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29
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VOL. 1 ISSUE 10 DECEMBER 2010
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Results of non-OEM Parts Crash Testing Revealed at November CIC in Las Vegas by John Yoswick
Non-OEM parts again dominated much of the agenda at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), held in Las Vegas in November in conjunction with the SEMA show. The daylong meeting included presentations by Ford Motor Company, the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA), and NSF International, the organization that launched another certification program for non-OEM parts earlier this year. Ford announced at the meeting that it had followed up its simulated crash testing of some non-certified
non-OEM bumper parts last summer with some actual low-speed crash testing of the parts (sold as replacements for the 2005–09 MusFord’s Paul Massie tang) in October. The effect of the use of non-OEM parts in a subsequent crash was clear, Paul Massie, powertrain and collision product marketing manager for Ford, said. “It will change the discussion from it ‘might’ change the airbag deSee CIC: Bumper Testing, Page 13
SEMA Week Collision Meetings Focused on Industry Standards and Estimating Systems by John Yoswick
Collision industry meetings held in Las Vegas in November centered around significant changes in the estimating systems, the development of formal industry standards, and related industry issues. The meetings were held in conjunction with the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) tradeshow in Las Vegas, a massive automotive aftermarket event that in recent years has been working to attract more exhibitors and attendees from the collision repair in-
dustry. During the previous six years, the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) was also held in Las Vegas the same week as SEMA, but NACE organizers moved that event several weeks earlier this year because of competition from SEMA. The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) said its first-time partnership with SEMA this year was successful and that the association will participate in the event again next November. Although only about 125 people attended the first-ever See SEMA Week Meetings, Page 27
CollisionHub.com founder
KRISTEN FELDER
“SOCIAL MEDIA”– Personal networking technology and its applications is more than just the chatter mechanism that teens use to communicate with other teens. It has made its presence unavoidable in the business world in recent years. Is it profitable? Worthwhile? Here to stay? Autobody News sat down with Kristen Felder, founder and CEO of CollisionHub.com—a new social media website for the collision repair industry—to ask what all the buzz is about. ABN: What sparked your idea to create Collision Hub? KF: Well, five years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit, I was working with State Farm Insurance Company. Most everybody’s cell phones were down after the storm, but a lot of people still had access to their social media accounts, which allowed the insurance companies a way to get a hold of customers. So I started to see social media as a very helpful tool thanks to that. Then, at NACE two years ago, I was talking to some colleagues and I thought it would be great if we could recreate that dialogue and debate within the industry more than just at expos once or twice a year. I wanted to create a place where people in the industry could talk openly and have a place to really get to know each other. I decided I wanted to build something to really connect the different segments of the industry.
ABN: What did it take to get Collision Hub off the ground? KF: I spent 3–4 months programming and building the site. I didn’t have any formal web or HTML training so I sort of learned on the fly.
INTERVIEW by Erica Schroeder Also in this issue...
continued on page 12
Collision Hub Implements its Social Media strategy by David M. Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 18 Social Media 101: Why Social Media Matters in Collision Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 19
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