Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Vicki Sitarz Online and Web Content Editor: Abby Andrews Accounting Manager: Heather Priddy Permissions Editor: Randi Scholtes Office Assistant: Dianne Pray

Serving Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2022 Adamantine Media LLC.

Audi Gwinnett �� 28

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 45

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 39

Induction Innovations, Inc. �� 10

Auto Data Labels �� 48

John Heister Automotive �� 37

AutoNation Ford-Lincoln �� 32

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 41

Axalta Coating Systems �� 11

KSI Auto Parts �� 8

Beaman CDJR Wholesale Parts �� 21

Launch Tech USA �� 9

Benchmark Automotive �� 16

Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 40

Car-Part.com �� 18

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 40

Certified Automotive Parts Association �� 12

Miami Lakes Automall �� 19

City Kia of Greater Orlando �� 36

MINI of Charleston �� 30

Classifieds �� 46

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 31

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet �� 36

NOROO Paint & Coatings �� 13

Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd. �� 7

Parks Chevrolet �� 22

Eagle Abrasives �� 17

Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Naples �� 30

Autobody News P.O. Box 1516 Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com editor@autobodynews.com

Concern �� 22 COLUMNISTS Anderson - 7 Steps to Implementing Improvements Within Your Auto Body Repair Business �� 30 Attanasio - She Sold Her Auto Body Shop to Become an Artist �� 34 Yoswick - CIC Committee Looking at How Estimates End Up on Vehicle History Reports �� 32

Glue Pulling Repair Becoming More Commonly Used in Auto Body Shops �� 28 Heidi Foster at Crash Champions is In It to Win It �� 39 I-CAR Now IACET Accredited �� 45 LEADING LADIES—Female-owned body shops are changing the landscape of a male-dominated industry �� 12 Massachusetts Auto Body Techs Demanding Higher Pay Surround Beacon Hill �� 1

NATIONAL 1Collision, Auto Techcelerators Partner �� 47

New Estimates Show Traffic Fatalities Reached a 16-Year High in 2021 �� 44

3M Offering Specialized Products, Training,

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 45

Rogers-Dabbs Chevrolet �� 29

Support to Collision Repair Shops to Help

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 38

SATA Dan-Am Company �� 2

Drive Profit Efficiencies �� 26

Repairify Completes Record Scans �� 36 Gus Machado Ford �� 26

Sorbothane Soft-Blow Mallet �� 6

Industry Projects; DEG Offers Update �� 42

Harper Volkswagen �� 33

Stivers Decatur Subaru �� 20

Sherwin-Williams Debuts E-Solution �� 8

Hendrick Automotive Group �� 35

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 43

Hendrick Honda Pompano Beach �� 37

Sunmight USA �� 14-15

Hendrick Kia Cary �� 27

Tameron Hyundai �� 34

Hendrick Kia Concord �� 27

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers �� 42

Hendrick Volvo Cars of Charleston �� 36

Wrenchers �� 5

ASE Training Conference Set �� 19 Average Collision Repair-Related Length of Rental Increases 4.9 Days in Q1 �� 20 Biden Administration Announces $3B Plan for U.S.-Based EV Battery Manufacturing �� 45 Branch Launches 6 New States �� 18

SCRS Offers Update on Collision Repair

Startups, AkzoNobel to Collaborate �� 6 Volkswagen Bringing Back Scout Brand with Electric Truck, SUV �� 46

CCC Launches Integration with asTech �� 44

WIN Education Conference Offers Collision

CCC Promotes Janik to SVP �� 44

Repair Industry Chance to ‘Recharge,

Collision Repair Industry Consultant Won’t

Reset & Renew’ �� 4

Let Health Issues Stop Him �� 37

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers � 23, 24-25

autobodynews.com / JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

WIN Education Conference Offers Collision Repair Industry Chance to ‘Recharge, Reset & Renew’ by Abby Andrews

The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) held its first-ever hybrid Education Conference, May 2-4, online and in-person in Greenville, SC. The three-day slate of events included panel discussions, presentations, networking opportunities, a National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides giveaway, a walk to raise money for WIN’s scholarship fund and a gala to celebrate the winners of this year’s Most Influential Women awards.

Panelists discuss the ongoing challenges to the collision repair industry brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panel Discussion: Industry Changes, Challenges & Opportunities in a Post-COVID World On May 3, a panel of people representing all facets of the collision repair process—insurers, rental car companies, parts and materials distributors, OEMs and auto body shop managers—talked about the pandemic-induced supply chain and staffing issues and trends that have increased cycle times, leading to frustration for everyone, down to the customers. Brenda Hewitt, Guaranteed Repair Network manager for the Western U.S. for Liberty Mutual, said the pandemic put a lot of pressure on an industry that was already feeling a lot of pressures. “Everybody was worried for several months [at the onset of the pandemic],” Hewitt said. “Fast forward to last summer, and not only do we still have jobs, but we have more than we can do. Now we’re looking at inflation. “It’s about how to work together and not point fingers at everyone in the industry,” she said. “Customers that maybe before [the pandemic] came in scared and frustrated but friendly, more and more are coming in angry and looking to blame somebody,” Hewitt

said. “We all have to empathize and understand that everybody’s in a different spot.” Angie Babin, vice president of supply chain for Caliber Collision, said there was already a shortage of technicians before COVID, but now everyone is recognizing it. “The labor shortage also increases cycle time on receiving parts and materials, unloading parts, delivering them; we’re seeing [labor shortages] across the board,” Babin said. “We need to sell to people why they need to come work in this industry.” Genevieve Dombrowski, senior vice president of human resources for LKQ Corp., said the pandemic also contributed to a marked exit of women from the labor force, as women left careers to stay at home when kids’ childcare providers and schools closed. “Two million women exited the workforce in the last two years, and they haven’t come back in droves,” Dombrowski said. “We need to be more flexible with work times and shifts. I think it will take disruption to get women back.” Turning to supply chain issues, Denise Kingstrom, BASF’s supply chain director for coatings solutions in North and South America, said while demand for collision repair materials initially declined, there have been big jumps in demand since, which the logistics side has not been prepared to handle. Kingstrom said all aspects of the chain have been affected, from raw materials to transportation to production facilities. “We have to adjust by working with the other partners in the chain, to see where you can flex to address some of those challenges,” she said, offering examples of combining shipments or using rail service instead of trucks. Future Tech: Technology & EV Repair Trends Jake Rodenroth, North American body repair program manager for Lucid, talked about how EVs are assembled, operated, owned and powered. There are a lot of compelling reasons for an OEM to go all-EV,

4 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Rodenroth said, including manufacturing savings and scalability, but EVs present different challenges to collision repairers.

Jake Rodenroth, North American body repair program manager for Lucid

EVs use lighter materials that are riveted instead of welded, have much larger batteries with more voltage and use a lot more coolant to cool those battery packs — eight to 10 gallons in a single EV, compared to two gallons in a gas-powered car. EVs will also have an increasing amount of ADAS features and the related sensors and cameras— Rodenroth said the Lucid Air sedan has 14 cameras and 32 sensors, requiring a 15-by-30-foot area to recalibrate. EVs do not need oil changes and go twice as far between brake jobs, he said, and there is only one piece that moves—the rotor—as opposed to an internal combustion engine, which has a lot of moving internal parts. Rodenroth said 3-D printing certain parts, rather than ordering them, could become common. “Shops could get licenses to print out a bumper cover, for instance,” he said. What’s Behind the Glass—Reflections on My Leadership Journey Renee Cacchillo wrapped up the conference May 4 with a keynote speech on how her education and career path led to becoming Safelite’s first female CEO in 2021, and the challenges and opportunities both along the way and going forward. Cacchillo was announced as the CEO of Safelite, a national company

that will celebrate its 75th anniversary in June and the leading provider of auto glass for repair, replacement and recalibration, in September 2021. She officially assumed the role in December. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business, Cacchillo worked for Dillard’s Inc. and Hallmark, while taking night classes to earn her MBA, and then Accenture, Lbrands and Bob Evans. In 2011, Cacchillo started with Safelite. Over the next 11 years, she worked in a range of areas within the company, including service delivery, customer experience, marketing and technology, before being named the company’s CEO.

Renee Cacchillo, CEO of Safelite.

People kept telling me, ‘Renee, you’ve broken the glass ceiling,’” Cacchillo said. “Other people paved the way for me, but I’m paving the way for others.” Cacchillo encouraged women to get comfortable possibly being alone in a male-dominated area, but to not be surprised when other women see their success and are inspired to emulate it. To illustrate her point, Cacchillo said Safelite only had two female glass technicians nationwide before the company created a recruitment ad featuring one of them. The day after the ad started running, the company heard from 6,000 interested applicants—40% of whom were women. “Every market has female trainees in class now,” Cacchillo said. “They are still the minority but [the ad] brought their attention to the fact they could have a future at Safelite.”

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Continued from Cover

Camera Law the plaintiffs argue render the state’s red light statute “void and unenforceable.” The lawsuits are filed against the individual cities, as well as Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland. Plaintiffs want the trial courts to nix the state law and refund money paid for citations under the law. If successful, the lawsuits would effectively block any city from using red light cameras. The Greenville case, filed March 31, and the Wilmington case, filed April 4, are both cited in a North Carolina Supreme Court filing May 2 by State Solicitor General Ryan Park in reference to a different case centered on Greenville’s red light camera program: Vaitovas v. City of Greenville. A North Carolina Court of Appeals panel unanimously rejected an appeal in that case, which challenged a bill dealing specifically with Greenville, rather than the underlying state

statute, The Carolina Journal reports. Plaintiffs in Vaitovas appealed to the state Supreme Court, and Park argued the other pending cases in Greenville and Wilmington are better suited to address the legality of the red light cameras because they center on state statute, rather than the Greenville specific law. Park noted the Court of Appeals found the local law in Greenville to finance red light cameras “does not impermissibly relate to health, sanitation and the abatement of nuisances.” “The Court of Appeals premised its ruling in part on the fact that plaintiff ‘did not challenge the underlying statute’ that authorized Greenville to operate a red light camera program,” Park wrote in the May 2 filing urging the Supreme Court not to take up the Vaitovas case. “The legislative defendants were

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Maaco SVP Recognized as Top Young Business Leader by Charlotte Business Journal Maaco continues to earn top awards and recognition for its strong 2021 performance, strategic leadership, brand reinvention and innovative approach to customer engagement as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Hannah Whitesides

The architect of the Maaco brand reinvention, Hannah Whitesides, senior vice president of marketing, Maaco, was recently announced as a member of the elite class of Charlotte, NC, business leaders on the Charlotte Business Journal 40 Under 40 Awards list. “It’s an honor to be recognized by the Charlotte Business

recently served with two complaints that squarely challenge that underlying statute,” Park wrote. “The legislative defendants respectfully submit that this development only reinforces that this court’s review is not warranted in this case.” Park argued the other cases in Greenville and Wilmington focused on the state statute are more appropriate lawsuits to consider the constitutionality of the red light camera programs. Yet another case regarding Greenville’s red light camera program, Fearrington v. City of Greenville, is already before the state Supreme Court, which blocked an appeals court ruling in that case. The ongoing Fearrington case is centered on a claim Pitt County schools did not collect enough “clear proceeds” from red light camera fines, The Carolina Journal reports.

Journal as one of the top 40 Under 40, as our city is booming with talented professionals making an impact on both our community and our companies,” said Whitesides. “I would not be where I am today without the continued support of my Driven Brands family and our remarkable Maaco network. This is a proud achievement and I am grateful for this recognition.” Each year, the Charlotte Business Journal aims to introduce some of these rising stars through the 40 Under 40 awards program. Now in its 29th year, this signature awards program turns a spotlight on 40 individuals—all under the age of 40— who are making a difference in the region. Charlotte Business Journal solicits nominations from readers annually for the awards. For more information on the award-winning auto body repair leader, visit Maaco.com.

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Startups, AkzoNobel to Collaborate After winning Paint the Future awards, three startups have already signed letters of intent to continue working together on sustainable business opportunities with AkzoNobel. The solution from Israeli startup SolCold is a sustainable self-cooling coating based on anti-Stokes. It uses the sun’s energy to keep the inside temperature much cooler without having to use any electricity. Latvian startup Aerones brings a robotic solution to wind turbine maintenance. Its crawling robot allows technicians to safely and efficiently perform inspections, cleaning and repairs at height. From the Czech Republic, SprayVision brings a data-driven approach to optimizing spray application of paint, offering customers full control over the process. The solution helps to reduce environmental impact by saving material and improving quality. Source: AkzoNobel

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Dominion Sure Seal Celebrates its

50th Year Anniversary

For the past five decades, Dominion Sure Seal has been a leading manufacturer of sealants, protective coatings, and adhesives for body shops, car restoration companies, and car dealerships throughout North America. If you ever need reliable and affordable products like undercar coatings, paints, plastic repair systems, anti-corrosion materials, liquid bedliners, adhesives, tapes, and specialty chemicals for your collision repairs or restoration jobs, the brand name Dominion Sure Seal is likely all over your shop. The company’s CEO Greg Morton is proud of his family’s business and honored to have played a major role in the success story at Dominion Sure Seal. “I began working here at age 14, working part-time; sweeping floors and painting walls,” he said. “Initially, we sold directly to body shops and then in 1995, we broke into the market by working with distributors and warehouse wholesalers.

Greg Morton (right) and Managing Director Derek Morton now run the show at Dominion Sure Seal

By knowing what the collision repair industry needs and fulfilling them with new products over the years, we’ve grown here in Canada and in the United States. Now we’re in a lot of major retailers throughout Northern America and the business has doubled within the past 5-6 years.” Greg’s late father Ron started the business in 1972, one year after Greg was born. The company started with five people and now they employ 30, which includes 40 regional reps. The company’s first major victory happened in 1989, when chemists at Dominion Sure Seal unveiled a plastic repair system that quickly became a go-to product for body shops and car Then in 1995, Dominion came out with Gator Guard, an epoxy liquid bedliner that helped the company to create an entire line of epoxy-based products. Today, Dominion Sure Seal sells more that 100 different products to collision repairers, car restorers, and car-crazed individuals (aka do-it-yourselfers)

The late Ron Morton started the Dominion Sure Seal in 1972, built around quality products, great prices, and amazing customer service.

800-265-0790 905-670-5411 905-670 5174 Fx Dominion Sure Seal 6175 Danville Road Mississauga, ON, Canada L5T 2H7

Another big reason for Dominion’s longevity and success includes its people, Greg said. “My brother Derek is our Managing Director and everyone here feels like they’re a part of our family, which they are. We have people here who have been with us for 15-20 years and that continuity has enabled us to be a market leader.” By carefully monitoring the pulse of the collision repair industry and developing products to improve the lives of body techs, painters, and mechanics, Dominion Sure Seal is looking with confidence at the next 50 years. “People know our name, with 90 percent of our customers coming from the automotive repair industry and the rest from the DIY market,” Morton said. “We’re well-known for quality products, great prices, and customer service and it has definitely paid off. We started with two products now we carry 100 and we’re developing new ones all the time. We know the body shop business from top to bottom and that’s why we create products that will enable collision repair professionals to do a better job, while cutting cycle time and improving the bottom line.”

www.dominionsureseal.com autobodynews.com / JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

Sherwin-Williams Debuts E-Solution Sherwin-Williams® is addressing critical industry needs with the launch of Collision Core™. The feature-rich Collision Core suite of programs addresses key business operations in a shop including inventory, production, color, quality and scorecard (diagnostics). Collision Core focuses on optimizing labor through connected metrics from production and cycle time to customer satisfaction and profitability. The five solutions, which can be adopted individually or all together are Collision Core Inventory, Production, Quality, Scorecard and Color. Collision Core is an interconnectable suite of intelligent applications designed to build strength and stability into the core of any collision center’s business—removing silos and connecting data, refining and validating processes, optimizing labor and resources, educating and engaging employees, reducing waste and identifying root cause and effect. To request more information, visit Collision Core. Source: Sherwin-Williams

Rivian’s Tax Agreement for Georgia Manufacturing Plant Gets Approval by Maria Merano, Teslarati

The Joint Development Authority (JDA) approved the final Economic Development Agreement (EDA) for Rivian’s upcoming manufacturing plant in Georgia. The JDA presides over Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton counties in Georgia. The EDA covers agreements between the JDA, the State of Georgia and Rivian. As per the agreement, three parties agree to develop Rivian’s manufacturing facility in Georgia, located in Stanton Springs North. “By signing these agreements and approving this development, we are taking a significant step toward realizing the original vision of the JDA from more than two decades ago: [to] create an industrial park east of Atlanta with high-tech, good paying jobs for years to come,” said Jerry Silvio, JDA chairman. “Rivian’s jobs and investment, combined with our existing bio and high-tech companies, mean we are adding unprecedented opportunity for the state and region. Opportunity like this not only translates into

new jobs for our families, but it also means more resources and growth for our counties, providing the opportunity to reduce the tax burden on local homeowners, improve schools and invest in parks, trails and public safety,” he added.

exceeds it initial investment commitment of $5 billion. The estimated $5 billion manufacturing facility is expected to generate 7,500 jobs directly. Rivian’s presence is expected to generate another 7,978 jobs indirectly.

“Rivian’s jobs and investment, combined with our existing bio and high-tech companies, mean we are adding unprecedented opportunity for the state and region” — Jerry Silvio According to the agreement, Rivian will make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) to the JDA starting in 2023. The property where Rivian’s new Georgia plant is located currently generates approximately $80,000 in tax revenue annually. By 2023, the property will generate $1.5 million annually for six years. After the six years, Rivian’s PILOTs will increase significantly. For example, Rivian’s property will generate $12 million in tax revenues in the seventh year. Rivian’s PILOT payments will also increase if Rivian

An economic impact analysis conducted by IMPLAN in 2021 revealed the 15,478 jobs Rivian’s manufacturing plant is projected to produce in Georgia would generate more than $1 billion in labor income. The results of the analysis also showed that the total output (value of industry production) is more than $7 billion. With the EDA approval, the State of Georgia and Rivian can sign the agreement. The full agreement with further details would be released early next week once all parties have signed the EDA.

Florida Classic Car Dealer Charged with Fraud by Steven Symes, Motorious

There’s no denying the classic car market is red hot. People who admittedly aren’t gearheads have been investing, driving values up for many vehicles, much to the frustration of enthusiasts. Just as concerning is how fraud seems to be increasingly common. One of the latest prominent examples comes out of Florida, where a father and son who ran a classic car dealership were arrested and charged with racketeering and fraud in April. Michael Smith Sr. and Michael Smith Jr. ran Just Toys Classic Cars in Orange County. Customers would consign their vehicles, leaving them behind in hopes the father and son would track down a buyer with plenty of cash. The dealership then took a cut, passing the majority of the money to the owners. However, quite a few people said they never saw a red cent. Investigators said they found customers were provided with a lot of excuses why they weren’t

receiving their money. This happened over and over—officials said there were 21 vehicles owned by 20 different individuals involved. The total amount owed to these customers was $614,000. Eventually, this behavior caught up with Just Toys Classic Cars. In October 2019, it lost its dealer’s license. Then the business closed its doors permanently in December of the same year. However, that doesn’t mean those jilted customers got their money. Instead, an investigator concluded the Smiths seemingly had “no intention of providing payment to the victims.” That cash apparently went toward business debts, to pay off lawyers, and into both personal and business accounts associated with the Smiths. Not surprisingly, both father and son had the cash to bond out of jail. Ultimately, this case highlights that you still need to be careful and do your research when dealing with classic car dealerships. Some unfortunately aren’t reputable, so don’t be overly trusting.

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CREF Introduces 2022 Executive Committee The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) is excited to announce and introduce its newly appointed Executive Committee, which consists of seven industry professionals who are dedicated to supporting the future of the industry through engagement with collision schools and students. CREF’s 2022 Executive Committee includes Chair Steve Schmidt, State Farm; Vice Chair Kevin Burnett, Gerber Collision & Glass; Secretary Doug Irish, Fayetteville Technical Community College; Treasurer Ryan West, GEICO; Trustee-at-Large Don Mikrut, Wejo; Trustee-at-Large Brenda Hogen, Parts Trader; and Immediate Past Chair Tom Wolf, PPG Industries. “The CREF Board of Trustees encompasses a fantastic cross-section of the industry,” said Schmidt. “Each participant is eager to work toward CREF’s vision and goals, and they are open to sharing their wealth of knowledge to bolster CREF’s success.” Source: CREF

NABC Recycled Ride® Program Donates Vehicle at WIN Conference On May 3, there were big smiles and tears of joy as 21-year-old Olivia Carter celebrated a major milestone in her quest for independence—the presentation of a vehicle to help her get to work, take care of herself and enroll in college this fall. This is all thanks to vehicle donor GEICO, collision repair partner Caliber Collision and supporter Enterprise, who teamed up for a very special National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides® presentation at the 2022 Women’s Industry Network (WIN) Conference held in Greenville, S.C. Carter was selected by Fostering Great Ideas (FGI), which serves as advocates for children and teens struggling in the foster care system throughout the nation. They work to bring great ideas to life that improve lives, restore hope, build meaningful relationships and increase community-wide engagement. Their commitment to children provides significant support for them during their foster care journey. Carter is a FGI Aspire student who also has a long-time mentor with FGI. She has been in foster care from

the age of 10 until she aged out at 18. She spent most of her time in foster care living in a group home. She now lives with her dad, who travels out of town a lot so she’s home alone a majority of the time with no vehicle. She has to Uber to work every day, and relies on online delivery services for grocers and household items. Carter just got her driver’s license the week before, so the presentation of a vehicle was a big day for her as she plans her path to independence and success. “I’ve never been so happy in my entire life,” Carter said. “I can’t believe this is real. Thank you to everyone who made this day possible. I believe in paying things forward, and I have to find a way to share this gift to help other people now.” NABC Recycled Rides is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides program in 2007, members of the NABC have donated nearly 3,000 vehicles valued at some $42 million.

“Caliber’s purpose is to Restore the Rhythm of Lives for our customers, clients, teammates and those in the communities we serve,” said Shirin Hezar, director of strategic accounts for Caliber Collision. “We are honored at the opportunity to team up with GEICO and the National Auto Body Council to provide this gift of transportation for such an amazing and resilient young woman. On behalf of all the Caliber teammates who volunteered their time and talent to restore this vehicle, we are thrilled to know Olivia now has the keys to independence as she navigates her way on the road to a successful future.” Enterprise, Caliber Collision and others stuffed the trunk with gift cards and items for Carter, and WIN made a donation to help her with her ongoing expenses and education. “What an amazing young woman,” said Liz Stein, who serves as a board member of the NABC and secretary for the WIN Board of Directors. “We’re proud to be able to help her achieve the next step on her path to success. We wish her all the best for the future.” Source: NABC

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Higher Pay The group gathered outside the State House to demand action on a pair of proposals before the lawmakers that would raise the lowestin-the-nation labor rate for auto body repairs. The bills, H.1111 and S.709, both called “An Act to establish minimum reimbursement rate to insurance claimants,” are currently being ironed out between the legislative chambers through a joint committee. Both would set the rate for repair at upwards of $78 per hour of labor, according to advocates. The current rate is just $40 per hour, which, according to the group, is the lowest in the nation and just $10 more than it was in 1988. AASP-MA Executive Director Evangelo “Lucky” Papageorg said the industry is filled with technicians that started because they thought it was a cool job, one that they learned to love. That passion, he said, does not feed their families though.

“The problem is that loving and cool don’t pay the bills. We need to be able to pay the bills,” he said. The bills have until June 30 to clear the committee, after which the legislature would have just a month before the end of the session to approve and send them to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk. Standing in the way, according to former state Sen. Guy Glodis, are insurance companies that want to keep reimbursements low. Glodis said auto body workers first approached him in 2003, saying their wages were so low they couldn’t compete to keep workers from leaving the state. He said the problem was recognized by legislative leadership, who said they would do something about it. “Folks, that was over 20 years ago—nothing has been done,” he said. “We’re here to educate the legislature about the greed and the injustice and the dishonesty of what’s going on with the insurance industry where they are purposely stagnating and suppressing wages. “It hurts business and it hurts families,” he said.

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Fisker PEAR to Be Produced in Foxconn’s Ohio Plant Fisker Inc. confirmed it will produce its second vehicle, the Fisker PEAR, at the factory Foxconn recently bought from Lordstown Motors Corp. in Lordstown, OH. The Fisker PEAR will enter production in 2024. Both the Fisker and Foxconn teams are fully engaged and expect to build a minimum of 250,000 Fisker PEAR units a year at the plant after a ramp up period. “The PEAR will be a revolutionary electric vehicle that won’t fit into any existing segment. The exterior design will feature new lighting technology and a wraparound front windscreen inspired by a glider plane glass canopy, enhancing frontal vision,” Fisker Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said, adding that he plans to visit the factory with a team of engineers on May 13. “Our engineering group is working on new features and high-tech solutions for the PEAR that will change how we use and enjoy a vehicle in the

city,” Fisker said. The Fisker PEAR follows the company’s first vehicle, the Fisker Ocean, which will start production in Austria on Nov. 17.

The Fisker PEAR will have an expected base price below $29,900 before incentives. Fisker has designed and engineered the vehicle to reduce parts for rapid, simplified manufacturing. The Fisker PEAR will be built on a new proprietary architecture. This new platform will underpin two additional models that Fisker will introduce at a later date. Source: Fisker Inc.

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LEADING LADIES—Female-owned body shops are changing the landscape of a male-dominated industry According to a 2021 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women made up almost half of the U.S. labor force in 2020—but only about one-quarter of the automotive workforce. Furthermore, women represented an even smaller portion of automotive repair and maintenance employees in 2020—just 9 percent. These statistics such suggest that women working in the collision repair industry are few and far between. They also suggest that fe-

Founded in 1979, the family business is owned by Kim Harrison, who purchased the shop from her father upon his retirement in 1997. “I started working in this business 40 years ago by performing administrative work,” explained Harrison. “It wasn’t too long before I was running the shop, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I pretty much have my hands in everything, including customer relations, ordering equipment and materials, dealing with insurance companies and human resources. I’m the owner, but I’m still here every day because I have people that walk through our door and want to see Kim Harrison.” When asked about giving advice to other women that want to enter the refinish industry, Harrison didn’t mince words. “I tell them that this is a male-dominated industry and they’ll Courson’s Paint & Body Shop Owner Suzanne Courson need a thick skin to deal (3rd from left) and the Courson’s crew with it. But if they have the male-owned collision repair shops passion and they’re willing to work are even more uncommon. But this hard, then go for it. If they need enisn’t always the case. In Georgia, for couragement or advice, I’m here for example, there are a number of col- them.” lision repair shops under the ownerAnother Industry veteran with ship and leadership of women. similar advice is Dana Hendrix, One such shop is Courson’s owner and CEO of Ray’s Collision Paint & Body, located in the small Center, which has locations in CoSoutheast Georgia town of Baxley. lumbus, Georgia, and Auburn, AlaOwner and operator Suzanne Cour- bama. With over 40 years of collison has served as the shop’s bookkeeper since 1997 but took the leadership of the business when her husband passed away in 2015. “My goal from day one has been to honor the legacy my husband built and continue to provide our customers with exceptional refinish service,” said Courson. “I have 25-plus years of experience in this industry Ray’s Collision Center Owner Dana Hendrix and a crew that’s the best in the business. It’s a lot of hard work sion industry experience, she knows but I think we do a pretty good job. I all too well the challenges that feknow my husband would be proud.” male body shop owners face. Approximately 120 miles north “I’ve definitely experienced a and west of Baxley is the bustling degree of gender inequality in this city of Macon, Georgia, where business, said Hendrix. “Not very you’ll find Harrison’s Body Shop. long ago, a man came in and basi12 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

cally snubbed me, asking to speak to the general manager. It was clear he wanted to speak to a man. When he came back a few days later to pick

Harrison’s Body Shop Owner Kim Harrison

up his car, his wife asked me who owned the business. When I gave her the answer, her husband had a totally different outlook. Women need to be both tough and confident in this business. But equally important is the quality of your work—and our work is exceptional.” A common element these three

women share in their pursuit of quality work is their choice of a premium paint system—the PPG DELTRON® basecoat system, serviced by Erica Schlader, PPG territory manager. “I couldn’t be prouder to work with these strong, confident women,” said Schlader. “It’s one thing to compete in a male-oriented industry. But these ladies are successful business leaders that serve as an inspiration for any woman who wants to enter any field. That’s pretty special.” Deltron is a registered trademark of PPG industries Ohio, Inc. © 2022 PPG Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Ford Funds Stream Restoration at University of Tennessee’s Lone Oaks Farm At the 2022 Memphis International Auto Show, Ford Motor Company and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture announced an historic agreement that will propel economic development, education and conservation throughout the mid-south. The two have signed a stream mitigation and restoration agreement that will restore the stream waters flowing through the university’s Lone Oaks Farm. UT Extension is developing Lone Oaks, a 1,200-acre facility, into a world-class 4-H and STEM Education Center in Middleton. Lone Oaks is located just 45 minutes east of Memphis and in close proximity to Ford’s BlueOval City. Both properties are under development, and earlier in April, UT Extension celebrated laying the top beam of the first of many overnight camping facilities at the 4-H Center. Education programs at Lone Oaks already serve about 5,000 K-12 students each year, but the new facility will allow the program to continue growing and offer overnight STEM programs and camps. Knowing the workforce needs in STEM fields are growing across the region, the timing couldn’t be better. “Every year, UTIA provides valuable life skills as well as STEM education opportunities to nearly 112,000 students across Tennessee,” said UT President Randy Boyd. “Ford’s investment in Lone Oaks will ensure our 4-H programs will be able to expand STEM education to Tennessee students for years to come.” Linda C. Martin, UTIA interim senior vice chancellor and senior vice president, said Tennessee has 7,216 4-H clubs, the most of any state in the nation. “The ability to offer overnight educational programs and daily STEM activities at Lone Oaks in West Tennessee is a tremendous enhancement to the region’s educa-

tional opportunities,” she said. The Clean Water Act of 1972 requires any impact on streams and wetlands from development projects, such as buildings and roads, be offset by restoring and permanently protecting an equivalent amount of habitat elsewhere. The size of the BlueOval City project required Ford to invest in a significant stream restoration project, and the UT Institute of Agriculture was prepared to meet this need through a restoration project at Lone Oaks Farm.

This unique agreement allows Ford to meet its regulatory requirements while also benefiting the entire region through funding STEM education and 4-H Youth Development at Lone Oaks. The agreement totals $16.5 million, which covers the construction cost of restoring some 20,000 feet of streams on the Lone Oaks property while also providing long-term financial sustainability for Lone Oaks’ educational programs. The residual funds from the project will be invested by the UT Foundation to support education programs at Lone Oaks Farm in perpetuity. “At Ford, our goal is to create a positive impact on people and the planet. We’re proud to enter into this innovative partnership with the University of Tennessee that will help restore and protect the streams and wetlands at the Lone Oaks Farm and create educational opportunities that will inspire and benefit future gen-

erations,” said Bob Holycross, vice president of sustainability, environment and safety engineering at Ford. “This is just one way we can fulfill our purpose to help build a better world.” The project involves many other partners, including The Tennessee Wildlife Federation and the West Tennessee River Basin Authority (WTRBA). The Tennessee Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit that advances conservation in Tennessee through advocacy, education and onthe-ground conservation projects, including stream and wetland restoration. WTRBA, an independent unit of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, is charged with managing rivers, streams, lakes and other water issues in West Tennessee. WTRBA is responsible for the design, engineering, construction and monitoring for the stream restoration.

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“In addition to restoring the stream, this partnership will create additional opportunities for our UT Extension professionals to develop STEM programs with an emphasis on workforce skills and preparation for higher education. As the needs of employers in the region and state change, we are tailoring our educational programs to match those needs,” says UT Extension Dean Ashley Stokes. “The vision for Lone Oaks Farm includes introducing young people to agriculture and conservation through STEM education programs. We are extremely excited to partner with Ford and support both their sustainability goals and the university’s and community’s education goals,” said Ben West, director of strategic partnerships with UTIA. “This investment will provide quality, hands-on education programs for students throughout the region for decades to come.”

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First U.S. EV Plant dedicated 2,923-acre site in Bryan County, with immediate access to I-95 and I-16 highways. It is less than 31 miles from the Port of Savannah, the single-largest and fastest-growing container terminal in the U.S. with two Class I rail facilities on-site provided by Georgia Central Railway. West Point, GA, is already home to the Group’s Kia manufacturing hub in the U.S. The official signing ceremony was held May 20 in Bryan County, attended by Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp and other Georgia officials as well as Hyundai Motor Company President and CEO Jaehoon Chang, and Hyundai Motor President and COO José Muñoz. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung joined the signing ceremony virtually. “The future of transportation is in the Peach State as we announce the largest project in our state’s history—delivering high-quality jobs on the leading edge of mobility

to hardworking Georgians,” said Kemp. “Not only are we thrilled to welcome Hyundai to Georgia’s coastal region, but it’s incredible that within a year of Georgia’s investment in the Bryan County Megasite, we are locating a world-class project here with a company with great Georgia history!” “As one of the world’s most successful and advanced mobility leaders, we are incredibly proud to share our plan to open our first dedicated full EV and battery manufacturing facilities in the U.S.,” said Euisun Chung. “The U.S. has always held an important place in the Group’s global strategy, and we are excited to partner with the State of Georgia to achieve our shared goal of electrified mobility and sustainability in the U.S.” Hyundai Motor Group selected Georgia as Hyundai’s EV and battery production site due to a range of favorable business conditions, including speed-to-market, talented workforce, as well as existing network of its affiliates and suppliers. Georgia is the Southeastern leader for EV registration per 1,000

18 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

registered automobiles. To support these drivers, Georgia is constantly developing access to publicly available EV charging stations and already offers more outlets per capita than anywhere else in the Southeast. Hyundai’s new investment will help accelerate the state’s sustainable shift to electrification. Continuing Hyundai’s support for the U.S. economy, the project is expected to create about 8,100 new jobs. The EV plant investment comes as a part of Hyundai’s 2021 announcement to invest $7.4 billion by 2025 to foster future mobility in the U.S., including production of EVs and offering smart mobility solutions. Source: Hyundai Motor Group

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Branch Launches 6 New States Branch, a full-stack insurance company that pioneered instantly-bundled home and auto insurance, announced April 1 its expansion to six new states including Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia. These new additions bring Branch’s total state roster to 25 and means 49% of Americans can access Branch’s instant-pricing capability. Through Branch’s rapid growth, the company maintains a stellar customer service experience with an impressive 4.8 Trustpilot rating. Having launched in six new states since the beginning of 2022, Branch continues to attract new members with its instant-pricing capability and average annual bundled savings of $535. With the goal of national coverage halfway completed, Branch continues to pave the way for convenient and affordable insurance with the aim of being available in all 50 states before the end of 2022. Source: Branch

Ford F-Series Tops List of Vehicles Targeted Most for Catalytic Converter Theft Catalytic converter thefts have soared in recent years, thanks in large part to the spiking prices of precious metals. Thieves are removing catalytic converters by cutting them from beneath vehicles, and that can be a rude awakening for car owners. Not only will the car make a loud noise when started, but it can cost owners thousands of dollars to replace that missing catalytic converter. So just how prevalent is catalytic converter theft? The National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks thefts reported to insurance companies, said the number of those reports increased about 977% from 2018 to more than 14,000 in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available. To help consumers, CARFAX has compiled a nationwide list of the top targets for these precious-metal thieves: 1. 1985-2021 Ford F-Series pickup trucks (F-150, F-250, etc.) 2. 1989-2020 Honda Accord 3. 2007-17 Jeep Patriot

4. 1990-2022 Ford Econoline vans 5. 1999-2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks 6. 2005-21 Chevrolet Equinox 7. 1997-2020 Honda CR-V 8. 1987-2019 Toyota Camry 9. 2011-17 Chrysler 200 10. 2001-21 Toyota Prius

Depending on where you’re located in the country, certain vehicles are targeted more heavily. These lists were compiled by looking at CARFAX service reports for catalytic converter replacements from more than 60,000 service shops across the country from 2019

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The 2022 ASE Instructor Training Conference is scheduled for July 12-15 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Frisco, TX. Hosted by the ASE Education Foundation, the conference is planned for high school and college instructors from auto, truck and collision repair programs nationwide. Offering more than 20 hours of technical update training, the in-person conference will provide separate tracks for auto, medium/heavy truck and collision repair instructors. The cost for instructors from ASE-accredited programs is $550 per person while the cost for instructors from non-accredited programs is $650 each. For more information and to register, visit the ASE Education Foundation website at https://aseeducationfoundation.org/events/ase-instructor-training-conference

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Average Collision Repair-Related Length of Rental Increases 4.9 Days in Q1 The first quarter of 2022 saw average Length of Rental (LOR) for collision replacement-related rentals increase 4.9 days when compared to 2021. This nearly five-day increase continues the trend of unprecedented industry increases, including an almost four-day increase in the fourth quarter of 2021. While January is a traditional LOR peak time, along with June, historically the numbers tend to decrease in February and March. This stayed true in 2022—but the numbers this year were much higher, with several industrywide issues contributing to these extraordinary results. Overall in the U.S., Q1 2022 LOR was up to 18.2 days, an increase of 4.9 days compared to 13.3 days in Q1 2021. This includes replacement rentals for drivable and non-drivable repairs as well as total loss claims. The state of Washington recorded the highest overall LOR increase of 7.2 days (from 11.8 days to 19.0). Notably, Washington was in the bottom 10 states overall in Q1 2021. Nine other states experienced increases higher than six days, while 28 states plus the District of Columbia recorded increases of more than five days. Hawaii had the lowest increase with 1.5 days, while Nebraska and Iowa had increases of 2.8 and 2.9 days, respectively. Louisiana had the highest overall LOR of 22.3 days while seven additional states had LOR exceeding 20 days. It’s telling that, in Q1 2021, the highest LOR in any state was Louisiana at 16.4 days. One year later, only nine states and the District of Columbia have a lower LOR than Q1 2021’s highest mark. Regionally, no one was immune to these trends. The Southwest, Northwest, Southeast and Mountain states all had LORs of 19 days or more, meaning the drivers of these LOR increases are national issues with deep causal factors, including part delivery delays, shop production capacity and the impact of new technologies such as electric vehicles. With respect to parts, Greg Horn, chief innovation officer for PartsTrader, said: “We saw a record high of the median delivery days for all part types. We measure the median plus two standard deviations to capture the complete picture of all parts needing to be replaced. “What we saw in the first quarter

of this year is a median score of 15.6 days for the outliers,” Horn said. “This is double of the median delivery days, plus two standard deviations, for the outliers that we saw in Q1 2021. As Enterprise has found, no region was immune from these delays; we saw significant increases in all regions in the U.S., with the highest increases in the upper Midwest and East Coast.” John Yoswick, editor of the

weekly CRASH Network newsletter, weighed in on shop production capacity. “The length of rental for the first quarter doesn’t come as much of a surprise based on what we were seeing in terms of the backlog of work at U.S. body shops at the start of the year,” Yoswick said. “Our survey of nearly 500 shops in January found that if you wanted collision work done right away, you likely would have needed to call more than 100 shops before finding one that could start work immediately. The average scheduling backlog jumped to more than a month in January, reaching an average of 4.5 weeks nationally. That is more than a week longer than the record-high Q4 2021 backlog.” According to Yoswick’s research, the Q1 2022 backlog was almost 2.5 times the length of the typical firstquarter backlog. Since 2017, his research shows the average backlog for the first quarter has been just under two weeks. In addition, a record 84% of shops in January said they were scheduling new work two weeks or more into the future, and more than half of all shops (52%) said they were scheduling new work more than four weeks out. “The percentage of shops that might be able to fit you in within a week? Only 3%,” noted Yoswick. “An astonishing 15% of shops are reporting a backlog of more than eight

20 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

weeks.” Looking at the data by region, CRASH Network’s data showed the longest backlogs were in the Mid-Atlantic states, where the average was 5.4 weeks. The South was close to that, at 5.3 weeks, and the Midwest was reporting a 4.9-week average backlog. Only one region, the West, reported a backlog of less than three weeks. But with an average of 2.4 weeks there, customers were waiting twice as long as the typical 1.2 weeks reported in that region in prior years. Ten of the 11 regions reported the longest average backlogs since CRASH Network began reporting the statistic in 2017. While still a small factor, the impact of EVs is important to consider. Increased gasoline prices alongside increasing consumer demand have made EVs more popular. EVs are also more difficult to repair due to equipment and safety considerations. Ryan Mandell, director of claims performance for Mitchell International, offered thoughts regarding

full battery electric vehicles (BEVs). “BEVs reached their highestever frequency as they accounted for 1.66% of repairable claims in Q1 2022, compared to 0.42%, 0.74% and 1.01% in the first quarter of 20192021, respectively," Mandell said. "On average, BEVs are 27.83% more costly to repair than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and require an average of 5.76 more labor hours per repair, resulting in longer keys-tokeys cycle times.” Drivable Claims Drivable LOR for replacement rentals was up 4.1 days nationally in the first quarter of 2022 (11.4 days to 15.5 days). The state of Washington had the highest overall increase of 5.6 days, while eight other states had increases greater than five days. An additional 19 states, as well as the District of Columbia, saw increases greater than four days. Oklahoma and Louisiana had the highest overall drivable LOR at 18.9 days, while Hawaii (10.9 days) and North Dakota (11.0) had the lowest.

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Hawaii also had the lowest drivable LOR increase, up 1.2 days, followed by Wyoming, Iowa and Nebraska, all with increases less than two days. Non-Drivable Claims While drivable replacement rental LOR was certainly up, the highest increases were for non-drivable replacement rentals. The first quarter of 2022 was 7.8 days higher than the previous year, at 26.7 days compared to 18.9 days in Q1 2021. Eight states had increases greater than 10 days: Washington at 12.1 days higher, South Carolina at 11.1 days higher, followed by Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Idaho. An additional seven states had increases greater than nine days, while another 14 states and the District of Columbia had increases of eight days or more. The lowest increase was in Massachusetts with 4.1 days higher, followed by New York at 5.1 days, Mississippi at 5.4 days and Hawaii at 5.6 days. For the first time, five states had average non-drivable LOR greater than 30 days: Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, South Carolina and Oregon. Nine other states were at 29 days or

higher, followed by eight other states at 28 days or more. The District of Columbia came in lowest at 23.1 days, which was still 8.7 days greater than Q1 2021. “Non-drivable frequency in Q1 2022 remained elevated above 20% for the second consecutive quarter (20.22%). The previous years’ first quarter non-drive rates were 18.25%, 19.68% and 18.62% respectively from 2019-2021,” noted Mandell. Total Loss Claims The average LOR for replacement rentals associated with total losses was 18.4 days in Q1 2022, up 4.1 days from Q1 2021’s 14.3 days. While some of this rise may be attributed to the increased severities of collisions, it also could be impacted by higher total loss thresholds and carrier calculations, pushing more vehicles into the repairable category. According to Mandell, this trend is likely to continue. “As actual cash values (ACV) rise, we can expect total loss frequency to decline as more borderline losses are deemed to be more economical to repair,” Mandell said. “This has been the case in the U.S., which saw a

16.1% total loss frequency in Q1 2022, compared to 17.2% in Q1 of 2021. Such a scenario could impact shop capacity, especially in the face of a tight labor market, and drive keys-to-keys cycle times even higher.” The state of Washington had the highest quarter-over-quarter increase with 9.4 days, followed by a 9.1 day increase in Oregon. These two states also accounted for the highest overall total loss LOR. Two other states, Idaho and Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia increased eight days or more. Hawaii had the lowest total loss LOR increase, up 1.2 days, with only Texas and Alabama seeing an increase of 2.9 days or less. The lowest total loss LOR was in Florida—15.1 days, an increase of 3.1 days. Summary The results for the first quarter of this year are eye-opening. There are many factors affecting everyone in the collision industry, including technician staffing, ever-changing parts availabilities, new and used vehicle pricing, inflationary pressures and new claims processes. Traditionally, the second quarter of each calendar year yields the

Ford Recalls Certain 2021 Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators for Potential Fire Concern Ford Motor Company is advising customers of certain 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs—built over a four-month period between late 2020 and early 2021—to park their vehicles outside and away from structures while Ford investigates the cause of under hood fires. Responding to 16 reported incidents, Ford is recalling 39,013 Expedition and Navigator SUVs in the U.S. built between Dec. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021. These vehicles may pose a risk of under hood fire, including while the vehicle is parked and off. As of Ford’s filing with NHTSA, there have been no reported incidents with vehicles built before or after these dates. Ford, which began investigating the issue March 24, has not yet established a cause. The incidents are believed to originate in the rear of the engine compartment near the passenger side of the vehicle. Fourteen of these incidents occurred on vehicles owned by rental companies across multiple locations

and two were retail customer vehicles. Of the 16 incidents, 12 reportedly occurred while the vehicle was parked and off, one reportedly while the vehicle was parked and on, and three reportedly while the vehicle was in motion. Ford is treating this recall with a high sense of urgency and will communicate to customers via FordPass and Lincoln Way app and mail as soon as it finalizes the list of owners and addresses within the recalled vehicle population. Ford has not issued instructions to stop driving vehicles under this recall and is not aware of any accidents related to this issue. The company is aware of one reported injury. “We are working around-theclock to determine the root cause of this issue and subsequent remedy so that customers can continue to enjoy using their vehicles,” said Jeffrey Marentic, general manager, Ford Passenger Vehicles. “We recognize the importance of staying in touch with our customers until we resolve this matter.” Source: Ford

22 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

lowest LOR, but it remains to be seen how these industrywide issues will affect this year’s results. The entire industry will play a part in ensuring all collision-related businesses are aligned, not just to offer procedural solutions, but to ensure our mutual customers receive safe and proper repairs, an excellent experience and peace of mind. Enterprise is committed to partnering with insurers, repairers and suppliers on each one of these issues. Through foundational support provided by the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Enterprise is spearheading the Collision Engineering Program, in partnership with Ranken Technical College. The program, designed to attract and develop entry-level talent to fill essential roles within the collision repair industry, is piloting at four schools nationwide. For more information, visit www. beacollisionengineer.com. Source: Enterprise

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Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs. HONDA ALABAMA

FLORIDA

Freeway Honda

GEORGIA

Hendrick Honda Pompano Beach

Birmingham

800-987-0819 205-949-5460

Pompano Beach

954-425-8244

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5 greg_thomas@freewayhondaal.com FLORIDA

Clearwater

888-205-2564 727-530-1173

Crown Honda Southpoint

407-442-1938

678-318-3155

855-893-8866 919-425-4711

Classic Honda Orlando

Rick Case Honda

Milton Martin Honda

877-544-2249

770-534-0086 678-989-5473

McKenney-Salinas Honda

Honda of Newnan

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 parts@mshonda.com

Snellville

770-985-1444

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-6 gperkins@careypaul.com

Clermont

Ed Voyles Honda

800-497-2294 407-395-7374

Marietta

800-334-3719 770-933-5870 Direct

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 pepe.guevara@headquarterhonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 robertthomas@mmhonda.com

Newnan

678-423-8183

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-4 samuel.trapani@henrickauto.com Union City

Carey Paul Honda

Headquarter Honda

Gainesville

Nalley Honda

GEORGIA

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-4 parts@classichonda.com

Durham

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 cdunlap@penskeautomotive.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7 mfranceschi@southhonda.com

888-893-4984 407-521-1115

Buford/Gwinnett

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-4 parts@hollerhonda.com

888-418-3513 305-256-2240

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-5 hernandeze@autonation.com

Asheville

Honda Mall of Georgia

Miami

800-542-8121 954-964-8300

800-476-9411 828-684-4400

Holler Honda

South Motors Honda

Hollywood

800-733-2210 706-228-7040

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 appletreeparts@hotmail.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-4 robbutton@rickcase.com

AutoNation Honda Hollywood

Apple Tree Honda

Augusta

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 tdunn@geraldjoneshonda.com

Davie

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5; Sun 10-3 santosr1@autonation.com

Gerald Jones Honda

Dept. Hours: M-Fri 7-6; Sat 7-5; gerardbruno@hendrickauto.com Orlando

AutoNation Honda Clearwater

NO. CAROLINA

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-6 hondaparts@edvoyles.com

866-362-8034 770-306-4646

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-5 hondawp@nalleycars.com MISSISSIPPI

Patty Peck Honda Ridgeland

800-748-8676 601-957-3400

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 pmartin@pattypeckhonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-11; Fri 7-6 Sat 7-5; Sun 11-5 www.southpointhonda.com

Gastonia

888-703-7109 704-824-8844 x 624

Vann York Automall High Point

336-841-6200

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-3 SO. CAROLINA

Breakaway Honda Greenville

800-849-5056 864-234-6481

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 fmarshall@breakawayhonda.com

Piedmont Honda Anderson

800-849-5057 864-375-2082

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 swhite@piedmontcars.com

ACURA FLORIDA

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

NO. CAROLINA

Acura of Orange Park

Rick Case Acura

Nalley Acura

Leith Acura

888-941-7278 904-777-1008

800-876-1150 954-377-7688

800-899-7278 770-422-3138

800-868-0082 919-657-0460

Jacksonville

Fort Lauderdale

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-8; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-3 msweeney@acuraoforangepark.com

Duval Acura Jacksonville

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 rubenramos@rickcase.com GEORGIA

800-352-2872 904-725-1149

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 Cecil.adams@duvalacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 byoung@nalleycars.com NO. CAROLINA

Cary

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4:30 Jason.Mangels@leithcars.com VIRGINIA

Jackson Acura

Flow Acura

Karen Radley Acura

877-622-2871 678-259-9500

800-489-3534 336-761-3682

800-355-2818 703-550-0205

Roswell

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-6 kmcmillan@jacksonacura.com

24 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Marietta

Winston-Salem

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-1 www.flowacura.com

Woodbridge

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-3 coreythompson@radleyautogroup.com

TENNESSEE

VIRGINIA

Airport Honda

Valley Honda

800-264-4721 865-970-7792

800-277-0598 540-213-9016

Alcoa

Staunton

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6:30; Sat 7:30-5 parts@airporthonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 9-5 bwimer@myvalleyhonda.com

AutoNation Honda West Knoxville

West Broad Honda

Knoxville

800-824-1301 865-218-5461

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 rossd1@autonation.com

Richmond

800-446-0160 804-672-8811

Dept. Hours: M-Fri 7:30-6:30; Sat 8-5 wbhonda@aol.com

Wolfchase Honda Bartlett

800-982-7290 901-255-3780

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7 ekerr@wolfchasehonda.com VIRGINIA

Checkered Flag Honda Norfolk

800-277-2122 757-687-3453

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7:30-6 honda.checkeredflag.com

Hall Honda Virginia Beach

800-482-9606 757-431-4329

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 fox@hallauto.com

autobodynews.com / JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

3M Offering Specialized Products, Training, Support to Collision Repair Shops to Help Drive Profit Efficiencies by Stacey Phillips

Report, one of the tools 3M uses to understand driving behaviors, demonstrating driving has increased 100% in the U.S. and is returning to pre-pandemic levels. “The positive news is that driving trends are moving more toward an endemic phase, and I look forward to seeing an improving business as we go through the course of 2022,” he said.

With the pandemic halting mobility over the last two years and accidents falling sharply, the collision repair industry has been impacted worldwide. As a result, 3M has focused its efforts on offering specialized products, training and support to the collision repair industry to help it be more efficient, productive and profitable in 3M Focused on New Prodthe future, said Dave Gunucts to Help Shops derson, 3M’s president and 3M launched two new solugeneral manager of the Autions during the pandemic to tomotive Aftermarket Divi- Dave Gunderson, assist shops with their prosion (AAD). ductivity and efficiency in president and Celebrating his 34th general manager of collision repair: the 3M™ year with 3M, the indus- 3M’s Automotive Performance Spray Gun and Aftermarket Division the 3M™ Cubitron™ II Net try veteran recently shared (AAD) Abrasives. major trends in 2022 related to collision repair and the ways With the current raw materials 3M AAD businesses are focusing on shortage, paint companies, like all supporting their customers. companies, have had to raise costs. Gunderson pointed to statis- Gunderson said the industry is starttics from an Apple Mobility Trends ing to think long-term and focus on

solutions that help offset the rising costs with product solutions that aid

The lightweight, versatile 3M™ Performance Spray Gun was created as a cost-effective and easy-to-use product for shops

with shop productivity and eliminate some of the concerns. “We have been in the indus-

try for a long time and our job is to bring innovation and solutions to problems to the market,” said Gunderson. The lightweight, versatile 3M™ Performance Spray Gun was created as a cost-effective and easy-to-use product for shops. Designed to deliver a consistent and professional paint job every time, 3M’s spray gun has demonstrated positive benefits for shops with the high paint transfer efficiency on repaired parts. Since being introduced to the industry, many customers have realized an average savings of 10% to 20% in paint mix costs. In addition, the paint gun has positive benefits for the environment because fewer solvents are used through the cleaning process. “It’s a win-win-win, and we couldn’t be prouder bringing this innovative product to market,” he said. The company also introduced 3M™ Cubitron II™ Net Abrasives

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during the pandemic. Although net abrasives have been previously used in the industry, Gunderson said the 3M™ Cubitron II™ Net Abrasives use 3M’s patented precision-shaped grain material, which allows the solution to cut twice as fast and last twice as long as other net abrasives families. In addition, it captures more than 97% of the dust created when sanding in a shop. “With a shortage of technicians and competition for labor, employees want a clean, safe environment to work,” said Gunderson. “Our customers understand that dust extraction allows for a much cleaner body shop and paired with long-lasting abrasives, the productivity in sanding can also be met with fewer discs.” Supporting Body Shops Gunderson shared three distinctive ways 3M currently supports body shops: training and education, community and industry engagement, and increasing shop productivity and engagement. With training innovation facilities in more than 40 countries, Gun-

and curriculum offerings for aspiring and current technicians. This includes opening an approximately 20,000-square foot training facility in St. Paul, MN. “Our employees could not be more thrilled,” said Gunderson. “Our team loves working with and advancing the collision trade, and having a brand-new facility with the right equipment and full-size classrooms will allow even more shops and technicians access to 3M™ Cubitron II™ Net Abrasives use 3M’s patented the teams of subject matter precision-shaped grain material experts at 3M.” 3M also takes pride in its com“Anyone can go online and get training on proper repair proce- munity and industry engagement dures,” said Gunderson. “That has efforts. For instance, the 3M team been very successful. Last year, we will participate in paint finish comtrained over 40,000 technicians.” petitions at SkillsUSA in June in Training is also available for Atlanta, GA. The St. Paul-based apvocational-technical schools and in- plication engineering team makes it cludes information about OEM stan- a priority to support bringing technidards and specifications. In addition, cians into the trade. 3M partners with I-CAR and OEMs Finally, similar to the medical to offer customized in-person and industry, Gunderson said collision virtual training. repairers often spend as much time An important goal for 3M in on the administration side of the 2022 is to advance their training business as on the operational side. derson said helping educate the next generation of technicians is a priority to 3M. During the pandemic, 3M scaled up the virtual component of its 3M Collision Repair Academy.

The third area of focus is around the support and digital tool integration for body shops. “Our goal is to simplify shops’ day-to-day administrative tasks,” he said. “A lot of materials that are used in repair shops don’t get accounted for on a repair order… some of these are critical, like structural adhesives.” To help shops account for materials, 3M introduced the 3M™ Collision Repair Materials Planner tool, known as CRiMP, about five years ago. The tool enables shops create a repair invoice to account for materials used on an order, reduce supplements and fully account for materials used during a collision repair job. “There are a number of different required materials on a repair order that shops tend to overlook when writing and submitting a repair order,” he said. Gunderson offered the example of using seam sealer on a vehicle. By using CRiMP, it allows a shop to specify how much of the tube was used during the repair and then creates an invoice attached to the repair See 3M Offering, Page 42

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Glue Pulling Repair Becoming More Commonly Used in Auto Body Shops techniques because it does not remove e-coatings and corrosion proFor more than 30 years, collision re- tection applied to the panel by the pair technicians have experimented vehicle manufacturer,” noted White. with glue pulling repair (GPR) tech- “This yields a simpler, cleaner reniques to fix vehicles. pair that can significantly reduce the The tooling and techniques amount of body fillers and/or paint have improved over the years, al- to finish.” White is currently receiving inlowing an increasing number of auto quiries from hundreds of body shops to adopt GPR in shops a month interested in their facilities, according to adding GPR to their repair Chris White, president of arsenal. KECO Body Repair Products. “Body work has been “Glue pull repair is done for so long that a lot rapidly changing how colof guys think there is only lision repair work is done,” Chris White, pres- one way to fix a dent,” said ident of KECO Body Derek Heinrichs, manager said White. “It is the least Repair Products of City Collision II in Pittsinvasive, best-quality method to repair a dent today.” burgh, PA. After experiencing GPR KECO has more than 50 years first-hand and physically doing it, of experience in plastics. Founded in Heinrichs said they will continue us1963, the company was purchased ing this repair method in their body by White in 2004. Two years later, it shop. doubled in size and has continued to GPR is Not PDR expand over the years. In 2018, KECO opened a GPR Like paintless dent repair (PDR), facility and headquarters for body GPR aims to save as much of the repair products in Oklahoma City, original finish as possible so there’s OK. Today, the team manufactures little to no filling, priming and painttabs, tools and accessories and pro- ing at the end of the repair. In addivides training to dent and collision tion, no stud welding is required. repair technicians. Although GPR is similar to The company’s Level 2 GPR PDR in some ways, White said System was awarded the SEMA “GPR is not PDR.” 2021 New Product of the Year in However, he said, with much Collision & Refinish. more time and skill applied and During the SEMA with many times the use of Show, White teamed up additional PDR push tools, with Gene Fetty, KECO’s the GPR process can be a master technician, to share means to a full PDR. information about GPR GPR is mainly used as and demonstrate KECO’s a tool for conventional dent products. His presentation, repair and enables techni“Glue Pull Repair—Pull to Gene Fetty, KECO’s cians to avoid disturbing Paint, and Beyond,” was master technician or damaging the insulation part of the Society of Colliand sensitive electronics on sion Repair Specialists (SCRS) Re- the reverse side of the panel. pairer Driven Education Series and In addition, he said, technicians recorded for future viewing https:// experience less damage to the clear rde.scrs.com. coat and less distortion of the metWhite explained GPR is a al. This leads to less harmful dust, non-invasive cold straightening repair painting and replacement of panels. technique to pull dents with plastic “We’ve found over and over tabs in various shapes and sizes. The again that panels, particularly alutabs are adhered to a panel’s clear coat minum, that needed to be replaced with specialized hot melt glues and are now repairable,” he said. then pulled with lifting devices. A wide range of metals is com“This method of damage re- patible with GPR, including mild moval offers significant advantag- steel, high-strength steel and most es over traditional collision repair aluminum. However, he encourages by Stacey Phillips

28 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

repairers always to check the OEM procedures. The GPR Continuum White encourages technicians to think of GPR in terms of a continuum—something that keeps changing slowly over time. “It is that process that can be used very aggressively to move a lot of metal and also a process that can be used with great finesse and detail to be able to move metal and finesse out to a finer finish,” he said. He shared a graph of a GPR continuum, which includes the types of effort related to the repair, as well as how much filler, glaze, sanding and painting are required. “Where you want to get to on the continuum is really based first and foremost on the economics of the repair,” explained White. The GPR Process Fetty then discussed the GPR process and demonstrated using it on vehicle damage that would have typically needed the panel replaced.

He stressed the importance of following KECO’s “6 Cs” process to have good strong pulls every time. The 6 Cs: 1. Clean: Always start with a clean panel for maximum adhesion. “Most of the time, all you need is 99% strength isopropyl alcohol,” he said. “Do not use paint thinner or other acetone-based products---anything that can attack the plastic.” Using a clean towel, follow up with isopropyl alcohol before using glue and tabs on the panel. The last step is to clean with 99% isopropyl alcohol, the glue’s release agent. 2. Check: This involves checking the temperature of the panel, ambient air, tabs and glue; the size of the dent; the type of metal; and where to start pulling. Fetty said temperature is probably the most overlooked part of a successful repair. “The right temperature will guarantee a strong pull,” he explained. “If the glue is See Glue Pulling Repair, Page 44

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Mike Anderson is the president and owner of Collision Advice, a consulting company for the auto body/collision repair industry. For nearly 25 years, he was the owner of Wagonwork Collision Center, an OEM-certified, full-service auto body repair facility in Alexandria, VA.

From the Desk of Mike Anderson with Mike Anderson

7 Steps to Implementing Improvements Within Your Auto Body Repair Business “I have all these great ideas, but I can’t get my people at the shop to help implement them.” I don’t know if that’s something you’ve found yourself thinking or saying, but I know as a trainer, consultant and 20 Group facilitator, it’s a comment I hear from auto body shop owners frequently. The problem, often, is shop owners may be great entrepreneurs, but not always great leaders. But it’s a skill that can be learned, through practice. Following the same steps over and over again will help you become a leader who can put great ideas into practice. Here’s my seven-step system for implementing something new at your shop. 1. Choose a goal. Odds are, you have multiple ideas you want to try. Don’t get bogged down trying to do it all: Choose one or two to start; you can come back to the others later. 2. Assign specific tasks. Let’s say you want to “5S” (clean and organize) your paint mixing room to make it more efficient. Choose the person or people who can best help you achieve that, and assign them three to five specific tasks: clean the scale, wash and paint the walls, discard unneeded items, standardize where specific items are to be kept. Don’t overwhelm them by giving them too many items on the action list. You can give them more tasks when they finish the first ones. But remember that your definition of clean and organized may differ from theirs, so either work with them the first time, or give clear, detailed instructions about your expectations. 3. Determine and gather the needed tools, equipment and materials. Are you asking them to stay late or meet you on a Saturday to work on a special project? Then absolutely don’t kill morale by waiting until then before you run to the hardware store for needed supplies. Be prepared. 4. Determine a timeline and set a deadline. Ask your team if they

think the timeline you’ve set seems appropriate. An action plan in writing with the steps or tasks involved and deadlines ensures their buy-in. 5. Check in at the midway point. Those who abdicate rather than del-

Inspire and lead change within your business using a seven-step process, Mike Anderson suggests

egate forget about an assigned task until weeks later when they notice it’s not done. At that point it’s as much your fault as theirs that it didn’t get done.

One shop I work with agreed they would close out a stack of old repair orders within two weeks. The great thing about electronic calendars are the reminders we can schedule in them. I didn’t wait until two weeks went by to check in with that shop. I called one week later and said, “We’re halfway to the deadline. Are you still on task for finishing up in another week?” 6. Document accomplishments. Keeping lists of successes and “victories”—almost a “yearbook”—will give everyone involved a sense of accomplishment. Any time you’re feeling discouraged, you can look back and see that you’ve worked through challenges and made improvements. Documentation might include checklists and photos as well; once the paint mixing room looks how you want it kept, post some pho-

tos that will remind employees of your expectations for how it is to be maintained. 7. To sustain a change, choose someone to audit compliance. Studies have shown a person has to do something 30 days in a row in order for it to become habit. A frequent audit at first is crucial until something becomes habit, allowing for less frequent auditing later. Part of the challenge of getting employees to help implement change is that we all tend to view change in terms of “What is it going to cost me?” or “What am I going to have to give up?” Your job as a leader is to promote your vision, to help your team see what they gain from the change, to help them view it as improvement rather than just change. That’s making a change with your team rather than to your team.

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autobodynews.com / JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS 31 5/11/22 7:51 AM

Industry Insight with John Yoswick

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

CIC Committee Looking at How Estimates End Up on Vehicle History Reports

Shop Showcase

The Collision Industry Conference for example, needs the VIN in order (CIC) Data Access, Privacy and Se- to obtain the needed vehicle build curity Committee in April continued data, he said. with Ed Attanasio “However, if I’m a dealer and its ongoing discussion related to auto body shop estimates resulting I’m selling parts, I only need the last eight of the VIN,” Tagliapietra in entries on vehicle history reports. One key point discussed at the said. “What’s really important is CIC held in Oklahoma City: is the VIN being too widely shared within the industry? with Ed Attanasio “The underlying piece for us is there’s no vehicle build data” included in the VIN, committee co-chair Dan Risley said. “A lot of people assume if you have a VIN number, you probably have build data, but that is not the case.” with Ed Attanasio Pete Tagliapietra of DataTouch said many Pete Tagliapietra of Datashops may be unaware of data pumps running Touch shared a slide showing his on their shop’s computer system, extracting view of which entities in the indusdata for a third party try actually need access to the VIN during the repair and claims process, the industry getting to the point of noting “the list with is not Ed that Attanasio long.” A controlling the VIN, making sure company doing vehicle diagnostics, it’s protected and information isn’t

Social Media for Shops

SEMA Show Goes On

shared where it shouldn’t be shared.” Aaron Schulenburg of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists agreed, noting one of the shops that raised this issue nearly faced litigation from a customer who assumed the shop had shared information with a vehicle history reporting company. “He stopped that from happening, because he stopped putting the VINs into repair plans,” Schulenburg said. “He’d put it in, decode the vehicle, pull it out and not have it in there. But that’s not practical.” Sharing the VIN as part of getting parts pricing during the estimating process is one of several theories on how merely writing an estimate on a vehicle can result in an “incident” entry on a vehicle history report; the dealers getting that information could have agreements to share that data with CARFAX or

Media and Publicity for Shops Shop Strategies FORD with Stacey Phillips

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32 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

others. Tagliapietra said another common way to capture estimate data is if there is a data pump running on a shop’s computer system, extracting data for a third party. “Data pumps have become prolific,” Tagliapietra said. “It’s gotten out of hand, from my point of view, because the data has become so valuable. Most shops probably have a data pump, or more likely multiple data pumps, that are sucking the repair line information and personally identifiable information off of every estimate they write.” At past CIC meetings, CCC Intelligent Solutions has said it does not share data with CARFAX. During April’s meeting in Oklahoma City, Jack Rozint of Mitchell International delivered a similar message. Rozint shared the relatively

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short list of companies that receive access to a VIN through his company’s system during the estimating process. He said no VIN data is shared outside of Mitchell Cloud Estimating unless the user enables third-party integrations or EMS/ BMS outputs, which a user can shut off at any time. “If you use our estimating system in a standard configuration, as most of our users use it, without enabling any of those third-party integrations, we don’t send the data anywhere,” Rozint said. “It’s been brought to my attention there may be other information providers that, in the course of writing an estimate, bounce the VIN off a number of dealerships to get pricing information, and that just writing an estimate in another system may actually share the VIN with multiple parties that you may not even be aware of. “But that does not happen with Mitchell Cloud Estimating,” Rozint said. “If just the act of writing an estimate is causing CARFAX to get the data, I’m guessing the estimate wasn’t done in Mitchell. Now

we do allow our customers to export BMS and EMS [data files] to whomever they choose. They can do that without Mitchell’s involvement. We allow our customers control of our data as they see fit for their business. So there’s things that can happen outside of Mitchell’s control, but that’s in the control of the user.” Trent Tinsley, who co-chairs the CIC committee, said the committee has been having ongoing discussions with several vehicle history reporting companies for months, inviting them to speak, and hopes to have that happen at CIC in July. “What we want to aim for is: can a shop explain to a customer, if they were asked, where their data goes,” Tinsley said. “That is what as a committee we are trying to work toward.” “It’s a huge issue for consumers, and we don’t know how to explain to them how [a vehicle history company] got that information,” New Mexico shop owner Scott Benavidez told the committee. Benavidez owns a collision repair shop and a vehicle inspection company, two separate businesses,

using the same estimating system in both. For the inspection business, his company writes a “reconstructive estimate,” showing what work had previously been done on a used vehicle based on the company’s inspection. At some point he discovered even that reconstructive estimate, with no parts ordered, would trigger a new incident report on a vehicle history report for a vehicle already repaired. Benavidez’s concern is shared widely, based on some polling at the CIC meeting. The committee in 2020 developed a set of five Golden Rules for those entities accessing and using shop estimate data; they can be viewed on the “work products” page on the CIC website, www.ciclink. com. The goal was that by getting companies to agree to abide by the rules, the industry could deter data being used without a shop’s awareness and permission. At CIC in Oklahoma City, attendees were asked if they feel those Golden Rules are being adhered to by the majority of their trading part-

ners; 68% said no. Among just collision repairers at the meeting, 88% said they did not believe they were in control of their company’s data and how it’s being shared. Schulenburg said he was surprised by that, because while he understands shops’ frustration, he thinks the data-sharing problems may be caused by a relatively few bad players. “As skeptical as I am about the exchange of data, I believe most companies are doing the right thing,” Schulenburg said. “I think most companies doing the right thing are getting a negative implication because there are some companies choosing to make data aggregation an ancillary business model to their core function. “Everybody in this industry should be concerned about that,” Schulenburg said. “It’s impacting the view of the collision repair facility, and impacting the view that collision repairers have of products [in the industry] that exchange data. We should all be really vigilant so we can trust one another with that exchange.”

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Day Job/Night Job

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

with Ed Attanasio

She Sold Her Auto Body Shop to Become an Artist buy bird seed. Somebody walked etc. I even used a cat toy the other In the world of collision repair, the- forward? up to my brother and punched him day to create an interesting texture. re are a ton of multi-talented people doing other things when they’re not Lack of education! As cars and he fell and fractured his skull. with Gary Wickert Where do you create the art? repairing vehicles. are ever-changing with legi- He went into a coma, and three and I would bet the average custo- ons of new technology, it is imperati- a half weeks later, he was gone. The mer does not realize the tech, painter murderer got 18 years—seor estimator working on their car is a ven years suspended—but My studio is in a climatemusician, artist, actor, writer, movie he has been messing up in controlled three-car garage director—even the owner of a champrison, so it looks like he that has exactly enough room for pion Frisbee dog! I have enjoyed inwill be in there for a long zero cars due to all of my artwork time. My brother was a reti- and supplies. terviewing thesewith mega-talented inStacey Phillips dividuals since I started this column red doctor and I think about in 2008 when I wrote a story about him every single day. How long does it take to Chris Mashburn, a body tech, and I mainly create abstracts create a piece? his beloved Frisbee dog, Mindy. in acrylic, and will paint on This story is about Bianca any surface I find interesFrom start to finish, approRauser, who stepped away from the ting. I choose colors based ximately three weeks. I have with Stacey Phillips world of collision repair and sold on my mood that day. Ra- several art projects going on simulher shop to enjoy life and pursue her rely using brushes, I opt for taneously all the time. I am always art. A major tragedy in her life caunon-traditional methods of looking for new and exciting things Bianca Rauser sold her shop to step away from the crazy sed Rauser to fast track her journey, life of collision repair and pursue her passion for making application such as bubble to create, and that’s why I am doing and part of that includes creating art art wrap, cookie cutters, fun- things like tables, coaster sets, and that has quickly become a signifinels, plastic grocery bags, people seem to like my clocks as cant part of her retirement plan. ve to constantly train to keep up with water bottles, blow torches, marbles, well. with Stacey Phillips correct procedures. I hated the fact How did you get into the col- that I had to fight with the insurance You’re Going To lision repair industry? companies so that we could make safe, OE repairs. I could see that The Way You’re Treated! I was working for an in- quality wasn’t always a priority and surance company, and had it began to become an issue. When Local Toll Free Fax to interact withwith body shops a lot. I people’s safety is involved, quality is Stacey Phillips (205) 443-7651 (800) 467-0699 (205) 823-4697 was getting tired of the Evil Empi- not negotiable, in my opinion. re when a shop owner offered me a job. I took it, and I absolutely loved How did you get into creamy position. He taught me how to be ting art? Please describe your an estimator and I loved everything process. about it. with Stacey Phillips Art became an outlet for my What were the most satisfyanger and sorrow after my David Bonnett Mike McKoewn Frank Jackson ing and challenging parts of brother was murdered in a random (205) 443-7655 (205) 443-7654 (205) 443-7651 your role in the industry?

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There are people out there who aren’t crazy about wowith Victoria Antonelli men working in this industry. It has gotten better, but it still exists. When I could make customers happy after going through the stressful situation of an accident—I loved that part. It has also been rewarding getting to with Victoria Antonelli Bianca Rauser is selling her pieces both know and interact with some of the through major galleries in Arkansas and most knowledgeable people in the nationally industry. act of violence. I was talking to him What are the biggest obstac- on the phone one day, and he told les for the industry moving me that he was going to the store to

Western Events

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I worked as a cake decorator for 20 years before I got into collision, so I am comfortable using the left side of my brain. It’s so therapeutic—it is amazing. I also do commissions on occasion, usually images on large canvases. If the art is going

Rauser’s art is hanging in body shops throughout the country and gaining top reviews for its use of color and shapes

to be hanging on a wall in a shop, I will sometimes do the image in the company’s colors to tie it in to the whole look.

Have you had success selling your art through galleries, to friends and/or online?

to hand it off to some really great people, and it’s turned out to be a great decision.

Q: A:

All of the above! My first sales were from me just posting some of my work on my personal Facebook. I am currently in two local galleries—Akib’art and Hidden Talent, both in Fort Smith, AR—and have good experiences at artisan markets. I have a few pieces on my Facebook page, B the Art. Every time I make a sale, it’s so satisfying and fulfilling, it’s like presenting a beautifully repaired vehicle to a customer on a Friday.

Q: A:

Why did you retire from the body shop life?

I had a talented young buyer whom I felt comfortable with taking over what I built. My decision to sell was based upon my frustration with the unethical practices of insurance companies. My original plan was 10 years, but then the murder of my brother altered my perspective and I decided

What else are you doing during your retirement?

Traveling, cooking, fishing and spending quality time with friends. And of course, making art and hopefully selling art.

What mediums do you use and are you thinking of using new things to create art?

Mainly I use acrylic on canvas, but I am getting into alcohol inks and pottery as well. I am open-minded to try all sorts of items and products to create a spectacular—or not!—piece of art. I have discovered that art is certainly subjective, and some of my favorite pieces are of little interest to people, while other articles I don’t care for seem to be popular. It “pays” to have a wide variety of exhibits.

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Collision Repair Industry Consultant Won’t Let Health Issues Stop Him by Ed Attanasio

What happens when your body starts to fail you, but your mind is as sharp as ever? Do you quit or do you re-invent yourself? This is a question many people in every industry—including collision repair—have to answer at some point in their careers, but it usually when approaching retirement. Chris Maimone has had to face these life-changing issues at the young age of 38 due to some serious health issues requiring more than 30 surgeries. Many people would have understandably thrown in the towel after experiencing a plethora of medical issues like the ones Maimone has encountered. But he apparently doesn’t know the word “quit,” and instead of stepping aside, he is embracing his new role as an industry consultant focusing primarily on auto body shops. Maimone comes from a body shop business family well-known throughout southern California. He earned a bachelor’s degree in busi-

ness administration from California Lutheran University, and entered the industry began by working at Marco’s Collision Centers, which has seven locations. He’s extremely proud of the fact he played an integral role in the company’s success with a mission

Chris Maimone has had health issues that might force many people to early retirement, but they only inspired him to work harder and do a better job. Now he works as a consultant for CARSTAR and is exceeding everyone’s expectations with his knowledge and experience

passion of improving the collision repair industry from the front office to the paint booth and everywhere in between. Maimone started his career in

collision repair from the bottom by washing vehicles, but was learning every facet of operating the shop since day one and progressed quickly, he said. “After a short time, they put me in charge of the San Gabriel shop, where I supervised 50 employees, produced an average daily output of $32,000, generating a 50% gross profit and earned a Customer Service Index (CSI) between 98% and 100%, while keeping all of our DRPs happy,” Maimone said. “I oversaw our production process, which required every department to achieve a successful daily output while keeping our quality standards. This required knowing every vehicle’s in-process and coordinating with each member who came in contact with the car.” The most challenging part of Maimone’s position was checking for quality during every repair, he said. “I am a perfectionist and everyone who works with me knows it,” he said. “If something was not 100%

perfect, I sent it back. To be totally transparent, there were many times I wasn’t the most well-loved person at the shop because I often send vehicles back due to quality issues. It was my task to protect the company’s name and reputation, which meant making sure each customer’s car was repaired to absolute perfection. Our goal was to affirm that the vehicle was always repaired ‘Once, Right, the First Time.’” Maimone hasn’t let his health issues get in the way of performing his job at a high level. “I used to think that to be successful it required a perfect presentation of how I appeared and carried myself,” he said. “I went from being a typical 35-year-old to a man who now uses a walker, but this did not define my success. I knew that I was still damn good at what I do, and now there was an unexpected ingredient of inspiration. When people see the diligence and commitment I give them, it inspires them to go the extra mile and commit to change despite my hurdles. Within my field, this is

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what I’ve always aimed to do.” As a consultant, Maimone loves motivating people to do amazing things, he said. “I’ve been continually drawn to my consultant role solely because I offer an approach that goes beyond the result of what other consultants may offer,” he said. “My job is to advance the mindset of the entire company from I should make changes to I want to make changes! This means we aren’t looking for a temporary fix but a permanent one. I am only successful if the entire team embraces the change, from the owner to the porter. When the company adopts it, the results will last.” In 2014, Marco’s became the first California acquisition for Service King Collision Centers. “They then chose me to be one of the first members of their Southern California market’s quality assurance team,” Maimone said. “This team started with eight locations and grew to 30 locations within two years. I was meticulous when inspecting each vehicle, like I had at Marco’s, but my most important role was coaching the teammates in embodying the same

quality standards.” Maimone was promoted to Service King’s quality assurance team lead for the entire Southern California market within two years. “Many of my days were spent on quality inspections for different locations, which involved one-toone training, group meetings, customized presentations and hosting national calls to help educate the entire team,” he said. “In addition to these, I was on the Pack Board for the Universal Technical Institute from 2016-2018. As an avid advocate for bringing more women into our industry, I also helped one of the UTI students become the first woman accepted into Service King’s technician apprentice program.” Everything changed in 2018 for Maimone. “My body started having problems, and I didn’t know why. The changes were subtle at first---tingling in the legs, numbness in my feet, etc. Then my balance began to suffer, and I had difficulty walking normally. My symptoms quickly advanced, so much so that I had to leave Service King.”

He was diagnosed with a tethered spinal cord, meaning he had excessive scar tissue wrapped around his spinal cord, essentially suffocating it. “Within two years, I had five spine surgeries and seven brain surgeries,” Maimone said. “I lost all of my feeling from the waist down, yet the amazing thing is that I’m still able to walk with the assistance of a walker. I should be wheelchair-bound, but I continually fight and push my body’s boundaries to where I know they can be. That includes fighting for my capability to get back in the field.” In December 2020, Maimone successfully returned to the workforce, albeit through a different avenue due to his spine issues. He landed a job with CARSTAR. “Coaching and making people better has always been my passion, so I decided consulting would be a perfect fit,” he said. “I was invited to be a motivational speaker at the VeriFacts Symposium within that same month. Figureheads and leaders throughout the collision repair industry were in attendance, and

they learned not only my story but also the framework needed to instill a higher-than-standard collision company.” Integrating into three locations for CARSTAR and moving through their production areas on a walker seemed like a daunting task at first. “I had just spent the last 24 months battling a condition that could have made me completely paralyzed, and now I am being entrusted again with the task of guiding companies to success,” he said. “What ended up surprising me was how my refusal to let my body stand in the way of my work ethic had prevented my walker from becoming a hindrance. “It was an amazing experience working with the corporate staff, shop management and shop teammates,” Maimone said. “I know the processes we implemented will help increase their capture rate and help them fulfill their long-term goals. Just as how I am determined to walk one day without assistance again, I too am determined to do exactly what I had done for years— make people and companies better.”

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Heidi Foster at Crash Champions is In It to Win It by Ed Attanasio

Heidi Foster has been fighting battles her entire life. She went up against the best as a Division I college softball star athlete, entered an industry where she wasn’t initially embraced and, two years ago, experienced a stroke that would have sidelined many people permanently. It’s fitting that Foster now has a leadership position as vice president of operations for the Mountain Region at a company called Crash Champions, because there’s no doubt she is truly a champion when it comes to winning at the game of life. A high school all-star in Orange County, CA, Foster received a full ride scholarship from Purdue University to play softball, where she was an MVP, team captain for two years and named to the All-Big Ten and All-Mideast Region teams. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and communications as a Boilermaker, two disciplines ideal

for working in the collision repair industry. Her career in collision repair has exposed Foster to a wide range of diverse roles in the space, all of which she’s used to learn about different aspects of the industry.

When Crash Champions Vice President of Operations for the Mountain Region Heidi Foster had a stroke in 2020 it slowed her down, but not for long

As a leader for MSOs, Foster has experience working alongside large teams of technicians and service advisors, achieving high customer ratings and earning praise

from her co-workers and industry leaders. Foster was initially introduced to the world of customer service through her mother’s employment with the Auto Club of Southern California. She was hired to work in the call center, then the claims center, and began to demonstrate some leadership skills right off the bat. “I was cross trained in multiple areas of claims, then went on to adjust claims where I found my niche,” Foster said. “I excelled quickly and found that I really enjoyed helping people while learning the body shop side of the business.” Once Foster transitioned to Sterling Collision Center in Tustin, CA, specializing in eight high-end certifications, the veteran technicians she encountered chided her about things like her inexperience and shop attire, she said. “These guys told me; you can’t come in here dressed for a board meeting,” she said. “Moreover, I wasn’t as experienced as my co-

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workers; in fact, that was my first time in an actual shop. Needless to say, it was easy to feel out of place.” Today, Foster thanks those same techs who educated her on the ins and outs of shop life. “It took me about a month before asking a few technicians to help me understand repair procedures and repair times. Soon after that, I was running with the big boys. I was writing better sheets, achieving top customer service scores with major DRPs, and I really started to enjoy the body shop business,” she said. “The technicians made me better, and I will forever be grateful for the foundation of estimatics and repairs they gave me. From helping me explain estimates to insurance companies and customers, to managing production more efficiently, these are the guys who really shaped me. They were wonderful, and so instrumental to my success.” Following Sterling, Foster pivoted and co-founded Robaina Consulting, a global consultancy focused on the expansion of compa-

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nies in the automotive industry. After working two years at Robaina, Foster landed a job with a large MSO for six years, where she held five different positions, including director of national training and director of operations. Everything was progressing as planned, until life threw her a curveball in the form of a stroke. The stroke landed her in the hospital for five days, after which Foster rehabbed at home for two months. “I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t see out of one eye and I suffered terrible headaches; moreover, cognitively I was a mess,” she said. “My life had changed in an instant. I went from being a very active, social boss who was always on the move, to being a ‘patient’ confined to a bed with once-a-day walks. Finally, one of my doctors agreed to let me go back to work half-time, and eight months later I got the job at Crash Champions.” It was obviously a frightening experience and a serious life changer, Foster said. “I must have looked so scary. My left eye didn’t open for a while because when I had the stroke, I fell and broke my nose. I couldn’t get my vision quite right and I had extreme vertigo for quite a few months. “My doctor said you will never

walk the same, regular tasks will be very difficult and you’ll be on disability for the rest of your life,” she said. “I just thought, you don’t know me. No way. You’re not going to tell me how this is going to go. So, I got a piece of paper and I wrote, ‘This will not beat me. I am strong, resilient, brave, and I will be better.’ I knew in that moment that all I needed was for someone to tell me the odds are against me. I used her doubt to fuel my recovery. Thanks, doc. “In time, and through a tremendous amount of rehabilitation, determination and support, I started to feel like myself again,” Foster said. “Soon I started driving, walking better and tackling more and more assignments at work. I was back.” Although she doesn’t have feeling on her left side, Foster is still swinging for the fences, she said. “As a single mother, I will always be a warrior for my daughter (Taylor, 17),” she said. “She is my everything, and I will never let her see me quit. You just take it one step at a time, day by day, and sometimes even hour by hour. As an athlete, you are used to performing and being the best on the field. In a life-changing event that affects your body, you have to change your mindset and just do what you can in that moment.

Register for CIECA CONNEX 2022 CIECA announced its 14th annual conference, CONNEX 2022, will be held Sept. 13-14 at the Embassy Suites St. Louis-St. Charles in Missouri. The event will include a full lineup of business and technical speakers, networking opportunities and a vehicle gifting as part of the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program. One of the event’s highlights will be a tour of Hunter Engineering’s ADAS and calibration center. The theme of the confer-

ence this year is “CIECA Next Gen: Evolving to Meet the Needs of the Collision Industry.” All industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend. The day prior to the conference, NABC will be holding the Boone Valley Golf Club Fundraiser in Augusta, MO. The conference agenda will be announced later this spring. Source: CIECA

It’s all mental. “I’ve always been a passionate leader,” Foster said. “But since having the stroke, I think I lead with more compassion and empathy now. I take time out to appreciate my team every single week. After all, the most important part of business is taking care of your people, and this includes understanding their individual needs and mindsets.” Foster is excited to be in an industry seemingly changing overnight, she said. “It’s all about electric and hybrid cars, keeping up with the ever-changing technology in vehicles, and seeing more and more vehicles that are aluminum now,” she said. “It’s going to take a certain skill level that can only be attained through the right development and training. We must stay at the forefront of tooling and education, that is the key. “Our industry’s technician workforce is thinning rapidly, and we have to address that, either through developing technicians organically—i.e., within the shop—

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or from hiring outside the industry, which requires even more training,” she continued. “Our team at Crash recognized this and established a department dedicated to keeping our technicians up to date with the most advanced classes, equipment and tooling.” Foster loves her role at Crash Champions. “We are creating an incredible culture here at Crash that is unmatched. I have been doing this for 19 years now, and I still wake up each day looking to challenge myself and change lives,” she said. “To this end, I am grateful for the organization that [Crash Champions founder and CEO] Matt Ebert established here. I’m also fortunate to work with one of the most influential people of my life, [Crash Champions COO] Alan Saviano, who has mentored me for the last seven years.” “Heidi’s passion, high energy and work ethic got her noticed as a leader,” Saviano said. “But it’s her relentless work ethic, extreme focus on team building, and an ability to consistently deliver results that sets her apart from the rest.”

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SCRS Offers Update on Collision Repair Industry Projects; DEG Offers Update by John Yoswick

Research into the accuracy of the blend time formula commonly used in the industry is among the projects the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has on its docket, the association reported at an open board meeting held in April in Oklahoma City. “Many of our members have challenged us that blend times sim-

Aaron Schulenburg said the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) is researching the accuracy of the blend time formula commonly used in the industry

ply aren’t realistic,” said Aaron Schulenburg, executive director Continued from Page 27

3M Offering order. “This helps enhance the profitability of the shop,” he said. A second tool he discussed is Performance Analytics, currently being used in about 350 shops, which aims to help shops manage performance. “You can track shop data and determine where you are and aren’t making money and where you are losing or gaining productivity,” he explained. Owners and managers can benchmark performance against industry standards, receive recommendations on areas of improvement, and have access to two-way integration with body shop management systems and real-time tracking. Both of these standalone programs are being integrated into 3M™ RepairStack™ Performance Solutions, a digital suite of products that allows technicians to scan materials being used on the repair order to track inventory and performance analytics in one system.

of SCRS. “We hear you. We have made a decision to invest in doing more research around that, and to bring answers in a transparent manner back to the industry. “Blending is a very challenging task, that has lots of steps and preparation, and we have long challenged that 50% [of full refinish time] formulas aren’t reflective of what’s actually necessary with the blend task.” Schulenburg said the association also is “close to a solution” in terms of offering a health insurance plan to the industry. “We’ve been talking for a long time about health care [and] are continuing to work on solutions there,” Schulenburg said. “I can’t reiterate this enough: The last thing SCRS wants to do is develop a solution that we don’t believe is going to be for the long-term, and ask the industry to consider it, to switch, to go through the process of doing all that, and end up in a place where a year from now you’re not in a better position than you were. “We’ve had a very good reaction from the shops using it over the last nine months,” said Gunderson. The Connected Body Shop Digital Solution Looking ahead, Gunderson said 3M will continue to focus and offer customers not only high-value allied products but also a connected and integrated digital solution. This can be done through the 3M™ RepairStack™ Performance Solutions, which aims to simplify order planning and automate delivery from distributors, as well as offer the capability to organize and track the use of both 3M and non3M materials. This digital shop tool is currently in the beta phase and will add functionality with the technology asset acquisition of LeanTec. The goal is to increase the shops participating during the second half of 2022 and industry-wide in 2023. During challenging times, Gunderson said 3M is committed to bringing the best end-to-end innovations to market and providing training opportunities to body shops and aspiring technicians.

42 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

“That’s been the stumbling block for us in a lot of the solutions we’ve found. I think we’re really close to something, [and] as soon as we know that we can feel confident in putting our name and brand and endorsement behind it, we will.” SCRS board member Michael Bradshaw said the association also

SCRS board member Michael Bradshaw said the association also is continuing to develop weekly “Quick Tip” videos

is continuing to develop weekly “Quick Tip” videos, offering brief information and advice related to technical processes, estimating, negotiation, documentation and business practices.

“They’re great tools for your staff,” Bradshaw said. “And something we’ve seen in our facility: If there’s a friction point on an operation between third-party payers and your staff, these videos can be a really quick and easy tool to send to [the insurer] to help them comprehend what’s going on and why it needs to be done.” He said SCRS also will be creating some videos aimed at vehicle owners. “As shops, we all sometimes struggle to convey an appropriate message to the consumer as to what’s going on with the claims process or why certain things need to be done or why certain things happen in the manner that they do,” Bradshaw said. “So we’re going to shoot videos that are geared toward the consumer. The shops can then use them to educate their consumer base, and hopefully make life a little easier for them.” Also during the meeting, Danny Gredinberg, administrator for the Database Enhancement Gateway

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(DEG), said of about 19,000 inquiries the DEG has received over 15 years regarding missing or potentially inaccurate information in the industry’s estimating guides, more than half—52%—have resulted in a change by the information providers.

Danny Gredinberg said more than half of the inquiries the DEG has received have resulted in a change by one of the estimating system providers

“That’s a pretty alarming number,” Gredinberg said, but also pointed to the value the DEG offers as a free resource to the industry. Although the estimating system providers have long provided a way for anyone in the industry to submit such inquiries directly to

them, the DEG (www.DEGweb.org) was created—and continues to be funded—by a number of shop trade associations, including SCRS, as a centralized and easier way to submit and monitor what happens to such inquiries. Gredinberg said one strength of the DEG is that it is used, and considered credible, by both collision repairers and insurers. “I got an email from a DEG user, contesting a labor time on a replacement rear body panel part,” Gredinberg cited as one example. “He shared with me the email he got back from the actual adjuster. It started out with: ‘Alright, Robert, sorry for the delay, but just got word from on high [that] we’re good to go. They cleared the separate time on the end plate; that DEG form was worth its weight in gold.’” Gredinberg said DEG inquiries recently have helped lead Mitchell International to add wording to its estimating guide about destructive weld testing, and the time and costs of researching OEM repair information being not-included. Similarly, CCC Intelligent Solu-

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tions and MOTOR recently updated their estimating guide to add a labor procedure related to front bumper camera and sensor aiming, and what is not-included in the refinish time for a “minor panel” when it is being refinished independently of a major panel. “Recently, I-CAR did a ‘Repairers’ Realm’ with Honda talking about laser brazed roof replacement,” Gredinberg said. “The week after that video got released, a repairer watched it, had a Honda in his shop, and noticed there was no way he could do that roof replacement for the time given. With that video, we were able to show the information provider, and within a couple days, they updated the time, and added some additional footnotes about one-time use parts and additional brackets and bolts that needed to be replaced as well.”

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Register for ASE Certification Spring registration is officially open for more than 50 ASE certification tests covering nearly every aspect of the motor vehicle service and repair industry, said the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Those registering by June 30 will have 90 days to schedule an appointment to take the selected ASE tests, whether registering on the first day of the registration period or the last. ASE testing is available throughout the year and is conducted days, nights and weekends at nearly 450 secured, proctored test centers. To register, visit ASE.com, click on register and sign-in. Once logged in, users can next click on “orders” and then “store” where they can find the tests they want to take, add those tests to the cart, check out and registration is complete. Service professionals with unexpired automobile certifications (A1-A9) can use the ASE renewal app for recertification. Source: ASE

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New Estimates Show Traffic Fatalities Reached a 16-Year High in 2021 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its early estimate of traffic fatalities for 2021— projecting an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The projection is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history. Behind each of these numbers is a life tragically lost, and a family left behind. “We face a crisis on America’s roadways that we must address together,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With our National Roadway Safety Strategy and the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are taking critical steps to help reverse this devastating trend and save lives on our roadways.” The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law places a strong emphasis on improving safety and includes the new Safe Streets and Roads for All program, which just opened its first round of applications. The program, the first of its kind, invests up to $6 billion over five years to fund local efforts to reduce roadway crashes and fatalities.

CCC Launches Integration with asTech CCC Intelligent Solutions on March 31 announced asTech®, a Repairify company and a leader in diagnostic, calibration and programming solutions, has joined the CCC® Diagnostics network. The integration makes it easier for repair facilities to capture and document scan information in CCC ONE® workfiles. This streamlined service is available now via CCC ONE. The integration does not require a physical connection between the asTech device and CCC ONE. Information is uploaded wirelessly and the scan report is automatically attached to the vehicle’s CCC ONE workfile. Activation is simple. Repair facilities using CCC ONE select their preferred diagnostic provider(s) from those available through CCC’s network and providers send scan data directly to the workfile. Source: CCC Intelligent Solutions

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law now being implemented also advances Complete Streets policies and standards; requires updates to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which defines speeds, lane markings, traffic lights and more on most roads in the country; and sharply increases funding for the Highway Safety Improvement Program, which helps states adopt data-driven approaches to making roads safer. “This crisis on our roads is urgent and preventable,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s deputy administrator. “We will redouble our safety efforts, and we need everyone—state and local governments, safety advocates, automakers and drivers—to join us. All of our lives depend on it.” NHTSA launched the Click It or Ticket campaign, which coincides with special enforcement efforts to raise awareness about the fact that seat belts save lives, and launched a technical assistance program that will assist states in aggressively addressing a continued rise in fatalities. NHTSA released $740 million in funding for the 402 State and Community Grant Program, Section 405 National Priority Safety Program and

Continued from Page 28

Glue Pulling Repair too cold, it will crystalize and if it’s too hot, it will prevent proper setup and solidification.” 3. Choose: Based on the facts already known about the type of metal, size of the dent and the end goal will help technicians choose the appropriate lifting tools, tabs, glue and knockdowns. “Most of the time, the repair is going to answer the questions for you,” he said. 4. Coating: If a technician doubts the amount of glue to use when coating the tab, Fetty recommends using extra glue. “It will only slightly affect drying time but will never negatively affect your pull,” he said. “If you are short on glue and it’s not filled edgeto-edge, you will get a bad pull.” 5. Correct: Using controlled pulling techniques to massage the dents out, Fetty advises pulling the lows and knocking down the highs. “Work slow and methodically,” he said.

44 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Section 1906 Racial Profiling Data Collection Grants. States are encouraged to use the funding to implement programs to address gaps and opportunities identified during the technical assistance effort, expand partnerships and focus on risky driving as well as safety concerns among vulnerable road users and overrepresented populations. The full-year estimate of 2021 traffic fatalities also provides a look at state-level estimates during the pandemic. As in 2020, all 10 NHTSA regions are estimated to see increases in fatalities. Forty-four states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are all projected to have had an increase in traffic deaths, as compared to 2020. Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration show vehicle miles traveled in 2021 increased by about 325 billion miles, or about 11.2%, as compared to 2020. Data estimates show the fatality rate for 2021 was 1.33 fatalities per 100 million VMT, marginally down from 1.34 fatalities in 2020. While the fatality rate continued to rise in the first quarter, it declined in the other three quarters of 2021, compared to 2020. Additionally, the traffic fatalities

“Slower is faster and cleaner. Slow and steady wins the race every time.” 6. Continue: By repeating the process, Fetty said big dents are ultimately reduced to smaller ones. “Continue until the panel is ready for filler and the panel is restored without painting,” he said. Another consideration is lighting. “Correct lighting is very important,” said Fetty. “You can’t fix what you can’t see.” The goal, according to Fetty, is to be able to see the dead center or deepest point of the dent with the light parallel to the surface being fixed while the technician’s eyes are perpendicular. “It seems the momentum is building day by day for GPR,” said White. “We are seeing many OEMs showing interest in GPR over the last 12 months. We have literally had them tell us, ‘We don’t want to put filler in our cars anymore.’” For more information, visit https:// keco.com/ or https://www.youtube. com/c/KECOBodyRepairProducts.

in the following categories showed relatively large increases in 2021, as compared to 2020: • Fatalities in multi-vehicle crashes up 16% • Fatalities on urban roads up 16% • Fatalities among drivers 65 and older up 14% • Pedestrian fatalities up 13% • Fatalities in crashes involving at least one large truck up 13% • Daytime fatalities up 11% • Motorcyclist fatalities up 9% • Bicyclist fatalities up 5% • Fatalities in speeding-related crashes up 5% • Fatalities in police-reported, alcohol-involvement crashes up 5% To read more about the U.S. Department of Transportation’s comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy, which adopts the safe system approach and builds multiple layers of protection with safer roads, safer people, safer vehicles, safer speeds and better post-crash care, click here. To learn more about the Safe Streets for All program, which is currently accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2022, click here. Source: NHTSA

CCC Promotes Janik to SVP CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc. named Scott Janik senior vice president, insurance services group. Janik joined CCC in 2007 and has served as the group vice president of the insurance services group since 2012. In his new role, Janik is responsible for leading strategic growth of the market segment and aligning business priorities to meet customer needs through the technology leader’s advanced cloud-based SaaS platform, which connects 30,000 businesses across the property & casualty ecosystem. Janik succeeds Barrett Callaghan, who was elevated in 2021 to the role of executive vice president, markets and customer success, overseeing engagements across the insurance, automotive and collision repair markets. Before joining CCC, Janik worked in technology and management consulting, first with Accenture, as well as a boutique management consulting firm. Source: CCC

Biden Administration Announces $3B Plan for U.S.-Based EV Battery Manufacturing by Joey Klender, Teslarati

The Biden Administration made a massive push toward the eventual domestication of the electric vehicle supply chain in the U.S. on May 2, announcing it will launch a $3.16 billion plan to boost U.S.-based EV battery manufacturing. Electric vehicle manufacturing has boosted globally, but the U.S. is working toward making more parts of the supply chain available domestically. As the Russian war against Ukraine launched earlier this year, material prices skyrocketed, causing many automakers to increase prices. Additionally, supply chain bottlenecks have been prevalent in the automotive industry, among others, as a whole since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Parts and materials coming from overseas are taking extended periods to make it to the U.S., pushing the need for domestic parts manufacturing. Finally, the Biden administration announced May 2 it would push money toward this initiative. The funding will support grants to

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and 600,000 cars and trucks within the federal fleet will be EVs by 2035. The U.S. is adopting EVs at the third-best rate globally, trailing only China and Europe. However, just 4% of vehicles purchased last year were

“These made-in-America batteries are going to help reduce emissions and create opportunities across the country.” — Gina McCarthy bring more battery manufacturing efforts to the country, boosting manufacturing efficiency and providing more jobs in the sector. “These made-in-America batteries are going to help reduce emissions and create opportunities across the country,” White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy said May 2 in a call with reporters, CNBC said. The government has also committed to EVs with specific goals for the sector and internal targets to replace a considerable number of vehicles within its fleet with electric powertrains. Fifty percent of all vehicle sales should be electric by 2030,

electric, according to Canalys, a market research firm. “Positioning the United States front and center in meeting the growing demand for advanced batteries is how we boost our competitiveness and electrify our transportation system,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “President Biden’s historic investment in battery production and recycling will give our domestic supply chain the jolt it needs to become more secure and less reliant on other nations—strengthening our clean energy economy, creating good-paying jobs and decarbonizing the transportation sector.”

I-CAR Now IACET Accredited I-CAR announced April 4 it has been awarded accreditation by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET.) I-CAR is now the first organization within the collision repair inter-industry to achieve this rigorous accreditation following a proven, universal model for developing effective and valuable continuing education and training programs across nine IACET-recognized educational programming excellence categories. As an IACET accredited provider, I-CAR offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET accreditation demonstrates the I-CAR team’s ongoing dedication to continuous improvement and supports the organization’s goal to serve the inter-industry through collaborative solutions grounded in quality, excellence and transparency. Source: I-CAR

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autobodynews.com / JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS 45

Farmers Insurance Wins NABC Award The National Auto Body Council (NABC) President’s Award is designed to honor the NABC member company that supports the vision of the NABC through donation of its time and resources. For 2021, the NABC President’s Award was presented to Farmers Insurance, selected by a vote of the NABC Board members. The Farmers Insurance nomination received overwhelming support from the NABC Board based on Farmers strong commitment to the NABC. Throughout 2021, Farmers Insurance assisted with the gifting of nearly 30 NABC Recycled Rides vehicles, and provided its staff with the time and resources to act as chairman of the NABC Fundraising committee and support NABC activities. In addition to presenting Farmers with the NABC Presidents Award, the NABC will make contributions to two organizations in the recipient’s honor— one selected by NABC and one by Farmers. Source: NABC

Volkswagen Bringing Back Scout Brand with Electric Truck, SUV by Maria Merano, Teslarati

On May 11, Volkswagen Group’s Supervisory Board confirmed the company’s plans to launch an all-electric pickup truck and rugged SUV for the U.S. market. VW plans to produce the electric pickup truck and rugged SUV under the Scout brand, which it obtained in 2021 when Traton Group—one of Volkswagen Group’s commercial vehicle subsidaries—purchased Navistar, formerly known as International Harvester. Volkswagen aims to start production on Scout’s EV products by 2026. The Scout brand will help VW break into the electric vehicle market in the U.S. “After Volkswagen’s successful turnaround in the U.S., we are now taking the opportunity to further strengthen our position in one of the most significant growth markets for EVs,” said Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen AG. “Electrification provides a historic opportunity to enter the highly-attractive pickup and R-SUV segment as a

up segment is key for further profitable growth in the U.S. And now we have a unique opportunity for market entry,” said Arno Antlitz, CFO of Volkswagen Group. “The size of the full-size segment gives us the opportunity to achieve higher unit sales with a small number of models. This offers additional return opportunities.” Volkswagen will face fierce competition in the EV pickup truck and SUV market in the U.S. from legacy automakers and EV startups alike. Ford seems serious about dominating the electric pickup truck market with the Ford F-150 Lightning and other upcoming products. Rivian will be another of VW’s contenders in the EV pickup truck and SUV market. Then there is Tesla, which will start Cybertruck production next year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes Volkswagen has made the most progress out of all its competitors in the EV market, acknowledging the work VW put into developing electric vehicles and entering the market during his recent interview with Financial Times.

Group, underscoring our ambition to become a relevant player in the U.S. market.” The European automaker aims to achieve 10% market share in North America by 2030, with a focus on battery electric vehicles (BEV).

Volkswagen announced on Twitter it is bringing back the Scout brand with an all-electric truck and SUV. Credit: VW/Twitter

VW also announced a $1.7 billion commitment to boost its battery-electric vehicle lineup, R&D and manufacturing in North America. The U.S. is central to its expansion plans. Volkswagen plans to build a dedicated battery cell production factory in the U.S. “Success in the SUV & pick-

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Consumer Skepticism Toward Autonomous Driving Features Justified In AAA’s latest survey of attitudes about automated vehicles, drivers overwhelmingly want automakers to improve the performance of existing driver support features rather than develop self-driving cars. This desire is backed by another round of AAA testing that reveals inconsistent performance remains a problem with available driving assistance systems, resulting in crashes with a car and a bicyclist. The failures occurred regardless of vehicle make and model. It is the third time AAA has studied these systems’ performance. AAA urges automakers to listen to consumers and improve what is currently available before focusing on future technology. “You can’t sell consumers on the future if they don’t trust the present,” said Greg Brannon, director of AAA’s automotive engineering. “And drivers tell us they expect their current driving assistance technology to perform safely all the time. But unfortunately, our testing demonstrates spotty performance is the norm rather than the exception.” Consumers surveyed told AAA

they are more interested in improved vehicle safety systems (77%) versus self-driving cars (18%). But new testing, the third round by AAA’s Automotive Engineering team in the last few years, found vehicles with an active driving assistance system—also known as Level 2 systems as defined by SAE—failed to consistently avoid crashes with another car or bicycle during 15 test runs. A foam car similar to a small hatchback and a bicyclist dummy was used for this testing. A head-on collision occurred during all 15 test runs for an oncoming vehicle within the travel lane. Only one test vehicle significantly reduced speed before a crash on each run. For a slow lead vehicle moving in the same direction in the lane ahead, no collisions occurred among 15 test runs. For a cyclist crossing the travel lane of the test vehicle, a collision occurred for five out of 15 test runs, or 33% of the time. For a cyclist traveling in the same direction in the lane ahead of the test vehicle, no collisions occurred among 15 test runs.

While the refinement of available active driving assistance systems improves, drivers must remain continuously engaged in the driving task. The research vehicles performed as expected during the closed-course testing for routine situations, such as approaching a slowing moving vehicle or bicyclist from behind. However, all test vehicles collided with either the simulated passenger car or the adult cyclist multiple times during “edge-case” testing, like a car approaching head-on or a bicyclist crossing directly in front of the test car. This reinforces recent AAA research calling for direct driver monitoring systems with camera-based technology to be integrated into active driving assistance systems. “While it may be encouraging that these driving systems successfully spotted slow-moving cars and bicyclists in the same lane, the failure to spot a crossing bike rider or an oncoming vehicle is alarming,” said Brannon. “A head-on crash is the deadliest kind, and these systems should be optimized for the situations where they can help the most.” Active driving assistance systems

Collision Repair Industry Trailblazer Sheila Loftus Dies at 79 Sheila Loftus, an innovator who led collision repair publications and associations, passed away May 11. She was 79. An inimitable businesswoman, a beloved mother, grandmother and friend, and a voracious, enthusiastic lifelong learner, Loftus died of complications from a stroke at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City, with her family by her Sheila Loftus side. Born Oct. 18, 1942, Loftus graduated from Shaw High School and Baldwin Wallace College (now University), then began her career as a public school math and science teacher in Cleveland, OH. After a move with her family to Washington, D.C., she worked at a daycare center and did freelance photography before becoming a trailblazer in the collision repair industry as a successful, innovative and influential woman in a male-dominated field. For more than 30 years, Lof-

tus was the editor and publisher of the D.C.-based trade magazine Hammer and Dolly and the executive director of the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA). In addition, she founded the CRASH Network, a weekly publication of industry news, and co-founded the Women’s Industry Network (WIN). In 1996, she was inducted into the collision repair industry’s version of the Hall of Fame, the Hall of Eagles. Loftus’s impact was international in scope. Hammer and Dolly had subscribers around the world, and she reported on industry exhibitions, technologies and controversies in Australia, Japan, Taiwan and half a dozen other countries. But she also wrote about local events and personalities. “Body Man of the Month” and “Women at Work” features appeared in each month’s Hammer and Dolly.

While Loftus was intent on providing the men and women in the collision repair industry with information they could use to succeed— and to protect their health—she also liked to make her readers laugh. Hammer and Dolly’s “Whoopie Car” issue, in which people in the industry ranked the best cars for sex (and reminisced, in G-rated fashion, about their backseat exploits), was a big hit. So was the annual swimsuit issue. At once a parody and a tribute to Sports Illustrated’s famous nonsports issue, Hammer and Dolly’s version made a model of anyone in the industry brave enough to pose next to a car, truck, van or motorcycle in a swimsuit and a smile. After Loftus retired from the collision repair industry in 2008, she bought an apartment in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood below where her daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons lived. Known far and wide as “Grandma She-She,” she befriended (or so it seemed) half of Manhattan. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer

are widely available and often called semi-autonomous because they combine vehicle acceleration with braking and steering. Since 2016, AAA has surveyed consumers about driving assistance systems and self-driving cars to track sentiment regarding emerging vehicle technology. Key survey findings demonstrate that while consumer interest in driving assistance vehicle technology remains steady, there is more interest in familiar features that consumers perceive to be designed for their safety, such as automatic emergency braking. Meanwhile, consumer distrust of fully self-driving vehicles remains high. AAA found 85% are fearful or unsure of self-driving technology, a level that has remained steady for the past several years. When transporting their children or loved ones, 85% also said they would not be comfortable with using a self-driving vehicle. A troubling belief in commercially available self-driving cars was also revealed in the data, with 12% incorrectly thinking they could buy such a vehicle while 53% were unsure if they could. Source: AAA

1Collision, Auto Techcelerators Partner 1Collision and Auto Techcelerators, LLC have announced a partnership where Auto Techcelerators will provide consulting, software, mobile apps and training to help 1Collision affiliate locations open and operate ADAS service and calibration businesses. 1Collision affiliates will now have access to advice, training, software, mobile apps and other solutions that will help them launch and operate a profitable ADAS services and calibration business in their local markets. The agreement provides support for site identification and preparation, equipment selection, software and mobile apps that identify ADAS systems, components and required calibrations to managing their calibration businesses and documenting, invoicing and validating all aspects of the calibration process. Source: 1Collision

autobodynews.com / JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS 47

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