Industry Projects; DEG Offers Update

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

ply aren’t realistic,” said Aaron Schulenburg, executive director 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.

“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

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

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.

“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.

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