Automotive Refinisher September - October 2016

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T H E V O I C E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

FORD SETS AUTONOMOUS TARGET

September-O cto ber 2016

Editio n 187

THE AUTOPILOT

OF CARS

RENEW-IT SPEED SHOP

EGUCHI IWAO

IN THIS ISSUE >> CRA UPDATE >> FIX AUTO A GO >> HB BODY COLOURS >> NEWS FROM THE ZOO

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CONTENTS SEPT-OCT 2016_Layout 1 2016/09/01 11:10 AM Page 1

Contents September - October

2016

CRA NEWS

Another Insurance Profit Gain

FIX AUTO FRANCHISE Open For Business

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NEW TELWIN INVERTER SPOTTER Arrow Trading Welding Technology

IBIS CONFERENCE Review

NEW SPEED SHOP Renew-it Concept

FUTURE BODY STRUCTURES Thatcham Forecast

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DENNIS DEMPSEY Trade Talk

BMW NEW i3

Compact Electric Car

DINO’S AUTO BODY

Specialist Retro-Repairer

ORANGE IS THE NEW WHITE

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AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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PPG Colour Forecast

THE AUTOPILOT OF CARS Andrew Marsh

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Cover: Mercedes-Maybach Vision 6 Concept

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PUBLISHER’S FRONT LINE

by Ian Groat

EdITORIAL

TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE GAME

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t would be nice to paint a rose tinted view of all things automotive that is destined to revolutionise the world of collision repair, but that is not possible. There are predicted changes that are coming at avalanche speed with more design innovations in the next five years than the previous 50 years.

It is quite clear to me that apart from a few small areas of excellence coming from the automotive refinishing trade, where paint supply companies who are driven by ultra-competitive market conditions, are in general training their customers to both manage their business and gain insurance efficiencies.

In general, it’s almost the exact opposite seen in OEM arena. Car makers seem to display a unique level of secrecy on the way a car undergoes crash repair properly. Unless you are a member of their approved repairer stream of approved repair shops versus the general body shop based say in a deep rural area, you’re not on the radar in anyway other than your genuine parts purchases. New vehicles now contain over 1500 different types of high strength steels, boron and multiple strengths of aluminium, which has also become the new car designer metal of choice on smaller niche brands and not just for the super expensive elite models.

The question is exactly who is out their telling shops how to treat these complex vehicles? Normally only a handful of trade suppliers with expert knowledge can help a panelbeater from wrecking a repair. By using welding temperatures of over 900°C on dual stage metals it can change them back to their maleable stage with no torsional strength whatsoever. Not a good place to find yourself.

This publication has given much free editorial to the UK based Thatcham Research research company. The Thatcham project has now failed dramatically in its third try at trying to establish itself as a front runner on repair technology methods.

Sadly Seta’s are not on the same page on training for tomorrow’s vehicle which is simply a computer-on-wheels. There still seems to be training and learning from last century’s worn-out and noncompliant theories and methodologies.

In my opinion, the motor industry now really needs a cross industry alliance to cope with the funding and purchasing of equipment to benefit the trade in knowledge training and methods, that will be required to keep all these new “mobile bank balances” in a good-as-new condition after their repair.

My plea must be one of asking insurers to pay much more

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attention to getting a car back to its pre-accident condition and move away from a cost of repair structure that’s dominated repair for many years. With less than 30% of drivers insured, our process partners involved will need to re-examine their long term business models.

If they don’t focus on aftermarket excellence, we could become like the dinosaurs who laid eggs with thickened shell walls that the young could not break out of. They say this was caused by a sort of rampant complacency based on being too fat and happy.

So the message is a simple one. Everything must change quickly to keep pace with the cellphone-connectivity autonomous car of tomorrow or we will simply get run over as this technology tsunami hits us on future car models.

Where to from here?

It can be unbelievably overwhelming when facing the onslaught of technology in the business place, but take the future into your own hands. Start investing in your own affordable training modules if you’re not in an approval programme and open yourself up to new markets. Take a look at Auto Industry Consulting as a start. They are a company that provides technical information to the global collision repair industry.

This company have a product called EziMethods, which is a value priced online collision repair method system. Go online and get more information at www.ezimethods.com or www.autorindustryinsider.com Take a brave step forward and include apprentices in your game plan of business growth. Invest in skills as a pre-cursor to getting the correct training. We are definitely going to need many more skilled artisans in this industry in years to come.

Most organisations will help you with paperwork in receiving your Seta grants so there’s very little PT involved and it can actually make you a bit of money, while you do your “good Samaritan” bit. The new apprentice will be an extra pair of hands on the floor and it’s been noticed that the workers around the new team member increase their productivity too.

Here are some organisations who we know are doing a great job to contact to get the ball rolling: l NF Apprentices: www.nf.org.za l Industry Training and Consulting (ITC): www.it-c.co.za l Imperial Technical Training Academy: www.itta.co.za

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

Fa c si mil e: +2 7 ( 0) 1 1 25 2 6 84 4 Ema i l: a uto re f@ ia fr ic a . com W eb s it e: www. a ut or ef . co. z a

UNITED KINGDOM

P ub li she r : Ia n G roa t Ed it or : C l ai re M a cfi e Ac c ount s: V a l Gr oa t De si g n: J a y Gr oa t As si sta n t: Na ta s ch ja Fe rr e ir a C T C orr e sp ond e nt : Da v e F a ll Te c hnic a l Ed i tor : A nd r e w M a rs h 4

A U S T R A L I A MEDIA PARTNER

The views expressed in articles in Automotive Refinisher are those of the authors and shall not be construed to represent those of the Editor or the Publisher.

Accordingly, Automotive Refinisher accepts no responsibility for claims and statements made by advertisers and independent columnists. Further, the appearance of advertisements herein does not necessarily indicate the approval by Automotive Refinisher for the product and/or service advertised. Material may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Publisher. Automotive Refinisher is dedicated to servicing the business interests of the collision repair industry.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

MAZDA AD S-O 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/08/30 11:30 AM Page 1

Superior service starts with superior parts.

Rely on what Mazda drivers already know; Genuine Mazda parts extend a cars life.

Designed specifically for Mazda vehicles.

Get the right part the first time.

We’re an accurate, trusted resource as close as your phone.

Give us the opportunity to serve you.

The Mazda reputation was not built on compromise, and this year we have enjoyed record new vehicle sales and increased brand loyalty by concentrating with professional collision repair body shops. Mazda have been busy developing a nationally based list of some 400 recommended repairers. We have increased our genuine parts stock levels to over 100 million Rand in available stock lines to keep you 100% Genuine Mazda. We are now able to offer express parts deliveries nationally with first time pick rates on all orders currently running at 97%, a level way above the average industry rate. This is a big reason why Mazda parts offer such a genuine advantage with prices that match the competition in many cases. Our story for Mazda drivers and owners involved in accident repair will never be over, and that’s why our repair partners are along for the ride. Mazda genuine parts can help your shop reduce cycle time and satisfy your customers. So get every part you need from your local Mazda dealer.

Call our Mazda toll free line on 086 006 9700 or visit www.mazda.co.za

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INDUSTRY news

by Steve Kessel

CRA UPDATE

ANOTHER pROFIT GRAB ON pARTS mARK-UpS LOOmS

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n a continuing climate of wrong moves by major insurance houses comes another profit motivated procurement offer to reduce actual margins on repairs completed. The pointy-headed actuaries are now seeking to reduce replacement part mark-ups that have been a traditional industry standard and reduce margins by an average of approximately 15% on insurance quotes for these parts.

It is easy from a repair perspective to understand the motivation in some ways; insured vehicle volumes are decreasing on a yearly basis so the revenue stream is not getting any bigger annually. This, plus there are simply too many body shop repairers chasing the declining work flow. This means in business terms we’re all dealing in distressed merchandise with all the competition that exists in collision repair in south Africa.

As insurers strive to increase their hold with a sort of micromanagement philosophy of any claim or repair, it is often clearly evident that they tend to ignore the repair quality delivered by their chosen supply chain members despite saying that overall they are committed to long term sustainability and a win-win business supposed offer. For key body shops this looks like yet another act of bad faith in the combined relationship between insurers and repair concerns involved.

The relevant insurers in the new deal are trying to deliver a radical drop in replacement part mark-ups, this coupled to the existing simply unsustainable low labour charge out rate which is already seeing returns of lower than 5-6% in everyone’s balance sheets right now. It is not a subject of happiness, and in my opinion it is just another unjustified interference in the common free enterprise principle belief that you conduct repairs to make a decent level of profit after generally investing millions to be able to do so. so as the business heads in many directions at once with enterprise development and procurement criteria, support of interim measures to previously disadvantaged businesses, these new protocols are going to demand different responses and reactions.

Invitations to be an approved repairer in all this seems to be delivering a rather mirky and unclear future for the backbone of this trade, the “Ma and Pa” owned and managed concerns. Insurers saying one thing in public and continuing to increase their side of the repair profits on crashed vehicles on the other. It is high time to caution some of these membership body shops to sit down and think

Steve Kessel is warning body shop repairers not to sign service level agreements that diminish parts mark-ups with insurance companies. it all out very carefully as everyone goes on a chase for work to fill their shop floors which are devoid of workflow in winter conditions.

It’s time for us to do the maths for 100% of nothing actually is nothing and negative profits will utlimately produce an irate banker knocking on your door asking for you to return his overdraft forthwith.

The CRA will hold regional meetings to deliver a national strategy response to these latest business offers from our insurance partners to develop more meaningful dialogue. As it stands right now this move makes poor commercial sense for any repairer to accept.

Notification – Saxum Insurance The directive issued to withhold repaired vehicles until payment is received has been retracted. we have recently built good relations with stakeholders at saxum and resolution is being obtained in securing settlement of long outstanding claims. They have experienced challenges in processing protocols changes and the backlog of outstanding settlements is definitely gaining momentum to ensure an amicable resolution.

WHAT’S HOT?

COUNTERFEIT CAR pARTS CONFISCATED

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massive haul of counterfeit Toyota car parts, a significant proportion of which was destined for sale across the world, has been uncovered in Guangzhou City in southeast China in a raid conducted by Chinese police.

Around 33 000 fake parts, with an estimated retail value of over $1 million, including everything from filters, cables and seals to safety-critical items such as airbags, brake master cylinders and brake pads were seized.

The replica parts were produced in a large-scale manufacturing facility and authorities also identified around 55 000 packages branded in the style of Toyota Genuine Parts, complete with barcodes and serial numbers. The company concerned is also known to manufacture car parts

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counterfeiting those of other Japanese automotive brands.

Recently Ford had also intercepted fake parts, including alloy rims to suit highperformance Ford Performance vehicles models and air intake snorkels and grilles for the Ranger light commercial, while Holden has seized counterfeit parts including body panels, alloy rims, grilles, tail-lights and radiators.

Information leading to the Guangzhou raid resulted from Toyota’s recent Federal Court proceedings against two local retailers selling dangerously inferior counterfeit airbag components. As a result of the settlement of those proceedings, the retailers agreed to contact all affected customers and offer them a refund. Details of the source manufacturer were also supplied to Toyota

Motor Corporation in Japan, which worked with its Chinese subsidiary to orchestrate the raid. “while the seizure is shocking, sadly it is not uncommon and using counterfeit parts, knowingly or otherwise, means you’re taking a huge risk,” Toyota said. “It offers a clear reminder to consumers that just because they see a branded box, bag or label they shouldn’t assume they’re buying a genuine part. The way to avoid safety concerns posed by fake parts is to ensure you or your repairer sources genuine replacement parts from the vehicle manufacturer’s authorised supply chain,” he said.

“The fake brake pads were being marketed as genuine by a local third part retailer. when tested, they were found to contain asbestos,” he said.

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COLLISION REPAIR ASSOCIATION 2_Layout 1 2015/05/15 11:49 AM Page 1

Enjoy the recognition you deserve.

We thank you for providing us with the opportunity to introduce our dynamic service offerings and present to you a vision for simplicity, success and sustainability.

The CRA has evolved as an organisation with passion, understanding and the will to provide results to our esteemed members from the basis of being a voice to the auto body collision industry. We employ consultants and are associated with people suitably qualified in all aspects of collision repair and related business management skills with high integrity and willing to offer their support to ensuring the success of your facilities.

Our objectives are issues the proactive body shop owner does not really have the time to concentrate on to ensure the optimisation of their business. The constant changes in the law, support in compliance with statutory requirements, relationship mentoring with government and insurers on selection criteria with regards to financial allowances on mark-up and labour rates as well as aiding consumer choice on service expectation. Further hereto our aim is to provide technical support and training on advancements in collision repair techniques and new equipment investment advice.

To date the CRA has achieved significant change with benefits and are on the road to create market awareness which in the short term will emulate consumer appreciation not previously evident in our local market.

Our mission will ensure via procedural compliance that our forum will enforce a code of conduct that covers consumer protection, work force motivation and job security and ultimately peace of mind to business owners on secure, and beneficial return on investment. We have also concluded annual inflationary labour rate increases with a major insurer

including labour rate allowances above the rate which individual repairers would normally be able to achieve independently and thus extended as a financial benefit to approved members. This will be protracted via further meetings to almost all the other major insurers in the short term.

As with any Association annual membership fees are payable to cover administration costs and our membership is based on grading status. Further hereto our membership is extended to equipment and service related suppliers whom have a similar vision of business ethic.

These include at present paint suppliers, a BEEE accreditation agency, an authorised health and safety compliance consultant, quoting and business management software suppliers and high end workshop equipment suppliers. This will also result in better service, support and preferential rates on association.

We provide an on-line E Procure business data profile of members to support recognition for independent role players in every area of activity in the collision repair industry. The platform will provide assistance to work providers and consumers with accident damaged vehicles to make educated decisions in allowing the most professional repairer the opportunity of refurbishment within acceptable time frames and in line with warranty reinstatement protocols.

In conclusion we trust you can see the benefit of belonging to our Association and look forward to the synergy we can create by our providing valued service and more importantly ensuring your enthusiasm and input is shared with other members at organised events of our approved panel.

JOIN THE CRA AND GET THE RECOGNITION YOU DESERVE!

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Call us on 0861 726 272 or Visit www.crasa.org.za

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LOCAL NEwS WHAT’S HOT?

FIX AUTO OPEN FOR BUSINESS IN SOUTH AFRICA

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ix Auto South Africa is delighted to announce the appointments of Malcom Rajah and Gavin van der Riet.

Rajah has been appointed as CEO and Van der Riet appointed as national operations manager. They have assumed their positions as of August 2016.

The Motor body repair franchise network is designed to give insurers and other stakeholders a consistent focus on service delivery, cost and quality. Fix Auto’s owner operated franchises network means the business maintains local knowledge combined with the systems, knowledge and expertise of a leading global player with a proven track record.

Following a series of repairer clinics held earlier this year in April, there has been a significant interest shown in this franchise opportunity, and the recent appointments of Malcom and Gavin underscore the commitment of Fix Auto to the South African market.

Rajah brings with him significant experience from the motor insurance and franchising industries, having previously held senior positions with the PostNet franchisor, Outsurance and most recently he headed up Santam’s digital motor claims and assessing.

Van der Riet’s in-depth experience in the repair industry in insurance assessing ensures that the business is well positioned in delivering value to all stakeholders.

Rajah commented: “As an insurer with a franchising background, I have always felt that the South African motor body

repair industry lacked the value proposition that a sound franchise brings to the table. I am very excited at the prospect of growing the Fix Auto brand in SA and I am confident that we have a compelling value proposition for insurers, fleet managers and most importantly repairers.”

Steve Leal, president of Fix Auto world said “Getting SA on our global map was a great result and it is now further enhanced by us attracting the skills and knowledge of people like Rajah and Van der Riet, which can only speed up our success in the country. we wish them well and look forward to working closely with them.”

Malcom Rajah Rajah has extensive knowledge in franchise operations and business and will be focusing Fix Auto’s efforts on the first 25 prospective franchised owner-operated Fix Auto Body Shops soon to launch, that will represent Fix Auto Nationally. Fix Auto is fully BEE compliant and with his knowledge from other industries including motor insurance and franchising, his experience will smooth out the start-up of Fix Auto operations in South Africa.

Gavin van der Riet Van der Riet has operated within body shops successfully and has a good feel for what Fix Auto franchises will want to achieve in this new multi-level franchise. Going forward, enabling shops to quote correctly, using the principles of smart turn over will be a focus point.

Fix Auto can assist in a big way to drive up profitability with immediate effect. The platforms that Fix Auto have developed are very comprehensive and Fix Auto envisages, that it will make a very positive imprint in the South Africa repair industry.

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Fix Auto Story Fix Auto was created on the basis of a very simple idea: meeting the needs of a fragmented industry, because body shops need to communicate.

First, they need to communicate with consumers to build trust.

Then, communicate with insurers to create long-lasting business ties. And lastly, communicate with each other to optimise their procedures.

This is Fix Auto's key to success: understanding and meeting those needs.

For more information on Fix Auto and to register as a prospective franchisee please contact us on information@fixauto.com or visit www.fixauto.com

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INDUSTRY news

The HB Bo dy Colour Solutions mixing sys tem consists of high quality acrylic resins and p igments.

WHAT’S HOT?

HB BODY GLOBAL EXCELLENT COLOUR pERFORmANCE

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B Body have been hard at work developing global colours that are top notch in performance standards on colour accuracy and repeatability in the body shop collision repairers paint shop.

The company have expanded to over 250 specialist employees and now export over 85% of their products to some 75 countries globally. They also obtained the IsO 9001 certificate by TUV (German Association for the Certificate of Quality systems) to reinforce customer quality expectations. This has been achieved by the family owned company with Vasilis Vasileiadis, group CeO and his team putting in the long hours of dedicated work to achieve such high standards.

The local sole importers of HB Body are Bulldog Abrasives who have been very active in launching the brand in new niche market areas in south Africa. They are focusing on the retail paint supply market with the HB Body brand.

HB Body have a wo rld class training centre on-site.

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Over 18 000 hand s prayed colour chips make for simple and accurate colo ur retr ieval.

Anthony J ames is seen her e fro m Hot Pot Paints .

The latest sp ectrometer X-Rite system and software to o ffer any co lour matcher accur ate and fast colour matching every time.

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LOCAL NEWS

TRAINING

FOCUS ON TOMORROW’S SPRAY PAINTERS

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ASF Coatings Services recently hosted the first spraypainting training workshop for NF Apprentices at the Refinish Competence Centre (RCC) in Midrand. The apprentices, who are currently placed in various body shops in Gauteng, spent a week at the training facility with BASF’s technical trainers.

“The reason we partnered with BASF for the training is so that the apprentices get a solid orientation into the industry,” explains Busi Maile, programme director for NF Apprentices. “This also ensures that the apprentices have a sound foundation so that when they go to the panel shop, they immediately begin using best practices.”

The week-long training included theoretical aspects of the trade with a majority of the training focused on practical exercises. “We want to make sure that by the time an apprentice qualifies, they have learnt all there is to know about the trade over and above the current curriculum requirements which do not cover the advancements in technology and new innovations that have changed the face of the industry in the past decade,” notes Maile.

Nico Krukenberg, commercial manager for BASF Coatings Services adds, “We are aware of the urgent need to get more spray painters into the market and partnering with NF complements our current training initiatives we are involved with across the country.”

Apprentices pose with their parents holding the car-shaped moulds they painted at the NF Parents Breakfast.

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Parent Engagement Following the week of training, NF Apprentices held a parents breakfast meeting at the RCC. “The purpose of engaging the apprentices’ parents and guardians is to ensure that their families get involved in the young adults’ journey to become qualified artisans,” explains Maile.

“As NF, we offer support such as monthly site visits, yearly programme outlines and counsel for shops and the apprentices; however, we have discovered that apprentices tend to cope better on the programme if they also receive extra support from home.”

The parents were given a brief account of what the programme entailed, whilst sited in the RCC’s workshop, which resembles the layout of a paint shop. A few apprentices were then selected to spray paint a car shape mould in front of the audience. This allowed the parents to get a first-hand experience of what the apprentices do in a day’s work.

“As NF, we are saying to the industry, we are trying to produce quality artisans for tomorrow. To the young people coming through our initiative, we are saying we will not just put you in a shop for the sake of being an apprentice, but we will make sure that you will attain a quality qualification which can take you anywhere in the world,” concludes Maile.

Spray painting apprentices busy at work.

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About NF Apprentices NF Apprentices is an industry initiative for the industry by the industry. The future of the auto body repair industry depends on auto body shops being at the forefront of developing the skilled and competent workforce it requires.

NF Apprentices, together with its network of auto body repair shops, is ensuring that deserving youth are finding their way into the industry to qualify as spray painters, auto body repairers and motor mechanics.

If you are experiencing any one or more of the following challenges NF Apprentices is there to assist. l Unable to recruit committed apprentices l Struggling with retaining apprentices l Struggling with merSETA paperwork l Difficulty with ensuring that apprentices are up to date with their training l Difficulty with keeping apprentices motivated in their work and training You can reach NF Apprentices on info@nf.org.za or visit their website on www.nf.org.za Through a collaborative effort with partners such as BASF, NF Apprentices seeks to groom and develop quality artisans that will help alleviate the shortage of the craftsmanship in the industry.

Warren Rameetse, Dent Doctor Randburg - “It’s a really great privilege to be here at BASF because they are showing us how to use good materials when working on a car.”

Trevor Roets, VDS Rooderport – “It means a lot to us.

We’ve been learning different skills which we can use anywhere else in the future.”

Moses Seoketsa, North City PD – “The training has been good as they have been showing us new technologies. I look forward to coming again for more training.”

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laTEsT update

by Collision Week

FUTURE TECH

GLOBAL SALES FORECAST 21 MILLION AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES BY 2035

Ford recently announced its intention to deliver highvolume, fully autonomous vehicles for ride sharing in 2021.

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he latest forecast from IHS automotive calls for sales of nearly 21 million autonomous vehicles by 2035. this is a substantial increase from previous estimates and is influenced by recent research and development by automotive OeMs, supplier and technology companies who are investing in this area. the new forecast is also based on a wave of recent development and investments in this sector of the market, as well as activity within various regulatory environments. the united States will lead the world in initial deployment and early adoption of autonomous vehicles, while Japan will simultaneously ramp up industry coordination and investment ahead of the Summer Olympics in tokyo in 2020.

“Global sales of autonomous vehicles will reach nearly 600 000 units in 2025,” said egil Juluissen, phd and director of research and IHS automotive, “Our new forecast reflects a 43% compound annual growth rate between 2025 and 2035 – a decade of substantial growth – as driverless and selfdriving cars alike are more widely adopted in all key global automotive markets,” he said.

New mobility solutions such as ride sharing and car sharing programmes, increasing investment in autonomy by OeMs, suppliers and technology companies alike, research and development centres underway and improved efficiencies are expected to impact the further proliferation of automotive technologies.

“Future mobility will connect and combine many different modes and technologies, and autonomous vehicles will play a central role,” said Jeremy Carlson, principal analyst at IHS automotive. “IHS 14

expects entirely new vehicle segments to be created, in addition to traditional vehicles adding autonomous capabilities. Consumers gain new choices in personal mobility to complement mass transit, and these new choices will increasingly use battery, electric and other efficient means of propulsion.” the uS market is expected to see the earliest deployment of autonomous vehicles as it works through challenges posed by regulation, liability and consumer acceptance. deployment in the uS will begin with several thousand autonomous vehicles in 2020, which will grow to nearly 4.5 million vehicles by 2035, according to IHS automotive forecasts. as in many other markets, a variety of use cases and business models are expected to develop around consumer demand for personal mobility. despite a later start, IHS automotive forecasts more than 5.7 million vehicles sold in China in 2035 will be equipped with some level of autonomy, the single largest market for the technology, according to analysts. the sheer volume of vehicles expected to be sold there as well as consumer demand for new technologies will drive growth, with more upside possible as regulators assess the potential of autonomous mobility to address safety and environmental concerns.

Major markets in Western europe will maintain industry technology leadership through the premium segment, with a little more than three million autonomous vehicles expected to be sold in 2035 and a further 1.2 million vehicles with some level of autonomy in the Middle east and africa in 2035, with the potential for new and innovative business models.

In Japan and South Korea collectively, IHS automotive forecasts indicate nearly 1.2 million vehicles will be enabled with some form of autonomous driving capability by 2035. demographics and an affinity for technology and innovative solutions help both markets, as the Japanese auto industry unites to close the gap with uS and european rivals and as South Korea continues its development of world-class capabilites. the IHS automotive analysis also indicates that continued challenges to autonomous vehicle deployment include potential technology risks for software reliability and cybersecurity, thought both of these are showing improvements as technology evolves and the industry recognises the threat. In addition, the implementation of local and federal guidelines and regulatory standards, as well as a legal framework for self-driving cars, continue to prove challenging. Various states and regions have taken appropriate measures to begin to develop these frameworks, while others are still crafting their approach. “the future fleets of driverless vehicles will provide mobility services for anyone and anything, creating exciting and new opportunities for the automotive industry,” said Juliussen. “Increasing competition from the high-tech and other industries is accelerating the auto industry’s autonomous software and cybersecurity development efforts,” he said. Carlson added, “those who don’t adjust to a changing world will unfortunately be left behind, or will at least face a very different industry.”

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INDUSTRY UPDATe

by David Furlonger

LOCAL NEWS

SA mOTOR INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

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ocal vehicle sales are plunging, prices are soaring, jobs are being lost and a possible industry-wide strike is looming. still, it could be worse; the sA motor industry could really be in trouble.

Despite everything, many industry executives remain determinedly bullish.

Mike whitfield, MD of nissan sA and president of the national Association of Automobile Manufacturers of sA (nAAMsA) put out a statement reminding everyone of the importance of the local motor industry to the sA economy, how it accounts for 7.5% of the GDP and 33.5% of manufacturing output, 14.6% of exports and provides nearly 500 000 direct jobs in vehicle manufacture, distribution, retail and servicing. why the need for a reminder? Because almost every bit of news coming out of the industry this year is simply horrible! new vehicle sales are on track to fall 12% from 2015, the third consecutive year of decline. Rising interest rates, low business confidence, economic and political uncertainty, suffocating household debt and limited disposable consumer income have all put a brake on the market.

And then there’s the prices. The weak Rand has played havoc with the cost bases of importers and local manufacturers, the latter still source many of their components from overseas, as well as many fo the vehicles they sell in sA. some companies have already increased prices five times in 2016 and don’t rule out more hikes before the year is out. Overall, prices are expected to rise by up to 14%. even that’s not enough to compensate for Rand-related paint. “The industry is nowhere near recovering its costs,” says whitfield. so why does he, like so many of his

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peers, remain positive? Because of exports, apparently. There have been a couple of hiccups along the way but manufacturers are confident that the number of vehicles shipped from sA this year will top last year’s record 333 802, possibly reaching 376 000.

If that happens, it is expected to also take combined industry production to a record high: 635 000 against last year’s 615 658.

Possible export fall-out from Britain’s exit from the european Union is too far in the future to be occupying minds at present.

Volkswagen sA MD Thomas schaefer, whose company plans to send more than 38 000 Polos to the UK this year, more than half its total exports, says: “There is no slowdown effect to date and it is too early to assess the medium-and long term gains.”

There is a more immediate threat.

Manufacturers and the national Union of Metalworkers are currently engaged in the industry’s three-yearly wage negotiations.

Despite soothing words from both sides, there is a real fear of a repeat of the strike that brought chaos to the industry last time that they bargained, in 2003. Officially, motor companies hope industrial action can be avoided. Unofficially some have increased production to stockpile vehicles in case of stoppages.

The Automotive Production & Development Programme (APDP) and duty-free trade deals with europe and north America, continue to pour billions of Rands into their sA operations. The APDP, introduced in 2013, has already attracted nearly R50bn in investment either spent or

committed.

In the past four months alone, Toyota has completed a R6.1bn capex programme at its Durban factory and Ford has announced a R2.5bn product investment in its silverton, Pretoria assembly plant. Volkswagen and BMw are among other global companies that have announced multi-billion dollar plans for the sA subsidiaries. schaefer says VwsA’s R4.5bn project to build the next generation Polo in sA from next year is on schedule. BMw sA will assembly the X3 sports utility vehicle from 2019.

But these are all export-focused companies. For those with limited foreign demand, the picture is less pleasing. General Motors sA which has by far the lowest export numbers among sA’s seven major vehicle manufacturers recently announced plans to cut its 1 800 strong workforce through voluntary retrenchments and early retirement. The Company expects to build about 40 000 vehicles this year, down from 45 000 in 2015. spokesperson Denise van Huyssteen says: “The first consultation with stakeholder groups was facilitated recently by the CCMA, with a second scheduled to follow during August. we will not be in a position to confirm any details until the consultation process has concluded.” nissan sA, another low-volume exporter, is also cutting production by about 10% whitfield says, but expects to avoid any lay-offs. He adds: “we all have to pursue exports. we can’t rely on the sA market alone. It’s too small.”

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AR NATS PAGES SEPT-OCT 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/08/31 3:06 PM Page 17

PRODUCT news WHAT’S HOT?

FROm TORK CRAFT; mULTI pURpOSE ImpACT pROOF CASES

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ew from Tork Craft is their huge range of multi purpose heavy duty, water, dust, impact and shock proof PLC cases. This multi-purposed range of bulletproof cases can be utilised for all types of safe travel and transport.

They were a key means of packing, travel and transporting for the famous international Camel Trophy event for the last 20 years by the teams, TV film crew, cameramen, technical and logistics teams who travelled through almost every jungle and country in the world in the toughest event know to man including the last island and sea event in Tonga and samoa.

The Tork Craft cases are made from engineering polypropylene plastic and are equipped with foam inners for maximum protection. There are cases to fit anything

and everything, carry cases, packing cases, units with wheels and handles in a multiple number of sizes. The perfect range of luggage and packing units to transport your valuable equipment.

The Tork Craft PLC cases are now available from Vermont sales and leading stores nationwide. For more information call Vermont sales on 27 (0)11 314 7711 or visit their website www.vermontsales.co.za

LAmBO EXpAND CARBON FIBRE FOOTpRINT TECHNOLOGY

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arbon-fibre body panels or trim pieces on a breathtakingly expensive supercar such as a Lamborghini are old hat these days. But carbon-fibre connecting rods in the engine? now that's exotic. such an advance is one of several carbon-based technologies Lamborghini is exploring at its new Advanced Composite structures Laboratory.

"The materials this type of research represent the future of our automotive vision," Domenicali told the media. That vision includes using carbon connectors rather than steel, cutting their weight between 40-50%. Using them in a V-12 engine would have many benefits, including noticeably improved power and acceleration.

Lamborghini's goal is to have the world's first production car with carbon connectors, the automaker's head of R&D, Maurizio Reggiani, told Automotive news. "I [hope] that in one-and-a-half years, we are able to finish development and say this can be a part found in future engines," Reggiani said. "I hope that we are able to have something in production soon."

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such a feature would be viable in the Aventador's successor, Reggiani confirmed.

That car will be introduced in 2020 or 2021, Domenicali said. The rods themselves are made from forged composite, a cornerstone of Lamborghini's seattle outfit.

This technique moves beyond the traditional methods of using resin-reinforced, or "prepreg," carbon-fibre cloth handpressed into moulds and baked, or resin transfer moulding, which injects the resin into the mould under high pressure, as found in McLaren supercars.

Instead, forged composites simply take a premixed lump of carbon fibre and resin, drop it into a steel mould and apply gobs of heat and pressure. Three minutes later, a

piece ready for finishing, a drastic reduction from the 12-hour and three-hour cycle times of prepreg and resin transfer moulding, respectively.

It was this construction method that Lamborghini used on 80% of its wild sesto elemento supercar in 2010. while the bulk of Lamborghini's R&D is done back at home base in sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, its nimble, six-person seattle operation is there to "intercept new ideas and concepts," said Paolo Feraboli, director of the lab. "what's unique about this facility is we go from making to testing to designing quickly," Feraboli continued. "It's what we call a shrunk-down version of a company such as Boeing.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

VERMONT SALES AD B M-J 2016 A4_Layout 1 2016/07/06 11:57 AM Page 1

ARROW TRADING AD S-O 2016 A4_Layout 1 2016/08/30 11:01 AM Page 1

OR CALL US FDER TOP WEL S PRICE APPR OVED BY

Ford, Fiat , GM, Mer cedes-B enz, Volv o

Tel: (011) 793 1251 Fax: (011) 792 1040 Email: sales@arrowtrading.co.za www.arrowtrading.co.za

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WeldiNG HIGHLIGHT product profile

arrow trading introduces telwin inverspotter 14000 smart aqua

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he innovative Smart Autoset technology, thanks to the automatic recognition of the materials and thickness, eliminates set-up times and guarantees optimal spot welding even if the types of steel to be processed are not known. It is particularly suitable for body shop applications and industrial use and gives excellent results also on high strength steel (HSS)/boron and galvanised metal sheets.

The multifunction digital panel can be used to select the automatic Smart Autoset mode as well as the easy, pro, multi semiautomatic mode and the manual mode. The programmes and reports generated there can be transferred to a USB pen drive. The power clamp technology allows for high spot-welding currents with low absorption rates. The use of longer (5 m) and lighter cables ensures better holding and a wider range of action and minimum magnetic fields around the cables. Automatic pressure monitoring ensures excellent adjustment of the force applied to the clamp electrodes. It comes complete with water-cooled pneumatic clamp and trolley.

Call Arrow Trading on +27 (0)11 793 1251.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

The Telwin Inverspotter 14000 Smart Aqua carries Mercedes-Benz approval among others.

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INTERNATIONAL UPDATE WHAT’S HOT?

IBIS is a real success story because of the hard work that the team put into each and every event.

IBIS 2016

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hanging future landscapes was the theme at this year’s International Bodyshop Industry Symposium held earlier this year in Barcelona, Spain. The event was held over two days and saw some of the best global minds in the collision repair market gather to network and discuss various markets and products that are working well in the industry – and also those that aren’t.

The conference was held over a day and a half and the first day’s content was covered in the previous issue of Automotive Refinisher. Here is the input from the second day.

In order to understand repair well, training is absolutely key in any body shop.

John van Alstyne, CEO and president of ICAR, spoke about this factor in improving excellence. They are a company that provide education, knowledge and solution for the collision repair industry. They are active in the US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand markets. There are 33 500 body shops in the US and 9 000 of these receive training from I-CAR. With model proliferation and changes on new models taking place at warp speed, training is essential in understanding the best way to repair and to remain profitable.

So why is training so important?

Over the years we have seen various metals enter the playing field to make the bodies lighter and the cars more fuel economical – as well as environmentally friendly. Adhesives too have quietly but very quickly come to play an enormous part of collision repair. This substance allows for more rigidity, complex angles to be joined as well as different materials too. It is also more affordable for OEMs and as such you can see examples of this as in the ATS Cadillac, for instance. It went from 29 metres of adhesive used in the first model to now almost 2 football field lengths of adhesives used in the latest model.

Other changes can be seen with all the new all-aluminium body of the Ford F150.

OEMs are looking at introducing more carbon fibre, which is much more affordable to the OEMs as the new BMWi3 saw BMW save $300 million on tooling alone. That’s an mammoth saving on a new model.

Vehicles are becoming rolling computers with the average car having 10 000 lines of code needed in its daily use. Diagnostics is critical for the industry as calibration and alignment is essential in getting the car back on the road.

Manufacturers are looking at all options – even 3D printing. To make and design a 3D car costs about $3 million, but that’s significantly less than setting up new platforms. The 3D process is getting quicker

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too. The first car took 180 hours to make, the second took 44 hours and the third only took 12 hours. Rather substantial time difference and a very new and interesting look at vehicle manufacturing perhaps?

Over the past decade, literally millions of new vehicles were introduced onto our roads globally. A tsunami of technology is headed for the technician and you need training if you’re going to survive the onslaught.

I-CAR, in the US, have a team of 2 800 people. They have looked at how to reach their students too and the online virtual training has become very popular. The course material also needs to provide knowledge, educate the user and provide solutions as well as be relevant to market trends. The best training in the US seems to be half “live” and half online training. This fits busy schedules better and the learner can study at their own pace.

I-CAR did a study where they took 28 body shops and the only thing they introduced was training. The facilities all

maintained their existing equipment, software, paint systems and processes. The only change was the introduction of I-CAR training. With just that change their cycle times improved by 14.35%, their CSI scores rose by 5% but their rework and comebacks fell to as low as 80%.

The difference is seeing training as an immediate and long term return on investment. The more training you do, the better you become at what you do. More than ever we find ourselves at a loss in the skills department across the spectrum in body shops. Good leadership and a change in the way we view training is a huge step in the right direction.

Better work quality, more productivity, improved communication and much better employee retention were some of the comments quoted by employees who invested in training.

Neil Atherton, sales and marketing director from Autoglass, UK, spoke about how much glass is growing in cars to increase visibility for the occupants of the

Steve Leal (left) from Fix Auto was seen with other delegates from the Netherlands and around the world. There was a great global contingent at IBIS this year.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

AR S-O CLAIRE 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/08/31 12:47 PM Page 14

by Claire Macfie

vehicle. Glass has become unbelievably complex. you now have coloured glass, heat screens, rain and light sensors in the glass, solar control and that’s just to mention a few. In fact the mind boggles at the amount of technology there is in glass and you don’t even give it a second thought.

The increase in glass has reduced the steel input from OEMs and it’s a quick way to shed weight. Cars now boast heads up display (HUD) which beams your speed and other information onto the glass so that you keep your eyes on the road. So glass is now also playing a more active role in road safety.

A new invention is Matrix LED controlled lights that keep your beam perfect but track the oncoming vehicle and dim out certain sections of the beam into their eyes at night to help with glare. So many new inventions in glass – another integral part of the vehicle repair market.

The closing speaker at this year’s IBIS was Tony Aquila, founder, chairman and CEO of Solera Holdings. His topic was, “Do it right. Do it better. Do it different”. Those who strive to do things differently aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea, and the same can be said about Tony. He’s definitely no one to conform and a lot of what he commented on flew in the face of many ideas, but he did have a few good points to make too.

He said that you can’t conform if you want to break through in business. You need to stand out and be relative in your market. “Having fear is what keeps you on the edge, but you can’t be afraid,” he said.

Another point was that websites are for companies but that Apps are for customers, and that the Apps war was just beginning.

Definitely something to keep in mind.

All in all IBIS 2016 was a great success in attendance, networking opportunities and content. You always leave having listened to and networked with some great minds and this year was no exception.

The South African team from Audatex were on hand at this year’s event. Seen here are Lasen Moodley (left) and Driaan du Toit.

Neil Atherton, from Autoglass UK, highlighted how more glass is being used in new vehicle models.

Tony Aquila from Solera Holdings entertained those in the audience by speaking and thinking out of the box.

Jack van Alstyne from I-CAR sp oke abo ut the importance of tr aining.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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SANdING SPOTLIGHT dUST FREE

MIRKA: VEHICLE SOLUTIONS FOR TODAY

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very year more than 90 million vehicles are produced worldwide. The automotive original equipment manufacturing industry is a prioritised sector for Mirka. Their goal is to be a partner that provides overall solutions for the Automotive industry. Mirka works closely with their customers to be able to develop innovative and advanced solutions and are developing healthier, safer and more efficient processes from which their customers will benefit.

The dust-free sanding concept developed by Mirka offers many advantages, i.e. makes the process faster, more efficient and cost effective.

Mirka’s innovative net sanding concept is unlike any other. The construction consists of a dense network of polyamide fabric threads onto which the abrasive grit is bonded. The open weave, net structure means that no dust particle is more than 0.5 mm from a dust extraction hole. The result: phenomenal dust extraction across the entire abrasive surface and virtually dust-free sanding!

Tests have shown that net sanding produces a miniscule amount of dust compared to conventional dry sanding with extraction. The Mirka net products are really efficient at removing potentially dangerous sanding dust that minimises dust contamination in the workplace for a far healthier environment.

It was a five-year process to bring this revolutionary technology to the market and it took almost 10 years to gain a “buy-in” to the market. Mirka net abrasives have won many product innovation awards and have been a best seller across the globe.

Mirka has also developed a net product which is suitable for the preperation of corrosion sensitive surfaces. Aluminium based material and the demand from AOEM’s for sanding corrosive sensitive materials are increasing. Special raw materials containing the lowest possible amounts of heavy metal contaminents have been used when producing Abranet NC and other abrasives belonging to the non-corrosion product range.

For information regarding Mirka’s net products as well as their new NC (non-corrosion) product range, contact their soledistributor in Sub-Saharan Africa, Bulldog Abrasives, on +27(0)11 786 5991 or sales@bulldogabrasives.co.za.

Aluminium sanding Abranet.

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NITROTHERM AD J-A 2015_Layout 1 2016/01/26 9:58 AM Page 1

Fast molecules: 4 Less working pressure 4 Increased transfer efficiency 4 Better working conditions 4 Less spraybooth maintenance 4 Extends life of booth filters

Heated Nitrogen: 4 Lowers product viscosity 4 Reduces use of solvents 4Reduce VOC 4Improves application speed 4Improves coverage 4Less aggressive application

Adjustable polarity: 4 Increases adhesion to different substrates

A spray-painting revolution.

Saves costs and time.

Gives a very high quality finish.

Guarantees a consistent performance.

Creates a cleaner working environment.

Minimal installation requirements.

Rapid return on investment.

Kanye Vimba Trading tel: +27 11 396 1161 cell: +27 82 552 8126 Email: info@kanyevimba.co.za or visit our website: www kanyevimba.co.za

4 Nitrogen can be charged with positive or negative ions

4 Regulated by up to 15kv 4 Drastic reduction of impurities on the finished surface

4 Easier application to metallic substrates

AR S-O JAY 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/09/01 12:23 PM Page 1

eguchi iwao PAINT SuPPlIErS TO TSAM

feature story

Eguchi iwao: ToyoTa sa invEsTs in niTroThErm

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guchi Iwao, South Africa (EISA) are suppliers of automotive paint to the Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) Prospecton plant in Durban. They specialise in coatings for the automotive industry including metal surface treating agents, sealants, adhesives, as well as maintaining coating equipment.

It’s not unusual in our current global economic climate where companies are being compelled to change their focus from investment-lead growth towards better process efficiency and company cost savings. Along with this, businesses are being urged to work alongside Government to put control measures in place to reduce VOC emissions across all levels of industry. This is where Eguchi Iwao SA has just the solution in the form of Nitrotherm. The heated nitrogen technology system from Eurosider is a high-tech, cost effective way to comply with regulations and realise incredible paint shop savings in everyday use.

With history from the surface preparation field since 1973, Eurosider has developed a new coating method with nitrogen enriched air, produced directly on site thanks to Nitrotherm. The Nitrotherm (N2) is an innovative system with significant advantages in paint savings, quality of the finished products and reduction of VOC’s.

How Nitrogen Performs l The molecular nitrogen is a colourless, odourless, tasteless and inert gas. l Nitrogen is anhydrous and without impurities like dust, oil, 30

Eguchi Iwao’s 2000 square metre refrigerated room is maintained between eight and nine degrees to guarantee the shelf life of TSAM’s waterborne paint material before it is shipped to the paint shop at Toyota’s Prospecton plant.

fumes and chemical pollutants. l Nitrogen is a more stable gas. l The paint particles travel faster which means less working pressure with better coverage. l less overspray with improved application speed and increased transfer efficiency on surfaces. l Better working environment conditions and less spray booth filter maintenance. l Improved thickness uniformity on all painted surfaces. l Better grip between paint film and substrate. l An improved colour match.

The new Nitrotherm patented membrane has an efficiency warranty that extends up to 20 years, on condition of accurate following of maintenance instructions by the user.

Benefits of Nitrotherm Spray (N2) l Achieves complete coverage of the substrate in fewer coats. l Smaller paint droplets with a consistent spray pattern provide a very reliable application process and a uniform, even coating thickness.. l Nitrogen reduces coating application paint/clear finish from five coats to three. l Painters have greater control of material hence simplifying the painting process. l Entry-level painters can achieve far better finish quality results.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

AR S-O JAY 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/08/31 12:42 PM Page 2

Technical manager for Eguchi Iwao, Marshlan Pather.

Nitrotherm N2 machine.

Eguchi Iwao Prospecton is based opposite Toyota SA. It ships paint across to the body and bumper paint shop every day.

Being the preferred supplier to Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) means that extreme safety and storage standards are maintained by regular audit checks.

l Texture can be controlled to meet variations in manufacturers’ finishes for matching factory texture/orange peel. l Overspray is cut 50 to 75%. l Material deposited on substrate, not on floor or in downdraft filters. l less material wasted, less material used. l VOC reduction of 20 to 40%. l The less material used, the less VOCs enter atmosphere. l Corrosion Protection – voids and occlusions are virtually eliminated with N2, preventing water, oxygen and other contaminants from contacting bare metal. l Increased Productivity = labour Cost Saving.

Particle Size – N2 produces more uniform surface coating and finish when compared to CA or pure nitrogen systems.

Toyota SA The development of Nitrotherm has gained considerable traction in this year. In the first quarter of 2016, Pregasen Ganasen senior manager for plastics plant TSAM, was the first to sign up for a Nitrotherm machine. Phillip Gladman, who is the resident paint shop engineer for Toyota’s Bumper Plant, has spent years in the paint production environment and confirms the saving ability of Nitrotherm and better efficiency in his plant Bumper paint shop.

TSAM have now subsequently extended their trials to other parts of their paint shop lines. The improved working conditions have, in his

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

estimation, greatly reduced spray booth filter maintenance as they work to stringent clean air standards within the spray booth areas.

The TSAM savings achieved is however proprietary information but in most cases our value proposition promises amortisation within months, based on the Nitrotherm 4 x 20% rule: 20% paint savings, 20% productivity increase, 20% quality increase and a 20% reduction in VOCs. Marshlan Pather, technical manager for Eguchi in Durban said, “All this builds up to a very positive position for the new equipment in SA. The unit operates on less air consumption and combines an increased transfer efficiency.

Benefits of the heated nitrogen package for spraying include a drastic reduction on VOC emissions, faster throughput and consistent quality right-the-first time which all equates to real rand savings.

Marshlan went on to say that installation and training was completed in a very short space of time and there was no production downtime as a result of the installation of Eurosider’s Nitrotherm heated nitrogen technology system.

For more information call Kanye Vimba on +27 (0)11 396 1161 or visit: www.kanyevimba.co.za.

Any queries for OE or KZN can go to Marshlan Pather at Eguchi Iwao South Africa Pty ltd, +27 (0)31 913 0600 or email patherm@eguchi.co.za 31

AR S-O CLAIRE 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/08/31 12:47 PM Page 28

dRIVEN MITSUBISHI PAJERO LEGEND II

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ou know it’s a great day at the office when you have sweat behind your knees and a giant smile on your face while you make your way throuch a section of the 4x4 track called “snotklap”.

Mitsubishi recently treated a few ladies to a fabulous 4x4 day for woman’s month.

We were able to put the Pajero shortwheel base (SWB) through its paces.

Luckily for us we had also just tested the Pajero long-wheel base (LWB) version, so it was brilliant to be able to compare the two models.

Mitsubishi have recently introduced more value to both of their models with the launch of the Pajero Legend II. A host of extras have been added to the Pajero by the manufacturer to give customers the list of what they want included in the vehicle.

The Pajero Legend II LWB is based on the top-spec Exceed derivative. Customers get an additional R50 000 worth of extras as part of the purchase price of R759 900.

This includes a heavy-duty protection plate

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fitted below the engine and another below the gearbox assembly as well as heavy-duty rock sliders. It is also fitted with Yokohama Geolander dual-purpose tyres with a 265/60 R18 profile.

The Pajero Legend II SWB offers all the luxuries fitted to its long-wheel base sibling.

Customers get an additional R40 000 worth of extras as part of the purchase price of R659 900 which also includes heavy-duty protection plates fitted below the engine and gearbox assembly and Yokohama Geolander dual-purpose tyres with a 265/65 R17 profile.

Lovers of the Pajero brand can choose from an additional list of extras that will be fitted by Mitsubishi specialists and as such the 3 year or 100 000 kms warranty won’t be compromised.

Extras such as heated seats, a touch screen infotainment system with bluetooth and USB capabilities as well as a double sunroof are just a few of the creature comforts you enjoy as you drive along.

A full house of safety features has not

story by Claire Macfie

been forgotten either. It includes the almost taken for granted list these days of ABS, EBD and airbags as well as their patented high strength Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE) body shell.

RISE is a monocoque body system that combines an energy-absorbing front and rear section with a strong, rigid occupant cell to provide protection in the event of an accident. It features high tensile steel reinforcing bars in doors and energyabsorbing material in the side pillars and roof rails. The body structure is based on a one-piece shell with high levels of bending and torsional rigidity, which provides a steel cage for the safety of both the driver and passengers.

The ride and comfort of both Pajero Legend II models is amazing and the car can just as easily be enjoyed nipping down the highway or off-road in the bush.

With an exceptional 12 world-record Dakar Rally victories in its pedigree, it continues to be a brand that puts quality and fun into this segment.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

MIPA SINGLE PAGE_Layout 1 2016/08/31 3:36 PM Page 1

A German manufactured product.

Mipa WaterBourne System Highest efficiency + Covering power = Time savings.

Customers require “just-in-time” deliveries of a variety of quantities ranging from small to large volumes. The solution to meet these demands is the Mipa WBC Mixing System as it covers already with the first coat. Usually the second coat only serves the effect adjustment and the perfection of the colour.

Mipa Solvent Mixing System A modern High-Tech-System with many advantages.

High efficiency, exact and brilliant colours, that can be found quickly and easily in the Mipa Color System, as well as smooth and easy application topcoated with Mipa 2K-MS and HS-Clearcoats result in a high quality paint system.

The qualities and products of Pro Mix® Industry (PMI) Industrial tinting base system with over 50 different binders.

The variety of qualities in Pro Mix® Industry is attractive to a very wide range of customers.

Paint consumers in the segments mechanical engineering, metal, wood and plastic industry, vehicle builders, steel constructors as well as painters and body shops find all necessary products. By its flexibility and short production times with only a small range of products and stock Pro Mix® Industry opens new horizons in colour exactness and application quality.

Call Andre +27 (0)72 149 3443 / Deon +27 (0)72 340 3270 For more info email andre@tonyscolours.co.za / chad@vican.co.za / deon@vican.co.za Visit our website www.tonyscolours.co.za

AR NATS PAGES SEPT-OCT 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/09/01 11:03 AM Page 4

INDUSTRY neWs

APPROVALS

CHiEf AppROVED fOR Gm CADiLLAC CT6 REpAiR

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hief Automotive recently announced that General Motors had approved aluminium specific tools and equipment for repairing damage to the intensive aluminium 2016 Cadillac CT6.

Among Chief’s new GM-approved collision repair products is its dust and fume extractors, aluminium dent repair station, MIG welder, collet set, and structural holdings package.

“Chief has the largest installed base of collision repair systems in north America, so pairing the approved Chief equipment you already own with our approved aluminium-specific shop tools and equipment is an easy, cost effective way to qualify for CT6 certification,” says Richard Perry, OeM and strategic account manager to Chief. “We worked closely with GM to develop a portfolio of aluminium specific tools and equipment that fulfills the

new and unique repair demands of the CT6. We’re proud that a large portion of the collision repair equipment in the GM Tech Centre where the OeM repairs many of its own fleet cars carries the Chief brand.”

The GM-approve Cadillac CT6 special tools from Chief: l Mobile Dust extractor - 80L tank (no 105-CHD3001) l Mobile Dust extractor - 63L tank (no 105-CHD3002) l MultiTool Aluminum Dent Repair station (no 105-930001) l MultiMig 522 dual torch welder with standard push and pull torches (no 105-eL9000010) l Mobile fume extractor (no 105-CHF1001) The above equipment is available from the south African sales agent Y.e.s equipment for sub-sahara markets in Africa. You can call Darrell van der Koff for more information on +27 (0)105 909 444.

US NEWS

TECHNOLOGY CAN LEAVE YOU STRANDED

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ccording to the American Automobile Association (AAA), more cars broke down on the side of the road in 2015 than in any other year. In fact, AA says dead batteries, flat tyres and key problems contributed to 32 million drivers needing to pull over and call for assistance.

You might think your high-tech car is better than that old-school Honda sitting in your neighbour’s driveway, but a new AAA study reveals technology in newer cars is one of the main reasons why so many people are left stranded.

The AAA reports that cars five years old and younger experience more key-related issues compared to older cars. The problem is that keyless entry remotes, also known as fobs, continue to transmit signals to the receiver when left in the car. Over time, this can drain your battery, leaving you out of luck the next time you try to start your car. In addition, despite the advances in technology, AAA said they responded to four million calls in 2015 from drivers locked out of their vehicles.

Another huge issue centres around spare tyres. If you have a newer car, you might’ve noticed that it didn’t come with a spare tyre.

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In recent years, standard car features have changed, and many manufacturers have foregone the spare tyre and rim to reduce vehicle weight and boost fuel economy, Instead, the AAA reports that about 36% of 2015 models came with a run-flat tyre or a tyreinflation kit. These kits can mends flats, but they don’t fix the tyre if there is damage to the sidewall or a full blowout. With no spare, these situations will require the driver to call a tow truck, which in some cases could cost you more than just buying a spare tyre.

Advances in technology have also made drivers lazy. Remember the good old days when people would fill up their fuel tank once it passed the halfway mark? Those days are gone. Today, low fuel alerts and range estimators allow drivers to push their tanks to the limit.

Unfortunately, some drivers take it too far, which is why a growing number of people are running out of fuel on the side of the road.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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Marouns Johannesburg: Marouns Midrand: Marouns Benoni: Marouns Vereeniging: Marouns Durban: w

(011) 216 0600 (011) 312 2767 (011) 420 2700 (016) 455 4423 (031) 208 3221 w w . m a r ou n s g

Marouns Bloemfontein: Cape Paint & Panel: Intercity Springs: Intercity Pretoria: Toolman Krugersdorp r o u p . c o . z a

(051) 430 0960 (021) 510 8250 (011) 815 4433 (012) 327 6133 (011) 953 3740

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TOP SHOP RENEW-IT GROUP

RENEW-IT SPEED SHOP CONCEPT The huge preparation area features plenty of operator movement and will ultimately produce 600 repaired vehicles per month.

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T

he Renew-It Group’s ninth body shop is a bold new concept that caters for smaller damage vehicle repair, which includes paintless dent removal. It is based at a busy intersection in Sandton and has a stated delivery of customer repair in 48 hours. This key-to-key rapid turn around time is a first for South Africa.

Phase 1, May: Build up starts Starting from the huge empty shop floor, the Maroun’s Group had just over two and half months to get this massive body shop to start-up. On the equipment side of the production routing, four large drive through Saima Gamma spraybooths were supplied.

Two special paint mixing rooms were also required to meet volume throughput.

All of these needs were taken into the design by Heinz Brugger (the Maroun’s Group) and his team of expert installers. A

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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Starting with no thing and und er the cosh to finish the shop on time put big pressure o n all concer ned .

huge dust free flatting deck to rid the production repair area of all sanding dust contamination was installed and special Hamach vacuum machines were linked to track side production line pick-up points, leaving a working area with no trailing air line hoses. They can run up to a maximum of 15 sanders at one time, 24 hours a day if need be.

It quickly became evident that this huge undertaking and a short turnaround time for the whole Maroun’s Group team meant working morning, noon and night to complete the body shop on time.

Phase 2 June: Shop starts to take shape At this stage the SAIMA spraybooths started their assembly and the raised floor was complete. Ducting started to take shape. Heinz Brugger fitting team were taking big strain as electrical pick-ups were running behind time and the clock continued

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

to tick away relentlessly.

The design for the new speed shop features a separate assessment centre with high level lifts for accurate vehicle damage quotations on damaged units that have received light damage.

After just eight weeks the mammoth shop still looked like there was much more work to be completed. Extra staff were employed to speed up the final stage of shop implementation.

Shop complete: Opening, July The stress and strain of the opening day on 28 July was looming and the Maroun’s Group delivered a big push to bring this monster body shop working on time.

The new operation was able to wheel in the first repair bang on time. Ultimately the staff will be ramped up to some 80 employees as Renew-it plan to produce some 600 plus repairs per month from the

premises.

“The BEE side of things is also in place,” says Grant Greef, “with the employment of a contingent of disabled workers in the front office of the company. We also believe in keeping our customers up to date with their repairs and they receive an sms as to the vehicle’s progress as it works its way through the repair cycle at the body shop.”

The shop has a Celette bench and smaller Fitim speed bench to currently straighten the slightly heavier hits. Greef went on to say that they also employ around four skilled staff in the body shop as well as a pair of top spray painters who are on hand as they ramp up the production rate.

There was a huge sigh of relief as the first job started as this was an enormous undertaking for everyone involved in South Africa’s foremost speedshop for small body repair for the Renew-it Group.

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TOP SHOP renew-it new speed shop concept

At the start of the build-up of the new Renew-it shop the dry flatting deck and dust extraction ducting had to be installed.

The front office and assessment area begins to take shape for the customer reception area.

This mammoth Hamach 15000 TQ self cleaning vaccum eliminates dry sanding dust from prep areas.

Spraybooths and mixing rooms began to take shape as everyone worked day and night from the Maroun’s Group team to meet the opening deadline.

The new shop features a designer reception area and a separate insurance assessment section for damage quotations.

Standoblue is the waterbase refinish of choice. Ideal Salley heads up the paint shop with 31 years of experience.

The Gamma spraybooth can handle larger vehicles.

With the lights turned on the first repair is underway at the Renew-it Speed Shop with everything working on time.

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AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

MAROUNS AD J-A 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/08/30 11:29 AM Page 1

COMMITTED TO YOUR SHOP’S SUCCESS EXPERTS IN THE COLLISION REPAIR SYSTEMS SUPPLY BUSSINESS. The Maroun’s Group offer a host of leading collision repair brands at affordable prices which is backed-up by their service. Right now their concept shops are among the most efficient in terms of production and workflow.

SAIMA from Italy produce a full range of combination spray booths and ovens with unique preparation zones. The mixing paint centres use energy efficient lighting and electric motors, and meet all repair approval programmes.

SPANESI imported from Italy offer world class chassis straightening equipment right from Jig Chassis series 100 down to speed bench designs. With their latest Touch Electronic, all repair diagnostics are found in rapid time, with the accuracy - it’s all so easy.

HAMACH high power dust-free vacuum system packages work effortlessly day in and day out.

Go online to see the full range of Mig welders, Plasma cutters, high power spot welders and tools from TOOLMAN that are available to transform your repair quality.

Visit www.marounsgroup.co.za or call your closest dealer for more information.

Finance options are available.

Marouns Johannesburg: Marouns Midrand: Marouns Benoni: Marouns Vereeniging: Marouns Durban: w w

(011) 216 0600 (011) 312 2767 (011) 420 2700 (016) 455 4423 (031) 208 3221 w . m a r o u n s g

Marouns Bloemfontein: Cape Paint & Panel: Intercity Springs: Intercity Pretoria: Toolman Krugersdorp r o u p . c o . z a

(051) 430 0960 (021) 510 8250 (011) 815 4433 (012) 327 6133 (011) 953 3740

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FINISHING update ADD-ON’S

DETAILING CREATES EXTRA PROFIT OPPORTUNITIES

D

etailers can be excused if they have a slightly different take on pre-accident condition than the rest of your staff. With vehicles being left in service longer, and motorists using them as improvised eateries, kid- and pet haulers, and impromptu business offices, interiors, even in newer rides, take a beating.

Complicating this further, busy owners tend to neglect spills and wear marks that need to be quickly attended to and fail to use protection products that can head off some of the worst damage. the result is an upturn in the number of interiors needing serious attention well beyond a basic cleaning.

No shop wants to return a vehicle with a shiny new outside and a clean, though flawed, interior. that means repairers need to up their game when it comes to restoring a vehicle's interior. use the following tips to handle your toughest detailing chores and put an extra coat of excellence on your work.

Vacuum and brush first always start with a thorough vacuuming (we'll assume you've already removed any debris or refuse and boxed up and stowed the owner's possessions). If necessary, vacuum several times if the interior is particularly dirty. No dirt or debris should appear from anywhere when the vehicle is returned.

In hard to reach places, blow out these places instead by rapidly toggling the power switch between “on” and “off.” Next, brush out the seats and floors. this is key since oftentimes much dirt is embedded but gets churned up quickly later through wear.

If any of the vehicle glass has been broken, use the sticky side of shop tape to pat down the interior and remove any remaining particles. even the most powerful shop vacuums can miss sharp particles that are embedded in fabric (particularly leather).

Next, vacuum one more time to pick up any remaining dirt or grit that may have been stirred up.

Identify stains different stain sources require different cleaning approaches. Most stains can be broken down into two different types: protein or tannin. as their name suggests, protein stains come from products containing proteins, usually dairy or other food items. tannin stains tend to be darker since they're the product of vegetable dyes and colours from coffee and tea beverages. they can be particularly difficult to thoroughly remove – especially coffee stains 40

– and have a greater tendency to resurface if only the top layers are removed.

Most other serious stains fall under the category of chemical grease – paint and oil are good examples. Surprisingly, these often respond the best to all-purpose cleaners. tannin and protein stains are best targeted with specialised cleaners. using the proper cleaner is vital since that's the best way to thoroughly break up and remove a stain. even though some stains may be permanent, shops can remove the majority when they are targeted in the right manner.

Always tamp first Before using the cleaner, stains should first be tamped to avoid spreading. place a clean towel over the stain, and lightly tamp (tap) the entire area with a brush. this can draw much of the stain up, especially the fluids that would otherwise spread when hit with water and cleaner or when brushed vigorously. this might seem like a waste of time on older, dried stains, but actually isn't. tamping can break up dried fluid that can then be picked away. also, even stains that look dry may still have moist layers that can be pulled up.

Options to think about this is particularly true of interiors. Just as aluminium and utra high strength steel can be damaged with traditional repair methods. so can the host of fabrics being used to cover seats, floors and other areas. this can be especially true with higher-end vehicles that utilise special materials that don't react well with harsh chemicals.

Follow this suggestion from some of the industry's best know experts: stick with hot water as much as possible. Hot water extraction isn't hazardous and usually can break down the toughest stains and kill the bacteria that create lingering odours.

Hot water extraction will leave the interior wet for a while. You'll need to keep the vehicle in an area where it has time to dry thoroughly.

Special handling after the vehicle fabrics have been attended to, target those areas that most often come into contact with the hands of drivers and occupants: steering wheel, shifters, controls and cup holders. the oil and sweat coming off hands, coupled with sticky residue from food and beverages, make these areas particular problematic – even if they don't immediately appear to be.

Spend extra time spraying down these spots with cleaner. If necessary, especially with a

sticky cup holder, allow the cleaner time to soak in and break up any dried gooey mess.

Pet Marks even the best behaved pets can leave their mark in a vehicle interior. Hair collects everywhere. Short-hair breeds sometimes are the most trouble since sharp, short shards of hair can become imbedded in seats where even powerful shops vacs can't extrude them.

Vendors offer special brushes made for pet hair. these can remove both long- and short hair from most spaces. For any remaining hair, try this old trick. put on a pair of latex gloves and rub your hand over the carpet. Static electricity created by the glove will help bring up the hair up from the carpet surface where it can be picked up or vacuumed.

No more dirt after cleaning, always follow up with steps to prevent future issues. If the vehicle has deep stains or an odour problem, apply an odor neutraliser. also apply a protective agent on any leather or other fabrics found throughout the interior. avoid those that tend to attract dust and lint. these steps are important because customers are going to be in direct contact with your work for months to come. If they notice how clean their vehicles remain, you've just made a good argument for them to bring you business again someday, if only just for further detailing.

Seeing clearly Windows might be the most important and most neglected part of a vehicle. Only use lint-free cloths that are used exclusively on windows. Cleaners and products used on other areas can collect in the material and create smears. Wipe interior windows in vertical motions and exterior ones with horizontal swipes, or vice versa. doing so helps identify which side of the window has any streaks, allowing them to be erased more efficiently.

Finally, make one final inspection of the windows, making sure all are clean and clear as possible. Many customers that might consider professional detailing a luxury but can be convinced otherwise if shops point out its value and note the convenience that the car is already be worked on by professionals, so why not add an extra service? the expertise, tools and products are already available. throw in a bit of salesmanship, and you could be growing a valuable extra revenue stream that benefits everyone.

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FINISHING DETAILS

PROdUCT PROFILE

“WAX ON, WAX OFF” WITH PRESTA’S ULTRA COMPLETE GLAZETM

T

he Presta line of products have been specifically formulated to deliver exceptional results on all painted surfaces.

Whether your paint is clearcoat or single stage, whether old or new, Presta products will help you create a dazzling, mirror-like finish with ease.

Presta’s new Ultra Complete Glaze™ (Complete Glaze) is a breathable and durable easy to use protective coating that is an ideal last step in the refinishing process. This advanced formula goes on easily and wipes off quickly, producing a deep, long-lasting gloss. Ultra Complete Glaze not only beautifies and protects freshly painted surfaces, but also allows them to fully cure without causing solvent pop. Additionally, it may be used to heighten gloss on non-repaired vehicle areas, making it ideal for pre-delivery prep.

Applying the Presta Ultra Complete Glaze™ is easy. Apply the product with a wax applicator pad and let it dry to a haze. Polish off with a clean, microfibre cloth. What is so amazing is that the entire vehicle may be treated before you have to wipe the product off! For best results it is advisable that you apply the product on a cool surface and out of direct sunlight.

Features: l Breathable film l Durable protection l Easy-on / Easy-off application l Contains no silicone Benefits: l Does not interrupt the curing process of fresh paint l Produces a long-lasting, high-gloss shine for up to 30 days l Great for quick, pre-delivery prep l You can apply the product to large areas without the risk of drying out l Body shop safe and VOC compliant Here are some frequently asked questions from potential Presta Ultra Complete Glaze™ customers around the globe:

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

Q A Q A Q A Q A

Is Ultra Complete Glaze™ (Complete Glaze) body shop safe?

Complete Glaze contains no silicones and should be 100% body shop safe as long as product is used as directed.

Will Complete Glaze work on fresh paint?

Yes, Complete Glaze will not seal fresh paint or cause solvent pop.

How quickly should the product be removed after application?

Complete Glaze is unlike a carnauba wax. It can be applied to the entire vehicle before beginning removal if desired.

How do I know when the product is ready to be removed?

Complete Glaze will only haze slightly. Product will sufficiently flash in approximately 3-5 minutes under normal weather conditions. It does not turn chalky like a carnauba wax and will not produce white dust when being removed.

Can Complete Glaze be applied with a rotary buffer?

Q A Q A

The product works best if applied by hand but if a technician is used to applying or removing with a rotary buffer it could be done at a slow speed, 1000 rpm or less, with a soft foam pad.

Does Complete Glaze help protect my paint?

Complete Glaze will provide up to 30 days of paint protection in optimal conditions.

Presta Ultra Complete Glaze™ is in a league of it’s own. With products like this, it’s easy to see why Presta is “The Finest of Finishing Products.” Contact their sole supplier in Sun-Saharan Africa, Bulldog Abrasives, to locate your closest distributor and to find out more about the Presta range of products – telephone +27 (0)11 786 5991 or sales@bulldogabrasives.co.za.

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INDUSTRY news WHAT’S HOT?

SA AUTO pAINTS NEW pARTS DIVISION

S

A Auto Paints, is a family owned and managed business that has shown solid growth in the last 20 years. Tyrone Zackey, who heads up the paint refinish sales side of the business, moved to open a new shop in the same centre based in newlands, Johannesburg. “we were looking to improve our one-stop shop philosophy and the expanded spares warehouse now features an increase of some 400% over our previous stock levels of availability.” he said.

Brandon Oosterhausen has years of experience in the aftermarket parts business along with colleagues Peter and Fritz. Their expanded range of high quality body replacement parts is backed-up by a larger range of front and rear lamps, grilles and bonnets. “ninety-nine percent of our clients are very happy about the fit and feel on the parts that they specify for their repairs.” says Brandon.

The new operation also carries shock absorber replacements, detailing polishes and sundries such as batteries, oils, clutches and many other hardware parts that their customers need for mechanical repairs.

Their TYC Brands and depo lamps are big movers on the alternative parts replacement side and they are ideal for the many uninsured drivers that occupy south African roads.

“All this service means we are able to help all our body shop customers with a speedy, first time pick on the spares that they need.” concluded Tyrone.

The new SA Auto Paints shop boast a one stop shop approach for body shops where you can buy paint, abrasives and now parts too. Whatever your job needs.

By concentrating on recognised quality brands Brandon (left) and Peter are securing excellent eturn business.

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It is vitalLy important to hold increased back-up spares that customers need, say SA Auto Paint and Parts.

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INDUSTRY UPDATe TECHNOLOGY

NEW HEADLIGHTS

BY FORD A DVA N C E D T E C H N O L O G Y LASTING IMPRESSIONS

H

ave you ever driven on dipped headlights rather than run the risk of angering other drivers by forgetting you are using high-beam headlights? Ford has now developed a technology that enables drivers to take full advantage of their headlights’ capability, without dazzling other drivers.

Glare-Free Highbeam uses a windshield-mounted camera to detect the headlights or taillights of vehicles and bicycles up to 800m away at night, and uses specially developed headlights to block light that could otherwise temporarily blind other drivers and cyclists. Driving with high-beam headlights enables drivers to see hazards in the road much earlier. And studies have shown that automated high-beam headlights are activated up to 10 times more than when drivers have to switch to high-beam themselves. edmund King OBe, AA President, said: “Road-users being dazzled by the use of vehicle full-beam is an increasing problem in the UK, and is said to be the cause of hundreds of road accidents and around 10 fatalities each year. Headlight technology is advancing rapidly, providing drivers with a greater field of vision and illumination on the road, but can cause an equal number of problems for other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. It is testament to Ford for offering this advanced feature to their customers to help tackle the issue.”

Michael Koherr, research engineer, Lighting systems, Ford of europe says “Ford’s new Glare-Free Highbeam helps maximise the use of high beams and means drivers can see significantly more of the road ahead, without causing any distraction to other road users.” The technology was developed by a global team of Ford engineers and supplier partners. Testing included a purpose-built light simulation area and test drives in night-time conditions around the globe.

Glare-Free Highbeam works together with Ford’s Auto High Beam system, and Ford Dynamic LeD headlights with Adaptive Front Lighting system, which can adjust the headlight beam angle and intensity to one of seven settings according to speed, ambient light, steering angle, distance to the vehicle in front and windscreen wiper activation. Ford’s automated lighting technologies are automatically activated when low ambient light conditions are detected. “we found that some drivers are so concerned about dazzling other road users that they don’t use high beam at all,” Koherr said.

“Ford’s Glare-Free Highbeam technology can remove that stress for drivers, and softly transitioning between settings also helps the driver’s eyes adjust faster to changing quantities of light.”

Further semi-autonomous technologies offered by Ford can scan traffic signs and adjust the throttle to help drivers stay within legal speed limits, and can detect people in or near the road ahead, or who may cross the vehicle’s path, and automatically apply the brakes if a potential collision is detected. Ford also is developing future advanced lighting technology that improves visibility at roundabouts, stop, and give way or yield signs, while drawing the driver’s attention to pedestrians, cyclists and even large animals in the vehicle’s path or even just off the road.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

ExPRESS DELIVERY UNLIMITED SERVICE SA Auto Paints have a solid 20 year history in body shop supplies.

Our legendary service in Gauteng covers a full product range of foundation fillers and primers, superfast colour matching service and customer care that really counts for your business.

We have a full fleet of express delivery vehicles on hand.

Suppliers of: Auto Glass Lamps Motor Spares Bonnets Abrasives Fenders Spoilers Auto Paints We are stockists of Luxor Paints

Call Today

Tyrone Zackey +27 (0)11 673 9381 Patrica Farrell 082 901 1175 082 885 7301 Trevor Basson 079 632 1612 Visit: www.luxorpaints.co.za Mail: info@luxorpaints.co.za

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INDUSTRY news

by Roger Houghton

WHAT’S HOT?

SA BREXIT FALLOUT

Nico Vermeulen, NAAMSA director.

A

lready there are massive repercussions for global economies and financial markets. The UK and eU are south Africa’s most important trading partners in terms of vehicle and component experts so there are likely to be serious consequences arising from the Leave voters’ decision. senior executives of British vehicle manufacturing plants in the UK had warned about the potential risks associated with leaving the eU prior to the vote.

These voices included that of sA born Dr Johan van Zyl who now heads up Toyota europe. Toyota is among those companies with big plants in the UK, with others being BMw (building Mini and RollsRoyce), Volkswagen (Bentley), Tata (Jaguar Land Rover), Honda and nissan.

Ford has scaled down its operations in the UK, but its three UK factories are still an important source of major components such as engines and transmissions.

There are also a number of niche makers based in the UK such as Aston Martin, McLaren, Morgan and Lotus – among others.

A nissan executive in europe said it was hard to believe that there was an overwhelming “Leave” vote in the sunderland area where the nissan plant is situated and which provides employment to many of the local people.

If one considers that companies such as UK-based Toyota sold 75% of their 190 000 cars in eU member countries last year, while only 10% were sold on UK home soil, one can see why manufacturers are pressured to preserve these trade agreements. In 2015, the UK exported 77% of the 1.59 million vehicles manufactured in the country, across all makes.

Before the poll it was generally mentioned that exports of UKbuilt vehicles would be hit by a 10% duty when they went into the eU if the “Leave” vote succeeded. The penalty will only become clear as negotiations between the UK and eU progress, but the extreme case could result in the closure of vehicle manufacturing facilities in

the UK as is happening in Australia at present.

According to a recent report by Roy Cokayne in Business Day, nAAMsA’s director, nico Vermeulen, said that a lower GDP in the UK and eU will be reflected in the demand for motor vehicles but this could be only a temporary phenomenon.

Vermeulen said a broad free trade agreement governed trade between sA and the eU and sA would have to arrange a similar deal with UK going forward.

Another person to comment on Brexit and the motor industry was Jeff Osborne, former CeO of the Retail Motor Industry organisation (RMI) and now head of Gumtree Automotive. He said, “we don’t yet know the influence Brexit will have on the motor industry, but automotive stocks on global stock markets were battered when the news broke. This was likely due to investors exercising caution and opting to observe the UK situation before making any rash decisions. The effect is likely to be a marked decline in share values in the short term.”

Britain is an important market for built-up vehicle exports from sA, with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMw and Ford shipping a total of 48 699 passenger and light commercial vehicles to the UK last year.

“Vehicle and component exports from south Africa have been on the rise consistently over the last few years, in some instances by 50%, bolstered by the weak Rand and the financial recovery from northern hemisphere markets. It is crucial that trade agreements with Britain are renegotiated to minimise economic impact,” added the Gumtree head.

Osborne says this is particularly important as major African markets increasingly move away from south African imports. “As countries such as nigeria’s policies on vehicle imports tighten and nigeria focuses on its own budding manufacturing industry, south Africa is dependent on europe, while Angola’s loss of oil revenue also cut government spending on imports significantly.”

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THATCHAM news

TECHNICAL

FUTURE STRUCTURAL DIAGNOSIS

F

eedback from repairers, insurers and vehicle manufacturers say that the inclusion of stiffer, higher grade materials and more efficient impact load paths are leading to damage which is being underestimated.

For quite some time, BMw were pressing home the message that “carbon fibre doesn’t bend” to get the automotive industry to understand the different behaviours of a CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastics) structure and the huge amounts of energy it can absorb and transmit. Of course, we know carbon fibre can and does bend when formed to do so, but we need to start thinking in different ways. engineering of car bodies has reached the critical point whereby it’s immensely challenging, both from an engineering perspective, to include more of the higher grade steels. The Volvo XC90, awarded top sUV for 2015 by Australia’s Best Cars, is probably the epitome of the limit for boron steel inclusion, with almost the complete occupant cell being shrouded in two layers.

To further increase boron inclusion would require applications in the front and rear structures, which just isn’t possible as these need to reform progressively and that leaves Volvo to consider more aluminium, or even composites.

Mixed material car bodies are real and here now. The Mercedes s Class, with 52 material types in 36 thicknesses joined by 17 different joining processes was probably the flagship for this, but the new BMw 7 series “carbon core” body features 10 material types if you ignore the four different CFRP technologies and count these as one. If you include vehicles such as the forthcoming Toyota Prius 4, which features steel, aluminium and composites, then you can see how fast mixed material has trickled down from the s Class to mainstream and higher volume vehicles.

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now we are also well into the era of mixed-materials panels with the BMw 7 series and Jaguar XF both featuring hybrid B pillars, just two examples of this with many more emerging as OeMs sell these solutions “off the shelf” to vehicle manufacturers. so, a panel of two (or more) materials is something we have to get our heads around now. Vw has even investigated applying hybrid panels to the MQB platform structure, which could, if implemented lead to literally millions of these panels being built into vehicles every year, which offsets the material cost.

Let’s be clear, the car makers don’t like engineering this complexity as it’s risky, difficult and expensive, but they have no choice. “we can do no more with steel,” was the statement from one senior development engineer from a vehicle manufacturer. so, it’s inevitable that as they have to face up to it, so does the repair community. without simplifying it too much, perhaps rather than seeing how far the impact forces have progressed into a damaged car, we now need to consider where and how the impact forces have dispersed.

Press-hardened Hinge-Pillar and side rocker structures are becoming the norm as, whilst an expensive material choice, it enables a comparatively simpler structure to be engineered around this skeleton. These are not tasked with deforming, but instead to absorb and disperse the energy through rigid intersections with the food members and floor members, and perhaps into rigid castings that form the basis of the drivetrain mounting and chassis rails. This is equally and perhaps even more effective for small vehicles with straight impact absorbing chassis legs and sill structures transmitting much greater energies than ever before through stiff nodes to other profiles made of equally high grade materials. In this way, the

The new BMW 7 Series uses CFRP lined press hardened steel rocker reinforcements to improve crash performance.

small family car of today can absorb impact loads that would have been unimaginable 10 to 15 years ago. so, we have a number of challenges; l How far and where have the impact forces been transmitted to? l Have the profiles involved in absorbing and transmitting the force deformed? l For hybrid (mixed materials) panels, how have both materials been affected and have either exceeded their limits? l Have the non-deforming materials (aluminum casting or CFRP or CFRP/steel components been overloaded and fractured? solutions and strategies for some of these are emerging. The Lamborghini strategy of ultrasonic diagnosis of CFRP structures, courtesy of their “flying doctor” service, has now been extended to Audi for the R8 coupé. For this to be effective, a programmed software package is required – specific panels, or even sections of the panels – so that the ultrasound can make sense of what it is seeing. This is a positive step towards being able to safely diagnose delamination or cracks, either on the opposite surface or even inside the composite material, and of course can detect cracks that are too small for the inspecting engineer to be able to visually detect. This can become a clear process providing an output for clear evidence to the insurance engineer of the structural state at the time of testing.

Of course, like so many other skills, this needs to be learned and ultrasound can take some getting used to. It remains to be seen whether all applications will require specific software to accurately diagnose the damage, but if it does, then this means having to refer every applicable vehicle to a facility with the correct equipment and software. If there is no cross-brand or

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by Andrew Hooker

“generic” applications, then this also means significant investment by the body shops, and even the franchised main dealers may baulk at yet more mandatory equipment.

BMw has developed a simpler solution for the 7 series. This involves a template panel that fits the CFRP lined PressHardened steel rocker reinforcement panel that has a uniform profile across its length, enabling a finite limit to acceptable deformation.

BMw is also one of those looking at visible inspection locations on the vehicle structure where fibre-reinforced plastics, including CFRP, can be visually inspected for damage. This in itself may lead to changes in how we think of vehicle damage assessment. A complete and accurate firsttime assessment may no longer be possible as partial trim strip to expose these key points and inspection may be required in many cases, but re-assessment in itself could also be driven by the complex requirements of ADAs diagnosis and reinstatement.

Assessing the “conventional” parts of the structure may become a more demanding task as well. The alignment tolerances of a modern car body are so much finer than before as the body is so much more rigid, so measuring distortion to diagnose and reinstate body alignment will probably also require 3D mapping electronic technology for fast and precise measurement. Those that hold “manufacturer approved” or franchise status may have to invest in chassis jigs and brand-specific measuring, but this is again not a viable cross-industry solution. what’s more, given the further transmission of impact forces, where we measure will in all likelihood change. Thousands of vehicles with aluminium castings are reaching the Australian roads every year, and this number is increasing. These are not likely to deform and so will transmit the impact further than perhaps anticipated. so, what is the solution? To progress successfully as an industry, a number of things need to happen: l Identify the main elements (materials, nodes, construction and joining processes) that cause structural behaviour that is difficult to diagnose in these new structures.

Perhaps a particular combination is more

BMW carbon core structure.

prone to be difficult for diagnosis than another, and perhaps another is more prone to failure/fracturing of composites or hybrid panels. l evaluate and validate the various diagnostic procedures and tools available to do this and ensure these are practical to use in the automotive repair environment. we need to clearly establish which diagnostic procedures and tools available to do this and ensure these are practical to use in the automotive repair environment. we also need to clearly establish which diagnostic processes can be relied upon to detect delamination of the opposite surface or internal defects of composites including carbon fibre. we should also consider that, at some point, we may wish to validate the joining in repair of composites. Much of the current composite expertise comes from the aviation industry and their volumes are lower and individual aircraft and repair costs are obviously massive, so much of that thinking needs to be adapted for us. But neither should we forget steel nor aluminium as we need to ensure we can efficiently diagnose damage to all structures – not just those that are composite inclusive. l Creation of standards, training, repair data and competencies that are transparent and that protect the consumer, the insurer, the corporate vehicle owner and the smash repairer, so that all we know beyond doubt the structural integrity of each vehicle. This needs to take into account differing skill

levels and to be applicable across a vast range of materials and construction strategies.

This, I believe, can be achieved, but we need to understand that we are on the crest of a wave of new body engineering strategies and materials, so what we see today with mixed-material bodies will not necessarily reflect what we see in 10 or even five years’ time; the pace of material engineering really is that fast. so, in some ways it’s like trying to hit a moving target, but it does develop our ability to cope with the core technologies until the pace of advancement settles.

Thatcham Research is probably best placed of all to lead on this. we have the close links with the relevant car makers and OeM’s who are at the lead of this fast-paced technical development, and we are geographically close to many leading academics who are enabling some of these advances. But perhaps most important is our many, many years’ experience of damage assessment and repair, our daily engagement with insurers and repairers and our research and validation testing capability. The fact that so many parties have approached us for collaboration on this already suggests there is much concern across the automotive industry as we’re all moving into unchartered water with car body structures – and it’s only through collaboration that we will manage the changes.

COMPLETE BODY SHOP SOLUTIONS Are you looking to upgrade your collision repair centre?

We have 30 years of experience with spraybooths, preparation zones and mixing rooms.

We offer entry level or waterborne spraybooths.

TRENDLINE AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS (PTY) LTD Rory 083 702 1745, www.trendlineauto.co.za AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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NEWS FROM THE ZOO by Roger Houghton Thank goodness the demand for magazines dealing with classic cars and motorcycles remains strong while there is a general fall-off in sales of newspapers and many other magazines due to the digital alternatives now available.

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id-year may be cold and miserable in South Africa at times, but it also heralds the time of the year when SA’s premier classic car and motorcycle shows are staged in Gauteng. The major shows are the Classic Motorcycle Club’s 1000 Bike Show, held in Germiston in July, and the Pretoria Old Motor Club’s Cars in the Park, staged at Zwartkops Raceway in August.

This year the weather was fairly kind for both events although a chilly wind did whip through the open spaces at Zwartkops.

Nevertheless the attraction of classic machinery once again proved a magnet for many thousands of Gautengers.

What is particularly interesting for enthusiasts attending these two major events are the unusual or special motorcycles and cars that transport visitors to the venues.

This is particularly true at Germiston High School, where the variety of motorcycles and trikes parked on the soccer field is amazing. Many are very oddball, but I suppose they represent the owner’s dreams or a desire to stand out in a crowd. Lots of them are true works of art and a tribute to the skill of airbrush artists, while many of the riders are walking adverts for the ability of our tattoo artists.

Arriving at the 1000 Bike Show on a Saturday or Sunday it is easy to forget the members of the Classic Motorcycle Club who have been working on this project for months. We only see the finished product. A big problem is that the number of club members willing to put in extra work on projects such as this show and the DJ Rally is declining. Without committed workers we won’t have events to enjoy.

However, what is very satisfying for people like Ian Groat (the publisher of this mag) and myself, is the apparent growing desire of more and more South Africans to look after our heritage by owning and restoring vehicles from the past. Some, like Ian, go the whole hog and build amazing replicas of famous racing motorcycles. Both Ian and I are very passionate about old, single cylinder British racing bikes so we enjoy his recreations of these machines because they are virtual pieces of art in our eyes!

I am also a member of the Pretoria Old Motor Club and always enjoy our big event of the year, Cars in the Park, which continues to grow in popularity and attracts one of the biggest crowds of the year to Zwartkops Raceway. Here one must pay tribute to the hardworking club members who toil tirelessly to make this event such a huge success.

This year lovers of vintage and classic cars and motorcycles will have had another opportunity to pursue their pastime of admiring

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these machines from the past as there were a large number of these models on display at the recent SA Festival of Motoring, which was held at Kyalami.

A special area, above the pits, housed the Galleria which had all the top line brands and exotics on show as well as some historically significant models from the past.

Although there is a trend away from print media to digital offerings on computers, tablets and cellphones the good news is that printed publications which focus on classic cars, motorcycles and collectables are flourishing as prices for many cars and bikes from the past are rocketing in these days of economic uncertainty.

Good news on the local front is that Classic Car Africa magazine, which is edited so ably by enthusiastic and knowledgeable Stuart Grant, is now published monthly instead of bi-monthly. It is an excellent magazine which deserves to succeed and I hope it now attracts more advertising to ensure its sustainability.

On the international front, where some magazines and newspapers are going out of business, it is heartening to hold a thick copy of Octane in your hand. It is a top quality British publication which is packed full of adverts for high priced and very special classic cars, some with amazing histories which adds to the price and the desirableness. Classic and Sports Car magazine is another publication that is thriving.

My major interest is in classic motorcycles and I subscribe to four monthly magazines from the UK that cover this subject: Classic Bike, The Classic Motorcycle, Classic Bike Guide and Real Classic.

Although they focus on basically the same subject they are all continuing to do well apparently, which is heartening for enthusiasts like me.

Although the classic car and motorcycle scene in South Africa appears to be healthy there are warning signs from a number of sources that a lot of our motoring heritage is being lost as more and more collectable cars and motorcycles are exported, mainly to the United Kingdom, where there is a thriving market for classic machines and sizeable profits to be made.

The latest person to mention this threat to our heritage was Peter du Toit, the owner of Zwartkops Raceway, who remarked on the increasing number of classic vehicles being exported when we were chatting at the recent Cars in the Park show.

These cars do not necessarily have to be highly pedigreed either as I know a friend of mine who is involved in exporting a restored Ford Escort 1600 Sport models to the UK as this model was not sold there. Although this is a worrying trend let’s enjoy these links with our past as long as we can when the opportunity arises!

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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INDUSTRY NEWS TECHNOLOGY

mirrorless cars coming oUr WaY

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o to any auto show and there will likely be a futuristic concept car that has ditched its rearview or sideview mirrors.

Designers may have substituted unobtrusive camera lenses that are barely detectable from the sheet metal.

Mirrorless cars, or vehicles that drop oldschool glass mirrors in favour of video screens have been proposed for years by stylists and engineers wanting sleeker looks as well as improved safety and fuel efficiency.

Proposals have come closer to reality in Japan, which became one of the first markets allowing vehicles to use cameras instead of mirrors. The promise of mirrorless cars is sparking a rush of suppliers to the technology, including such entrants as Japan's Ichikoh Industries and Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH. Japan's first-mover status could give Japanese companies a head start in tapping the trend. Ichikoh, known mainly as a supplier of lighting and mirrors, sees big opportunities in mirrorless cars and is manufacturing its first product.

"Our job is to improve the visibility of the drive, with lighting and mirrors, but now also with cameras," Ichikoh CEO Ali Ordoobadi said in an interview at the company's world headquarters south of Tokyo.

"There is a switch of technology, a kind of rupture," he said. "It's a really new segment with higher content, and that means higher revenue opportunities. This is the trend, and we have to be in front of the others."

Safe and efficient It is not just about suppliers making more money. Camera-based monitors have advantages over traditional mirrors that help automakers tackle two top challenges: improving safety and boosting fuel economy.

For starters, cameras capture a wider angle of view and can see blind spots usually invisible with mirrors. They can also improve visibility by digitally compensating for glare, darkness or even rainy weather.

Camera-based systems typically weigh less than mirrors and reduce drag, helping lift fuel economy. They also allow for potentially sexier, streamlined body silhouettes.

Ichikoh's first product is an interior rearview mirror that has a double function: It operates as a regular mirror and with the flick of a switch, it transforms into a digital screen displaying a live video feed of the rear view.

Dubbed the Smart Rear View Monitor, it entered production in June for a customer that will use it in a vehicle that goes on sale

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

Vid eo screens may rep lace wing mirror s in cars. in Japan any day now.

Ichikoh identified the customer only as a Japanese carmaker with plans to use the video monitor in a midrange, low-volume nameplate. Japanese regulators changed the rules to allow mirrorless cars. "I can say we are the first on the OEM market," Ordoobadi said.

The pathway to mirrorless cars was cleared late last year when the United Nations' World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations approved the use of cameras that meet certain specifications in place of mirrors.

Tetsuya Saito, section chief on engineering policy at Japan's Road Transport Bureau, said Japan changed its rules in light of video quality advancements. "The U.N. regulations have standards that clearly determine high-performance specs," Saito said. "Until now, camera monitors haven't been introduced to replace mirrors because they didn't have sufficient visibility."

Japan and the European Union were among the regions expected to revise local regulations this year to allow the new technology.

The United States is seen adopting the standard in 2018, and China is expected to join the club in the coming years, Ichikoh said. Volume may be low right now but Ichikoh sees big growth – at least in Japan.

It predicts that by 2023, about 29% of the Japanese market, or about 2.3 million vehicles, will have video monitors as interior mirrors. At the same time, it forecasts that about 12% of the market, about 900 000 vehicles, will have jettisoned exterior sideview mirrors for cameras.

With its French partner Valeo SA, Ichikoh plans to introduce its monitor systems outside Japan, including the U.S. and Europe.

"We will not be looking just at the Japanese market," Ordoobadi said.

Ichikoh is hardly alone in readying the new technology. In June, rival Japanese mirror maker Murakami Corp. unveiled plans to develop video monitors in place of interior mirrors. Japan's Nikkan Kogyo newspaper said Murakami aims to start production around 2018.

Until now, camera monitors haven't been introduced to replace mirrors because they didn't have sufficient visibility.

The first mirro rless race car from Nissan.

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TRADE TALK AEROCURE’S TOP REPRESENTATIVE

Dennis Demp sey ( left) is seen with panelb eater Charl at Supastraig ht in Pietermaritzb urg.

Dennis s ays it is of utmos t imp ortance reg ar ding quality, that measuring systems are in use d aily and do n’t b eco me just another ornament in the corner.

PROFILE

THIS DENNIS IS NO MENACE

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rying to assist upwards of 400 body shop clients right from Pongola to the Eastern Cape and Bloemfontein is a big ask, but Dennis Dempsey is now in his 22nd year of doing just that for Aerocure.

Dennis claims that a great part of his ongoing success has been accredited to the fact that he services the spraybooths and Car-OLiner equipment and welders right in front of the customer which often totally eliminates any costly downtime.

There are never ending technology advances in the Aerocure range. One such product is a new, power saving, soft touch, electrified motor that’s available to reduce energy costs on the overall running of a spraybooth.

“The business,” says Dennis, “remains good as up to 20 shops per year come up for a new turnkey operation in the coastal regions.” He goes on to say that his life is not made any easier in modern times by some heavy overtrading with new spraybooths being sold on strange terms by some competitors. “Thankfully,” he says, “in the long term our customers realise the value in what we sell and our commitment to strong back-up in the field.”

We caught up with Dennis at one of his loyal customers at Supastraight Panel and Paint in Windsor Road, Pietermartizburg.

Shannon Naidoo was full of praise for Dempsey’s long term help and commitment aswell as advice on collision repair trends.

Starting up on returning from Australia in 2004, Shannon says the company have made solid gains in both workflow quality and speed of production using the body shop production routing package designed by Dennis. Their premier quality body shop now employs over 35 full time employees. It remains a large family run company with Shannon and his wife Sharron at the helm of the ongoing success.

It’s clearly evident that Dennis is good at what he does and he enjoys a good reputation in the industry for his knowledge, work ethic and friendliness. Take a look at www.aerocure.co.za for more details on their range, along with contact details.

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The Car-O-Liner is scissor floor mounted for fast set-up while measuring in the aluminium repair bay.

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story and pics by Ian Groat

The Supastraight team of Shannon and Sharon Naidoo have enjoyed great success in the body shop business.

WE ARE NOW DIGITAL Great news! All issues of Automotive Refinisher magazine are available for easy download on all iPads and Android tablets.

Check out past editions on our website www.autoref.co.za or go to www.autoref.co.za/past-editions Get all your latest news on new products and equipment for your repair shop, as well as training info.

The compact Supastraight Panel and Paint workshop is sectioned off for hygiene purposes.

“It is important to always buy a clean air system that can deliver 0.5micron dust levels,” says Aerocure’s Dennis Dempsey.

With constant help and advice from Dennis, KZN Supastraight is now a top shop in Pietermaritzburg.

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BMW i3 range extended

NEW i3 takEs you furthEr

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MW is expanding the model range of its compact electric car, the BMW i3 and from summer onwards will be offering a version with significantly increased battery capacity. the BMW i3 (94 ah) has a capacity of 33 kilowatt hours (kWh) thanks to the higher storage density of the lithium ion cells. the battery dimensions remain unchanged with over 50% range increase in the standard nedC cycle which equals 300 kilometres instead of 190 kilometres. even in everyday use, in bad weather conditions and with the air conditioning or heating turned on, 200 kilometres of range can be achieved on one full battery charge. the driving performance figures

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of the 125 kW hybrid synchronous electric motor remain virtually unchanged. the motor propels the BMW i3 from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds. this makes the BMW i3 both the sportiest and most efficient electric vehicle in its segment with an electricity consumption of 12.6 kWh/100 km (nedC). the BMW i3 with 60 ah battery, which has been on the market for two years, remains part of the model range. In addition, the model variant with range extender will still be available for both battery versions. the two-cylinder petrol engine keeps the charge level of the battery constant while driving provides an additional range of 150 kilometres (BMW i3 (94 ah)/BMW i3 (60 ah):

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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ZEEMAN MOTORCYCLES Motorcycle crash repair parts for most makes and models.

combined fuel consumption 0.6./0.6l/100 km; combined electricity consumption: 11.3/13.5 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 12/13 g/km). this broadens the model range of the premium electric vehicle to four versions. With the introduction of the BMW i3 (94 ah), BMW i also offers new and more powerful charging stations for home garage use as well as new equipment options. additionally, customers can have their first-generation battery retrofitted as part of a special retrofit programme and have the new battery type installed – this is made possible thanks to the modular and flexible design of the BMW i3.

We import and sell direct to the public for the best prices in Africa!

Call 011 435 7177 email: zeeman@netactive.co.za AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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LOCAL NEWS WHAT’S HOT?

CAPRICORN PARTS, DURBAN

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apricorn Parts are based in the central business district of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). They have been supplying consumables and ancillaries to the collision repair market for the past 31 years and they keep adapting to their customer needs.

Gordon Rich, Capricorn Parts owner and Rajen Moodley, director of Capricorn Parts have been team mates in the venture since the company’s inception. Judging by the busy hum of activity at the front desk as well as despatch, they, and their team are doing a great job.

With their client’s needs in mind, the latest addition of the Anest Iwata brand name to their stable of goods was the next logical step in their business expansion plan.

The company are now the KZN representatives for Anest Iwata and they are excited and passionate about the full range of spray guns and quality equipment that they offer at a value price.

The range is an excellent add on to the abrasives, paint and other consumable that Capricorn Parts supply to the collision repair market. They also stock certified aftermarket parts too. They pride themselves in specialising in non-original replacement parts for the most popular cars, LDVs and trucks.

With a compliment of 35 staff members and 10 delivery vehicles, they can cover KZN thoroughly. Richards Bay, Pongola, Umtata, then on to the inland areas of Ladysmith and more, the Capricorn Parts team have it covered.

The whole of KZN from Umtata to Pongola and the inland areas are looked after the despatch team and 10 delivery vehicles.

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Gordon Rich (left) and Rajen Moodley of Capricorn Parts are very excited about the new addition of the Anest Iwata brand to their range.

A bustling and friendly front desk welcomes any client to this one stop shop for body repair.

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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Gun Design by Master Car Designer Pininfarina.

Anest Iwata’s State-of-the-Art Supernova WS-400 Evo.

Block B, Gr ound Floor, St. Andr ew s Of f ice C o mpl ex Meadowbr ook Lane, Epsom Downs Cont act : +27 (0)11 463 2169

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r-m best painter preparations underway

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s the date draws closer to the International Final of the R-M Best Painter Contest, the South African finalist, Monique Swanepoel has been hard at work preparing for the prestigious competition which is scheduled to be held in Clermont de l’Oise France, from the 27th to the 29th of September 2016.

Training under the watchful eye of Wayne Brandon, technical trainer for BASF Coatings Services at the Refinish Competence Center, Swanepoel is certainly ready for the international finals. “We have been fine tuning a few technical areas to ensure Monique is 100% confident in all the tasks that she will need to perform during the competition,” notes Brandon.

With the motto for this year’s competition being “Think innovative – Be sustainable”, an additional Colours & Design task has been created to test the contestants’ creativity with regards to their colour competence skills. Car manufacturers are currently investing in emobility and digitalisation bringing to question the new colours that these vehicles will have.

The BASF Color Designers predict in their Automotive Color Trends 2016/2017 that automotive colours will be influenced by the interconnection of the digitalisation (virtual world) and the social development (physical world). Therefore, the finalists are tasked to come up with a colour concept that will depict future sustainable cars. Media representatives at the finals will vote for the best colour on the last day of the competition. The best colour will be presented to the OEMs by the Color Designers with mention of the winning contestant and their country.

Swanepoel will compete against 14 other finalists from Europe, Asia and Canada and South Africa wishes her the best.

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AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

R-M MONIQUES AD S-O 2016_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2016/08/30 11:34 AM Page 1

Tel: 011 872 1217 RSB AutoGroup, Joshua Doore Building, 4 Andries Street South, Wynberg, JHB

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LOCAL UPDATe WHAT’S HOT?

DINO’S AUTO BODY REpAIRS CC pOWER OF pRODUCTION WITH CLEAN AIR

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ino’s Auto Body Repairs CC are situated in Greenhills Industrial estates and became a problem of their own success as their passion for restoring classic cars grew into a business all on its own, says silvio Ferreira. The move to open an all-new stand-alone repair operation became a necessity as classic car owners who came for complete body restoration grew in leaps and bounds. silvio says that Dino’s standard body shop became too small and classics require a totally different approach to overall refurbishment.

Last year the company moved, to cater for their average of some five units per month of restorations, into an all-new repair shop situated across the road from the original body shop.

Y.e.s (Your equipment supplier) did the new equipment installation which includes dedicated downdraft preparation zones, a Firat imported spray booth and a mixing room. But with this turnkey operation, silvio really went to town with the compressed air system to avoid any costly production down time.

He also had the latest energy-saving Aykom vein compressor installed. It features variable speed energy start up that is capable of saving up to 35% on electricity in operation. It is manufactured in Turkey to IsO 9000 quality standards. The ATV-I5 model uses inverter motor technology to cushion motor start-ups from the star Delta kick-in by using a harmonised filter and choke.

The unit delivers in excess of 1 000 litres per minute and feeds a vertical Yakut air receiving tank with an extended auto driver built to finalise the clean air profile. The after cooling refrigeration unit Mikropor can run to a pressured 16-bar free air delivery to delivery high quality clean compressed air to 0,1 microns with zero containments. The system to clean all air to the body shop shows amazing attention to detail and silvio says that it is working without any fuss or bother whatsoever. with a best in class performance the investment has proved worthwhile.

For more information you can call Y.e.s equipment for their full line up on air compressors and after cooler refrigeration units. The Y.e.s sales office number is +27 (0)10 590 9444 or visit their website www.yesrsa.co.za

“Energy savings with the Aykom compressor package are significant with up to 35% less electricity being used,” says Silvio.

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Silvio Ferreira from Dino’s (left) is seen with Nico Boshoff with the professional Y.E.S compressed air system in use at the new shop.

It became a mission to keep up with the restoration side of the business at Dino’s so they invested in a new operation to keep up.

Specialised staff now produce around five complete body restorations per month.

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INSIDE TRACK

WHAT’S HOT?

KYALAMI’S ANNUAL FERRARI DAY

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he remarkable Ferrari band of enthusiasts flocked to the recently refurbished Kyalami race track to celebrate the annual Automobile Club day. Almost every Ferrari model came out to play, right from the iconic 365 GTB/4 Daytona to the impressive F50 vintage cars. But on show for all to see were the very latest model introductions such as the 458 Italia and 488 GTB cars.

Modena red cars were in the majority along with some bright yellow and silver collectors cars to be seen.

Track time for one and all was the order of the day with Pablo Clark Racing showing off their Classic racers owned by Pablo Cavaleri. A magnificent 250 GTE put out a raucous noise while driven by specialist race drivers such as Jackie Scheckter, showing a good turn of speed with over 300 horsepower on hand to get the job done.

Backed up by some rapid V12-engined cars there was some really pleasant audible sound track for spectators to enjoy from the ultra quick Ferrari 250 GTM’s that enjoyed track time strutting their stuff to round out Maranello’s finest.

Over 150 of Modena’s finest collectable classic cars on show at the annual Ferrari get together.

Libra Pardini, Ferrari owner of the rare GTB Daytona seen at Kyalami.

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1. This unique GTM Ferrari is part of the Pablo Clark vintage race team and remains very vocal.

2. All the lastest exotic Ferrari models were on show.

3. Roger McCleery and Leila were part of the media contingent that enjoyed the big day.

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GOOd NEWS

STORy UPdATE

10 COMRADES IN 10 DAYS

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Hazel Moller and Tumelo Moko bane were the dynamic d uo d riven by their devotion to help ab used and ab and oned animals.

azel Moller and Tumelo Mokobane took on the ultimate running challenge – to run the 90 km Comrades distance each day consecutively for the nine days leading up to the epic Ultra Marathon, and then culminating in the official Comrades marathon on the 29th May 2016. In other words, they attempted to run 10 Comrades Marathons in 10 days! Ouch!

Their goal was to raise R500 000 for animal charities who rehabilitate and nurture abused and abandoned animals and then find them loving and caring homes. “We run for all of the animals that are sitting in cold shelters who have no one to love them. Many have no room to move and definitely no room to run.” Hazel expressed.

The management team of Bulldog Abrasives decided to sponsor the Ten10 challenge after meeting Hazel and seeing how enthusiastic she was about the cause that she was running for, and how determined she was to conquer her goal.

“It is not every day that you come across people who are so passionate about such a worthy cause and who are willing to go the distance to help. As it is one of Bulldog Abrasives core values to always go above and beyond when it comes to our customer service – something that we feel strongly about – we thought that it would be an awesome feat to support,” explained Bulldog’s CEO John Maroun.

Tumelo Mokobane heard of Hazel’s initiative last year and started to follow Hazel’s cause on Twitter. He found Hazel to be such an inspiration and called her to see if he could join her on this year’s challenge. Hazel was extremely grateful that she had someone to run beside her who is just as enthusiastic as she is about animals, and just as determined to make a difference in their little lives.

With their dedication to making a difference and raising money 72

for the animal charities, they were determined to go the distance, but on day five of the challenge Hazel had to jump out of the way of a vehicle that was heading towards her at full speed, resulting in a 10 cm tear in the tibialis muscle in her left lower leg.

Tumelo, after running 90 km’s per day for six days, and 51 km's on day seven, suffered from extreme muscle fatigue, and I know, as being a part of the experience, how hard he tried to keep going and push through the terrible pain that he was experiencing.

On day eight of the challenge, Hazel, with her devotion and determination, attempted to run with her 10 cm muscle tear. She got to 15 kms but couldn’t carry on, as the pain was too great. If she had to run any more on the leg it would have caused permanent damage. A devastated Hazel, and her supportive husband Chris, headed back to Johannesburg where Hazel could get proper treatment and the medical attention she needed. Tumelo's hips and legs seized up and he was unable to run any further. From there he travelled to Durban and participated in the Comrades Marathon two days later, which he completed in under 12 hours.

The definition of a challenge is "being faced with something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a persons ability". Both Hazel and Tumelo accepted the Ten10 challenge but to run 90 kms per day for 10 days is no easy challenge (if it was, a lot more people would be doing it!). Everyone can take the necessary precautions, but the reality is, when it comes to running no one is immune to injury. They can both raise their heads high and be proud of what they have accomplished.

Both participants of the challenge were distraught that they had not been able to run the whole Ten10 challenge, but to us they are both heroes! They have created such awareness for PETs, SPCA and

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by Vicky Maroun

The sup por t for Hazel and Tumelo was overwhelming as is evident with the gathering outside Netacces s in Bed for dview o n day two o f the Ten10 challenge.

Day 1 started at Underdog s in Pretoria.

Animals in Distress, and have raised over R200 000 for these charities. If you could have been out there to see the passion and determination in both of these athletes, you would have gotten goosebumps. They felt so strongly about creating awareness for abused and abandoned animals and the charities that help these animals that they wanted to run through the pain to achieve their goal.

In a recent email from Hazel, she stated “I have been astounded by the knock forward effect Ten10 has had this year – in the last couple of weeks two other clubs have donated pet food and I have been able to donate to Animal Ambulance and 4paws as well. Also, some late sponsorships came through and upon consent of the Ten10 team, I was able to donate it to Underdogs. I would like to thank Bulldog Abrasives. Without you, the marketing you did, the financial support and the customer networking, it just would not have been the success it was with regard to raising funds and awareness for animal charities.”

This was the first time that the Ten10 initiative raised over R100 000, and reaching R200 000 was unbelievable for them. The support they received was tremendous, especially since they never completed the full “Ten Comrades in Ten Days”. Hazel attributes this mostly to Bulldog Abrasives and associates, and states that without their support they would have never managed to reach the R200 000 mark.

Bulldog Abrasives would like to thank Hazel and Tumelo for making them a part of such an amazing challenge and for showing them how far you can get when you believe in something so strongly. They would also like to thank their co-sponsors, Net Access, as well as all of you who supported Hazel and Tumelo by donating to their worthy cause. It is greatly appreciated.

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LATEST NEWS O ver 10 000 bikers made the annual pilg rimag e to Germiston to the Classic Club’s 1000 Bike sho w. Here is the winner o f the b est b ike on show, Russell Ras chner, with his three year re- build of a 1913 Clyno machine.

DID YOU HEAR?

by Roger McCleery

T

he new Hilux once again is south Africa’s bestselling vehicle and Fortuner is also on the top 10 best sellers list.

If you count Toyota, Lexus and Hino together, one of every four vehicles sold in south Africa in July came from the Toyota stable.

All-time sales records were set for the Ford Fiesta in July with 1 740 units as the Ford’s share of the market climbed to nearly 15%. They had a month-on-month increase by June of 13.1%.

Mazda are very happy with their sales of 949 units in this struggling market. They recorded sales of 387 Mazda CX5’s which is the highest dealer sales of any manufacturer in the medium sUV segment. Mazda itself has grown this year by 64% and had a July market share of 2.1%. A very steady sales growth for this team in south Africa.

In this troubled trading environment the motor industry in south Africa has always been the barometer of how the south African economy is doing. Hopefully all the talks with the Trade Unions come out well as in these times we don’t need anybody packing their goods up, closing their factories or returning to europe. we need every sale that is available.

Good to see that Mahindra, part of the Indian automobile giant is bucking the negative sales trend in south Africa. In the last fiscal year they showed a growth of 4% as they see a growing demand for vehicles in the value-for-money category. They have passed the 30 000 mark since they commenced business here in 2004. nissan did well in the Ipsos, south African Customers satisfaction Awards. They received a platinum award for customer satisfaction when selling their bakkies; and a Gold award for customer satisfaction buying or servicing their LCV’s; plus a silver award for buying or servicing passenger cars.

GwM’s C30 compact sedan that we saw first at the last International Motor show at nasrec is now available. It offers exceptional value for money at R180 000. It features a 1.5-litre engine that delivers 71 kw. Top speed is 170 km/h and fuel consumption should be around 7.5 litres/100km.

Continental Tyres have a vision for cutting down on road accidents, injuries and fatalities. not only have they got their cutting edge sport Contact 6 which gives unbelievable road holding and grip on wet and dry roads, but they have now introduced a revolutionary lightweight braking system to shorten braking distances.

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If you think your Audi s3, BMw M2, Ranger or Focus have enough oomph, Rod Green Motors will make sure that you can have a lot more. They have just added the Alfa 4C to their performance improvement list.

The popular CeO of Bridgestone Tyres in south Africa, Mike Halforty, is taking early retirement after 19 years giving service to the company in P.e. and Brits. The new CeO will be Gavin Young who has worked in south Africa, the United Kingdom and the states.

The Triumph Infor Rocket streamliner has become the world’s fastest ever Triumph by achieving a speed of 274.2 mph at the Bonneville salt Flats on 8 August 2016. Piloted by TT legend Guy Martin, the streamliner smashed the previous official Triumph record that stood at 245.6 mph as well as the unofficial Triumph Record of 424.866 km/h, both set by Bob Leppan, in the Gyronaut X-1. near perfect conditions greeted the team on the final day of the team’s land speed practice week. with confidence high after a successful number of days running on the salt at Bonneville the team’s goal for the day with the Triumph Infor Rocket streamliner was the Triumph record.

Just after 8:30am Guy Martin and the team set off on the first run of the day, after a steady start, Martin accelerated the sleek looking streamliner to a staggering 264.0 mph, rewriting Triumph history in the process. Just after the two-mile marker Martin came to a controlled stop near to the team’s base camp to be greeted by the news that he had broken the 46-year-old Triumph record.

The Triumph Infor Rocket features a carbon Kevlar monocoque construction with two turbocharged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000 bhp at 9,000 rpm. The motorcycle is 25.5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. Powered by methanol fuel, the bike is competing in the Division C (streamlined motorcycle) category.

Isuzu and Mazda have revealed that they would be collaborating on the next generation pick-up truck. The two companies would be mix-matching their various technologies.

Isuzu would produce the next generation pick-up trucks for Mazda based on Isuzu’s own vehicles.

Could be that the new Mazda would be built in south Africa down at GM in P.e. as Isuzu has got a long term agreement with GM sA to build their popular bakkies.

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Listen to Ro ger McC leery every Tuesday o n Radio To day (1485 A M) at 17h30 fo r everything abo ut SA mo to ring.

Talking bakkies, Renault says its Alaskan one-tonner, based on nissan’s navarra would also form part of Mercedes-Benz’ upcoming bakkie. They will all look distinctively like their parent companies.

Fiat enters our market with the Fullback, based on the Mitsubishi Triton and Peugeot will have a bakkie soon, likely based on Toyota’s Hilux.

The unbeatable Toyota Gazoo racing teams carry on with their winning ways. They have not been beaten this year in south Africa. In the last round of the Donaldson Cross-Country Championship in Lichtenburg (previously home to off-road racing) Leeroy Poulter and Rob Howie in their Hilux and their team-mates Anthony Taylor and Denis Murphy came home first and second.

First in Class T were Venter and Van Alleman in another Hilux and in Class s it was the Vissers Jnr and snr in their Hilux that took Class s. Guess who won the Manufacturers Prize? Toyota!

40 people work at Hallspeed Motorsport, just below Kyalami, building not only these Hiluxes for heavy local competition but for the Dakar races as well. They have a span of vehicles racing all over the world – in Russia, Romania, spain, south America and winning all-important competitions. nissan’s Al Atiyah has won the last four out of six races in the FIA Cross-Country Championship, driving Giniel de Villiers’ Dakar Hilux that finished third overall. evan Hutchinson and Danie stassen decimated the rest of the field in the special Vehicles Class in Lichtenburg and lead the championship. They drive a Motorite Bat Viper locally made, as they have done for years.

Overcoming adversity was Chris Visser and ward Huxtable who finished fifth in the bakkie class in a Ford Ranger. Their own vehicle was burnt out in a neil woolridge workshop fire. A Ranger, built hastily was borrowed from Kobus van Tonder. Just getting to the race was a miracle in itself.

The new smart launched just a few weeks or so ago that impressed the majority of motoring journalists around south Africa is now joined by another model. It is the 80kw Brabus that sports 80kw. That should give it an acceleration time of 0-100 in 9.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h.

Toyota and Hino in south Africa were awarded Gold Awards at the nADA Dealer satisfaction Index Awards recently. An immense amount of effort was put into the partnership Toyota has with its dealers – and this is their reward.

Plenty of fo rmer national champ ions enjo yed the sho w.

Seen here from left to right are Les van Bred a, Keith Zeeman and Peter Labuschag ne.

AUTOMOTIVE REFINISHER

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CUSTOMER TESTIMONY

PROdUCT PROFILE

SATA® FILTER 400TM SERIES: CLEAN COMPRESSED AIR FOR TOP RESULTS

C

ompressor oil, condensation and dust particles in the pipeline are a part of everyday life when working with compressed air. SATA® compressed air filters assure 100% technically clean air – with a seperation degree of 99.998%. With the SATA® filter 400™ modular filter line, compressed air problems are a thing of the past!

David Anthony, technical sales manager for RSB Auto Group, recently installed some of these filters at Durban Central Autobody and Technostar in KZN. Wayne Atkinson is the director of Durban Central and Technostar who have been customers of RSB Auto Group for the past four-years. He refers to RSB Auto Group as partners, and says that they bring great service and value to his businesses. The back-up he receives from RSB Auto Group is the best he has ever had.

Wayne expressed that he is extemely happy with the SATA® filters. So happy that he has installed these filters throughout all his shops. “Since I have been using the SATA® three stage filters 484™ I have experienced a great improvement in my finish results due to the excellent air quality. This is a top class product, and I would highly recommend it to any panel or paint shop!”

With the first class quality of the SATA® Filter 400™ series there are fewer malfunctions and no bad paint jobs caused by contaminated compressed air. The activated charcoal filter module thoroughly protects the painter from harmful vapours and gases. The rugged construction of all filter components ensures a long service life. The filter elements of the oil/water seperation module (Stage 1) are completely reusable and easy to clean. These advantages are just the tip of the iceberg!

To maintain the efficiency of the filter, the unit must be regularly maintained, thus avoiding coating flaws and other quality issues and eventually expensive rework. In order to remind users to exchange their saturated filter elements regularly, SATA has started to supply all SATA® filter units with a set of SATA® filter timers. “This feature helps a hell of a lot!” explained Wayne, “I am always busy with so many different jobs, it is so nice to have something to remind me to change the filter elements. This timer is a huge life saver, and it is so easy to use!”

When a new filter regulator is installed, each filter timer must be 76

activated by pressing the button to “start” the servicing interval timer of the respective filter stage. Over time, the display window will gradually turn to red, indicating the the passing of time and serving as a guide to the measuring of the filter saturation. When a window has completley changed to red, the filter cartridge needs to be replaced.

SATA® sets the standard for paint spray guns, compressed air filters and worker health protection. Together with their worldwide distributors they assure excellent customer service. Bulldog Abrasives Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd is the sole agent of SATA® products and supplies selected distributors across Southern and Sub-Saharan Africa. Contact their friendly sales team on +27 (0)11 786 5991 or sales@bulldogabrasives.co.za to find out more about their worldclass products and to find your closest distributor.

Wayne Atkinson, director of Durban Central and Technostar says he’s seen great improvement in the finished job due to excellent air quality.

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COATINGS NEWS

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FUTURE TECH - by Andrew Marsh

AUTONOMY, “AUTO PILOT”, CARS - MIND THE GAP

Rad ar , s tereo camera and ultrasonic s ystems .

More s enso rs, mo re pro tectio n. © Mercedes-Benz

A

erospace developed instrument-only take off and landing systems during the second world war, and thanks to the unique maritime climate of odd islands off big land masses (umm, the UK….) where ‘summer’ is one day of sunshine with almost 25C heat, and fog was almost universal, the first automated landing systems came into play from the mid-1960s on.

The very first flight with automated landing was performed at RAE Bedford in March 1964, and on the 10th June, 1965, a Trident full of passengers landed at Heathrow on the first public application of the system in the world.

How far we have come Today, unlike those first systems, the pilot can sit back and relax without having to touch a single control. Indeed the entire flight from the start of take off to the final braking at the end of the trip can be performed via automated systems. The aerospace industry has to have a fantastic safety reputation to attract customers in the first place, which typically requires that every single system has at least two backups – plus the humans at the controls.

The automotive revolution Typically the automotive industry has to operate on $100 aspiration with 10 cent cost. This is normally achieved with massive scales of economy thanks to mass production, along with essentially a ‘slow’ rate of technology evolution compared to other sectors.

However, this vast industry, which has grown over the past century is now in the cross hairs of upstarts who say there is a new way, the fourth industrial revolution and more which will revolutionise land based travel.

A vehicle typically has upwards of 5 000 parts, weighs at least one tonne and is the biggest single purchase most people make after buying or leasing a house. The design and engineering cycle for a new vehicle ranges from seven years (BMW, Mercedes-Benz) to 18 months (Toyota). A smart phone? Well if it’s not upgraded or renewed every six months, investors and customers think the brand is on the way out. For a time in the very recent past, the vehicle manufacturers, unable to meet the short product cycle time of smart phones, looked as if they were sitting around waiting for the inevitable – perhaps a Silicon Valley start-up that would bring the whole automotive industry into revolution.

The old guard have fought back They have not won the war, but have won battles by buying into new emerging technology, and applying that to their own fleets. The technology ranges from virtual sales rooms to renting vehicles by the minute, and it includes… the building blocks to… autonomous vehicles. Meanwhile, governments around the world are on the ropes as innovations with huge impacts for society go live with

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legislation trailing in their wake, stumbling around in a world which has passed.

Real people buy or lease real vehicles. And they need real assurances that the systems on board really work. There – I said it.

We need to keep this in mind.

Tesla – is this the Holy Grail?

There is incredible excitement for this company around the world, principally orchestrated by a PR savvy CEO (Elon Musk) and the financial institutions from the U.S., since this is a home grown story.

Musk co-founded PayPal, which was sold out to form the start capital for Tesla which used Silicon Valley technologists who cut their teeth on the GM EV1 programme (1996 to 1999) and a big slice of Lotus Elise to create their first car, the Tesla Roadster.

The main programme was a mix of great strategy and good luck.

In the depths of GM’s self-destruction, they gave up a perfectly good production plant in California complete with tooling for next to nothing. Meanwhile, in another dimension, Space X was born. Musk saw the collapse of the U.S. satellite launch vehicle business, saw the reliance on Russian and European made rockets, and saw the opportunity. Space X has made great profits, which the newly founded Tesla company needed to build mass production models.

Throughout, Tesla has relied on doing things that the ‘mainstream’ automotive industry has apparently been slow or unwilling to do. This builds the image of a cutting edge company, an organisation that is comfortable with new technologies. Whilst all true to a degree, the sheer scale of the secret ‘toy shops’ inside the biggest vehicle manufacturers dwarfs the entire effort from Tesla to date.

Autonomy and the automotive industry visiion Unlike aerospace the automotive industry holds on to a default position. A human being at the controls, trained well enough to cope with the unexpected. Thanks to universal short term planning, and accepted work practices, most working people have to commute through or to major densely populated centres. The result is massive road systems clogged with slow moving traffic, which is a complete waste of our time and is not entertaining – unless an all too rare flirting opportunity arises, sometimes followed by an unfortunate impact.

The majority of drivers in this situation are frustrated that they need to be in control of the vehicle in a traffic jam at all. What better than to offer features which allow drivers to relax? The key components were already in place – electronic control of the braking system (ABS/ESC), electronic control of the steering (EPAS), electronic control of the engine (drive by wire). Add some sensors, and hey presto the car that can think for itself.

Governments around the world needed to reduce the rate of oil

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www.autoindustryinsider.com consumption increase, and get more capacity from existing roads.

What better than to take advantage of the new driver assistance systems and make them just a bit more capable?

Vehicle manufacturers rushed into this space with systems that typically consisted of a forward facing RADAR (initially 100m range, then extended to 250m range by 2012), a single CMOS camera, a forward facing LiDAR module (10m range) and two side facing RADAR modules at the rear for blind spot detection. Soon enough the software, firmware and hardware all improved rapidly, as we saw the first stereo CMOS camera module (Subaru, 2010) to challenge the LiDAR sensor, and the integration of parking sensors to add to the information the vehicle systems could use.

Then came the advent of information sent to or sent from the vehicle, which has been on offer commercially since around 2001.

Such systems offer live traffic updates to the satellite navigation system, but also allow the vehicle manufacturer to track the vehicle usage to then provide service alerts as well as software updates. This development has opened the way for collision information to appear only to those who are able to get communication from the vehicle.

The price point game has already begun. High end systems have RADAR modules with up to three ranges, LiDAR and stereo CMOS cameras. Budget systems can have a LiDAR sensor, or just a CMOS camera. All are billed as driver assistance systems, with upgrades and system expansion – if available at all – are relegated to the options list.

Just remember – even though the RADAR module contains multiple RADAR sensors, for example, it is a single module with a single harness connection. There is no back-up. Equally the systems that rely on external communication do so via the mobile phone network rather than a dedicated communication system – again, there is no back-up.

The Tesla Model S ‘AutoPilot’ system The hardware for the Tesla ‘AutoPilot’ system consists of: l One RADAR module located in the front bumper lower grille, with a range of 150 m. l Ultra sonic sensors with a range of 4.5 m to provide close range proximity warnings. l A CMOS camera module behind the windscreen which identifies what obstacles there might be, and tracks the movement of those obstacles compared to the vehicle trajectory. l The data processing for this first generation system was completed via the in-car entertainment/system control module rather than a stand alone module.

The ‘AutoPilot’ function relies on sensing torque input from the driver via the steering wheel, and if this is not detected then a series of warnings are given followed by system shut down. In addition the system is sold as a software upgrade to the purchased vehicle with the explicit warning that it is a driver assistance system – not an autonomous driving system.

The issues: l The RADAR will have an ability to detect obstacles up to 150m away, but not the size – it can detect a wall, but struggle with a load strap (potentially lethal). Further the RADAR unit will find it difficult to measure precise distances closer to the vehicle, which is why other manufacturers use multiple range forward facing RADAR modules to improve this performance. Volvo XC90 for example has a dual range RADAR module for exactly this reason. l Ultra-sonic sensors with a 4.5m range are fine for detecting open parking spaces or if a vehicle travelling in the same direction at almost the same speed is in the driver’s blind spot. However for short range dynamic obstacle detection they are not so good. A better short range sensing system would be to use LiDAR for distances up to 10m since this works well, has been adopted widely and is offered as an integrated module with forward CMOS cameras already. l The single CMOS camera, like the single RADAR module, has a range of operation. So it can ‘see’ objects close up quite well, but will have poorer performance at longer range. So at 150m the combination of CMOS camera and RADAR is going to struggle to detect smaller obstacles. l The steering wheel torque sensing seems to allow many, many minutes of driverless operation before any warning systems come

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into play – as can be found readily on YoTube.

The ‘AutoPilot’ system has the dual features of adaptive cruise control (primarily lead by the RADAR module) combined with lane keeping via the CMOS camera module. Tesla enabled communication with all vehicles, so that the ‘AutoPilot’ hardware could be built into the vehicles from mid-2014 onwards, but activated via software uploaded to the vehicle as it drove around from October 2015 onwards. The Tesla system is primarily designed for adaptive cruise control with lane keeping. That suits cruising on a multi lane unidirectional traffic flow of around 50 to 60 km/h.

The communication link is important, because the information gathered is then sent back to Tesla to help improve the software. This ‘beta’ system is able to verify and modify parameters of the points at which it should do something.

Elon Musk and Tesla deliberately used a term used by commercial aviation – auto pilot. Except aerospace has not only multiple sensors to give at least two levels of back up, typically commercial airliners have three interdependent systems too. In contrast the automotive world typically has one system, with sales of dual systems getting underway in 2016.

A land mark fatality Joshua Brown was a Tesla devotee, and loved his Model S. He had a dash cam which he then uploaded video to YouTube – and one video he uploaded on 5th April 2016 was telling (https://youtu.be/y4bQBJ2Cfqk). The Model S on ‘AutoPilot’ is nearly side swiped by another vehicle. The sequence of events to avoid collision?

1. The Model S moves away from the other vehicle towards a fortunately empty lane.

2. The Model S then brakes.

This would suggest the lane keeping function was alerted by the short range ultrasonic sensor to move the vehicle, and yet it didn’t trigger auto brake first. That would point towards unsophisticated multiple sensor fusion and a question over the priority of operation.

In addition, why does lane keeping over-rule auto brake in the world of Tesla?

Joshua was at the controls of his Model S with ‘AutoPilot’ engaged on the 7th May 2016, travelling down a dual carriageway road with a grass strip between the two traffic flows. An articulated truck turned across the road just as Joshua crested a small hill. At the point Joshua should have had first sight of the truck he would have had enough distance to brake.

Instead the Model S did not move from the lane, and did not lose any speed. The Model S passed underneath the trailer at an estimated 64 mph, and still at speed went through two fences before hitting a telegraph pole. Once again it appears auto brake did not work. The stories rolled – it was too sunny, the light contrast was not good enough for the CMOS camera to distinguish a clear day and the side of a white trailer …

The bottom line. The RADAR should have detected the obstacle, and the CMOS camera system should have processed the

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FUTURE TECH AUTONOMY, “AUTO PILOT” CARS - MIND THE GAP - by Andrew Marsh information – with the default that the auto braking function should have deployed as well as over-ruling the lane keeping system. The idea that the ‘AutoPilot’ system could think an overhead road sign is just 1.2m off the ground (ie, less than the height of the Model S) without activating the auto brake is very, very odd.

There we have it. Tesla ‘AutoPilot’ is an enhanced adaptive cruise control system with lane keeping and questionable internal system prioritisation. Even though the 'contract' each customer accepts the system is not 'autonomous' and the driver needs to be in full command at all times. Tellingly Tesla have announced the next system which may feature up to three CMOS cameras and as a separate system top process the inputs from the ‘AutoPilot’ sensor inputs.

The future The commercial vehicle fair in Hannover in September 2016 will be the launch pad for the next generation of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles. One is a 26-tonne truck powered only by electricity, with a range of 200 km. The other…. is a single deck bus with a top speed of 70 km/h, and where the driver is on board to ensure the ultimate back-up. Just check out the sensor array: l Global positioning cameras, side position, range 200 m. l Vehicle to infrastructure communication, range 200 m. l Forward facing RADAR, range 200 m. l Lane keeping CMOS camera, range 80 m. l Stereo CMOS camera, two modules for 3D simulation, range 60 m. l Stereo CMOS camera for pedestrian detection, range 30 m l Forward facing RADAR, four units, range 0.01m to 10 m. l CMOS cameras around the vehicle, range 5 m.

It takes this level of equipment to ensure a single deck bus can drive a route, stop and re-start without any human driver input. The vital link is the external communication to ensure everything from traffic lights to managing traffic jams can be negotiated by the vehicle.

It makes even the high end systems fitted to vehicles today seem positively skimpy.

The technology is due for commercial sale in 2017, and surprise!

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The electrically powered heavy truck shows the type of powertrain which could be used by the autonomous bus, in the same way the interactive autonomous system could be applied to a driverless 26tonne truck – by 2020.

What does this all show?

Autonomous vehicles will become a global reality faster than Governments would like, and will cause growing pains. For example, airline pilots are now instructed to perform manual landings and takeoffs routinely to ensure their skill levels are maintained, whilst globally authorities wrestle with the technology reality of pilotless airliners.

Meanwhile on the ground lower technology systems are rapidly evolving to answer the many open questions around current performance. Further, the biggest risks lurk in the background. l How should drivers raised to manually operate a vehicle maintain their skill levels if use an autonomous vehicle routinely? l Is it realistic to expect someone who has never driven a vehicle to assume control in the event of an emergency? The answer to this question is no. l What happens if electricity to an area fails for any reason? The answer, on present understanding, is the vehicle will lose the ability to communicate externally, but via the protection systems which we see today as driver assistance, will have the ability to get the vehicle brought to a halt safely. Except there is no standard which demands such a feature for autonomous vehicles.

Until there is mass market conversion to autonomous vehicles along with robust infrastructure, collision repairers will be busy with the consequences of the ‘unforeseen’. Guaranteed. inspection and road tax as a legal obligation.

A uto Industry C onsulting is an independent pro vider of technical information to the glo bal collisio n repair industry. Pro ducts include EziMethods, o ur online co llision repair methods system and A uto Industry Insider, o ur co llision repair industry technical informatio n w ebsite. Fo r mo re info rmatio n please visit the w ebsites: www .ezimetho ds.com and www.autoindustryinsider.com or contact ben.cardy@autoindustryconsulting.co m

CELETTE AD TRAINING J-A 2016_Layout 1 2016/07/06 11:40 AM Page 1

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NEW PRODUCTS HB BODY FIBERLIGHT FILLER HB Body always aims to produce the best quality and most innovative products for the automotive refinishing industry. Due to the high demand for a Fiberlight filler with longer fibre, HB Body is proud to introduce their new generation, two component, polyester-based Fiberlight (Long Strand) Filler in a one litre tin. The F215 Fiberlight Filler offers very easy sanding (grits P100 or P120).

The application is very smooth, easy and even, and the actual fibre does not stick to the sandpaper. It is a light Putty, ideal for filling large cavities and the covering of holes and rotted parts of the car body. It is VOC compliant with all regulations.

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This amazingly versatile new tool has both electric and battery power options, offering the operator the ability to be completely mobile during the detailing process.

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BLUE-POINTÂŽ SIX DRAWER WIDE ROLL CABINETS These Six Drawer roll cabinets are now available from Snap-on in three awesome colours. You can choose from Impact Blue, Bright Yellow or Postbox Red. Sizes are: width 1 016 mm, depth 508 mm, height 940 mm.

You can find out more about this new range of wide roll cabinets by contacting your Snap-on dealer or account manager, or by contacting customer service on 0861 762 766, emailing: enquiries@snapon.co.za or visiting www.snapon.co.za

MAKITA’S 18V CORDLESS CAULKING GUN Take the effort out of filling and sealing with the DCG180ZK caulking gun. It is lightweight, powerful and a versatile solution for professionals who are required to dispense large amounts of adhesives and sealants on a regular basis.

The first and obvious advantage of the DCG180ZK is the fact that it is powered by an 18V Lithium-Ion battery for efficient operation and reduced hand fatigue and not having to worry about plug points and extension cables. The battery and charger are sold separately.

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SMIRDEX POWER LINE 820 This is an ideal solution for the demanding needs for professionals. It has high durability that makes it suitable for dry sanding in the automotive refinishing industry. It is especially designed to perform on tough surfaces such as the scratchproof clear coats. The special stereate coating prevents clogging and loading.

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NEW PRODUCTS LATEST RANGE ADDITIONS FROM TEROSON TEROSON PU 9500 FOAM is a ready-to-use, expanding cavity-filling and sound-deadening foam supplied in an aerosol can.

Due to its extended skin-formation time, foaming can be interrupted briefly for up to five minutes during application and then resumed. The foam cures without the need of moisture and is thus suitable for filling cavities. The cured foam does not subsequently swell or shrink TTEROSON PU 9500 FOAM is particularly suitable for filling and sealing cavities such as those of A-, B- and C-pillars, door sills or frame components in general. Because of its extended skinformation time, it can be used for bonding and sealing several components, e.g. customising.

The product is employed above all in small-series production and in the repair and servicing sector (vehicle repair and maintenance sector).

Teroson Plastic Repair Kit TEROSON PLASTIC REPAIR KIT includes a set of products that are necessary for basic repair tasks on paintable interior and exterior plastic parts. The products are particularly used for minor damage such as scratches or holes in bumpers, spoilers, aprons, etc.

For more information on this product you can call Henkel on +27 (0)11 617 2400, email: ag.marketing@henkel.com or visit their website: www.loctite.co.za

ANEST IWATA DE-STAT UNIT The Anest Iwata De-Stat neutraliser removes dust from surfaces to be painted and neutralises the static charge on the product to avoid re-attraction and airborne dust in the environment in spray booths and paint shops.

The Anest Iwata De-Stat unit eliminates or reduces the need to rework painted components. The Anest Iwata De-Stat will also assist removal of static build up on other materials. The advanced power unit uses A.C. low current technology to ionise the air from an air duster gun.

The unit is limited to five milliamps and double earthed to meet safety standards. The power supply unit and ionising air duster gun have been tested.

Call Anest Iwata to find out more about the De-Stat neutraliser and other products in their range on +27 (0)11 463 2169.

ARROW TRADING ATTACHMENT TAPE Arrow Trading have introduced a 25mm attachment tape to their already extensive line-up of products. The tape is ultra thin and hardy, will stick any emblem or attaching moulding easily. lExceptionally easy to use lCharacterised by a good peel lSimply cut the tape with scissors to the desired length l Holds securely to painted automotive surfaces Contact the Arrow Trading sales team on +27 (0)11 793 1251, email: sales@arrowtrading.co.za or visit www.arrowtrading.co.za for more information.

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LOCAL IS LEKKER: GECKO SALES INTRODUCE GECKO COATINGS Gecko Coat is a polyurethane liner and activator that can be used as a bakkie liner, waterproofing or any area requiring protective coating.

It can be applied directly to all mild steels, while galvanised and aluminium require a recommened two-pack etch primer. It can be applied to various substrates. It also has food grade approval.

Contact Gecko Sales on +27 (0)21 5561991 or 087 808 6464. Alternatively, email them at info@geckosales.co.za for further information, or to place your order.

CARSYSTEM 1K EASY FILLER: IDEAL FOR SPOT AND PANEL REPAIRS The Carsystem 1K High Build Easy Filler (Bulldog Abrasives part number VOS291) is a one-component pack ready to spray build primer. The filler is excellent for the quick filling of small spots before the topcoat is applied.

The 1K Easy Filler is capable of producing a coating of film thickness in spot repairs similar to that of primer applied with a spray gun. The convenient use of this high build primer in an aerosol form means that masking is kept to a minimum. Simple, fast and economical are the main selling points of this product.

It is suitable for both wet and dry sanding and you can paint over it with both water-based and solvent-based paints. It has perfect adhesion on steel, aluminium, polyester putty, old paintwork, as well as the following plastics: PC, PVC, ABS, PA, SAN, PU, UP, EP. For more information contact the Bulldog Abrasive’s sales team on +27 (0)11 786 5991 or sales@bulldogabrasives.co.za

TORK CRAFT KNIVES NOW AVAILABLE Tork Craft have just released their new knife and multi tool range; the new arrivals are added to the current superb existing range of all-round Utility Tork Craft knives and multi tools. The new KN004 knife has a stunning red grip which is a long lasting, G10 fibreglass reinforced composite material type handle that’s corrosion and wear resistant. The lockable, foldable blade is manufactured from 7CR17Mov stainless steel, tempered and hardened in a slick black finish.

All the knives are lightweight with a thumb stub plus liner lock for the blade and spring steel belt clip.

Tork Craft is a leading brand of accessories in the Vermont Sales operation. For more info call Vermont Sales on +27 (0)11 314 7711 or visit their website www.vermontsales.co.za. Trade enquiries welcome.

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PHOENIX EXCHANGE AD M-A 2013_Invoice TOYOTA 16-8-05 2015/07/16 1:31 PM Page 1

Telephone: +27(0)79 206-7881 / Fax: +27(0)11 452-8372 Tyrone: +27(0)82 856-1200 Aki: +27(0)84 889-7014 / Email: info@phoenixchange.co.za Website: www.phoenixchange.co.za

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WHAT’S HOT? JOBS, EQUIPMENT, SERVICES AND MUCH MORE

TEKNIKLOTH® A Tekniklean Product

WIPES AWAY SURFACE CONTAMINATION Teknikloth®- high-tech lint free surface cleaners are an absolute must for all paint shops. They provide less wastage and linting than other systems of preparation. Suitable for use on both water based and solvent based systems.

DENT PRO-PORTABLE DENT PULLER

Call us on

076 142 7263 082 452 6631 www.panelprotech.co.za

Photo supplied by Primo Panel and Paint Pinetown

Unique properties include: n Lint Free n n No scratched or damaged paintwork n n Does not break up in any known solvent

Strong wet strength Excellent absorption

We have been supplying the industry for the past 18 years.

NEW DISTRIBUTORS WELCOME. Call 031 579 3688 for your nearest distributor.

Email: sales@tekniklean.co.za or joanne@tekniklean.co.za

DON’ T FEEL LEFT OUT?

SALES PERSON NEEDED

ADVERTISE ADVERTISE AND BUILD BUILD YOUR YOUR BRAND. BRAND. The voice of the collision repair industry for over 30 years

CALL US +27 (0)11 949 4091 EMAIL US autoref@iafrica.com

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

Freelance sales person required in Gauteng to sell well-known dent repair equipment.

Own transport required. Commission based only.

Experienced, honest and self-motivated individuals with a proven track record can contact us by e-mail: info@panelprotech.co.za

Tel: 011 425 4062 Franz: 082 463 6284 Email: info@specialheat.com 1 Madeley Street, Rynfield, Benoni AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

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AFRICAN PANORAMA - VANISHING NIGHTWATCH

O

n one of those ‘thank-God-it’s-Friday’s’, Van systematically went through the procedure of locking the doors and gates securely and looked forward to a weekend of flopping in front of the TV and drinking beer while he waited for the howling traffic jams of Sandton to disappear at dusk.

Handing the keys over to the nightwatch operator Moses, he didn’t give a thought to the company’s wellbeing. Moses had for three months done a sterling job of patrolling the perimetre of the large body shop and storing smashed-up cars that had suffered an unexpected road crash while whizzing back and forth in Jo’burg’s busy weekend traffic.

The fun was about to start for Van, some 48 hours later, at 07h00 to be exact, when the first workers arrived to see the gates shut-up tight and a missing-in-action security guard, Moses. Van was in a pickle to dash off to work and sort it all out. After all the panic had subsided, he hit the coffee machine to dose up on some caffeine reinforcement. Thankfully nothing was missing, only the no-show of Moses, the missing piece of the worker puzzle.

About an hour later, Albert the workshop foreman appeared with a worried look on his face and said, “Boss, you must have had a hell of a weekend out with that Silver BMW 328 coupé.” “Why?” said the Boss who now an uneasy feeling. The foreman said the BMW had been damaged down the right hand side and the customer was supposed to collect it that morning.

The Boss replied that he had never driven the car. The inspection quickly revealed that it had been completely side swiped. The repair was ruined and it turned out to be a fifty grand thump for the business. How had it happened?

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Rolling the mystery forwards, soon after that an irate driver called up to say that at 02h00 on Sunday morning his driver, Moses had driven into a stationary vehicle on Louis Botha Avenue because of screwed up infrastructure inflicted on it by the Jo’burg Council making it a sort of hell road for any driver.

Moses had stopped to give his details and a company card to get the car repaired. So now the Boss had two crashed cars to deal with after a brazen cycle of theft and disappearance from his trusted security man on the job, the trusted Moses!

It seemed as if Moses, who was overcoming a period of boredom, had got the urge to drive the finished BMW 328 around midnight.

He simply unlocked the doors, turned off the alarms and wheeled the super fast motor car through the gates for a quick spin off to Rocky Street to get something to eat. On occasion he had told the Boss that he loved the buzz of a big six cylinder car as he shuffled them around.

In this short mind blowing disaster, however, there weren’t any big winners. Van had the pleasure of bowing and scraping to the vehicle owner and trying to explain it all without any sign of Moses ever reappearing again. He had simply disappeared leaving the Boss to face the music. Repairing two crashed cars was a bitter pill to swallow for Van who, having been born way before the turn of the last century, was in full possession of his ethical liabilities for the stupid Moses crash and run episode. He had worked hard after years of constant struggle to keep the company afloat and now he had to endure this new catastrophic episode.

It shows that you can’t make too many judgements and complaints when you are dealing with those who are apparently in their own Fast and Furious movie without any sanity.

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KAPCI S-O 2016 AD_Layout 1 2016/08/29 3:41 PM Page 1

Tel: +27 11 834 1252 Fax: +27 11 834 1259 Email: info@kapci.co.za

AEROCURE OBC AD J-A 2016 A4_Layout 1 2016/07/05 11:58 AM Page 1