Collision Repair 19#5

SNEAK PEEK: WHAT THE TOP BRANDS ARE BRINGING TO SEMA

CRUCIAL CALIBRATIONS ADAS—inside and out

THE PATH FORWARD Pro Spot founder gives collision repair a voice

LAZER FOCUS Saskatoon’s Lazer Autobody thrives under SGI’s new rules

PLUS: SAAR FALL CONFERENCE / THE LATEST IN PAINT MATCHING / MITCHELL’S Q3 TRENDS REPORT AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

www.collisionrepairmag.com Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40841632 l 86 John Street, Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2

ProColor Collision forges ahead ProColor ProColorCollision Collisionforges forgesahead ahead with Canada expansion with withCanada Canadaexpansion expansion It’s been little over a year since Fix Network acquired the Quebec-based It’s It’s been been little little over over a year a year since since FixFix Network Network acquired acquired the the Quebec-based Quebec-based Carrossier ProColor from Uni-Select.

The acquisition of the iconic Carrossier Carrossier ProColor ProColor from from Uni-Select.

Uni-Select.

The The acquisition acquisition of the theiconic iconic 20-year-old brand has made Fix Network Canada’s largestofaftermarket 20-year-old 20-year-old brand brand has has made made Fix Fix Network Network Canada’s Canada’s largest largest aftermarket aftermarket franchise network. Since then, Fix Network has been actively expandfranchise franchise network. network.

Since Since then, then, Fix Fix Network Network has has been been actively actively expanding ProColor Collision’s brand presence across Canada and expandrecently, ing ingProColor ProColorCollision’s Collision’sbrand brand presence presence across across Canada Canada and and recently, recently, into the United States. into into the the United United States.

States.

Collision Repair caught up with Fix Network’s newly appointed Collision CollisionRepair Repaircaught caughtup upwith withFixFixNetwork’s Network’s newly newly appointed Executive Vice-President for Canada Sylvain Seguin toappointed find out Executive Executive Vice-President Vice-President for for Canada Canada Sylvain Sylvain Seguin Seguin to to fi nd findout out ProColor Collision’s plans for the future, and the opportunities he ProColor ProColorCollision’s Collision’splans plans for for the the future, future, and and the the opportunities opportunities he he foresees for the brand. foresees foresees forfor the the brand. brand.

Tell us more about ProColor Collision’s Tell Tell usus more more about about ProColor ProColor Collision’s Collision’s growth plans? growth growth plans? plans?

This is a proud moment for This This is is a a proud proud moment moment forfor ProColor Collision as it becomes a more ProColor ProColor Collision Collision as it becomes it becomes a more a more international brand.as Before it was acquired international brand. brand.

Before Before it was it was acquired acquired byinternational Fix Network, ProColor Collision was by FixFix Network, Network, ProColor ProColor Collision Collision was a by well established brand in Quebecwas for aalmost well a well established brand brand in in Quebec Quebec for 20established years with 172 locations in for the almost almost 2020 years years with with 172172 locations locations in in thethe province. province. province.

Over the past few years, we have Over Overthe thepast pastfew fewopportunities years, years,wewehave have identifi ed several for identifi identifi eded several several opportunities forfor developing the Fixopportunities Network family developing the FixFix Network Network family ofdeveloping brands, the which includes Fixfamily Auto, ofNOVUS ofbrands, brands, which which includes includes FixFix Auto, Auto, Glass and Speedy Auto Service NOVUS Glass Glass and and Speedy Speedy Auto Auto Service Service inNOVUS Canada.

The investment of our time inand in Canada.

Canada.

The investment investment of of ourour time time efforts The towards this approach have and and effeff orts orts towards towards this this approach approach have helped to expand our presence in have the helped helpedto toexpand expandourourpresence presencein inthethe aftermarket industry. aftermarket aftermarket industry. industry.

ProColor Collision Hamilton opened July 1, 2020 ProColor ProColor Collision Collision Hamilton Hamilton opened opened July July 1, 2020 1, 2020 2 Collision Repair 2 2Collision Collision Repair Repair

Interior view of a ProColor Collision shop Interior view of of a ProColor Collision shop Interior view a ProColor Collision shop As a result of the pandemic, we’re Aswitnessing Asa aresult resultof ofthethepandemic, pandemic, we’re strong growth aswe’re more witnessing witnessing strong strongshop growth growth asassee more more independent body owners the independent independent body body shop owners owners see see the the value of joining ashop network like ours value value of ofjoining joining a anetwork network like likeours ours to help their business become more toresilient tohelp helptheir their business business become becomemore and achieve profi tability.

Wemore are resilient resilient and and achieve achieve profi profi tability. tability.

WeWe areare now leveraging those opportunities to now nowleveraging leveraging those those opportunities opportunities to to ramp up that growth, such as expanding ramp ramp upup that that growth, growth, such such asas expanding expanding ProColor across Canada.

We have ProColor ProColor across across Canada.

Canada.

WeWebeyond have have successfully introduced the brand successfully successfully introduced introduced thethe brand beyond beyond Quebec and are aiming tobrand have almost Quebec Quebec and and areare aiming aiming to to have have almost almost 200 ProColor Collision locations across 200 200 ProColor ProColor Collision across the country byCollision the end locations oflocations 2020. across thethe country country byby thethe end end of of 2020.

2020.

How important is the Canadian market How How important important is is thethe Canadian Canadian market market to ProColor Collision’s expansion tooutside to ProColor ProColor Collision’s Collision’s expansion expansion Quebec? outside outside Quebec?

Quebec?

Canada boasts one of the most advanced Canada Canada boasts boasts one one of of thethe most most advanced automotive markets, when itadvanced comes automotive automotive markets, markets, whenit itcomes comes to adopting new when processes and totechnologies to adopting adopting new processes processes and in new collision repair.and The technologies technologies incollision collision repair.

The The country alsoinhas a largerepair. number of country countryalso alsohas hasa alarge largenumber number of independent body shops that of are independent independent body bodyashops shops that that are are interested in joining network rather than interested interested in joining in joining a network a network rather rather than than staying independent.

We look forward staying staying independent. independent.

Welook lookforward forward to welcoming new We franchise strategic topartners towelcoming welcoming newfranchise franchise strategic strategic and new playing an important part partners and and playing playing ananimportant important part part inpartners boosting local economies through job increation in boosting boosting local local economies economies through through jobjob and supporting local businesses. creation creation and and supporting supporting local local businesses. businesses.

As with other markets, the expansion of As other markets, ourwith Canadian business the will expansion be driven of by our Canadian business will driven by franchise development.

Webeare looking franchise We are franchise looking to identifydevelopment. and work alongside to identifywho andunderstand work alongside franchise partners our mission and partners missionusing and are keenwho to understand grow their our business are keen tooperational grow theirpractices. business using established established operational practices.

We are optimistic that independent We optimistic independent repairare shops can reapthat the advantage of repair shops canand reap the their advantage our experience bring teams of up our experience andlatest bring their teams up to speed on the collision repair to speed on and the equipment latest collision repair technologies as well as technologies and equipment as well as safety standards. safety standards.

What is the key to this impressive What is the key to this impressive growth? growth?

Fix Network has become a respected Fix Network has become respectedIt name in the collision repaira business. name in the collision repair It is a journey that makes us business. very proud, is that stopping makes us there. very proud, buta journey we’re not Many but we’re not there.

Many independent bodystopping shop owners recognise independent body the value that we shop bringowners to theirrecognise business the value that bring to their – we equip ourwe franchisees withbusiness the right – we equip tools our franchisees with theasright proprietary and technologies well proprietary tools and technologies as well as standardized operational processes, as standardized operational processes, marketing strategies and support to run marketing strategies their business well. and support to run their business well.

Describe your experiences working with Describe your experiences working with different regions and conditions. diff erent regions and Each province has conditions. its own set of Each province and has its own set We of opportunities challenges. opportunities challenges.

We understand that and our teams and franchise understand thatCanada our teams and in franchise partners across operate complex partners across Canada operate in complex environments.

We therefore aim to environments. therefore aim our to make their lives We easier by simplifying make their lives easier by simplifying our operations.

At the same time, we want operations. time, we want to continue At to the be asame trusted partner with to continueand to flbe trusted partner with insurance eeta companies as well as insurance and flby eetbeing companies as welland as our suppliers transparent our suppliers by being transparent and having a performance-based approach. having a performance-based approach.

How have these challenging times How havethe these challenging times affected aftermarket business? aff ected the aftermarket business?

With respect to our day-to-day operations, With respect to ourstrict day-to-day operations,at we implemented safety protocols we implemented safety to protocols at all our locations instrict response COVID-19, all our locations in response COVID-19, including contactless servicetoand physical including and physical distancingcontactless measures.service Our protocols were distancing were based on measures. guidance Our fromprotocols public health based on guidance from public health and provincial government. and provincial government.

Artist impression of a future Artist impression a future ProColor Collisionoflocation ProColor Collision location

“Independent repair “Independent shop owners repair can reap shop owners can reap the advantage of Fix the advantage of Fix Network’s experience,” Network’s experience,” says Sylvain Seguin says Sylvain Seguin Sylvain Seguin, Executive Vice-President Sylvain Seguin, Executive Vice-President Our new franchise development was driven Our franchise was driven by new the fact that, development in these uncertain times, by fact that, in these uncertain times, anthe increasing number of independent an increasing of independent collision repairnumber shops were recognizing collision repair shops were recognizing the importance of aligning themselves the of aligning themselves withimportance an established global franchise with an like established global franchise network Fix Network. network like Fix Network.

I also regard these times as an excellent I opportunity also regard these times as an to excellent for businesses review opportunity for businesses review their operational efficienciestoand build their operational efficiencies and build on their core strengths.

Business agility on their core strengths.

Business is an important part of the game –agility if you isget anitimportant part will of the if you right, people be game excited– by your get it right, people will be excited by your brand. brand.

As a result of the business agility, As a result of thearebusiness agility, franchise partners also using this franchise partners aretalent alsoand using this time to invest in time, treasure. time invest in time, and treasure.

Oneto way of doing thistalent is that they actively One way their of doing thisinis the thatlatest they actively training teams collision training teams in theand latestprocesses, collision repair their technologies repair and processes, throughtechnologies virtual online classrooms offered through virtual online classrooms offered at our training centres. at our training centres.

What is the attractiveness of the What is thebusiness attractiveness ProColor modelof tothe franchisees?

ProColor business to franchisees?

Over the years, model Fix Network has built Over the years, Fix Network builtfor a family of brands that are has known a their family integrity, of brands personal that are known touch for and their integrity, personal professionalism.

It’s a touch culture and that professionalism.

It’s a the culture that resonates throughout organisation resonates throughout the and the wider network.

Ourorganisation partners can and the wider Our partners can instantly feel network. this positivity and optimism instantly feel this positivity and optimism when dealing with our teams. when dealing with our teams.

Plus, the power of the network Plus, the power the network to franchise ownersofis undeniable.

Our tostrategic franchisepartners owners can is undeniable.

Ourthe offer clients strategic offer clients thebe national partners warranty can on services that can national warranty on services that that can be honoured Canada – a service they honoured – a independent service that they could notCanada offer as repair could offer as independent repair shop not owners. shop owners. of the size of their operation, Regardless Regardless of the partner size of their operation, each strategic receives access each strategic partner access to comprehensive suitereceives of services such toascomprehensive suitesupport, of servicestraining, such management asmarketing management support, training, support and customer service, marketing support and effi customer as well as gain cost cienciesservice, through asour wellrelationships as gain cost with efficiencies global through suppliers our with global suppliers andrelationships vendors. and vendors.

In the extremely competitive Inaftermarket the extremely business, it’scompetitive all about aftermarket business, it’s your all about reshaping or reinforcing service reshaping offering orto reinforcing deliver your the service personal offexperience ering to that deliver the personal our franchise partners experience franchise would likethattoourhave.

As partners a result, would like to As a result, onboarding of have. new franchises is an onboarding an integral partof ofnew our franchises process to isensure integral part of receives our process to ensure that their shop the support they that their to shop receives the support they require grow their business further. require to grow their business further.

What next for ProColor Collision?

What ProColor Collision?

The next next for few years will be an exciting The next period few years be an exciting growth for will ProColor Collision. growth for ProColor Collision.the We areperiod committed to strengthening We are committed strengthening brand’s presence toacross Canada,the and brand’s presencefranchise across Canada, and accelerating development accelerating franchise development through deeper market penetration. through deeper market penetration.

For franchising opportunities contact For franchising opportunities contact franchise@procolorcollision.com franchise@procolorcollision.com

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 5 | OCTOBER 2020

SNEAK PEEK: WHAT THE TOP BRANDS ARE BRINGING TO SEMA

CRUCIAL CALIBRATIONS ADAS—inside and out

THE PATH FORWARD Pro Spot founder Ron Olsson gives collision repair a voice

LAZER FOCUS Saskatoon’s Lazer Autobody thrives under SGI’s new rules

PLUS: SAAR FALL CONFERENCE / THE LATEST IN PAINT MATCHING / MITCHELL’S Q3 TRENDS REPORT AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

www.collisionrepairmag.com Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40841632 l 86 John Street, Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2

ON THE COVER Saskatoon’s Lazer Autobody thrives under SGI’s new rules

14

52 Automotive coatings have gone on quite the journey over the decades, follow our timeline to see how the industry has developed.

66 With 37 years in the industry and almost 40,000 paint jobs under his belt, VinceFigliomeni has become an institution at Ken Shaw Collision.

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE | 10

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS | 59 Insights from Mitchell’s Q3 Trends Report!

Familiar faces, new roles!

REGIONAL NEWS | 80

Industry happenings from coast to coast!

3M’S REACH | 34 How the company has helped the aftermarket—and the world—in the pandemic and beyond.

TOWING NEWS | 93

Hooking you up with the latest in towing.

TOWING TOWN HALL | 94 Takeaways from August’s town hall on towing in Ontario.

RECYCLING NEWS | 96

Auto recycling insight.

ARC SWITCH-UP | 58 Recent changes to ARC’s executive board.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 5

CONTENTS

PRE-SEMA EXHIBITOR EDITION

39

44

Rich Alteri and Dave Luehr share ‘lean thinking’ concepts!

A sneak peak at what some of the industry’s top companies have planned for SEMA360

CONTENTS EVENTS LEAN THINKING | 39

Takeaways from Dave Luehr’s session with Rich Altieri!

PRE-SEMA | 44

What the industry’s top companies are bringing to SEMA360!

COLUMNS PUBLISHER’S PAGE | 08

By Darryl Simmons

64 Pro Spot International founder president Ron Olsson is determined to give the aftermarket a voice in this transforming industry.

WHO’S DRIVING | 76

Are you hearing your employees?

By Jay Perry

PRAIRIE VIEW | 74

Inside the mind of Tom Bissonnette!

By Chelsea Stebner

LET’S TALK TRAINING | 78

Refinishing with pride.

By Stefano Liessi

LAST WORD | 98

Why you should attend the aftermarket’s virtual events.

By Allison Rogers

73 How some automakers saw successful summers, despite the current global situation.

HAVE YOUR SAY.

YOUR ONLINE SOURCE

We welcome your comments on anything you see in Collision Repair magazine. Send your feedback to editor@collisionrepairmag.com.

Canada’s collision repair information resource. New articles and top news stories daily. Visit collisionrepairmag.com.

6 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

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PUBLISHER’S PAGE

PUBLISHER Darryl Simmons publisher@collisionrepairmag.com

STAYING SOCIAL Oh, the days of in-person interactions

I

Shops and jobbers, networks and insurers, manufacturers, trainers, OEM, government agencies—lest we not forget the glue that keeps the whole thing together, drivers.

This recent pain-in-the-butt virus wasn’t the initial killer of personal relationships, they have been slowly fading out for the past few years based on a lot of reasons. But COVID has sure as heck sped thing up. It used to be the NACE trade show brought together people from all corners of the country from all aspects of the industry. They were good times. Now, we have Zoom. Whoopie, a trade show with none of the gossip.

I don’t know how this new world is going to shake out, but one thing for certain, without

“I don’t know how this new world is going to shake out, but one thing for certain, without personal relationships cemented with handshakes and total eye contact, we are in for interesting times. Along with disassociated relationships, comes a lack of loyalty to brand. Now we are looking at every aspect of our business being conducted via the internet.”

Well, to be more specific, drivers who have had the unfortunate luck of damaging their vehicle.

It wasn’t so long ago, just ask anyone over the age of fifty—which, by the way, is the new thirty—and they’ll regale you with tales about relationships with appraisers, the ones who showed up in the shops and made decisions about the repair. Not the ones sitting in an office who knows where looking at a screen who probably don’t know the difference between their ratchet and their air hose. Those relationships were personal, face-to-face. A handshake was common, as was a Christmas turkey and a plethora of forty-ouncers.

Then there were relationships with the jobbers, and the suppliers and most importantly the paint companies. All were personal. All were face-to-face.

EDITOR Allison Rogers | allison@mediamatters.ca STAFF WRITERS Maddy Kylie | maddy@mediamatters.ca Julia Lloyd | julia@mediamatters.ca Sophie Price | sophie@mediamatters.ca Max Reid | max@mediamatters.ca

BY DARRYL SIMMONS

f one was ever to look for a Canadian industry that was totally dependent on relationships, they would need look no further than the Auto Claims Economy, or more commonly known as collision repair.

Sure, other industries may compete, but my world view and social life is limited, so I’m going to stick to my guns here.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Orest Tkaczuk | orest@mediamatters.ca

personal relationships cemented with handshakes and total eye contact, we are in for interesting times. Along with disassociated relationships, comes a lack of loyalty to brand. Now we are looking at every aspect of our business being conducted via the internet.

Ever wonder what we would do without the internet? I bet one thing for sure, the economy would not have shut down, but that’s a different conversation for a different day.

Desktop appraisers and online shopping will never provide the same aura as before.

But, hopefully, trade shows and handshakes will be back before we know it.

I sure as heck hope so.

8 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

ART DIRECTOR Yvonne Corvers | yvonne@mediamatters.ca VP OF INDUSTRY RELATIONS & ADVERTISING Gloria Mann 647.998.5677 | gd.mann@rogers.com DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SOLUTIONS Ellen Smith 416.312.7446 | ellen@mediamatters.ca INDUSTRY RELATIONS ASSISTANT Wanja Mann (647) 998-5677 wanjamann1@gmail.com DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Cassie Doyle | cassie@mediamatters.ca CONTRIBUTORS Jay Perry, Chelsea Stebner, Stefano Liessi

SUBSCRIPTION Single edition $10.99 One-year $59.99 ( 8 issues) Collision Repair™ magazine is published bimonthly, and is dedicated to serving the business interests of the collision repair industry. It is published by Media Matters Inc. Material in Collision Repair™ magazine may not be reproduced in any form without written consent from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statements made by its advertisers or independent columnists. All facts, opinions and statements appearing in this publication have been compiled and included with the permission, though not necessarily the endorsement, of the editor, or of independent columnist contributors, and are in no way to be construed as those of the publisher, or as endorsements of them.

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Collision Repair magazine is published by Media Matters Inc., publishers of:

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NEWS

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE JOHN GRIFFIN - AKZONOBEL AkzoNobel has appointed John Griffin as regional commercial director for Automotive and Specialty Coatings in the Americas. Griffin has held various sales, management and executive roles across the company’s global and regional automotive aerospace, packaging, yacht and film coatings segments. Griffin will also continue to be AkzoNobel’s regional director for North America.

SHERIF MARAKBY - MAGNA INTERNATIONAL Sherif Marakby has been appointed as the executive vice-president of Magna International. Marakby’s experience includes working as head of Ford’s AV business, Ford Autonomous Vehicles, as well as working as vice president of Uber’s global vehicle programs. Marakby also served on the board for Argo AI, Ford’s self-driving technology partner.

SOMER MULLINS - FIX NETWORK CANADA Somer Mullins has joined Fix Network Canada as the director of Marketing and Communications for Canada.

Somer brings more than 15 years of solid agency and corporate marketing experience to the position. Somer started her career in the Customer Service Division at Ford and then went on to mobilize efforts for the Extended Service Plans, Motorcraft Accessories and Quick Lane Business.

SYLVAIN SÉGUIN - FIX NETWORK CANADA Sylvain Séguin has been appointed as the new executive vice president for Fix Network. Séguin has been with Fix since 2018 where he oversaw operations for all brands within Canada, including Fix Auto, ProColor Collision, NOVUS Glass and Speedy Auto Service. With more than 30 years of experience in automotive aftermarket services, Séguin will surely be an asset to Fix as he will take on responsibility for all Canadian operations going forward.

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Spray Gun vs Spray Can Peter Kwasny GmbH has achieved breakthrough solutions in small damage repairs with the SprayMax system.

Professional repairers will appreciate the process flexibility with both 1K and 2K technology options and how they can reduce cycle time and add thru-put to their operations. SprayMax provides spray gun-like results while saving time and material costs. This Benchmark Application Comparison outlines impressive results.

Test Conditions Damage Characteristics: Damage to the bodywork consisted of surface scrapes on the front part of fender. No additional parts of vehicle body damaged. No corrosion. Damage range was 3-4 inches (8-10cm) in length, by 1-1/2-2 inches (4-5cm) in height.

Process and Procedure: Repairs were done straight on the car with fender in its original position. Color shade measured with a digital color instrument. Base coat mixed using a commercial mixing machine, from one of the established paint systems in the market. Filling of the coating into the corresponding cup of a spot repair spray gun or via a FillClean machine into the aerosol can. In this instance, a prefilled can was used from the SprayMax product line designed for the corresponding color system.

Residual materials in spray gun or spray can are not taken into consideration for the benchmark calculation, neither are any pot life issues with the 2K materials.

An automatized gun cleaning device was used to clean the spray gun after the single coating steps.

Repair as performed with a spot repair spray gun: All preparation work like cleaning, masking, grinding and primer/ filler application was done in a work stall designed for general repair procedures. The coating with base coat and clear coat was done with a spray gun in a spot repair booth. Drying was done using IR-lamps outside the spot repair booth. Energy costs of the spot repair booth is not part of the cost evaluation below.

Repair performed with the SprayMax aerosol system: The spot repair procedure and all consecutive steps were performed in a working area designed for preparation or multipurpose, with local air suction active.

Variable labor costs for the different steps of the repair procedure are not taken in consideration. Benchmark calculation relates to working times only.

For more info visit spraymax.com

Process Material Consumption*

Steps Preparation

Grinding

Covering

4min.

Silicon-Remover: Cleaning

3min.

Damaged Part: Sanding and subsequent cleaning

10min.

Mask non affected part with paper, clean again

4min.

3min.

10min.

13min.

Primer/Filler

Drying

Grinding (Filler)

Base Coat/Top Coat Blender Thinner

2K Primer mixing, putting in cup, activate local air suction, 2-3 spray applications, cleaning of spray gun

20min.

IR-Drying

6.5min.

10min.

- 50% Silicon Remover (ca. 11.5g)

+ 30% Filler (ca. 2g)

20min.

Dry sanding, sanding aerosol shaded part, cleaning

6.5min.

43min.

40.5min.

Move car to spray booth, prepare base coat, 2-3 applications, mix 2K clear coat, 2-3 spray applications, blending

-50% Silicon Remover (ca. 11.5g)

Prepare base coat, fill into can, 2-3 applications, activate 2K clear coat, 4 minute mixing / shaking time, 2-3 applications, blending

- 50% Silicon Remover (ca. 4g)

- 30% Base Coat (ca. 2.5g)

- 50% Clear Coat (10.5g)

- 45% Blender (ca. 4.5g)

Drying Cleaning Finish

Summary

26min.

15min.

6min.

2min.

5min.

5min.

116min.

Material Reduction

136.5min.

Time saving 20.5 min

(ca. 37.5g)

Remove car, IR drying

Cleaning of spray gun

Polishing

- 15%

- 42% $

*SprayMax in relation to spray gun

ON THE COVER

THE LAZER LEGACY Lazer-focused and ready to thrive

BY MAX REID

A

t fourteen-years-old, Bob Heroux painted his mom’s car. From there, he was hooked.

High-quality of work, attentive customer service and dedicated leadership have been the keys to Lazer Autobody’s stellar success.

Bob Heroux—dubbed ‘Lazer Bob’ in the local collision repair scene—and his wife Jennifer opened Lazer Autobody in October of 1987.

“When we started out, Bob and I worked super hard,” said Jennifer, co-founder of Lazer Autobody.

“Bob could paint, do bodywork and everything in-between—he was ready for anything.”

Starting the business wasn’t without its challenges, however, as the pair learned to work through the growing pains of establishing their brand in Saskatoon.

“When I opened Lazer Autobody I didn’t really know how to get my name out there,” Bob told Collision Repair.“I started doing some speciality paint jobs on some little fancy cars, some drag cars, street cars. Then I painted my own car with a big mural on the side of, and it was an eye-catcher on the streets of Saskatoon.

My name got out there quite quickly—people started saying I was one of the best painters in Saskatoon.”

With some time and a lot of learning, Bob, Jennifer and the Lazer Autobody team became known around Saskatoon. The facility gained a reputation for quality repair work and Bob’s 14 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

The leaders of Lazer Autobody, from left to right: Cole Jabusch, partner and head painter; Bob ‘Lazer Bob’ Heroux and Jennifer Heroux, owners; and Braydon Heroux, partner and customer service rep.

ON THE COVER

“When you build good, honest relationships and aren’t hiding anything, business flow becomes a lot easier.” − Bob Heroux

uncanny eye for colour matching paint—a skill that would go on to make him one of the most sought-after refinishers in the city, if not the province.

“I can match any colour,” said Bob.“When we started out, I would never use a microfiche or scale to make a colour—I just mixed it by eye. I did things this way for probably the first five or six years of business, and the paint companies could not believe that I did not use the scale to make paint.”

“Anybody that had something they couldn’t match, the paint companies would get him to be the one that would match them,” noted Jennifer.

Eventually, Bob became so synonymous with the Lazer Autobody brand that many of his customers and colleagues simply refer to him as ‘Lazer Bob’ in conversation—a name that speaks directly to the precision and care he puts into his work.

Lazer Autobody’s quality repair work is one thing, but the impression the shop’s team leaves on customers is what makes all the difference for Lazer Autobody.

“We have high standards for how we want our customers to feel about us and how we want their vehicle to be returned to them. It’s really important to us. For us, it’s just who we are,” said Jennifer.

The Lazer Autobody team makes a point to support charitable causes, including a $102,500 donation to the Nutrien Wonderhub children’s museum.

“When you build good, honest relationships and aren’t hiding anything, business flow becomes a lot easier,” Bob remarked.

In putting forth this genuine effort to support his customers in the same way that their business was supporting him, Bob earned the respect of not only his Saskatoon regulars but of others in the industry as well.

“He could talk to anybody and they’ll always have good things to say about how he dealt with his customers, or how he dealt with his suppliers,” said Jennifer. “Bob always had such a good rapport with SGI as well.”

Among all else, family remains one of the most important things at Lazer Autobody. Bob and Jennifer’s son Braydon, now a business part-

ner, has been instrumental in leading the shop forward through a landscape of ever-changing technology.

“He is leading the way in technology for our shop. He’s our researcher,” said Jennifer.

Integrating family into the business wasn’t a seamless transition either, as the Heroux’s were no strangers to butting heads every now and then.

When Braydon reflects on the first few years he laughs and admits it had its challenges.

“The first three years were difficult, to say the least. You just don’t know what your role is completely, and you always feel like everybody is chomping at the bit to do the same thing. Job descriptions were huge OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 15

ON THE COVER

When Lazer moved to its current location 24 years ago, the business doubled its floorspace. Jennifer and Bob said it’s where they’ve planted their roots.

“We have high standards for how we want our customers to feel about us and how we want their vehicle to be returned to them,”- Jennifer Heroux for us, so we knew what to expect from each other.”

Working with family is never perfect, but the Heroux’s say they still wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It is difficult working with family all the time and we do have to work hard and be honest with each other, and sometimes that’s not fun.

All in all, as the years are going by here, I think we are becoming more adjusted,” said Jennifer.

Part of the succession plan for the Herouxs included bringing their then head painter into the mix as a partner. Cole Jabusch came in with a lot of experience and energy, said Jennifer, but most of all he was able to contribute a fresh viewpoint when the Heroux family needed it most.

‘We consider Cole to be the calm in our storm, we are very fortunate to have his expertise in our paint and body department as well as transitioning into the inner workings of running a business. He’s methodical in his thinking and so he brings a lot to our shop,” Jennifer remarked.

Lazer Autobody continues to grow to this day as Braydon filled Collision Repair in on the latest developments happening at their 1,115 sq. metre (12,000 sq. feet) facility in central Saskatoon.

“We are in the midst of putting in a new mixer room and prep station in our shop.We are also installing a new car aligner 3D measuring system and a framing machine.”

With SGI’s Safe and Quality Auto Repair project offering a two-tier compensation structure as of April 2020, Lazer is I-CAR Gold Class certified and prepared to crush it in the coming years.

The facility’s reputation stems far beyond the borders of Saskatoon. As a longtime PPG customer, Lazer has helped showcase PPG products through its quality repairs, and the paint supplier is hugely proud of all the facility has accomplished.

“I am personally very excited and proud that Lazer Auto Body has been featured in this issue of Collision Repair magazine,” said Norm Angrove, director of refinish for PPG Canada.

16 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

“Lazer, has been a flagship PPG customer for many years. Their ongoing commitment to providing world class customer experience and operational excellence is very evident in every aspect of their business. They have been a member of our Western Canada round table group and an active participant in all of our business solution offerings.”

Following in the steps of his father, Braydon has also began developing an impressive reputation for himself. He sits on the board for the Saskatchewan Drag Racing Association, as well as on the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) board of directors.

“Braydon is a young up and comer in the collision repair business here in Saskatchewan,” said Tom Bissonnette, director for SAAR.“Our industry needs more young people like Braydon that are fully engaged in developing a world class collision repair business. I really appreciate his open mindedness as he takes an established business to the next level.”

ON THE COVER

With SGI now offering a two-tier accreditation program, Lazer Autobody is I-CAR Gold Class certified and ready for future success.

After starting the business in 1987, Bob’s impressive eye quickly became synonymous with the quality repairwork of Lazer Autobody; many simply call him ‘Lazer Bob.’

The Herouxs have not gotten lost in their success. The businessowners have made it an active point for the shop to always be giving back to their community.

Whether it be their $102,500 donation to the Nutrien Wonderhub children’s museum in Saskatoon, or their work with supporting the Gordie Howe Sports Complex—an initiative that led to the complex creating the Lazer Au-

tobody Spirit of Sport Award in honour of the shop’s efforts—the importance of community engagement is by no means lost on this family.

“We’re in a position now that we felt that we really would like to be more part of our community and children, of course, are at the heart of most people, they are for us anyway.

We have three granddaughters and one more grandchild on the way. So we thought, what

Cole and Braydon, partners at Lazer Autobody are part of Bob and Jennifer’s succession plan—though this duo won’t be giving up their posts anytime soon.

better way to help our city out than with a children’s museum.”

To boil down exactly what makes the Heroux family such a fixture in their community isn’t so easy, but perhaps Jennifer put it best: “You need to tap into your resources, act with goodwill and leave people with a good impression. That’s what will get you far in this business.”

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 17

BUSINESS NEWS

PDR PROGRESSION

PROCOLOR CROSSES THE BORDER

Dented Canada has finalized an agreement with Vale Training Solutions, which will allow the company to administer the Vale PDR Certification Program throughout Canada. The program will be administered by Dented on Vale Training Solutions’ behalf.

Depending on the level of certification a technician is attempting to achieve, the certification will begin with test administrators making an appropriate size dent in the metal—using an air gun filled with compressed air that shoots out a steel ball. A PSI gauge will also measure how powerful the ball is discharged into the panel, which will allow a consistent sized dent to be made. After the dent is made, a technician will have a time limit to properly repair the dent. Once the repair is complete, the dent will be inspected and re-measured with a Vale training calibrated scanning machine.

The technician will then be ranked based on the size of the dent and the time it took them to repair it, as well as the quality of the final product. To complete the testing, Dented will be booking appointments throughout Canada. The official unveiling and initial testing began on October 1, 2020.

Mondofix (Fix Network World) has announced plans to launch ProColor Collision in the United States. Fix Network World acquired ProColor Collision in September 2019 with a vision to expand the valuable brand outside Quebec. The first ProColor Collision location in Ontario, Canada opened in July of this year, with another 14 locations expected to launch across Canada by December. In the United States, ProColor Collision will initially focus on building its network in California, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Its team of industry professionals will bring proven experience in sales, operations and marketing as well as standardized tools and training to help prospective franchisees grow their business further.

Fix Network World president Steve Leal said, ProColor’s U.S. expansion offers “tremendous potential” for continued growth.

STEELE’S STOCKS Rob Steele, CEO of Steele Auto Group announced he has acquired 24,000 common shares of AutoCanada at a price of $17.25 per share for aggregate consideration of $414,000. Following such acquisition, Steele, together with presumed joint actors pursuant to applicable securities legislation, controls 2,756,455 shares representing 10.04 per cent of the outstanding AutoCanada shares.

Dented will now administer the Vale PDR Certification Program throughout Canada.

Dented also acquired Alberta-based Dent Force earlier this year.

SIMPLICITY SPREADS EAST Simplicity Car Care is pleased to welcome its brand-new Gatineau, Quebec. and Rogersville, New Brunswick, locations into its family of collision repair centres. “We are thrilled to expand the brand into the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick as these markets present a great opportunity to support independent collision repairers in growing their business while enhancing their quality of life. We are equally excited to work with our insurance partners to help make their policy holders experience, simple and seamless.” says Domenic Ieraci, president of Simplicity Car Care. These two latest locations can now be added to a total of 48 Simplicity repair centres across the country that strive to make car care simple and affordable for every vehicle owner.

BOYD’S BACK TO BUYING Last month, Boyd Group Services told investors it had re-entered the mergers and acquisitions game and had resumed spending to upgrade existing facilities. During an August 12 earnings call, CEO Tim O’Day said that Boyd stopped M&A because of the “significant uncertainty” at the beginning of the pandemic and discomfort over the idea of staff travelling to purchased body shops to integrate them. However, the company is “once again beginning to evaluate growth opportunities as they emerge,” O’Day said during the same call.

18 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

REMOTE ASSISTANCE Opus IVS has been awarded a patent for a pass-thru remote diagnostic system. The invention was originally created by Bluelink, however Bluelink was acquired by Opus IVS in 2019 with a patent priority date of September 2010. For the past two decades Bluelink has been a pioneer in creating innovations that would allow a technician to remotely diagnose a vehicle using J2534 and other standards. The technology that was originally developed by Bluelink has been used by Opus IVS to deliver diagnostic repair guidance and programming services remotely from seven call centres with hundreds of expert technicians.

PPG AND THE DOE PPG has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to pursue research in the use of two versatile, high-output processes in the production of lithium-ion battery electrodes. The goal of the PPG project, titled High Energy and High Power NMP Free Designer Electrodes with Ultra-Thick Architectures Process by Multilayer Slot-Die Coating and Electrophoretic Deposition, is to achieve step-change improvements in production efficiency of lithium-ion batteries used in automotive and commercial vehicle applications. Multilayer slot die coating and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) are highly scalable methods for applying uniform films on a variety of substrates, says PPG. The coatings giant was the first to commercialize cathodic EPD, an industry standard for protecting vehicle panels and components from corrosion. The three-year U.S. $2.2 million project is one of 13 selected through a DOE initiative focused on addressing engineering challenges for advanced battery materials and devices.

GAIN YOUR OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE FROM AN INDUSTRY FORCE The rapid rate at which the collision repair industry is advancing makes certification and training more crucial than ever before.

Facilities throughout the CARSTAR network work to earn and uphold up their I-CAR Gold, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and other important certifications.

We encourage the network to invest in accreditations relevant to them, as it helps stores maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills that contribute to proper repairs, improved business performance and risk reduction.

For more information, visit CARSTARfranchise.ca

PERFORMANCE

Working in solidarity with the network are the area managers of operations, the insurance team and the central review team.

CARSTAR understands how much of an undertaking certification can be and aims to lead by example and help where we can.

INDUSTRY NEWS

SEMA SET-UP With SEMA going virtual this year, SEMA events vice president Tom Gattuso said many vendors plan to make representatives available from the typical 9 to 5 p.m. show day. However, Gattuso learned that many exhibitors intend to man their virtual booths beyond the regular hours, to make up for the different time zones and their international audience. “The virtual SEMA360 show floor will technically be open 24 hours [during] SEMA week,” said Gattuso. He also says that many international visitors have now embraced this idea and at registering for SEMA360 at a decent rate. Due to the popularity of the virtual event, Gattuso can see this continuing pass the pandemic by offering a “digital companion” once in-person shows return, because of the “international appeal.”

Vendor representatives-attendee interactions in the exhibitor booth (manufacturer showcases) might take form of a public text chat or video conference, said Gattuso. An attendee and vendor can split off into private meeting rooms which can be set up as regular chat, Zoom or Microsoft team meeting. With SEMA360, the organization is targeting for an audience of about 20,000 to 30,000 people, with thousands already signed up.

AFTERMARKET APPREHENSION Desrosiers Automotive Consultants recently partnered with the Automotive Aftermarket Retailers of Ontario (AARO) to survey their members as to current market conditions and the outlook for the year. When asked about the change in the dollar value of their sales over 2019, a slim majority of respondents noted a decrease of between one percent and 25 percent.

However, a significant portion of respondents noted sales increases with July especially showing strength. About 47 percent of respondents indicated that July’s sales exceeded that of 2019, however, that number quickly dipped to 41 percent in August.

The report also noted that respondents felt a “moderate to severe” decline in the frequency of preventative maintenance work, while general diagnostic work remained largely unaffected.

GLOBAL REFINISHING Global Refinishing Solutions will be hosting a virtual Auto Refinish Summit from October 26 to October 30, featuring a virtual car show, product demonstrations, visits from industry celebrities and much more! The four-day online event will see demonstrations of GFS products like the REVO Accelerated Curing System and Side-Load Finishing Systems, as well as appearances by Ringbrothers founders Mike and Jim Ring, Graveyard Carz creator Mark Worman. A virtual happy our will also be hosted alongside conversations with GFS’s equipment experts aimed at shop efficiency, productivity and profitability. The event is free for all to attend. Visit globalfinishing. com/2020-auto-refinish-summit to register.

SEMA events vice president Tom Gattuso said SEMA360 will aim to replicate the one-on-one networking experience.

ARA YOU THE ONE? Do you know someone who stands out in the industry?

The Automotive Retailers Association (ARA) is calling for submissions for their 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The ARA’s annual award is meant to recognize a Canadian business owner in the automotive industry who demonstrates, among other things, a forward-thinking attitude, strategic planning for both business and industry, a helpful impact on their local community and the willingness to always improve. In order to eligible, the applicant must be the majority shareholder of their business and the business itself must be profitable and at least two years old. The application form for this award can be found on the ARA website. The deadline for applications is October 15 with the winners to be announced at the ARA Virtual AGM scheduled for October 20-22.

20 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Global Finishing Solutions will be hosting a virtual event from Oct. 26 to 30, featuring product demonstrations and visits from industry celebs.

LET’S PAR-TEE The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) held its first virtual golf fundraiser on July 25. After the original annual golf fundraiser was cancelled due to COVID-19, participants from more than 30 states and Canada participated in the online fundraiser—golfing 18 holes from their homes using the TopGolf game. The registration fee was $25 and will be used to help support high school and college collision programs in this upcoming school year. Less Sullivan from Georgia, U.S. took the win in the game with a score of 53 and won the prize of a GoldenTee home arcade, provided by Enterprise. CREF are now looking into additional online fundraiser ideas for fall and winter.

INDUSTRY NEWS

CANADIAN CYBERSECURITY As more connected cars emerge on Canadian roads, a leading cybersecurity expert is warning consumers of “a huge transformation” currently underway in the automotive world. Vehiqilla, A.J. Khan, CEO of Windsor-based automotive cybersecurity firm recently laid out some of the threats both automakers and consumers will have to face in this increasingly interconnected landscape in an online interview. He mentioned that this includes any data from devices connected to the vehicle as well as the tracking data from the vehicle itself–all of which are vulnerable to hackers. “We are not ready for a massive breach.

We are still far away from having strong protection on vehicles,” warned Khan. “But the good news is that this is being taken very seriously. There is a new standard coming out called ISO21434.”

This “new standard” is an upcoming automotive security standard that once officially introduced in late 2020 will raise the bar for standard cybersecurity capabilities in all cars on Canadian roads.

“It will look at cybersecurity from the point of conception of the vehicle, to design, to operations, to maintenance, and to disposal.

It will look at the whole life cycle of the vehicle and how to make that secure,” he said. Khan adds that once this change is made, all Canadian automakers will be obligated to integrate the standard into their vehicles and only then will “our transportation will be secure from cyber breaches.”

A leading Canadian cybersecurity expert says “a new standard” on cybersecurity is coming.

the newest generation of

info@symach.com

www.symach.com

spray booth OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 21

INSURANCE NEWS

UBER INSURANCE DEAL Economical Insurance has announced a new and significant relationship with Uber in Canada. The relationship will provide insurance coverage to every Uber Rides and Uber Eats trip in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The relationship will officially launch September 1, 2020. This announcement came after Economical Insurance announced its plans to convert from a mutual company to a publicly traded share company. Economicals most recent launch was Vyne which uses advanced technology to provide faster service, improved workflows and sophisticated products and pricing for brokers and their customers. The insurance coverage for drivers operating with Uber will continue seamlessly.

MISREPRESENTATION IN MANITOBA Manitoban drivers seem to excel in getting caught with auto insurance fraud. The number of Manitobans charged with auto insurance fraud has tripled since 2019, reports Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI). MPI executive Curtis Wennberg said the increase in people getting caught is largely due to MPI’s increase in investigating suspicious claims. According to the insurer, by the end of July 2020, there had been 88 fraud charges laid against 33 people. The rise in charges is stark compared to the 30 charges laid against 10 people during the same period in 2019. A special investigation unit (SIU) at MPI is responsible for handling suspicious claims, and according to the Crown corporation, and in 2019 the SIU saved more than $10 million for MPI rate players in 1,200-plus investigations.

MPI is increasing its investigations in suspicious claims, resulting in more Manitobans getting caught with auto insurance fraud, said Curtis Wennberg, MPI executive.

22 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

TALKING TELEMATICS On September 17, Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) produced a webinar discussing collision industry disruptions, what they are and how they will disrupt the industry. The speakers for the webinar were Frank Terlep and Jake Rodenroth. Terlep is the current CEO of AutoTechcelerators and has been involved in this industry since the late 80s. Rodenroth is the director of OEM and industry relations for asTech. During the webinar, Terlep took the driver’s seat and shared his insight on major disruptions affecting the collision repair industry now and in the future.

The greatest takeaway from the webinar was learning how the traditional FNOL will be disrupted due to the insurgence of telematics based FNOL. Telematics based FNOL will cut out the middleman and send collision victims straight to the insurers, jumping the steps a consumer would normally take when they suffer a collision, such as calling insurance, locating a shop, estimating cost and scheduling the repair.

However, with telematics you would skip that and right after an accident, the car will tell the customer exactly what shop to go to, estimate the cost and schedule a repair.

During CIECA’s September webinar, Frank Terlep discussed how telematics based FNOL will disrupt the automotive industry in the coming years.

Autel US Expands ADAS Calibration Coverage Advertorial

A

utel’s release of three calibration expansion packages for its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) calibration frame systems, the Standard Frame Calibration System and the MA600 Mobile Calibration System continues to signify the company’s aggressive commitment to ensuring its customers have the latest OEM-compliant targets, calibrations components and software to calibrate the ever-growing number of ADAS-equipped vehicles that enter their shops.

The LDWTARGET3 Expansion Package, compatible with the Standard Frame Calibration System, provides both expanded Lane Departure Warning (LDW) vehicle coverage and new targets that enable more efficient calibration of a vehicle lines previously covered. New calibration coverage available with this package include LDW systems on 2018 and newer Alfa Romeo models and expanded coverage (2013-2016) of Subaru’s Eyesight system, with the inclusion of the Alfa Romeo LDW and the Subaru LDW2 targets, respectively. Also included in this package is the Toyota One-Time-Recognition LDW target and an LDW target and suction-cup target holder for Hyundai Genesis vehicles. This Toyota target, which depicts three patterns on one target board, enables the technician to calibrate the vehicle system more efficiently, no longer needing to move one target to three positions on the systems calibration crossbar. The Hyundai Genesis LDW target and holder is designed for these vehicles

that require their systems to be calibrated with a target placed over the vehicle’s hood.

The release of the MA600CAL3 Package truly revolutionizes the MA600 Mobile Frame Calibration System, transforming a unit that was initially designed for LDW camera calibrations, with limited NV and Radar calibration capabilities added after its introduction, to a comprehensive mobile calibration unit able to perform radar and night vision calibrations on a wide range of vehicle lines equipped with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Blind Sport Monitoring (BSM), Front Collision Warning (FCW) and Night Vision (NV). The MA600CAL3 package is composed of a Mounting Plate that attaches to the frame and enables the remaining parts of the package, the Radar Calibration Box, Radar Calibration Plate, ACC Reflector, and Night Vision (NV) Calibration Box to be attached and used to calibration the ADAS devices on the vehicle.

The MA600LDW3 Expansion Package for the MA600 Mobile Frame is composed of the Toyota One-Time-Recognition LDW Target, the Subaru LDW2 Target, the Alfa Romeo LDW Target, and the Honda LDW3 Target. New calibration coverage available with this package include LDW systems on 2018 and newer Alfa Romeo models and expanded coverage (2013 through 2016) of Subaru’s Eyesight system, with the inclusion of the Alfa Romeo LDW and the Subaru LDW2 targets, respectively. The Honda LDW3 target enables faster completion of dynamic calibrations of IDSS-equipped Honda vehicles.

An Autel MaxiSYS ADAS tablet or a MaxiSYS tablet with ADAS software is required for use either Autel ADAS Calibration System. For more information, please contact an authorized Autel US distributor.

175 CENTRAL AVENUE, SUITE 200 FARMINGDALE, NY 11735 • USSUPPORT@AUTEL.COM • 855-288-3587 LDWTARGET3

MA600CAL3 TEL: 855.288.3587 • EMAIL: USSUPPORT@AUTEL.COM AUTEL.COM • MAXITPMS.COM • MAXISYSADAS.COM ©2020 AUTEL U.S. INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

MA600LDW3

• WWW.MAXISYSADAS.COM

OEM NEWS

TOODALOO, TITAN The Nissan Titan’s legacy in Canada will come to an end in Canada because the automaker wishes to focus its resources on its core strengths. “The Nissan TITAN pickup truck will not be sold in Canada beyond model year 2021. We will focus our resources on existing core models in our crossover and sedan portfolios,” wrote Didier Marsaud, Nissan Canada’s director, of corporate communications in an email to Collision Repair. Despite efforts to refresh the Titan in the 2020 mannequin year, the pickup truck still struggled to compete in the full-size pickup truck market. Now, Nissan Canada is focusing on the mid-size pickup truck market, with its all-new Frontier, which according to Marsaud, will “arrive in Canadian showrooms next year.”

ELECTRIC AVENUE Ford of Canada and Unifor have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year national labour contract, which will see Ford retool the Oakville assembly plant to build five new electric vehicle models, Unifor president Jerry Dias announced Tuesday morning. The plant will also assemble batteries, adding 300 new jobs. The retooling will be made possible thanks to a $1.95 billion investment from the federal government, and the first model will roll off lines in 2025.

A new four-litre engine—to be used in Ford Mustangs and F-150—will also be built at the Windsor, Ontario engine plant, securing and potentially adding jobs at the plant, said Dias. “Today is a historic day. We are not only talking about solidifying the footprint of the auto industry in the short term, but for the long term. I think it’s fair to say that as an organization we hit a home run,” said Dias.

Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, which represents some 23,000 auto workers in Canada, announced new electrifying plans for the Ford Oakville assembly plant in September.

The Nissan Titan will no longer be sold in Canada beyond the 2021 model year, Nissan Canada told Collision Repair.

ORANGE YOU GLAD? Kia Canada has introduced a bold, limited edition Stinger in neon orange to light up the road.

This limited-edition Stinger is based on the 2021 Stinger GT Limited model and we be available this fall. To complement its vibrant exterior, the floor mats feature an orange contrast stitch detail to bring some of the outside inside Since its introduction in 2018, the Kia Stinger has won numerous awards around the world including the AJAC 2019 Car of the Year award in Canada.

TESLA’S BATTERY BARGAIN September 22nd saw Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, announce a new battery system that will enable Tesla to launch a $25,000 electric vehicle. During Tesla’s much-anticipated Battery Day event, Musk said this new system–the “million-mile battery,” which won’t be in serious high production until 2022—will be produced in-house by Tesla with the use of larger cylindrical cells. The “million-dollar battery,” is not meant to run one million miles between recharges, the idea is to design batteries that can be swapped in and out to help with long hauls. According to Musk, the new design of batteries, paired with in-house production will make Tesla batteries cheaper to produce. is going to make them cheaper to produce. The new battery system will offer five times more energy and six times the power of the current battery pack used in the Model 3 and Model Y, said Musk.

Despite the new battery announcement, Tesla will continue to buy batteries from suppliers including Panasonic, CATL and LG Chem, to meet its demands, but will start pilot production of the new battery at its factory in Fremont, California. Musk estimates it will take approximately one year to reach production capacity.

This neon orange Kia Stinger is only available for a limited time this fall.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 25

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INFORM,ENGAGE, CONNECT Collision Repair’s Buyer’s Guide is a valuable industry resource featuring more than 160 products and services specifically catered to the automotive repair sector. Available both online and in print, the Buyers’ Guide is an easyto-access tool that provides crucial information to the collision repair industry.

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After nearly thirty years of continuous production, Honda has axed its Civic coupe. The model will no longer be sold after the 2020 model year. According to Honda Canada, buyers are increasingly gravitating toward the Civic Hatchback and Sedan. The automaker said it had seen a general decline in coupe sales across the industry, with sales of the Civic coupe falling to just three percent in Canada in 2019. Honda will also be discontinuing its Fit and Accord manual models at the end of the 2020 model year. Honda’s Civic coupe is part of a nameplate that has been the bestselling car in Canada for 22 years running. Although its sales dipped by 12.85 percent in 2019, the model still managed to hold its crown to be the bestselling vehicle overall.

While the two-door titan contributes little to that total nowadays, it has been a big part of the Civic success story.

DISINFECTION CONNECTION Researchers with the Department of Chemical Engineering and Health Services at the University of Waterloo (UW) welcomed the recent donation of a prototype for a PPE disinfecting machine, designed and built by engineers at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) in neighbouring Cambridge, Ontario. TMMC’s machine uses Ultraviolet C (UVC) light—an effective means of sterilizing PPE and other tools. A reflective chamber is equipped with several UVC lamps.

Contaminated items can be loaded into a portable, wheeled rack and rolled inside. Once the door is secured using special safety-rated latches, the machine exposes items to UVC light for approximately five minutes to disinfect them. TMMC engineers developed the machine in partnership with two area companies. Prescientx specializes in UVC technology for the medical industry, while JMP Solutions is a controls integrator with whom TMMC has enjoyed a long working relationship.

The University of Waterloo welcomed a PPE disinfecting prototype from Ford in September.

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DIRECT CONTACT Mitchell 1’s new MessageCenter texting app that allows shop owners to text message customers directly, is now available in Canada.With MessageCenter auto repair shops can reach out to their customers right away with two-way text messaging directly from inside the Manager SE shop management system. This app eliminates roadblocks such as calls going to voicemail or emails that go to an address that the customer may not check on a daily basis. The MessageCenter app is an optional add-on to the Manager SE system.

NEW SENSOR Tesla is seeking approval for a new sensor that will prevent children from becoming trapped in hot cars by implementing a new vehicle sensor that could also be used for theft-prevention, Reuters reported. The automaker has requested the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approve the use of unlicensed millimeter-wave sensors which would operate at higher power levels than existing rules allow. The short-range motion-sensing interactive devices would use four transmit and three receive antennas, along with radar that would provide a number of benefits over camera-based or existing occupant detection systems.Tesla says the radar in the sensor provides depth perception and can see through soft materials, such as a blanket covering a child. To help prevent false alarms, the automaker says it can differentiate between a child and an object, as well as detect breathing rates and heart patterns.

Tesla is attempting to develop a new sensor that will aim to stop children from becoming trapped in hot cars.

‘TOUCHLESS’ TOUCHSCREENS Touchscreens are a “new normal” in new cars, as auto manufacturers shift from traditional dials and buttons to a more technology-based way of controlling a vehicle. Now, however, a new technology developed

by Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Cambridge may mean physically touching a display could also become a thing of the past. The technology called ‘predictive touch’, allows for contactless interaction with a vehicle’s touchscreen, as a series of sensors and artificial intelligence will predict your hand movements towards the display. Jaguar Land Rover says that ‘predictive touch’ can reduce touchscreen use by up to 50%, keeping the driver’s eyes on the road for longer. There are not yet studies as to how well this technology works, as similar technology has appeared in smartphones, but none of them have proved more effective than simply physically touching the display.

28 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

UBER CHARGES A Phoenix, Arizona woman has been charged with negligent homicide as a result of a fatal collision involving her autonomous vehicle while she was driving for Uber. Rafaela Vasquez pleaded not guilty to the charge that has found her to be criminally responsible for the death of 52-year-old Elaine Herzberg from Tempe, Arizona. Data provided by Hulu showed that Vasquez had been watching TV instead of monitoring the course of her self-driving car just minutes before the incident that claimed Herzberg’s life.

Uber was able to reach a settlement with the victim’s family in 2018, avoiding any criminal liability on the company’s part.

An Arizona Uber driver has been charged after colliding with a pedestrian while operating an autonomous vehicle in 2018.

I-CAR’S ADAS LIBRARY I-CAR’s U.S. branch has created an online free library in order to provide collision repair professionals with up to date information on topics, trends and industry insights. I-CAR’s advanced driverassistance systems resource (ADAS) library will provide a “Crash Course,” in ADAS growth, “Business Tools and Tips,” a “Driving the Conversation” panel: How ADAS is affecting the collision repair industry today and tomorrow, and much, much more. This new library will provide the industry with information on any rapid changes as well as providing exclusive insights and solutions. “The resource is another way I-CAR can share its expertise in ADAS collision repair, and its neutrality in bringing together voices from OEMs, suppliers, insurers, and others within the inter-industry, to tackle the challenges of today’s ADAS repair while preparing us for what’s ahead,” wrote Jerry Peevy, I-CAR U.S. vice president of technical products, programs and services.

TACTILE TRAFFIC Tactile Mobility and BMW have announced that software from Israel’s Tactile Mobility will be included in BMW’s next generation of vehicles beginning in 2021. The idea behind the collaboration is to equip vehicles with the ability to analyze the road surface attributes under their tires, enabling detection of road conditions. Tactile Mobility is known for its software that uses vehicle’s non-visual sensors such as wheel speed, wheel angle, RPM and gear position to assist smart and autonomous vehicles to pick up on road dynamics and conditions.

Tactile Mobility extracts data from existing built-in sensors, such as wheel speed, brakes paddle position and additional systems, and utilizes the data to create a new unified signal that represents the state of the road and vehicle. For example, when driving over an icy road, a car camera does not detect the ice, as the black ice resembles the road. The virtual sensor cleans up the background noise, and by using signal-processing techniques, applying its proprietary algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), it enables the representation of the ground as it is.

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BELIEVE IT OR NOT NEWS

UNDER THE SEA

MEET TUSCON

Back in 2019, a carrier cargo ship called MV Golden Ray capsized while carrying 4,200 Hyundai vehicles, and due to a string of setbacks, those vehicles are still trapped today. While there were no casualties, the ship, which is 106 ft wide and has a capacity of 20,995 deadweight tons, is a hard project to dismantle. Preparations were made to go to the site of the ship and start to carefully scrape it for parts. This however, was put on pause due to COVID-19. The group that oversaw dismantling the ship had 10 responders test positive for COVID-19, which then required the other 50 responders to quarantine. The other problem the group ran into was as hurricane season approached, further setbacks quickly arose, and the project was put on hold most likely until October. In terms of the dismantling process, the team will use a VB-10,000 twin-hull heavy-lift vessel, which will then use two 69-metre tall gantry cranes to cut the ship into eight large sections that will then be lifted onto a barge and transported to a recycling facility in Louisiana.

A Hyundai dealer in Brazil has become famous all over the world after they adopted a stray dog and brought him into the dealership as a canine car consultant. The manager of Prime Hyundai, Emerson Mariano, found the dog and started feeding him, giving him water and providing him shelter. The dog stuck around, and the staff became fond of him. The manager then adopted him permanently. The dog has been named Tucson after Hyundai’s small crossover. Tucson is about a year old and since being adopted has been taken to the vet for all his necessary shots. He now owns many accessories as part of the Prime Hyundai family, such as tires, a tuxedo and his own employee badge. He likes to spend his days at the dealership in his very own doghouse.

Hyundai has had 4,200 vehicles trapped in Atlantis since 2019.

DUCK, DUCK, JEEP Jeep drivers have an unspoken bond, anyone who drives one knows to wave to fellow jeep drivers when they cross paths. However, this bond has been further strengthened with a new trend called ‘Jeep Ducking,’ and it all started in the great white north. Jeep owners are purchasing rubber ducks, writing a little note on them and leaving them on other Jeeps as a way to spread goodwill and positivity. As quirky and fun as this trend is, it has a rather heartbreaking origin.

Self-proclaimed creator Allison Parliament, 31, said she started ducking in July after she was physically assaulted in Ontario, for having an American license plate, according to the Taunton Daily Gazette. Parliament works in both Alabama and her birth country of Canada, splitting her time between both countries. She explained that she was driving her car, which has Alabama license plates when she was approached by a man who pushed her into her vehicle and told her to go back to the U.S. Instead of getting angry, Parliament and her friends decided to react to the situation with positivity. She went to a nearby store, purchased a rubber duck and placed it on a Jeep with a note explaining its purpose. After that, Parliament and her friends took to Facebook and the trend blew up. There is now a private group on Facebook, called Official Ducking Jeeps with over 14 thousand members from all over the U.S. and Canada. As well, an Instagram account that features people who have participated in the ducking challenge.

30 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Tuscon, the first-ever canine car consultant and Employee-of-the-Month.

WHERE’D SHE COME FROM, WHERE’D SHE GO? A Tennessee woman recently received a shock when she received her drivers licence back from the DMV as it appeared that she had become invisible. Jane Dodd chose to renew her license online but after it came in the mail she was confused as the picture on the licence was not of her but instead an empty chair. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security says the photo was taken accidentally and had come to end up on Dodd’s licence as it was the last photo taken in her file. Luckly, Dodd’s was not upset about the incident and even said it gave her a few laughs. Dodd’s posted the photo to facebook and it has been shared more than 19,000 times and several memes have also surfaced. Dodd’s received her new license—and this time, she is visible.

Jane Dodd was astonished to find herself missing-in-action after receiving this driver’s license in the mail.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT NEWS

ALONG FOR THE RIDE The Dog Sack invention started to appear in 1935 making its debut in the June 1935 issue of popular mechanics. The idea behind the invention was to keep the car clean while allowing the dog some fresh air.The original article says: “When you take your dog along for a ride but prefer to not have them inside the car, they can ride safely and comfortably in this sack, which is carried on the running board. The bottom of the sack is clamped to the running board and the top is fastened to the lower part of an open window with hooks, covered with samm rubber tubing to prevent marking the car.” Thankfully, this invention was never added to any car models.

AUTOPILOT NAP A Canadian driver was been caught sleeping while autopilot drove the car at 150 km/h in September. The incident was reported both on Twitter by the Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and on national news. “The officer was able to obtain radar readings on the vehicle, confirming that it had automatically accelerated up to exactly 150 km/h,” the RCMP said in a statement.

The RCMP took the matter very seriously and charged the driver with speeding. They also issued a 24-hour license suspension.

Please don’t bring back the Dog Sack.

WÜRTH C ANADA

IS HERE FOR YOU As Canadians get back to work, and we learn new ways to keep ourselves, our employees, and our customers healthy.

We want to provide you with the necessary safety products, disinfectants and cleaning, as well as social distancing solutions and more.

SCAN HERE TO

SEE OUR GUIDE

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 31

LEADING THE WAY, T

he best leaders have an innate ability to articulate a vision, embrace the values of that vision and create an environment where everyone can reach their goals and perform at their best. Leadership requires clarity, decisiveness, courage, passion, humility and the ability to inspire. If you have checked a calendar lately or opened your eyes to the ever-changing world around us, you will have realized that the approach and face of leadership today has evolved.

JENNIFER MANCHUR

Fusion Collision in Edmonton, Alberta Inspired by the way she could turn an upsetting situation like a collision into a positive experience, Jennifer Manchur embarked on her automotive career at a Volkswagen/Audi collision repair facility. Hungry to learn every aspect of the collision repair process, she quickly climbed the ladder to become a shop foreman—and soon after was offered the position of assistant manager at a Ford dealership’s collision centre. After another transfer saw Manchur jump into a position as co-manager at a Dodge dealership, she began to realize management was a lot different than the hands-on work she was used to. It didn’t take long to get settled, though, and Manchur soon became the sole manager of the facility. For the last 4 years, Manchur has been a manager at Fusion Collision. When she first started at the facility, she felt she was in over her head–the shop was twice as big as her previous one, which meant twice as many employees to manage. But fast-forward 13 years to the present, and she is beyond proud of the team she has working with her.

BRITNY SPYKER

John Bear Collision Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario Britny Spyker’s first job in the automotive industry was in the service department scheduling maintenance appointments. Less than a year after starting her first position, Spyker jumped at an opportunity to join the team at John Bear Collision Centre.

She says it’s hard to define her style as a leader, but she always aims to be organized, clear and concise in her instruction so her team is always on the same page. She recalls the effect employee satisfaction impacted operations in her dad’s facility and makes sure her employees are always at their happiest. She may not be one to hover, but she makes sure her staff know of her open-door policy should anything ever come up. Growing up alongside her diesel mechanic father, Spyker always knew she wanted to work somewhere she loved, just like her dad. Her proudest accomplishment thus far is the knowledge she’s gained and the connections she’s obtained throughout the industry.

VICTORIA DE TINA

JANECE CROCKER

Victoria De Tina was drawn to the fast-paced nature of the automotive repair industry. With a background in business marketing, De Tina began her collision repair career off as an estimator but quickly climbed her way into the management position in just two years. As manager, De Tina considers her position less about management and more about being a leader to her team. Our body shop, said De Tina, has a team focused atmosphere; as a team, they work together to define goals and meet targets. Her philosophy as a manager is that working day-to-day doesn’t make you successful, but creating long term goals does. When someone in the community suffers a collision, De Tina promises to prove why Performance Collision Grimsby is the collision centre the community trusts. She says her proudest accomplishment so far is when her shop received their Gold Class certification with I-CAR and Certified Collision Care recognition. “It was a true team effort,” she says.

Janece Crocker boasts 19 years of experience in the industry. She could build vehicles before she could drive them,gaining experience in her youth alongside her father passing her the 10mm wrench. Still, Crocker found herself “starting at the bottom,” when she embarked on her own career in the industry. She says her early days were often filled with washing floors, helping technicians around the shop, completing her first-year apprenticeship and absorbing everything like an engine air filter. But after about a year of “pulling wrenches,” Crocker realized she missed the customer interaction aspect, so she took up a post in the front end of the shop. In 2015, she was offered the position of assistant service manager at a large GM Service Centre, where she was able to put her years of experience to use. Then, in November 2019, she was promoted to her bodyshop manager position at CMP Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC. Crocker doesn’t see herself as a manager; she says she’s more of a hands-on leader that’s there makes sure her well-oiled team works together, making a point to empower the team to make their own decisions and suggestions.

Performance Collision in Grimsby, Ontario

CMP Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC in Calgary, Alberta

THEIR OWN WAY No longer in 2020 is our industry deferring to the longest tenured or a member of the establishment for direction—we are embracing those who have the brightest ideas, a new perspective and an ability to execute. Today we are celebrating the new face of leadership in collision repair and those who are doing it their way. If you think it has come a long way so far, you’ve yet to see anything.

HEATHER SHONSTA

Go Honda Collision Centre in Edmonton, Alberta When Heather Shonsta was young, her father would take her and the family to car shows where she was left fascinated by custom paint jobs. It wasn’t until after working at her father’s bodyshop that her interest in automotive repair really took off. Working her way as a detailer through the apprenticeship program, Shonsta became a journeyperson while working at her father’s shop—but she didn’t stay in this role long. She quickly moved up to the front of the shop as an appraiser and, eventually, made it into management. Shonsta says on of her “keys to success,” is ensuring employee satisfaction. She always makes sure to interact with her staff, making time for personal conversations to ensure they all feel safe, secure and trusted. Shonsta is hugely proud of how she’s climbed the ranks in her short time in the industry. She chalks much of her success up to her management style and says focus, dedication to the trade and proper repair procedures mean everything for Go Honda Collision.

KAYLA PEDDLE

Crosstown Autobody in Edmonton, Alberta Kayla Peddle grew up in a bodyshop but took a different path in her late teen years, opting instead to chase hailstorms in Western Canada.

However, after witnessing enough hailstorms for a lifetime, peddle turned back to her automotive roots.

Peddle took a leap when she joined the Crosstown team. Her previous management experience gave her what she calls a “crisp” management style; she’s very straightforward and takes an upfront approach to running the shop. She gives candid feedback where needed and encourages continued learning. Peddle’s mission is to have Crosstown be the number one autobody shop for customer satisfaction and quality service delivery. Her mantra is “teamwork drives the vision,” and that team is like one big happy family for Peddle. By being successful in the industry, Peddle hopes to inspire more women in the automotive realm. When women see other women succeeding in collision repair, it inspires them to know they can do it too. Peddle says being a successful woman and bodyshop manager in what is traditionally thought of as male-dominated industry is her proudest accomplishment yet.

SAMANTHA GERBER

Forbes Motors in Waterloo, Ontario

As Samantha Gerber progressed through a college program hardly related to the automotive industry, she found herself more and more intrigued by a career she never thought she’d find her place in. Once she took the leap and began working at a dealership, Gerber saw the chance to utilize skillsets she never knew she had. The endless possibilities for growth inspired her and she soon gained a full-time position working between two different dealerships. After a few years, a receptionist position popped up at the Forbes Motors bodyshop. A bodyshop was unchartered territory for Gerber, but she hasn’t stopped writing estimates since. Gerber the keys to a smooth working environment are clear and collective goals that ensure everyone is on the same page. A trick Gerber uses to help keep the workplace positive is by passing on positive customer feedback so every member of the shop will know about it. “It is important the whole team is acknowledged,” she adds. Gerber has been within this industry for almost six years now. She looks back at all the women she started out with and holds a great sense of pride thinking about how far she has come in a male-dominated industry.

NORMA WHITE

Red Deer Nissan in Red Deer, Alberta Growing up, Norma White never considered a career in the automotive industry. However, once she was given an opportunity the day to day operations of the automotive repair field, she says she “was hooked.”

White began as a receptionist, eventually finding herself more involved with the back end of the shop. Before her manager resigned, he announced he had found management material in White and began teaching her Audatex and Mitchell’s estimating systems. After just one year as a receptionist, White was hired as manager. She describes her management style as laid-back, yet firm. She has complete trust in her team and feels confident in knowing there’s no need to babysit her team and their work. Boosting employee morale can be difficult working in a stressful industry, but White believes positive employee morale is a big part of success. “I try to stay positive even when times are tough—positivity is the key to happy employees,” she says.

BUSINESS PROFILE

FAR AND WIDE 3M’s ties with the automotive aftermarket date back to the beginning

BY MADDY KYLIE

O

n August 12, 2020, 3M’s Automotive Aftermarket division Business Manager Craig Jalbert sat down with Collision Repair’s Maddy Kylie to discuss how 3M has helped Canada’s automotive aftermarket survive the pandemic, in an exclusive live webinar.

Craig has worked for 3M’s aftermarket division for 16 years now and is currently going into his 17th year. Within 3M’s automotive aftermarket division, he has worked in a variety of roles, and has thoroughly enjoyed serving the industry.

“I can see the passion in this industry and it’s just fun to be a part of it.”

In the webinar, Craig broke-down 3M’s 100-yearplus history with the automotive aftermarket. He explained that 3M originated in 1902 as a smallscale mining venture, however, it quickly grew into several other industries—one of the first being the automotive aftermarket.

The first product 3M manufactured specifically for the aftermarket was WetorDry Sandpaper in 1917, followed by Scotch Masking Tape in 1925.

“We’ve invested in the aftermarket from the early stages of the 1900s—at the grassroots of this industry,” he said.“We invested innovation to bring the first waterproof paper to the industry. So, this produced less friction, less dust, in a shop in the early 1900s. And then, the second milestone— which is kind of unique and I think the people in the aftermarket should be proud of that—is in 1925, we brought in masking tape. We pivoted as a company—it was an abrasive company—to start bringing in masking tapes. And this was the first scotch platform that used scotch tape and that was invented in the aftermarket division.”

And, the rest is history, in the following years 3M continued to bring innovation to the aftermarket with products such as panel bonding adhesives, Trizact, PPS, soft edge foam masking tape, and many more.

During an exclusive webinar with Collision Repair, Craig Jalbert, business development manager for 3M’s Automotive Aftermarket division outlined the company’s rich history in the sector.

34 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

3M boasts a 100-plus year history working alongside the automotive aftermarket. The first product manufactured specifically for the aftermarket was WetorDry Sandpaper in 1917, followed by Scotch Masking Tape in 1925.

BUSINESS PROFILE

“I can see the passion in this industry and it’s just fun to be a part of it.”

“We’ve invested in the aftermarket from the early stages of the 1900s—at the grassroots of this industry.”– Craig Jalbert Having been in such a, as Craig put it,“a long marriage” with the automotive aftermarket, when the pandemic hit the company really wanted to provide support to the industry, while of course continuing to service all of its global customers.

Since 3M is a global company that covers a wide array of industries, they had to make some tough calls, said Craig.

For instance, prior to the pandemic only 10 percent of the PPE 3M produced was being used in healthcare.

However, with COVID-19 the company doubled its output and 90 percent of its PPE went to frontline workers.

“It was all hands-on deck to bring that output.”

However, throughout the pandemic 3M never abandoned the aftermarket.

Since the onset of the virus, the company has kept all of its aftermarket team employed, as well as communicated very closely with customers to understand their needs.

“We wanted to make sure that we were servicing our customers, we created and developed internal projects and surveys,” he said. “We were touching base to understand that it wasn’t just about bringing a product solution, it was understanding what they need, and what we could bring to the industry during these times.”

3M also collaborated and formed partnerships with various automotive companies during the pandemic to produce PPE, some of which include Ford, Cummins and MIT.

While testing abrasive samples at a body shop, Richard Drew, a 3M lab assistant, noted that painters were having trouble masking car parts. His idea led to the invention of the Scotch brand tape product in 1925.

Since 1917, 3M’s automotive aftermarket division has continued to bring innovation into bodyshops with products such as panel bonding adhesives, Trizact, PPS, soft edge foam masking tape, and many more.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 35

BUSINESS PROFILE

HOW FESTOOL HELPS EXTRACT DUST IN AUTO BODY SHOPS This article was written by Festool in partnership with 3M Canada.

I

n order to help protect worker health from the dust that is formed when sanding vehicle surfaces, an ideal solution for the body shop worker is to prevent dust particles from entering the air by extracting dust where it originates at the surface of the vehicle while sanding. This is one of the reasons why a sanding machine needs to achieve high material removal so that the work is efficient, while as few particles are released into the environment.

How dust extraction devices operate.

The containers of the Cleantec-dust extractors from Festool cover a volume of 10 to 48 liters and the dust classifications L, M and H which are mainly used in Europe and are differentiated by the degree of filtration. The more dangerous the dust, the higher the degree of filtration must be. There are only minor differences between the classifications from .0 to .995% which illustrates how tiny particles can have such a big impact.

The dust extraction filter uses a continuous volume of air flow from the dust extractor device which helps prevent the filter from becoming clogged or caked.

Depending on the configuration, the Festool dust extraction portfolio has a volume of air flow options between 3,400 to 3,900 liters per minute. Together with the Festool sanders, those motions speed range from 3,000 to 10,500 revolutions per minute, resulting in a powerful tool that combines high performance along with ergonomics and health protection for workers.

The importance of HEPA filters in dust extraction.

Originally designed to prevent the spread of radioactive particles, the HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter is a high standard accessory for sensitive manufacturing processes. Because of the randomly arranged fibers and the adhesion of the fibers, small and even microscopic particles are trapped by HEPA filters. This is why they are used in trapping toxic dusts.

HEPA filters in accordance with the US EPA Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) – rule (40 CFR Part 745) are also available in Canada for use with Festool dust extractors. They are required to have a 99.99% degree of filtration for particles up to .3 micrometers. To illustrate this: the human eye can see objects that are bigger than 30 micrometers only – and a human hair is approximately 100 micrometers.

Dependable and trustworthy dust removal.

Because Festool tools combine powerful extractors and customizable filters which are specifically designed with dust extraction in mind, they are trusted by vehicle repair workers for their reliability and ability to execute expert craftsmanship. Combined with 3M auto care products and personal protective equipment, workers can operate with pride and peace of mind.

Learn more at 3M.ca/TotalAutomotiveSandingSystem

36 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

In 3M’s pandemic partnership with Ford the two companies produced a new PAPR for healthcare providers.

In 3M’s collaboration with Ford the two companies produced a new PAPR for healthcare providers. “[3M’s partnership with Ford] was a unique one and was in early stages of this. So, I commend Ford and 3M for collaborating on this, and understanding the need for healthcare providers, frontline workers,” he said. “And, what’s impressive is they actually turned that around in four-weeks.”

3M has been a rock throughout the pandemic. The company has committed over $10 million in cash and product donations to support humanitarian aid, throughout the entire pandemic it did not increase the price of its N95 masks, all while keeping a close eye on the aftermarket.

Craig attributes a large part of 3M’s ability to multitask in these unpresented times to communication.

“We’ve been a proud supporter of this [automotive] industry—as everyone knows—for many years. So, our goal was internal and external communication. You know, making sure that everyone understands what we’re doing internally and also what we’re communicating externally to our channel, our channel partners, and also our customers.

There’s a lot of question marks during the challenges with PPE. What’s happening?

What’s happening to Canada? We wanted to make sure we communicated to our channel partners, to our networks and our customers how we were pivoting what we’re trying to do, what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Now, that Canada is moving into later stages of the pandemic Craig and the Automotive Aftermarket team at 3M are excited to provide continual support to the aftermarket and bring more new products and value-add solutions to the industry.

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EVENTS

WHAT IS LEAN THINKING? Dave Luehr’s Elite Body Shop Solutions webinar featuring Rich Altieri

Dave Luehr the CEO Of Elite Body Shop Solutions.

Rich Altieri, the founder of Auto Body Management Solutions finds a particular Karate Kid quote helpful in defining ‘lean thinking’.

BY MADDY KYLIE

W

hen it comes to understanding the concept of ‘Lean Thinking,’Rich Altieri finds a Karate Kid analogy particularly

helpful.

In the 1984 film, Miyagi initially teaches Daniel how to do karate by making him wax his car, and by repeating the popular phrase: “wax on, wax off.”

Altieri, the founder of Auto Body Management Solutions and associate mentor at Elite Body Shop Solutions reworked the phrase by saying, “hands on the car, hands off the car.”

When your hands are on the car you are adding value and are doing what customers are paying you to do, but when your hands are off the car it’s waste, he said in a Dave Luehr Elite Body Shop Solutions webinar on Aug. 25.

According to Altieri, defined value is “any activity, labour, parts and materials that physically moves the damaged vehicle towards its pre-damaged condition, done correctly the first time and are willing to pay for it.”

And, waste is any activity, labour, and materials customers don’t value and don’t pay for. However, he noted that not all waste is bad, some is actually essential, for instance, meetings, training, and customer service are considered essential waste, because the customer is necessarily paying for

it but it is needed to keep the business running.

It’s the non-essential waste and what he often calls “the junk in the trunk” you have to look out for, which could be missing parts, rework of any kind, discovery of additional damage during production, missing hardware, etc.

Altieri also showed some shocking data about how time is actually spent in a shop. He says that the average body shop only spends about two hours in 24-hour day doing defined value work, which is the actual repairs of the vehicles; the other 10 hours is spent on essential waste, and the rest (12 hours) is spent on non-essential waste.

He noted that many technicians believe that they spend six hours a day doing actual repairs, but based on his 15 years of experience helping shops understand the concept of lean thinking with PPG, even the best-of-the-best shops are only doing two to three hours of defined value work in a 24-hour day.

The good news, however, was that he offered a few tips and tricks on how shops can use their time more effectively.

There are three ways to improve value added touch time and cycle time, he said. You can lower your WIP (have fewer jobs in progress), increase delivery rate (more vehicles per day)

or increase labour hours.

He says the best way to start doing this is to figure out where you’re at now—in terms of WIP, delivery rate, and labour hours, — so you can see how much change needs to be made.

Then make it happen.

He also noted that continuous work is very essential in improving productivity. In a perfect world the same technician would work on the same vehicle until its complete because it dramatically speeds up the process, he says.

At the end of the webinar Altieri gave some advice on the next steps on what participants should do now with all the knowledge they’ve obtained.

He said shop owners should have a lunch and learn session with their staff and play the recorded version of this webinar, so they understand what you are trying to achieve. Next, you should start gathering information on your daily car count, delivery rate, and cycle times, then review them with your team and figure out ways to improve them and plan a specific plan of action.

For those who were unable to attend the live event can watch the recorded webinar by joining the Elite Body Shop Academy for free at elitebodyshopsolutions.com.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 39

EVENTS

FALL FESTIVITIES SAAR’s Fall Conference proves a smashing success

BY ALLISON ROGERS

T

he Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) held its annual Fall Conference on September 11 and 12, featuring a host of helpful sessions for the Prairie province’s collision repairers.

This year’s Fall Conference was held both in-person and online as SAAR executive director Tom Bissonnette led the event. Sessions were broadcasted via Zoom for all attendees to enjoy.

Fall festivities ramped up with a meeting between SAAR and Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) executives Ciaran Downes, senior director of national appraisal operations for SGI, Ryan Smith, vice president of SGI’s claims and salvage operations, and Lyle Andrusiask, director of appraisal image audit and accreditation.

The team took two hours to discuss ImageDesk audits while answering questions on the Safe and Quality Repair Program, which requires Saskatchewan facilities to reach I-CAR Canada Gold Class certification by Mar. 1, 2021, in case they suffer slashes to labour rates.

Currently, SGI has no plans to extend the deadline for Gold Class accreditation.

40 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

All in-person attendees were given their own masks, and SAAR members sported them with style.

EVENTS

Jeff Francis, Wedge Clamp’s technical sales manager, brought the company’s 3D measuring system to SAAR’s Fall Conference, along with a host of other Wedge Clamp products.

Fred Castonguay of Stephenson Equipment brought Chief Automotive’s host of autobody products for SAAR members to enjoy, including his one of his favourites—the MI200 spot welder from Chief.

During his session, I-CAR Canada director Andrew Shepherd started the Saturday session by delivering a brief update on the province’s progress toward I-CAR Gold certification and delivered surprising stats on how many shops have yet to hit Gold Class status.

According to I-CAR Canada, 25 facilities have reached Gold Class certification and 19 have met Gold Class Aluminum standards, while a further 10 stands at ‘Gold Class in Progress’ status.

Nonetheless, Shepherd has few fears that those still seeking the seal will meet it come March. He says, the required program can be completed in as little as six weeks.

“We’re on the doorstep,” said Shepherd.

A few shop owners shared their concerns about securing their spots in the welding classes required for the certification.

Fortunately, Saskatchewan Polytechnic is prepared to offer COVID-compliant welding courses to help those still reaching for Gold Class meet their goal come March.

The college has resumed on-campus training, and instructors will be working seven days a week to help facilities reach their Gold Class certs.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 41

UNDERSTANDING ADAS Level5Drive shares the ins and outs of ADAS calibration Understanding how to calibrate today’s advanced-driver assistance systems (ADAS) is critical in collision repair operations. If you disagree, ADAS experts John Marlowe and Giuliano Bernabei can prove you’re wrong.

The two-man team, founders of ADAS calibration centre Level5Drive in Burlington, Ontario, have made it their mission to provide the automotive aftermarket with valuable ADAS knowledge while helping streamline ADAS calibrations.

ADAS are the fastest-growing segments in automotive electronics, and John predicts that the coming years will see virtually every car manufacturer feature ADAS in its vehicles. Startlingly so, a recent survey from the U.S.-based Equipment and Tools Institute found that 38 percent of new car dealer shops are not equipped to manage the repair and diagnosis of ADAS and passive safety systems; that number jumps to 74 percent for independent repair shops surveyed.

Facilities that may be capable of completing ADAS calibrations can land themselves—and their customers—in hot water if they fail to fully understand the systems.

Luckily for the Canadian sector, John and Giuliano are here to help. The duo sat down with Collision Repair to help the industry better understand when calibrations are required, the critical performance of the operation and what you need to offer them in-house.

Q: If there is nothing on the dash, does that mean that you don’t need a recalibration?

John Marlowe: Absolutely not—that is a huge misunderstanding.

Very often these systems are out of calibration, even without a dash light or a DTC indicating so. The systems will set a light if the sensor has been unplugged, and if the system has been physically impacted or damaged you are also likely to get a dash light. In some cases, the sensor can determine when it’s so far off the mark that it can’t be functional—it can set a diagnostic trouble code for that.

But there are a lot of instances where you have a vehicle going down the road with a misaligned sensor and, when there’s a vehicle 25 feet in front of it it’s detecting it fine. But once you get on the highway and are travelling at high speeds, it may

not detect a vehicle in the time required to properly slow down using the adaptive cruise control. There are tons of examples for situations like that, and these are the stories that cause people to lose confidence in their ADAS systems.

Q: What is the average time it takes to do a calibration on a vehicle?

JM: It takes Giuliano and I about 90 minutes, but for other centres it really depends on the facility’s capabilities. In imagining what they go through trying to maintain their cycle times, trying to keep everything on the level it needs to be on—I can’t see anyone completing calibrations faster than we do.

A shop’s target is probably about 90 minutes per calibration. For us at Level5Drive, we try and make this as easy as we can for the shop, so we pick up, we deliver, we take care of it all.

Q: How current is ADAS vehicle data if an aftermarket scan tool is used?

How long do you wait for a new-modelyear vehicle to perform a calibration?

JM: As with all things when we’re dealing with the secondary market there is always a delay with the software coming to companies like us or any other collision repair [centre] that is using a tool like the launch scanner or any non-OE scanners. Having said that, we have data for 2021 models that we can calibrate. They are maintaining currency at a level I haven’t seen before.

Q: How have manufacturers reacted to third parties performing calibrations on their vehicles? Does it affect the warranty at all?

JM: Manufacturers are understandably unable to look at us and say “Hey go to them and go do that, those guys are great.”

They can’t, for obvious reasons.

However, by and large, the ones we’ve spoken to understand that we really are fighting the same fight.

We really are making the customer experience what it should be for their customers and try to maintain that level of trust

and that level of happiness with their ADAS systems. We’re really contributing to that in a way that their own service departments may not be able to do. Will OEMs be coming to us saying “You guys are great, do our cars!”, probably not going to happen—but the OEM saying, “Don’t go to those guys,” is also not going to happen. We’re too much on the same team. Dealership service departments suffer the same constraints as a collision repair shop trying to add ADAS calibration as part of their business.

Q: How much space do you require for in-house calibrations?

JM: It really depends on the calibration that you’re doing and what type of vehicle it is. For example, in some Mercedes products, if you have a place to park the car that’s flat and level, you can put the target board right against the front bumper, so you don’t need a great deal of room for some of these things.

Other jobs, for example, some Honda products, you need 10 metres (30 ft.) in front of the vehicle as well as significant distance on the sides. You need to be adaptable to many different requirements and have ample space if you’re going to do them in-house.

Q: Have you ever encountered difficulty while trying to calibrate a system once an aftermarket sheet metal part, bumper or glass has been installed?

JM: Yes, we have, in fact. The manufacturers are not saying something that’s untrue when they state that you can’t calibrate with aftermarket parts. We have had bumper covers that have been a bit of a challenge and certainly, windshields are a little bit unpredictable sometimes. Some appear to be just fine.

Even on a repaired bumper where the blind spot detection might be on the corner—which it usually is—if the mill buildup is too great it won’t read through that. So you have to go back and put another bumper on it—an OEM bumper to be able to calibrate it properly.

Our ideal would be to not calibrate vehicles with aftermarket parts on them, but the reality is that they’re going to go somewhere else if we don’t do them. At least we can ensure that the process was followed correctly.

Q: What’s incoming for ADAS tech?

JM: As far as what’s new coming down the pipe, there’s been a lot more focus on stereoscopic measuring on the front cameras, so they have new capabilities that move us a little closer to level three driving when the camera itself is able to measure more accurately.

Also, while there are no production vehicles using LIDAR as of yet, that is coming. Likely they will have limited functionality initially, but you are going to start seeing cars with LIDAR soon. What’s new with ADAS is the cars that it’s on.

Look at Nissan—its least expensive 2020 entry-level model uses ADAS. The big news is the number of vehicles it is present on now. We’re not far from every new car having it—we’re probably less than three years from that.

Q: Is offering calibration services worth it?

JM: It really depends on each facility’s situation. If you’re looking to offer calibration services as an add-on to your existing collision repair business, there are success stories out there. There are people doing great with it.

There’s a lot of thought you’re going to need to put into it. Your facility has to be absolutely set for it. You can’t make compromises—it can’t be, ‘meh, sort of, pretty good’. You have to have the correct facility to be able to do it and you have to have a technician that is willing and able to follow the processes correctly and document the way that we need to.

We’re always happy to answer any questions or work with facilities on offering calibrations.

Q: Do systems have to recalibrate after a repair, wholly replaced or R&I’d?

JM: In most cases, we would strongly recommend that you consider a calibration.

If you’re looking at a sensor that is now uncovered, there are so many variables you can introduce. Did it get touched while the protective part was off, like a bumper cover for example.

Did it get knocked while it was being installed?

You may change the installed position of the part so when this piece was calibrated initially it’s looking through a piece of plastic on a bumper cover that is however many millimetres thick, you’ve now placed it in a different position and maybe it’s no longer looking through the exact same place. It might not return the exact same data that it used to.

The rule of thumb is, if you’re looking at an exposed sensor, you’re probably going to want to calibrate it.

Q: Do you think there should be specific compulsory certifications for technicians who are calibrating ADAS? JM: Ultimately, yes, I think it needs to be its own class, it’s very own segment of the industry.

We should have some method of identifying people who possess the skills to be able to do this. Right now, I don’t know that we have a whole lot of faith in our trade system and the level of training that we brought our existing technicians to. Certainly, I think we need to have a fresh-start segment for ADAS calibrations that may extend into other electronic options on the vehicle.

This is a generic list of some circumstances that will require ADAS calibration.

The OEM documentation is our gold standard, but there are a number of conditions that also require consideration. The short version is, if you can’t state with 100% certainty that the vehicle’s ADAS equipment is correctly calibrated and will perform under ALL expected conditions, then you need to have it calibrated. A test drive is not a diagnostic.

• • • •

Rear camera unplugged T/gate adjusted or repaired DTC or not performing properly Required by OEM statement

• • • • • •

Rear bumper cover removed Rear impact 1/4 panel deformed near BSM DTC or not performing properly Required by OEM statement Sensor uplugged

• • • • • • •

Windshield removed Camera bracket impacted or bent Camera unplugged Wheel alignment performed DTC or not performing properly Directed by OEM statement Frame/unibody damage

• • • • •

Door removed or adjusted Mirror removed or unplugged Pillar/door frame damaged DTC or not performing properly Directed by OEM statement

• Front bumper cover or grille removed • Wheel alignment performed • Front impact • Frame/unibody damage • DTC or not performing properly • Directed by OEM statement • Sensor unplugged

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PRE-SEMA PLANS What some of the industry’s top companies have planned for SEMA360 As SEMA360 draws nearer, the automotive aftermarket is on the edge of its seat waiting to see what this year’s virtual event has in store.

While this year’s SEMA Show won’t place us all in the same room for its typical networking extravaganza, show organizers have been working hard to make SEMA360 as close to the real thing as possible.

Collision Repair has reached out to some of the industry’s top companies to get the inside scoop on what they have planned for this year’s slightly different SEMA Show.

Feature brought to you by

EVENTS

2020 SNEAK PEAK

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W

ith almost 100 years of expertise in the automotive industry, 3M is proud to say it knows the nooks and crannies of auto design, manufacture and repair. 3M knows that SEMA is one of the most important trade events for their industry which is why they are proud supporters of the show. With COVID challenging the aftermarket in so many ways, 3M says they are thrilled to see SEMA continuing its commitment to exhibitors and attendees by making SEMA 360 a virtual event.

“3M will be attending SEMA as an exhibitor because of our strong commitment to the association, the welfare of the industry and ensuring the connection with our customers and partners as we move through these challenging times,” said Craig Jalbert, business manager of 3M’s automotive aftermarket division.

FEATURING THE LATEST AND GREATEST

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or AirPro Diagnostics, the annual SEMA show presents an invaluable opportunity for businesses looking to connect with colleagues and consumers and equip themselves with the latest industry news and products.

“We have always been supporters of the SEMA event. I know things are a little different this year, but as an industry, it’s important that we get together on some platform and have the ability to share our products and ideas to maintain some form of normalcy,” said Eric Newell, vice-president of field operations at AirPro. This year, AirPro will be bringing the latest and greatest from the AirPro Diagnostics platform and the Orion-based management software. As far as new products go, the company plans to reintroduce the new-and-improved features of its augmented reality calibration tool, Auggie, which was initially unveiled at last year’s show while in an early beta phase.

FEATURING VIDEO DEMONSTRATIONS, INFORMATION & PRODUCTS

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his year, Arslan Automotive will showcase its 3D measuring system and welding tools, with video demonstrations and extensive information on the products available to SEMA360 attendees. Further, the company is prepared to connect attendees with reps across North America for any inquiries or product purchases.

Arman Gurarslan, founder of Arslan Automotive said he feels its important for the company to be present at this year’s virtual show. While a virtual SEMA is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, the event will provide a critical opportunity for the industry to connect, said Gurarslan.

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FEATURING COMPREHENSIVE EXHIBIT

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ASF will be present at SEMA360, and the company plans to support attendees and customers through a comprehensive exhibit.

“SEMA is one of the most highly anticipated events for our industry and even though SEMA360 is virtual, it is still considered a major event and part of the BASF trade show schedule,” said Tina Nelles, marketing services manager for BASF. “This year’s exhibits will still offer an opportunity to connect with so many partners and customers all in one place. It is definitely worth being there.”

B

ETAG Innovation has been working hard to provide online training options amid the pandemic. The BETAG training suite features a host of courses in different formats, including 30-minute modules and longer e-classes led by BETAG instructors, along with the hugely helpful Ask A BETAG Trainer service, which can easily connect techs with trainers in a pinch.

Dave Flockhart, BETAG’s chief operating officer, says his company is striving to achieve greater brand awareness at this year’s SEMA Show.

FEATURING BETAG TRAINING SUITE

J

eff Schroder and Car-Part are on the leading edge of changing the landscape of the recycled parts industry and the company plans to use SEMA360 to show off some new features for Integrated Car-Part Pro (iPro). “We’ll be showing off some new features of iPro, which won some industry innovation awards.

We’ll also be talking to vendors and part suppliers to continue increasing our part supplier marketplace,” said Schroder. Schroder and Car-Part FEATURING are actively changing the way used car parts are bought and sold with INTEGRATED its iPro marketplace. “SEMA attendees should check us out because CAR-PART PRO our iPro marketplace is really dramatically improving recycled part (IPRO) usage and alternative parts. It’s also a good opportunity for the shops to see all the new features and how we can help them source parts.”

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 47

SNEAK PEAK

PRE-SEMA PLANS

SNEAK PEAK

PRE-SEMA PLANS FEATURING NEW UV BODY FILLERS!

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MM International BV is focused on showcasing its UV drying and curing technology at SEMA360. With demonstrations planned for its suite of products, EMM will also be launching newly developed Special UV Body Fillers at SEMA360, which the company said can help in boosting your bottom lines and increasing overall productivity. The company will also be showcasing its UV Drying Lamp, and reps will be available to answer any questions customers may have. Thomas van de Kooiji, managing director of EMM International BV, said being part of this year’s show is hugely important to the company.

FEATURING PRODUCT COMPARISONS AND DEMOS!

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nduction Innovations is bringing the heat to the SEMA360 virtual show this year, featuring the Mini-Ductor Venom HP – the highest-powered Mini-Ductor yet that packs a punch at 1800 watts! The company is planning to showcase two product lines this year – the Mini-Ductor Series and the heavier-duty Inductor Series. Discover which applications and key features are best suited for your clients’ operations! Elizabeth Charlton, Induction Innovations’ Marketing Manager, said the company has been working to demonstrate how induction heat is useful in auto glass removal, which included employees getting hands-on experience! “We’ve made videos demonstrating how to use induction heat for glass removal without the use of knives, wires or dissolving solutions,” said Charlton. “It’s a trending topic right now and people will definitely want to see this process in action.”

FEATURING NEW PRODUCTS AND LIVE DEMOS!

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hile Polyvance president Kurt Lammon said he’ll miss the large crowds that typically gather at the company’s booth for its impressive product demonstrations, he and the team plan to push ahead with SEMA360 as best as it can. While Polyvance plans to provide live demonstrations through the SEMA360 platform, the plastic repair company will also be showcasing two new products—its Shim Jim bumper tabs and the Tab Magic Moulding Putty. “Nobody else on the market has anything like this,” said Lammon. “It’ll save the repair technician time and allow them to make a higher quality repair.”

48 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

FEATURING COVID-19 APPROVED DISINFECTANT!

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exall Laboratories and Chemicals will make its debut at the SEMA360 virtual show. Rexall’s president Ryan Rahbar is excited to introduce their newest product, Spray X. Spray X is an environmentally friendly heavy-duty cleaner and deodorizer, furthermore it has the power to disinfect, kill molds and is part of Health Canada’s list of disinfectants with evidence for use against COVID-19. Since its introduction to the Canadian market in April 2020; Rexall president Ryan Rahbar said, “the company moves up to 20,000 gallons of Spray X per day in a genuine effort to serve the needs of Canadian businesses and industrial markets. The success of its production and the ability to meet client demands is due to an effective, efficient, and competent team that works harmoniously in a positive working environment. Rexall is committed to innovation, excellence, and keeping its products environmentally friendly. We’ve created an exceptional product that will deliver excellent results; we’re excited to show it off at SEMA360.”

FEATURING SPECIAL EDITION SPRAY GUN!

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ATA has been on the cutting-edge of employing virtual showrooms and webinars, and SEMA360 will be no exception. The paint equipment company will be unveiling a special edition spray gun, the SATAjet X 5500 Bionic at the show, said John Turner, general manager for SATA Canada. “SEMA is traditionally where we debut a special edition gun, and this year it’s a Bionic gun with an x-ray effect finish, which displays the inner workings of the gun on the outer surface. It’s already debuted in Europe, but SEMA360 will allow people to get a good look at it,” said Turner.

S

panesi’s SEMA360 setup will feature a 360-degree virtual tour of its U.S. training centre, where attendees will be able to ‘walk’ around the premises and explore the company’s complete suite of collision repair products. Further, clicking on one of Spanesi’s many products on display will open a full brochure of information, as well as instructional and operational videos for your viewing pleasure.

Tim Morgan, the chief operating officer for Spanesi Americas says the company is determined to replicate the in-person SEMA networking experience in this year’s virtual format. While this year’s show won’t sit us physically in the same room, Spanesi is dedicated to providing the industry with the support and equipment it needs to thrive at SEMA360 and beyond.

FEATURING 360-DEGREE VIRTUAL TOUR

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 49

SNEAK PEAK

PRE-SEMA PLANS

NETWORKING CORNER

NETWORKING CORNER T

EC N N CO ERE H

Looking for ways to connect with some of the industry’s best and brightest?

Worried that lockdowns and social-distancing are keeping you out of the loop?

Collision Repair has your contact concerns covered with business cards from a number of influential collision repair insiders in our Networking Corner section.

KEVIN BURGESS PRESIDENT

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Fix Auto Truro 1117 Salmon River Rd. Salmon River, N.S., Canada B6L 4C7 T 902.895.2539 C 902.957.0409 F 902.843.3116

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truro@fixauto.com

Suad Dualeh

Coordinator Pre-apprenticeship Training Program Auto Body & Collision Damage Repairer Branch 1 Trade Code 310B Pre-apprenticeship (Level 1)

Tropicana Employment Centre Office: 416.491.7000 # 209 Mobile: 437-918-9249 # 2090 Email: sdualeh@tropicanaemployment.ca Website: www.tropicanaemployment.ca Head office: www.tropicanacommunity.org

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Business Solutions Manager Head Office 557 Grand Ave. East Chatham, ON N7L 3Z2

Cell: 416-712-7003 Email: richard@brownsautosupply.com Toll Free: 1-877-4836-BAS www.brownsautosupply.com

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1128 Kirk Road Rainsville, AL 35986 Tel: (256) 638-4103 US: (800) 633-3047

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PULL UP!

THE NEW REPAIR METHOD The PULL UP! repair system is the latest Spanesi innovation, which utilizes suction cups, glue and slide hammers to produce flawless panel repairs. Suitable for both steel and aluminum substrates, straightening is performed from the exterior of the panel or lining. Spanesi’s exclusive glue formulation facilitates difficult repair procedures to be completed on rocker panels, roofs, dog legs, door sills, along body lines and pillar locations.

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TOUCH

DAMAGE DIAGNOSTICS The initial evaluation of the damaged vehicle is the first step of the repair process. Repair diagnostics can be performed on any lift, bench, or surface. Structural, mechanical and suspension parts can all be measured while on or off of the vehicle. Detailed pre-repair documentation shows the extent of the vehicle’s damage. Technicians perform live pull operations, with real-time feedback, while returning the vehicle to OEM specifications. Post-repair documentation provides your customers the peace-of-mind to know their vehicle has been properly repaired.

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HISTORY

FROM RESIN TO GLORY Automotive coatings through the ages

BY SOPHIE PRICE

I

n the beginning, the only paint available for automobiles was based on natural linseed oil resin.

Since then, we have come a long way from the oil resin—cured through oxidative crosslinking, which required large amounts of time for the paint to dry fully. We have found solutions to the production bottleneck, and it all traces back to the first-ever automotive paint coating, invented by DuPont Company in the 1920s.

Duco Paint, which was invented by DuPont Company significantly reduced the amount of time it took for the paint to dry going from taking days to simply hours. To speed the process up even more DuPont chemists found that if they obtained a low viscosity resin at around 15 percent solids, it could be sprayed on as a coating. This makes the paint a lacquer and allows it to dry through solvent evaporation in only 2 hours. This also improved appearance,

toughness, durability and allowed for multiple colours. Although the paint was highly productive the final coat required polishing to achieve high gloss.

In the 1930s paint chemists began to wonder whether they could find a binder system for paint that could provide both productivity and the preferred appearance of a natural oil resin. From this came the first alkyd paint system. This was the first “polymer” made for coatings, as it was synthesized using three monomers: phthalic anhydride, glycerol, and linoleic acid.

Alkyd chemistry continues as a mainstay of current coating technology.

DuPont Company invented the first automotive paint coating in the 1920s.

1950S Automotive coatings saw further growth by the 1950s. Rohm and Haas Co. had just developed a new synthetic polymer as a glass replacement based on poly methyl methacrylate, and the industry began to investigate whether that technology could be used in coatings. This would go on to be the first all man-made resin technology to be used in automotive coatings.

Thermoplastic acrylic resin technology would then go on to dominate the automotive topcoat

market in automotive coatings for two decades.

This coating however, needed to be sprayed on at relatively low solids of about 20 percent. This meant that multiple coats of the topcoat had to be applied to reach the desired film build of about two mils.

It did, however, provide an excellent binder system for the newest pigment colorant technology-metallic pigments. The metallic pigments provided brilliant, shiny car colors that enhanced

The 1950s saw Rohm and Haas Co. develop a new synthetic polymer that would go in to become the first all-man-made resin technology in automotive coatings.

52 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

the car body. To achieve the best visual effects the pigments must align parallel to the painted surface. The rheological profile of an acrylic lacquer paint is perfect to obtain this effect: a low initial viscosity to allow the metallic flakes to lay flat, and a fast rise in viscosity to keep the flakes in place.

This technology had such a strong advantage that by the 1960s General Motors painted almost every car with acrylic lacquer topcoats.

Automotive coatings saw further growth by the 1950s. Rohm and Haas Co. had just developed a new synthetic polymer as a glass replacement based on poly methyl methacrylate, and the industry began to investigate whether that technology could be used in coatings.

HISTORY

1970S Up to the 1970s, one of the biggest issues in the automotive painting landscape was the rusting of the automotive body. In the ’70s, coating advancement finally solved this issue.

It was electrodeposition primers, commonly known as “e-coat” that solved the problem. The first automotive electrocoat was developed by Dr. George Brewer at Ford in 1957, however there were drawbacks in the technology at the time and it wasn’t until 1973 when PPG industries introduced the first cathodic e-coat system from automotive bodies that it was used. These coatings essentially stopped the automotive body from rusting making it one of the biggest breakthroughs in automotive coatings technology.

These coatings are applied in a unique way by totally submerging the assembled car body in a large tank that contains the waterborne e-coat and then the coat is applied through cathodic electrodeposition. The coating chemistry is

waterborne enamel based on epoxy, an amino alcohol adduct, and blocked isocyanate, which all crosslink on baking to form an epoxy-urethane resin system.

Electrodeposition is known for delivering one of the most effective coatings for corrosion protection. Today, almost all cars use e-coat technology as the foundation of their coating system. E-coat provides excellent corrosion protection, but it does have two flaws: inadequate appearance and poor photostability. The solution to these issues is new enamel automotive primers that were developed in the 1980s.

Up to the 1970s, one of the biggest issues in the automotive painting landscape was the rusting of the automotive body.

In the ’70s, coating advancement finally solved this issue.

It was electrodeposition primers, commonly known as “e-coat” that solved the problem.

1980S In the 1980s, primer surfaces were created to be applied to cured e-coats to give a smoother surface for improved topcoat appearance. They also provide opacity to protect e-coat primers from UV degradation.

These primer surfaces also often provide better impact resistance to help reduce stone chipping of the coating. The combination of electrocoat plus primer-surfacer provides a total automotive primer system with impressive corrosion protection and a great surface for a top coating.

This then led to basecoats and clearcoat topcoats which also had their drawbacks, such as their weak exterior durability. It would only take one to two years of exposure for the coatings to begin to degrade and waxing would be needed to bring back the shine.

By now, consumers were expecting their cars to last at least five years.

This is also when the Environmental Protection Agency began to promulgate new volatile organic compound (VOC) regulations that limited the amount of solvent that an automotive facility could emit into the atmosphere.

The high VOC content and weak durability of acrylic lacquer coatings were no longer accept-

able in the automotive marketplace. Instead, a two-layer system was created that consisted of a base coat that contained the pigments to provide the beautiful color effects and then a clear polymer coating layer that protected the basecoat.

Both the basecoat and clearcoat were enamels, based on hydroxyl-functional acrylic resins crosslinked using melamine, a crystalline compound made by heating cyanamide and used in making plastics. This had advantages as it reduced solvent content was achieved given the lower molecular weight of the hydroxyl-functional acrylic resins and low-viscosity melamine crosslinker.

It also allowed the coating to

cure to a high crosslink density on baking to provide better properties, and the unique base coat layer allowed the use of even more effective pigments by colour stylists.

Finally, the clear coat layer was formulated to provide both better appearance and the ultimate in protection for the coating system below. It was these basecoat/clearcoat systems that were able to achieve a balance of properties for the automotive coating system that provided stunning visual appearance as well as long term durability.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 53

HISTORY

1990S The use of waterborne basecoats began in the 1990s. These coats came from water-reducible acrylics and polyesters to acrylic latexes, to polyurethane dispersions, but the common point is the use of water.

The idea behind using waterborne technology is to accomplish lower VOCs and reduce the environmental footprint of the coating pro-

cess. However, those are not the only benefits; waterborne coatings can also provide improved appearance and metallic effects.

During the 1990s many automotive coatings, using new cross-linking chemistries, were invented.

Clearcoats specifically have been a focus for these new chemistries in addition to the

original acrylic resin/melamine systems, there are now acrylic/silane/melamine, acid/epoxy, carbamate/melamine, and acrylic/isocyanate systems. Important new properties for clear coats can be achieved with these new cross-linking chemistries, improved appearance and durability, better acid etch resistance, and scratch and mar resistance.

In the 2000s, the industry’s main focus shifted toward efficiency.

2000S At the turn of the millennium, the main focus of automotive coatings became efficiency.

In the average automotive assembly plant, the painting process could take up at least half of the space in the facility, account for approximately 40 percent of the capital cost of the assembly plant, use 80 percent of the energy, and produce a large majority of the CO2 and VOC emissions.

After being asked by OEM manufacturers to attempt to reduce this footprint and cut the cost of applying the coating system, paint formulations developed coatings that could be applied more efficiently, in fewer steps, and with a lower energy requirement.

The average process for a waterborne primer, waterborne basecoat, and solvent borne clear coat system involves two oven bakes and a heated flash, all of which require time and energy. Compared to the 3-Wet process where solvent borne primer, solvent borne basecoat, and solvent borne clear coat are applied one after the other, and a single bake occurs

after all three layers of coating have been applied.

This 3-Wet application method reduces the footprint of the coatings line, shortens the time of the painting process, and saves energy costs.

All removing the stand-alone primer booth and oven, which creates significant savings without wrecking the quality.

The way we paint cars over the years has definitely changed dramatically going from time consuming short lasting paint jobs, to time effective long lasting paint jobs that not only make our cars look great but help protect against damage that can be done to a car from hail, salt, rain etc.

From resin, to e-coats and today’s top primers, we’ve come a long way in automotive coatings over the years. And, if one thing is for certain, the automotive industry never stands still.

The next five decades could see even further advancements, and this magazine can’t wait to see where we go next.

54 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

From resin, to e-coats and today’s top primers, we’ve come a long way in automotive coatings over the years.

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ARC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

A FAREWELL AND A NEW HELLO Changes to ARC’s board of directors

A

fter a long and storied involvement with the national association Neil James is stepping down from the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) Board of Directors, the organization announced August 17.

In 1993, Neil attended his first Ontario meeting of the Canadian Auto Recyclers.At that time, the group was made up of several like-minded recyclers, all bonded together with the Hotline voice system to buy and sell parts. Neil thought the name failed to express the responsibility of the organization and challenged the auto recyclers to create a new national voice for all auto recyclers.

Neil was involved with many meetings between Canada and the United States—the U.S.-based Automotive Recyclers Association was one of the first groups to recognize and support the ARC. Neil was on the original ARC Board and was a regular and vocal participant, serving as Board Chair on two different occasions.

Over 25 years ago Neil was also the Chair of the B-CAR Division of the ARA and was frustrated that no municipal or provincial official could explain the regulatory requirements for processing an end-of-life vehicle. B-CAR took this issue to Environment Canada and the BC Ministry of Environment, and the first Environmental Code of Practice (CoP) was developed.

“Neil James has been a visionary for the auto recycling industry, and his time, energy and knowledge commitments to his national association have made for a better industry for everyone” said Steve Fletcher, Managing Director, Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC).

58 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

This sad goodbye has, however, welcomed a new member to the ARC’s Board of Directors.

Ken Hendricks will be joining the ARC Board of Directors as one of the representatives from British Columbia.

Ken currently serves as the Senior Advisor to the Automotive Retailers Association (ARA). He has had over 10 years of progressive employment with the ARA, joining originally as the Divisional Coordinator for the BC Auto Recyclers (BCAR)—a position he has kept to this day.

Ken also represents other ARA divisions such as towing and recovery, licensed motor dealers and the mechanical repair division.

Ken’s affiliation with the ARA goes back to its roots. Ken is a third generation ARA member. His grandfather Ed Meyers, a Ford Dealer on Vancouver Island, was one of the founding members in the early 1950s. His father Ed Hendricks served as ARA President from 1994-1998 and as Chairman from 2011-2015.

Ken has spearheaded and managed many industry development projects including the development of a training and recycling certification program for the auto recycling and towing industries and he has also managed several WorkSafeBC sponsored projects focused on providing occupational health and safety resources and developing guidelines for the automotive industry.

Ken joins Jim Lebrun from Powerhouse Recycled Auto & Truck Parts as the two representatives to the ARC Board from B.C. Each provincial association that makes up ARC has two representatives on the ARC Board of Directors.

Neil James is stepping down from the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) Board of Directors, the organization announced August 17.

Ken Hendricks joins the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) Board of Directors as one of the representatives from British Columbia.

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

DISSECTING DIAGNOSTICS Mitchell says diagnostic scanning is becoming routine Jack Rozint, Mitchell’s senior vice president of repair sales said today’s constantly evolving technology means technicians need to understand how new systems interact with larger, complex networks.

BY MAX REID

M

itchell International’s Q3 Trends Report eral manufacturers present more fault codes–also for the 2018-20 model years (8.27), several continues to point toward a complex known as diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs)–than manufacturers have experienced a decline in electronic workspace for automotive Asian automakers Honda, Mazda and Hyundai, their newest vehicles. This finding was somewhat which produce the least. Mitchell infers that surprising, said Mitchell, given newer vehicles repairers across the industry.

In its latest trend report, Mitchell found that the level of interconnectedness and electrical are more likely to come equipped with ADAS the increased prominence of electronic vehicle system complexity is greater in vehicles that and other advanced technology.

The report also noted the prominence of systems such as Advanced Driver Assistance produce the most codes, and says those vehiSystems (ADAS) scanning pose the potential to cles typically come from the higher end of the ADAS systems in vehicles, which can currently be found in almost 93 percent of new cars in create additional challenges in the repair process automotive spectrum. the U.S., as well as the fact that if not properly addressed. proper maintenance on these “Overall vehicle technol“You may know how one particular camera systems “will be necessary for ogy and vehicle construction a complete and safe repair”, are getting more and more system works, but technicians also need to according to Rozint. complex,” Jack Rozint, senior understand how that system interacts with Mitchell’s data shows that vice president of repair sales 2018-20 model year vehicles told Collision Repair. “Every the larger complex network,” – Jack Rozint, receive calibrations at more new model year there’s a new Mitchell SVP of repair sales and service than double the rate of 2015-17 wave of technology and comvehicles (8.51 percent compared plexity.You may know how one It was also found that the frequency of fault to 4.01 percent). Newer vehicles are also taking particular camera system works, but technicians also need to understand how that system inter- codes increased in certain higher-end models longer to repair with the average keys-to-keys of the luxury brands, suggesting that more cycle time for the 2018-20 driveable vehicles acts with the larger complex network.”

The study shows that diagnostic scanning complex vehicle systems correlate with more averaging at 11.15 days, compared to 10.67 is quickly becoming a routine aspect of the fault codes. Mercedes Benz, for example, saw days for 2015-17 repairable vehicles.

Emphasis must be placed not only on trainrepair process with numbers indicating that 13.59 trouble codes in the lower-cost C-Class, the frequency of such scans has risen to 50 yet saw 20.8 codes in the higher end S-Class. ing employees to work with ADAS, but also Mitchell also found that new vehicles don’t ensuring that the shops themselves are properly percent in the second quarter of 2020, up from necessarily produce more codes. While the equipped to make safe repairs on these systems, 10 percent recorded two years ago.

Mitchell discovered luxury vehicles from sev- overall average number of fault codes is greater the report explains.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 59

PAINTER’S CORNER

MEETING YOUR MATCH The latest in colour-matching tools and techniques

BY SOPHIE PRICE

W

hen it comes to colour matching, there are several methods you can employ to meet your perfect match.

Colour matching tools can help technicians identify the best blendable colour match in minutes—and accuracy is important to the quality of the repair, as well as the productivity and profitability of the body shop. Proper maintenance of mixing machine toners, accurate mixing of formulas, and proper application have a significant impact on colour match accuracy.

If your tools are properly maintained, they can not only provide very precise matches, but drive your shop’s productivity and profitability.

Training is also critical to a successful colour match. Providing proper training on colour tools to technicians ensures optimized performance of those tools.

PPG’s RapidMatch XI combines 11 color angles and five texture angles for a total of 16 geometries powered with six blue-enhanced LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to provide accurate color matches.

60 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

PAINTER’S CORNER

MEDDLING WITH METALLICS Spectrophotometers began as stationary single-angle instruments used for colour matching.

AkzoNobel says its most popular—and accurate— paint matching tool is its Automatchic Vision (AMV) spectrophotometer combined with its MIXIT colour retrieval software. The company says the tool “takes the guesswork out of colour matching,” measuring colour at multiple different angles, and, when synced with AkzoNobel’s MIXIT software, can provide “the most accurate level of colour match.”

Axalta’s spectrophotometer is also a popular choice among painters, selling more than 60,000 units globally.

Refinishers can take the device’s colour readings from a vehicle’s paintwork using the spectrophotometer, which then wirelessly sends the readings to Axalta’s online global colour database.

The colour matching software searches more than 200,000 constantly-updated formulas, and where necessary, automatically adjusts the closest formula to provide refinishers with the best possible match, which can then be selected on a smartphone or a tablet and sent via WIFI to an IP scale for mixing the colour formula.

Sophisticated spectrometers feature a colour camera that captures multiple colour images of the car’s surface.

The images taken will then be used to identify the texture of the colour conjunction using multiple angles to ensure the best match.

PPG says that “the basis for any spectrophotometer’s colour matching capability lies in the ability to tap into an extensive colour formula database using colour angle information and algorithms that efficiently and accurately delivers ‘target to match’ returns” PPG offers the RAPIDMATCH XI spectrophotometer, which the company says measures more angles than any other device on the market.

BASF says that a spectrophotometer is the most efficient colour matching tool as it can discern more colour than the human eye. The company’s KOH spectrometer combines six-angle equipment technology with a large colour library and cutting-edge algorithms.

Because the spectrometer can identify a matching colour fast shops can get more vehicles through in a day resulting in more efficiency as well as greater revenue.

Spectrometers read a colour, calculate the differences from a known colour solution and compute the formula to get the highest quality colour solution for a specific repair.

Sherwin-Williams commented that they agree that next-gen multi-angle spectrophotometers can select the correct colour formula with a high degree of accuracy.

Sherwin also says that formulas are advancing and are accessible almost as soon as a new vehicle rolls off the line. Spectrophotometers then are delivering not only pictures of the colour from multiple angles, but information about the pigment’s effect material.

THE POWER OF LIGHT Spectrophotometers

Axalta’s spectrophotometer is another popular choice and has sold more than 60,000 units globally.

BASF’s KOH spectrometer combines six-angle equipment technical with its colour library and algorithms to identify colour matches.

AkzoNobel’s Automatchic Vision (AMV) Spectrophotometer is a popular choice for paint-matching, says the company.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 61

PAINTER’S CORNER

FANNED OUT Colour decks and chips Sherwin-Williams comments that only some paint technicians have the unique gift to be able to discern colour and select a match from a chip deck.

While most technicians need more guidance, fan decks are a great option for experienced painters comfortable with tinting colours. They allow for a quick assessment of quality to determine if tinting or blending will be necessary.

Fan decks contain spray variations of a given colour and allow technicians to view the quality of the colour matches available. Automated toner dispensing allows for improvement in the accuracy of formula mixing. Spray technology and equipment has improved the quality and accuracy of fan decks.

For those preferring print tools, PPG believes “colour chips are still a great resource for colour matching”. Major paint companies offer colour variant decks with chips that are chromatically arranged for speedy reference, so the painter can choose a colour that comes closest to matching the vehicle.

PPG has recently added a wheel and trim deck to provide information in a print tool, which is printed on durable paper to use in wheel and trim match situations.

If your tools are properly maintained, they can not only provide very precise matches, but drive your shop’s productivity and profitability.

Sherwin-Williams and its subsidiary Valspar say, while colour-matching with chip decks can only be achieved by the most talented of painters,

In 2019, PPG debuted its wheel and trim deck, complete with144 wheel colors and 304 accent and trim colors to achieve a successful color match.

A paint job will match the standard of the technician that executes it—and, when it comes to automotive painting, all parties agree that training remains integral to success.

Ensure you stay up to date on the latest tools, trends and accompanying training to keep your skills secure.

62 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

PAINTER’S CORNER

COMPUTERIZED COATINGS Digital matching software The industry is beginning to recognize the importance of software programs to help narrow down information needed for a technician to commence a colour search. Many softwares can track easy-to-navigate mix sessions, manage job costing, offer advanced reporting and more to help improve efficiency.

Axalta’s digital visualization tool allows you to do just that. Through Axalta’s ColorNet platform, the Advanced Colour Proofing tool allows technicians to see a representation of the vehicle’s colour and adjust the paint formula on a screen to determine the quality of the match before mixing the paint.

Axalta says this helps reduce the need to mix paint and create multiple test panels, saving materials and increasing productivity.

The ColorNet software platform, which

allows users to virtually enter a comprehensive library of colour formulas integrated with the company’s entire suite of colour tools. Axalta says “ColourNet makes colour formula retrieval and reporting quicker and easier.”

AkzoNobel’s software MIXIT allows users access to its global colour database of more than two million formulas and is updated in real-time.

The MIXIT web application is accessible from any device at any time from anywhere. It also integrates AkzoNobel’s spectrophotometer Automatchic and smart scale.

PPG’s Paintmanager XI software allows a paint technician to locate an accurate colour for any car manufacturer. The software works by drawing information from PPG’s colour database that has 3.5 million colours and allows for colour formula retrieval and matching and mixing paint in one system.

BASF also talks about the benefits of digitals tools as they say with its digital tool BASF Refinish can train any technician to use the tool and take a reading, leaving flexibility in who determines the final colour choice based

on results. This allows for a quality match with no additional resources.

BASF also has matching tools integrated with its colour retrieval platform, SmartTRAK. SmartTRAK software is equipped with integrated formula retrieval, job management, inventory management and reporting. The program also contains SmartSCAN which takes measurements from BASF spectrophotometer and imports them directly into the formula retrieval tool.

The industry seems to agree that, in order to provide perfect colour matches every time, your facility needs a variety of tools and methods.

You’ll need a spectrophotometer and colour retrieval softwares to assess vehicle colours and find the proper formulas. You need accurate scales to measure formulas, while integration between colour retrieval platforms, bodyshop management systems and other digital solutions bring maximum efficiency to your processes, from material usage and inventory replenishment.

The industry seems to agree that, in order to provide perfect colour matches every time, your facility needs a variety of tools and methods.

AkzoNobel’s MIXIT software allows users to access its global colour database of more than two million formulas.

Axalta also says its ColorNet software platform “makes colour formula retrieval and reporting quicker and easier.”

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 63

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PAINTER’S CORNER

THE DEDICATED PAINTER 37 years and nearly 40,000 cars later

BY SOPHIE PRICE

P

assion will get you far in this trade. If you’re skeptical, Vince Figliomeni can prove it.

Vince has been a painter at Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota Collision for 37 years. In that time, the dedicated painter has returned approximately 38,480 vehicles to their pre-accident glory.

Vince first joined the automotive industry in his home country of Italy, where he got his start at working alongside his cousin in a local bodyshop.After arriving in Canada, armed with limited English and an outpouring of passion for the trade, Vince’s wife assisted in his job search, which ended at Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota.

He began as a prepper in 1983, and after roughly a year his manager suggested he make the leap to painter.

“I was so nervous to start because I knew it was a dealership and I had never worked in that large of a setting,” said Vince. “It was a big place, but I took a chance,” he said.

Vince says that at first, he was “more scared than enthusiastic,” but his confidence grew as his colleagues applauded his work and his managers took note of his skill.

“Guys would actually look into my job and they were kind of impressed and would say ‘oh my god his paint job is pretty good,’” laughed Vince. “It was a real motivator.”

As the facility’s only painter, Vince saw his

“Spraying cars is the easy part. Then you have to have knowledge of the preparation and how to make sure it is done properly; you have to know some bodywork, and there’s a ton of work involved tinting colours. Sometimes colours

“His work is as quality as the day it comes out of the factory. He is flawless, like perfection.

We wish we could genetically clone him.”

– Danny Jamal, general manager Ken Shaw, Lexus Toyota skill grow alongside experience, but Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota has also supported him for training over the years to further improve his skills.

To this day, Vince is still the main painter at Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota Collision with only one other person assisting him on the odd occasions.

Vince is an advocate for the trade and says painting cars isn’t as simple as it sounds.

66 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

aren’t always matching properly so you always have to double and triple-check to make sure you put the right colour on the car”.

After staying at Ken Shaw for 37 years,Vince can’t imagine himself working anywhere else.

“They treat people well,” he says.“Not just me but the rest of the employees here. I know they’ll always make sure I have the right equipment, and we have everything we need.”

PAINTER’S CORNER

Vince’s work is of such a high caliber; Danny Jamal says he’s never seen a customer come back to complain.

Axalta’s spectrophotometer is another popular choice and has sold more than 60,000 units globally.

Vince is also one of the most senior employees at the Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota. Danny Jamal, general manager at Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota says the other employees call him ‘Papa Vince’ and turn to him for any advice in the body shop or elsewhere.

Vince Figliomeni, the senior painter at Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota Collsion, has painted approximately 38,000 cars in his 37-year career.

“Spraying cars is the easy part.” – Vince Figliomeni Vince’s commitment to his work is very clear, he takes pride in what he does and works hard to please his employers.

“I am prouder of what I do when there’s appreciation, and I am sure it goes both ways.

Them seeing that I do well for them and me being happy with the way they treat me—it’s what motivates me.”

Vince is also one of the longest-standing employees at Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota Collsion.

Danny Jamal, general manager at Ken Shaw says the other employees call him “Papa Vince” and turn to him for any advice in the bodyshop, or elsewhere.

“He has been around longer than all of us, he’s smarter than all of us and he has more wisdom than all of us. So, we all come to him

for help and advice” says Jamal.

Vince says that the most important thing to him is admitting when you are wrong or when you make a mistake and trying to learn from it. He makes it very clear that every day is still a challenge, from the new colours constantly being released to learning how to properly spray those colours can take time and effort.

Still, he takes each problem as a challenge and says the constantly changing environment helps to challenge and motivate him.

When asked about his proudest moment Vince says he feels proudest when his superiors are with happy with his job.

“When they tell me ‘good job Vince’. I feel great about that.”

Not only has Vince painted roughly 38,480

cars in his career but he has a receipt for every single car he has ever painted at Ken Shaw Lexus Toyota.

Jamal speaks very highly of Vince.

“He’s a great guy. He always comes to work happy and productive and ready to work. He is very professional with the other employees, management and owners.”

The general manager says it’s rare for the facility to see a vehicle come back with a paint issue. In his own 11 years at the company, he can’t remember the last time a vehicle came back with a paint problem.

“His work is as quality as the day it comes out of the factory. He is flawless, like perfection.” adds Jamal. “We wish we could genetically clone him.”

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 67

EXECUTIVE VISION

AT THE FOREFRONT Pro Spot founder and president Ron Olsson

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hen it comes to collision industry innovations, Pro Spot International president Ron Olsson is at the forefront.

Since 1986, Ron has been dedicated to providing solutions to all corners of the collision repair sector.

A born Swede with dreams of making it in America, Olsson has certainly achieved enough success for a lifetime. Since embarking on the Pro Spot journey more than 30 years ago, Olsson has made it his mission to give the collision repair sector a voice while providing top-notch welding products, comprehensive training, and overall support to the industry.

Collision Repair’s Allison Rogers sat down with Ron to hear about his extensive expertise in the sector, his company’s latest innovations and the happenings at Pro Spot International.

COLLISON REPAIR: How did Pro Spot International come to be what it is today?

RON OLSSON: I’ve always been innovative.

I’m a builder and inventor by nature.

I started my own business in 1986, after moving from Sweden to California. The business was then called California Laser Alignment and Straightening Systems, or C.L.A.S.S., and focused on motorcycle frame repair equipment.

We repaired motorcycles and developed a few laser measuring systems, frame straighteners and some other tools.

One day, while driving home on the freeway, I started to think about why I was seeing so many more cars on the road than motorcycles. That thought brought me into the world of collision repair and turned C.L.A.S.S. into Pro Spot.

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Pro Spot started with resistance spot welding in the late ‘80s. The process was used by OEMS in the U.S. and Canada but not in the collision repair industry. It’s the process manufacturers use when they initially build the vehicle, so the process allowed repairers to replicate factory-type welds.

It was difficult to introduce resistance spot welding at first because a lot of bodyshops didn’t have the electricity grid required for these types of machines. Eventually, we were able to work around this by building electrical transformers. The industry also needed different arms to reach into the tougher nooks and crannies.

Pro Spot got a few patents on those arms early on, and someone said, “Hey, Ron—you should build a welder,” and I said,“Hey, maybe I should.”

That’s the uniqueness of Pro Spot—we’re at the forefront and we always have been.

EXECUTIVE VISION

CR: OEM Certifications are a big topic right now, and Pro Spot has a lot of experience working with OEMs. What are your thoughts on OEM repair procedures in the industry right now?

RO: Vehicles are constantly changing— they’re much more complex now and have such different metals than say, 20 years ago.

As an industry, we’re really at the point where OEMs need to be involved. Liability is greater nowadays, as is the responsibility to ensure technicians are following the proper procedures to repair them.

It’s funny how things have changed. Back when I started the company, I was knocking down the OEM’s doors to try and promote my product. I was met with a lot of resistance from them—no one knew what resistance spot welding would look like in the bodyshop or how we would use it.

Years later, we started gaining more traction with them, and now, they’re knocking our doors down. Pro Spot has cooperation with many OEMs and they often lean on us to develop welders that fit with their vehicles and repair procedures. Pro Spot enjoys working with them and it’s something we’ve always done—translating what they do into the repair scene and working to develop the best procedures with the proper equipment.

CR: On the topic of mixed metals, how has the rise of mixed metal components transformed Pro Spot’s products?

RO: In the early days, we were working with milder steels that were more forgiving. Now, in recent years, we’ve been seeing stronger, lighter metals used in vehicle parts.

In 2014, Ford switched its F-150 body from steel to aluminum, and that was a big shift for the industry. Welding aluminum versus steel is a different ballgame, so it changed everything.

We got involved and worked closely with Ford at the time to look at a variety of different welders that could achieve this repair.

At the same time, additives are being integrated into steel to make stronger, lighter parts and whatnot. This material is even more difficult to work with. After a collision, you can’t even straighten these panels. You’d need to remove them, replace the panel and then

Mike Berardi, Ford director of service engineering operations, Ashley Olsson, Pro Spot director of communications, Ron Olsson and Steve DeAngelis, Ford manager of technical support operations after Pro Spot was named Ford’s supplier of the year in 2014.

“Pro Spot started with resistance spot welding.

The process was used in the U.S. and Canada, but not in the automotive repair industry.

That’s the uniqueness of Pro Spot— we’re at the forefront and always have been.”

— Ron Olsson, Pro Spot president and founder weld them back on. That has introduced even more welding to repairs.

Now, the automakers that did not recommend resistance spot welders aren’t just recommending them, they’re requiring them. That’s been huge for our industry, and our company—changing our equipment with the times to serve the industry.

CR: Pro Spot supplies a lot of the required tools in OEM procedures. What was the process of getting your products listed as required for certain procedures?

RO: Since we’ve been involved with using resistance spot welding in repairs for so long, we’ve developed a name in that realm. By working so closely with automakers, we’ve become a reliable shoulder to lean on.

For example, we offer three of the six tools required for Ford certification. Any field we’ve had a product that meets a particular repair need, we’ve met the OEM certification for it. And, in turn, we’ve crafted and continually evolve our products to help meet the needs of OEMs as well. The OEMs trust our expertise.

We also have a quick turnaround— we’re able to get things done very quickly, for OEMs or otherwise.We manufacture everything from weld caps to completed welders here in California, we’re even able to do prototypes overnight for some projects.We have our own engineers in-house, both mechanical and electrical, and full manufacturing facility where we can do machining and sheet metal. We don’t see delays often, so that adds a lot of reliability to all of our relationships.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 69

EXECUTIVE VISION

From left to right: Art Ewing, Pro Spot marketing consultant, Ron Olsson and Russell Duncan, Pro Spot’s director of sales and marketing for Canada.

Ron Olsson, founder and president of Pro Spot International.

From the Pro Spot archives: Olsson tests a new tool on a Lexus back panel.

CR: Could you talk a little bit about Pro Spot’s current products? What’s a key feature the industry should be aware of?

Pro Spot has several training centres around the world, including one at its Carlsbad, California headquarters.

Olsson loads an older model of Pro Spots, the PR-10 welder for delivery.

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RO: My mission with Pro Spot has always been to continue to update our tools and welders. Our tools have changed a lot since our first endeavours in the late ’80s.

Our latest welders feature built-in computers and Wi-Fi capabilities, and they use a process we call Auto-Weld. These spot welders can analyze and detect metal thickness—what type of metals we’re working with, how strong the metals are—before applying any energy. The technician doesn’t have to apply any settings, it’s all done automatically.

There are also frequent updates to the welders, the same way you receive updates on your phone.

We simply send out the update, the technician processes the update and receives all the new information straight away.

EXECUTIVE VISION

Olsson takes a trip around Pro Spot’s Carlsbad, California headquarters.

“At Pro Spot, we believe we have a duty to ensure our products are used properly.

We truly believe training is just as important as the product itself.” — Ron Olsson Finally, we’ve had weld logs on all of our equipment for years now, and that’s something people have just started to take advantage of, with the amount of liability out there nowadays.

They’re becoming really helpful in today’s market in proving the process was done per OEM guidelines. Since it’s been gaining popularity, we’re constantly working to improve that infrastructure.

other for support. Technicians can post their questions and either a Pro Spot representative or other users will help them with their solutions.

The real product feedback is honestly from the technicians; the people holding the product in their hands. There will always be problems encountered in the real world that we may not have considered, so it’s great to have that feedback loop with the actual bodyshops.

CR: How important is training to Pro Spot?

CR: What other support does Pro Spot offer with its products?

RO: At Pro Spot, we believe we have a duty to ensure our products are used properly. We also have a responsibility for our product to provide quality structural repairs—training is a key part of that. We truly believe that training is just as important as the product itself; if we can get people to use our equipment the way it’s designed to be used; we can guarantee they will like it.

We’re very involved in training. We offer online training with all of our products, so technicians can pop their headsets on and do a training session right with the welder right in front of them. We also have training centres in Canada, the U.S. and all over the world where we conduct sessions.

Finally, we have a community with our loyal users for them to contact us or lean on each

RO: Our products are very service and repair-minded, and the industry appreciates that.

Sometimes welders fail, but we’ve always made it our mission to get technicians back up and welding as quickly as possible. We’ve put a lot of effort into designing products with the repair technicians in mind. When something goes wrong with our tools, it’s modular inside.

So, technicians can just plug a different module in and quickly get the welder up and running.

Then, we go back and diagnose the problem.

All our distributors are constantly trained on how to fix welders, so we have a community of support in our local areas dedicated to getting your Pro Spot welders back up and working properly.

Honestly, it feels like shops seem to love the

product more when it breaks and we’re able to solve the problem quickly as we do. Everyone hates to buy something and run into a problem they have no idea how to fix it. People want to buy Pro Spot because they know they’ll be taken care of.

CR: What sorts of tools are Pro Spot focused on right now?

RO: Well, there’s a lot there.

We’ve been working a lot on the automation of the welding process, and we want to continue to build more sophisticated products to meet the demands of the new technologies and metals being used today.

It’s become extremely complicated, and we do a lot of development through coding and programming. We want to make it so technicians can simply push a button and the job is taken care of. Our goal is make sophisticated welding process that are simple to use, and that’s a constant development for us.We’re also focused on MIG welders, which technicians are a big fan of. Today, there’s steel, aluminum and silicon bronze, and our MIG welders can easily switch between any of these materials. It saves the technicians from swapping out multiple MIG welders for one job, which they appreciate.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 71

EXECUTIVE VISION

“The OEMs trust our expertise.”

Our riveting systems are gaining popularity among OEMs. A lot of today’s vehicle models use multiple materials, and you cannot weld dissimilar metals.

We’re also working on dent pulling. In the old days, the OEMs may feel it’s better to replace a quarter panel than repair it. But if you think about the challenges presented by breaking 50 to 100 factory welds to replace a panel, and then complete the 50 to 100 Pro Spot welds to reattach the new part, it presents a lot of structural challenges. In our opinion, it’s a lot easier to just fix a panel, if possible, than replace it, and we’ve been working with OEMs to communicate this.

Finally, we’re working for dent repair with high-performance glues as a cold process that prevents corrosion and rusting on the undercoat.

It’s pretty funny because I’ve been working with this process since the ’90s, but everyone thought I was insane back then. Here we are, 20 or so years later and look, I was right!

Olsson has always been an inventor and builder by nature.

He says his best ideas sometimes start on a napkin!

THE ULTIMATE HOME ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE To enter, join Service Lane for Shops by November 30th

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AUTO SALES

SUMMER SPIKES Some companies thrived, despite the pandemic

BY MADDY KYLIE

M

ost people can agree that the vast majority of businesses have without a doubt been disadvantaged by the pandemic. It has drastically diminished face-to-face interactions, snatched jobs, and completely altered day-to-day operations. Oddly enough, some businesses have thrived and have actually been more successful than ever amid the COVID-19 frenzy. Don’t worry, We’re not talking about Netflix, ZOOM or any other internet company—we all know they’ve done well. But, businesses within the automotive industry—a sector that was hit particularly hard-hit by COVID-19—has somehow come out on top during all the mayhem. Let’s take a look. First up is Kia Canada. In June 2020 Kia reported June as its best month ever in Canadian history.

“Amid a turbulent and declining market, Kia Canada is proud to have achieved their best month ever in its over 20-year history in Canada. Up seven percent from June last year, Canadians continue to embrace Kia with 8,647 units sold, following an inspiring month of May with 5,904 units,” reads a Kia Canada press release. Kia’s uptick in sales may be attributed to its ‘Kia Has You Covered’ promotion, in which Kia paid—not deferred—the first six months’ of payment on finance and the first three months’ payment on leases on some of their most popular models throughout the months of May and June.

Subaru Canada also had a record-breaking month. In July the automaker reported its third best month ever with 5, 678 vehicles sold, which was a 10.1 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Subaru’s historic month was driven by its 2020 vehicle lineup. The all-new 2020 Outback set its best month ever with 1,232 units sold, representing a 14.7 percent increase over the same month last year. The 2020 Ascent posted its best July ever with 407 units sold, a 39.4 percent surge from last July. Crosstrek and Forester also had their best July, selling 1,459 and 1,368 units respectively, 2.2 and 22.5 percent increases over the same period last year.

The next one is sort of split—the company’s auto sales may not have roared, however, its value on the stock market sure did. On July 1, Tesla Inc. became the most valuable car company in the world, with the total value of all its shares on the Nasdaq, a figure known as market capitalization, adding up to $207 billion. Tesla announced that it delivered 90,650 vehicles during the quarter, better than the 74,130 vehicles that analysts who cover the company were forecasting.

Although, this was still a decline of about five percent from the number of cars it sold in the same quarter last year. It’s hard to even fathom how a relatively new company could overtake vehicle manufacturers with decades of experience, but some analysts suggest that it could be associated with the world’s increasing push for the use of clean energy. It may also have something to do with Tesla’s alleged “million-mile” battery, or whispers of the automaker being very close to Level 5 autonomous driving.

Mazda also experienced a surge in sales during July. The automaker reported 7,044 sales in July 2020, up 6.2 percent from the same month in 2019. Mazda’s July prosperity is most likely attributed to the popularity of its CX-5 and CX-30 crossover. Sales of the CX-5 were the brand’s highest, at 2,901—up 5.4 per cent and its best July ever—and the all-new CX-30 crossover situated itself as second-highest seller with 1,055 sales.

Mazda also experienced a surge in sales during July. The automaker reported 7,044 sales in July 2020, up 6.2 percent from the same month in 2019. Mazda’s July prosperity is most likely attributed to the popularity of its CX-5 and CX-30 crossover. Sales of the CX-5 were the brand’s highest, at 2,901—up 5.4 per cent and its best July ever—and the all-new CX-30 crossover situated itself as second-highest seller with 1,055 sales.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 73

PRAIRIE VIEW

THE SILVER FOX The wit and wisdom of Tom Bissonnette

BY CHELSEA STEBNER

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Whenever Tom left the office, that’s often when processes got changed, his office got organized and he came back to something new to adapt to. As a leader, he was open to others making changes, and he allowed others to take the reins, so to speak.

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uch of my career has been spent working for the Silver Fox, who is currently leading the collision industry in Saskatchewan, Canada. However, our leading team wouldn’t be here without a strong, assertive, and engaged Executive Director for SAAR, the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers, Tom Bissonnette!

Tom’s been in the industry for many years, starting out as a salesperson to bodyshops before being thrown into the fire as a parts person at his first bodyshop job. Gaining experience and knowledge through the years, he would eventually purchase his own shop Parr Auto Body, in 2000.

Tom always kept us on our toes. If you wanted to be challenged, have fun, laugh a lot and work your butt off, Tom’s shop was certainly the place to be.

Every day, you were bound to hear a “Tomism” to go along with a situation, a customer or a value he wanted to instill—which I would like to share with you.

“Stick your head above the crowd and get hit by tomatoes!”

As a fresh-faced kid starting my first real job, I had landed in an interesting spot. At that time, Tom had the opportunity to work alongside a heavy-duty truck dealership and plan, design and build a collision centre that catered to the big rigs.

The challenge? The rules of the game with the insurance company were very grey in the heavy-duty area, and Tom was not afraid to play hardball with the insurance company and road appraiser that came by every day to go to battle.

There were some loud, challenging conversations. There were studies and there were arguments. There was Tom, measuring, taking photographs and adding the line items onto the estimate for the work we had completed, even if we weren’t getting paid.

There were the times that the appraiser snuck in the back door to avoid confrontation and conversation.

Did I mention that Tom’s hair was not grey at that time? Fast forward to several years later, and you could spot a few more grey hairs. But, Tom was not afraid to stand up for what he knew was true and right. Soon enough, all the heavy-duty shops started to get paid for what they did to properly repair the trucks.

I’m proud of our team. Every day they stand up for what they know to be safe and quality repairs. We do what is right instead of what is easy every time.

“Show up, most people don’t even do that!”

Tom has always said, if you show up, if you volunteer, and if you’re willing and able--do something.

Volunteering time for a committee, a charity, or an industry event is always encouraged and supported.

“Give back.Without strings attached and don’t make a big deal about it.”

A vivid memory I have was a time when an acquaintance of Tom’s came in and asked for some money. I wrote the cheque for the generous amount that Tom asked me to, and then asked, “where do you want me to put this, on Accounts Receivable?”

He responded saying, “Donations. That man obviously needs that money a lot more than I do.”

Today, community is one of our core values.

“In case I get hit by a truckload of pigs…”

You better have someone else that knows how to do this job. Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you!

PRAIRIE VIEW

“Oh...you don’t like to do this?

Well guess what you’re doing!”

Tom took over Parr when it was in a less than lucrative state. The shop itself had seen better days; money was tight, and he was dealing with staff that weren’t super excited to be at the shop.

So, he did what he knew best. He got into their faces, he challenged them, and for some, it worked. For others, they turned and ran the other way.

When I was invited onboard at Parr, he started sending me to workshops our paint company put on. Then he invited me to roundtable groups, and then suddenly, he signed me up to speak at his breakfast club.

I remember that like it was yesterday, and I drew a hard line. I wasn’t doing that, so I whined. But eventually, I put on my game face and did my first public speaking gig.

“Surprise their broca.”

Tom always talked about customers and ensuring that we under promise and over deliver--or, surprise their broca!

Broca is an area in the brain that anticipates the predictability of things. When you surprise it, you gain the brain’s attention; but keep doing/saying the same old stuff and the brain glosses over it. We’ve always been reminded to surprise people’s broca by doing unexpected extras and wowing them with service or a surprise.

You can do this with your customers, but you can also do this with your team!

“What have you been doing while I’ve been gone? Painting your nails and eating chocolate?”

Whenever Tom left the office, that’s often when processes got changed, his office got organized and he came back to something new to adapt to. As a leader, he was open to others making changes, and he allowed others to take the reins, so to speak.

His famous customer lines are also quite renowned—colloquialisms like, “How do you know we’re not axe murderers?” or “Do you want some whiskey? Oh wait, the girls drank it all.”

Really, what I want to tell you is this—we

have the opportunity to learn and grow from many people around us and it’s up to us to figure out the lessons along the way. I know the journey can be tough slugging, no matter the industry you’re in.

Surround yourself with good, solid people and build a culture of having each other’s backs and having a lot of fun along the way.

You’re valuable and influential as a leader so ensure that what you say and do are really the things you want to be remembered for.

As for the whisky, we sure wish we could have had a shot of it some days!

Chelsea Stebner is the CEO and managing partner of Parr Auto Body in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and a member of the CCIF Steering Committee. She can be reached at chelsea@parrautobody.com.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 75

WHO’S DRIVING

BEING THERE Communication is a multifaceted tool

BY JAY PERRY

E I have several clients with significantly sized staff numbers and when the pandemic crisis struck, they didn’t retreat to the board room to strategize. No, they made themselves available to their people, checking in on them personally.

very piece of research on what to do as a leader during tough times seems to contain this one common thread— communication.

It cannot be overstated as to how the proper communication is critical to the wellbeing of your company—the challenge is the ‘proper’ part.

Many think communications are restricted to sharing how one individual sees the challenge, what they think should be done about the challenge and who should do what about the challenge. This is not the ‘proper’ type of communication that is needed at these points in time.

What is needed is more listening than talking. Yes, you must share your perspective, the reality of the situation as you will have a different perspective as a leader with a broader view of the corporate position. The big thing though, is listening to your people.

This listening is multifaceted. It has the component of listening for potential solutions from a different perspective than your own and has a component that is best described as supportive. Sometimes people crave a safe place to vent about their concerns, their personal challenges or just to know there is a sympathetic ear that is available on the occasion that they might need it.

This to me, is part of fulfilling our duties as leaders. I have several clients with significantly sized staff numbers and when the pandemic crisis struck, they didn’t retreat to the board room to strategize. No, they made themselves available to their people, checking in on them personally by phone if they were remotely working or on a lay-off; and in person for those that were deemed essential and had to be onsite.

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These clients shared information as to what immediate steps they were taking to provide a stable and sustainable approach to response, but the focus was on the person they were talking with. There was more listening to whether they had other family members affected by the crisis, how their children were doing—were their relatives okay? In other words, they demonstrated care with a deeply genuine level.

That authenticity is in each of us. We all have that side of us and certainly we talk about caring and how, “Our people are our most important asset”. Are we all smooth and comfortable with those types of conversations?

I think not.

It is, though—with a little practice— something that we can be good at. I don’t mean the talking part; I mean the listening part. When you are just ‘there’ for someone it communicates more than the words being exchanged. It communicates that this person is important to you and you are not only interested in but supportive of their wellbeing.

It is this kind of ‘putting ourselves out there’ or vulnerability that helps us be distinguished as a leader and stay the one who’s driving.

Jay Perry is the founder of Ally Business Coaching, a process improvement and leadership development firm, and co-author of the book Success Manifesto with Brian Tracy. Jay is also an education partner with California Coast University in Santa Ana, California. He can be reached at jayperryally@gmail.com.

LET’S TALK TRAINING

THE ART OF DELAYED GRATIFICATION Refinishing the automobile with pride

BY STEFANO LIESSI

W

ay back, during a time where people paid with cheques and wrote letters of correspondence on birch bark, I used to go shopping for groceries with my mother.

As a child, I hated this task, so my buy-in was the acquisition of a magazine at the checkout.

A Hot Rod or Car Craft magazine—some of which I still retain to this day.

Yes, I was going to paint cars when I got older.

This was a certainty, as there was absolutely nothing cooler than the flames, scallops, stripes, and candies that graced the cover of these publications monthly. This is what I wanted to do for a living, a career, to have my work on the cover of a magazine, custom painting.

Much has changed over the years in our industry. Who would have thought that the candies of yester-year could be the actual factory finish on a vehicle that you buy brand-new, and who would have thought that the pearls and metallics would have the depth and shine out the door that they do.

If one thinks back real hard, the lacquer and single stage metallics of yester-year had the depth of a tablecloth.

Now if you haven’t guessed it by now, my beginnings in refinish are dated to times when the flash off of a coat of paint was timed by having a cigarette outside the booth, mainly on the multiple “overall” or “complete” refinishes we would do. It was not uncommon to do a full paint job on a vehicle that was a family grocery getter.

My father had his ’75 Olds’ Delta 88 refinished and patched up three times over its lifespan, with each time coming home with a surface texture, and depth, that resembled citrus fruit. This, however, was deemed acceptable to the masses.

My training back then was live and on the floor. Started with prepping using lacquer primer and putty, sanding with a jitter bug sander sporting P180 on the hand numbing, chrome eating, window scratching, air-driven mechanical wonder. Masking all the trim, handles, chrome, and even the name plates—yes

The expense of learning back then was minimal.

Today, the skill and technical knowledge far exceeds that of “tinting by eye”. We need let down panels, we need spray out cards, we need to be 100 percent informed on what the manual and SOP from the paint manufacturer say. name plates, my favorite being the“Park Avenue” or “Buick Electra” script, so lovingly created by the General and shared with AMC. Masking tape, no fine line, not even a quarter inch at the time. Let us not forget the wonders of lacquer finish that GM flogged to the very end, not to mention the dispersion lacquer used on the Grand Nationals….

Sand it down with P400, spray some primer hoping it wouldn’t wrinkle, then bake it under the lights only to have it re-flow and come out looking like deep wet black paint, let’s sand all over again. Then off into the crossflow booth with puddles of water on the floor from wetting it down to keep the dust down from the preppers sanding just inches away from the filters.

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There it was, the “North American Land Yacht” in all its prepped beauty, ready for a coat of high-end, single stage acrylic enamel.

The test of a good painter back then was if you could spray a single stage metallic light blue without the trademark visual of tiger stripes and clouds (modeling or blotchiness).

Also, could you get the center of that hood as wet and shiny as the sides, without leaning into the wet finish on the fender.

And just as you thought it was all over, there was that fly that would find its way into the fresh surface of that beautiful Olympic pool sized hood only to succumb to the fumes and perish during it’s two foot marathon attempt at the back stroke.

LET’S TALK TRAINING

Next, we would push it into the drying room to wait patiently for the cycle of time it took for the heat lamps to dry the finish to that satiny hazed glow known to many as a single stage metallic.

Remember the“spot repair”back then, mixing cocktails with a smoke in your mouth, dipping the stir stick into the can knowing that if all else fails for colour, just add some green, fixes everything. Tinting by eye, little bit of this, little bit of that, cocktail the reducers and (if it had any) hardener, using RM with Ditzler, or DuPont, if things were out of stock—good enough to rock and roll!

Do you have a clear picture of what once was?

You young ladies and gentlemen of the trade are fortunate enough not to experience that remarkable wonder in time, coupled with the transition of plastics and two stage products?

Oh, what a time it was.

Fast forward to today. Beautiful colour palettes with tri-stage, quad stage, pearls, and matte finishes. I spent decades on getting that “wet look” out of the booth…and now people want matte, go figure. However, that aside, matte finishes present their own set of challenges.

So why the trip down memory lane? Times are changing, training and development are changing. Back in the day, we didn’t have paint manufacturer-based training. Our suppliers dropped off product and chatted with us, showed us the new goods, the rest we figured out.

The expense of learning back then was minimal. Today, the skill and technical knowledge far exceeds that of “tinting by eye.” We need let down panels, we need spray out cards, we need to be 100 percent informed on what the manual and SOP from the paint manufacturer say.

This all comes at a cost, not to mention the cost of materials. At more than $400 for a

gallon of hardener, you no longer can “cocktail something.” Over my years I was able to hone my craft quite well. I could lay a “splash” with the best of them, never made a magazine cover, but did do many a show finish.

The point here is, that was then and this is now. With the refinish role what it is, and the actual fact you only get one shot at it each time (redo’s will destroy your profit margin), and you can’t “bury” it (never could really, defies scientific logic) it is very wise as a business to be aware of the cost involved with each colour, as they vary considerably across the rainbow.

Be fully aware of the actual time required for your painter and prepper to get that vehicle through the cycle. If you’re forgetting the tri or quad extra, let down panel time, dee nib and finesse—remember the fly… they are still out there—then you are doing a disservice to your staff and business.

In my opinion, and you are entitled to my opinion, delayed gratification of a fine refinish job is one of the best forms of advertising out there for your shop. If you want to spend money on advertising, spend it on your paint department. What better place than an actual subliminal rolling billboard backed by a vocal presenter, your satisfied customer.

Times are changing, training and development are changing.

Back in the day, we didn’t have paint manufactured based training, our suppliers dropped off product and chatted with us, showed us the new goods, the rest we figured out.

As a Red Seal technician and the founder of Canadian Collision Specialist, Stefano enhances his experience with 12 years of I-CAR instructing coupled with high school teaching to bring you training that encompasses all learning types. Having experienced the corporate side of the industry, along with management and ownership, Stefanos focus is, getting it right the first time with proper repairs, equitably, for all the people involved in the collision industry.

A paint booth of yester-year.

Coatings that once had the depth of a tablecloth have transformed into beautiful colour pallets with tri-stage, quad-stage, pearls and mattes.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 79

REGIONAL NEWS | BRITISH COLUMBIA

REGIONAL NEWS | COAST TO COAST B.C. INVESTS IN EVS Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources has announced a $380,000 investment to help the Corporation District of the Summerland build 22 electric vehicle (EV) chargers as a part of the government’s commitment to realizing a low-carbon future.

Six electric vehicle fast chargers and 16 Level 2 EV chargers are set to be placed at various public sites. The first site will open in the fall of 2020. The federal funding will be provided by the Electric Vehicle and

Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative (EVAFIDI) and the Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program is being added on to the $150,000 the Government of British Columbia is investing in the project.

This investment is said to support the commitment the federal government has made to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 as well as the provincial governments commitment to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050. It also helps to support the

government’s goal to reach its target of 100 percent of zero-emission passenger vehicle sales by 2040.

This target also paved the way to the Government of Canada decision to provide over $300 million to support the establishment of a coast-to-coast network of fast chargers for electric vehicles.

This infrastructure that results from these investments will allow people to drive and charge their vehicles across Canada.

of British Columbia (ICBC) has not provided any relief to its customers. Specifically those whose driving habits have changed or who are facing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.

“ICBC has realized significant savings due to reduced claims and a drop in collisions, but has turned its back on drivers in the province by refusing to provide financial relief to British Columbians,” said Aaron Sutherland, Vice-President, Pacific, IBC. “In stark contrast, private insurers across Canada have taken steps to make life easier for their

customers during this crisis. It is yet the latest example of the need to end ICBC’s monopoly, and give British Columbians a choice when it comes to car insurance.”

British C olumbians pay more for auto insurance than anyone else in the country. ICBC announced in May that the only consumer relief it would provide its customers would be the elimination of fees associated with cancelling insurance ($30) and allowing drivers to use their car differently without it affecting their premiums.

NO RELIEF Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Canadians have been driving less, leading to a reduced number of claims. In response to this reduction, private insurers have returned approximately $280 per driver in auto insurance premium relief. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) ran a survey of members and found that the industry has already returned more than $775 million to auto insurance customers. IBC members are expected to continue to provide relief.

The situation in British Columbia however is different, where the Insurance Corporation

CARS FOR GOOD With an increasing number of people across the country relying on charitable services during the COVID-19 pandemic, many community organizations have found themselves in need of a reliable vehicle.

Responding to that need, Toyota Canada and its dealers across the country developed Cars For Good, a program supporting local charities with free short-term vehicle loans or other delivery services.

Many Toyota dealers across the nation have already made an impact on their communities by loaning their vehicles to local charities, including Destination Toyota located in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Destination Toyota loaned a Toyota Sienna minivan to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, an organization which the dealership had

supported in April through Toyota Canada’s donation matching program.

“We had made a cash donation to the food bank earlier in the year, and this was a natural way for us to follow-up on that,” said James McInnes, the dealer’s General Manager.

“The food bank needed to shuttle volunteers around the Greater Vancouver area and the Sienna allowed them to do that safely and efficiently. Plus, with generous cargo space, the Sienna also helped them distribute food throughout the city.”

“The volunteer powered shuttle service we have created with this beautiful van is hugely valued by our clients, and we are so proud to be able to offer it,” said Cynthia Boulter, Chief Operating Officer, Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

80 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Destination Toyota in Burnaby, BC, participated in the Cars For Good program by partnering with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

BRITISH COLUMBIA | REGIONAL NEWS

PLATE PERSECUTION Premier John Horgan gave some blunt advice for drivers in B.C. with American licence plates who are afraid of being judged or subjected to harassment by B.C. residents.

“With respect to those who have offshore plates and are feeling harassed, I would suggest perhaps public transit. I would suggest that they get their plates changed. I would suggest that they ride a bike,” the premier said at a news conference in late July, reported CBC. The pandemic has increased the tension between Canadians and Americans due to the vastly different approaches the nations have taken in response to COVID-19.

Currently, the U.S. has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world.

In contrast, B.C. has very few cases and was able to flatten the curve in the early stages of the pandemic.

According to CBC people driving cars with U.S. plates say they’ve endured vandalism and harassment from Canadians convinced that they’re Americans illegally in Canada who

The pandemic has increased the tension between Canadians and Americans due to the vastly different approaches the nations have taken in response to COVID-19. might potentially spread the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

There are several legitimate and fully legal reasons why drivers of cars with U.S. plates could be in Canada: they could be essential workers, have immediate family in Canada, or they could be Canadian citizens who have not yet changed their plates.

Horgan gave some blunt advice to the drivers who are worried about being harassed for having U.S. plates.

“If you feel [anxious] travelling with your plates, identifying yourself as someone from away, at a time of heightened anxiety, I think it’s incumbent on those individuals to take steps to reduce that anxiety,” he said.

“Doesn’t seem jaw-dropping to me.”

Drivers in B.C. with American licence plates worry about being judged or subjected to harassment by B.C. residents.

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OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 81

REGIONAL NEWS | ALBERTA

KEEP ’EM COMING Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) has announced the arrival of 21 Proterra electric buses, with another 19 buses on the way by the end of 2020. The 40 vehicles will mark one of the largest single purchases of electric buses in Canada’s history.

The ETS currently has more than 1,000 diesel buses. Adding the 40 electric buses will be a serious step towards meeting the city’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent for 2030.

The buses will also make ETS one of the first North American transit systems to implement in-depot overhead charging for its electric buses, a technology that was developed by

Proterra in collaboration with ABB and ETS. To charge the vehicles drivers will drive into one of 26 parking spots equipped with the chargers and flip a switch initiating an overhead charging process reliant on RFID and Wi-Fi technology.

The buses purchased by ETS have 660kWh of battery storage onboard each—the most energy storage on any 40-foot electric bus— which allows for upwards of 350 kilometres of range. The buses will deliver nearly twice the horsepower and five times better fuel efficiency than a standard diesel bus engine.

ETS expects to begin putting the vehicles in service in early August.

Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) announced the arrival of 21 Proterra electric buses.

WAIT WHAT? A Calgary car buyer is shocked after finding out the truck he purchased from a reputable dealer was stolen.

In December, Skyler Anderson bought a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 from Sunridge Automotive for $33,000, reported CTV News.

He said he received a call from a registry in Edmonton informing him the truck was stolen, so he went to Calgary police, who tried to look at the vehicle identification

numbers, only to find that they had been scratched off.

“This is an extremely rare case and I have never seen this before in my 15 years in the business,”Jordon Romeril, General Manager of Sunridge Automotive told CTV News.

“We are refunding the customer 100 per cent and feel terrible that one of our customers has had to go through this event,” said Romeril. “The customer has been refunded

his down payment and we are in the process of cancelling the loan with TD.” Romeril said the dealership had screened the truck purchased by Anderson but it had been re-vin’d with a VIN that was not stolen.

The dealership is working with the Calgary Police Service to investigate this incident and is also looking into ways to prevent something like this from happening again.

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE An Alberta man who was born blind is living out his dream of driving a Corvette after an experimental procedure allowed him to see for the first time in his life.

Mike Schickerowski was born with nystagmus, a disease that’d rendered him legally blind for his entire life, and thus unable to drive any vehicle, reported Global News.

“It basically involves involuntary movement of your eyes,” Schickerowski explained to the news outlet.

“If you’ve ever taken a photo with your camera and moved it slightly or the object moved and it’s a blur, it’s the exact same symptoms. My brain would never interpret the image as a steady picture — it was always a blur.”

That was what Schickerowski experienced for 44 years, up until October 2018, when he signed up for an experimental trial in California for a chance to correct his vision.

Amazingly, it worked, and the first thing Schickerowski did after seeing for the first time was buy a bright yellow Chevrolet Corvette.

“Some people said, ‘Oh, it’s Alberta, you need a truck,’ and, sure, I like trucks – they’re nice – but everybody’s got a truck,” Schickerowski said.

Schickerowski didn’t even have his driver’s licence when he purchased his dream car, but later passed it with ease.

An experimental eye surgery allowed a once-blind Alberta man to achieve his driving dreams.

82 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

SASKATCHEWAN | REGIONAL NEWS

DON’T DRIVE INTEXTICATED Saskatchewan drivers have been a little more distracted than usual amid the pandemic, according to a new study by Saskatchewan Government Insurance.

Distracted driving was the focus of the June Traffic Safety Spotlight, where police across Saskatchewan issued 700 tickets for distracted driving. That included 605 drivers cited for using a cellphone while driving, and another 95 tickets for driving without due care and attention.

Distracted driving is a leading contributor to collisions and one of the top three factors in fatal collisions, says SGI. Additionally, Drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to be in a collision than those who do not. There are many potential distractions for drivers but since most distracted driving tickets result from cell phone use, leaving your phone alone greatly increases your chances of not getting a ticket.

SGI also released a short YouTube video showing five things you can do with your phone before driving that will help you avoid

SGI said drivers have been a tad more distracted during the pandemic.

getting distracted driving tickets: 1. Place your cellphone is the backseat of your vehicle 2. Leave your phone in a bag or purse 3. Insert your cellphone into a secured phone holder/ mount 4. Put your cellphone in the glove box 5. Give your phone to another passenger in the vehicle

The Ju ly Traf f ic Safety Sp otlig ht is conducted in construction zones.

SGI joins law enforcement in reminding drivers to slow down and keep workers safe this construction season. Avoid distractions and be mindful of workers while you’re driving through construction zones this summer, says SGI.

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REGIONAL NEWS | MANITOBA

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During the harvest season Manitoba sees more farm machinery using the roads and highways, and Manitoba RCMP are encouraging all motorists to take extra caution.

According to Portage Online, RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre says visibility will play a vital role in sharing the road.

He explained that at night the risk of collision increases because a driver may not be able to notice that the blinking lights in front of them are a large piece of slow moving equipment with an implement attached that extends beyond the body of the machine.

“Unfortunately we’ve had fatalities to that effect, where people were not aware of what was in front of them (and they collided with it),” he told the news outlet.

Sgt. Manaigre said farm machinery needs to be equipped with proper lighting and flagging before travelling on Manitoba road, the large machinery from behind, he said it is critical to make sure the road ahead is clear before passing, and that includes waiting until dust that is kicked up by the machinery settles.

“A lot of times we’ll see collisions where people are passing when they are being blinded...they can’t see anything but they assume no one is coming so they change lanes and try and go around not realizing there’s a vehicle coming at them and so there’s a head-on collision,” he said. “If you can wait, wait. If it’s safe to go around then go around, but make your intentions clear by using turn signals to let people know what you’re doing.”

Sgt. Manaigre also urges all motorists to wear their seatbelts, noting death and severe injuries due to a collision can be prevented most of the time by the use of a seatbelt.

ONTARIO | REGIONAL NEWS

O-AMPED UP The Ontario government is launching the next round of applications for the Ontario Automotive Modernization Program (O-AMP). An important part of the government’s Driving Prosperity auto plan, the $10-million program provides auto parts companies with funding to invest in new technologies and support innovation in Ontario’s automotive supply chains.

The announcement was made on August 18 by Vic Fedeli, minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

“Ontario is uniquely positioned to lead the development of the next generation of vehicles when you consider that we have North America’s second-largest IT cluster and are the continent’s number two auto producer,” said Fedeli. “With more than 250 companies and organizations active in the development of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, many of the world’s leading companies are d e ve l opi ng t h e t r ans p or t at i on

solutions of the future right here in our province.”

The Ontario delegation is showcasing the province’s leadership in areas such as artificial intelligence, sensors and imaging, cybersecurity, data analytics, the Internet of Things and smart infrastructure.

Ontario’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN) connects the province’s world-leading automotive and technology sectors, high-quality post-secondar y institutions, first-class talent and regional infrastructure to support entrepreneurship and create jobs.

“Ontario’s auto sector has been front and centre in the fight against COVID-19, with many companies retooling their operations to make emergency supplies. The auto industry, a mainstay of advanced manufacturing and innovation, will continue to be instrumental as we implement our made-in-Ontario plan for renewal, growth and economic recovery,” said Fedeli.

“Ontario is uniquely positioned to lead the development of the next generation of vehicles when you consider that we have North America’s second-largest IT cluster and are the continent’s number two auto producer.” — Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s minister of economic development, job creation and trade

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OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 85

REGIONAL NEWS | ONTARIO

ONTARIO PARTNERSHIP Roberlo has announced an exclusive partnership agreement with Wilson Air Tools & Equipment Ltd. for the province of Ontario.

Wilson Air Tools & Equipment Ltd. is a Canadian owned and operated independent warehouse distributor, servicing the automotive, industrial and woodworking industries. Wilson Air Tools & Equipment Ltd. will distribute the full range of Roberlo products including Sagola, a spray gun manufacturer and Blucrom, and automotive water-based paint.

Roberlo is a member of the Briolf group and a family-run company which specializes in the development, manufacturing and sale of coatings and other repair solutions for the refinish aftermarket and for industrial applications. This agreement will help Roberlo continue its development strategy across Canada.

DEALERSHIP DATA TRADER Corporation, a digital automotive solutions provider has teamed up with EQ Works to commission a survey examining foot traffic among 750 different Ontario dealerships. The findings of the study confirm a substantial increase in foot traffic between May and June 2020.

Walk-in data collected during the study revealed a 56 percent surge in unique visitors and an 81 percent increase in total dealership visits in June.

The tracked Ontario dealerships also experienced a 46 percent increase in one-time visits, while repeat visits grew by 85 percent. This influx of consumer shopping demand is reinforced by a record-breaking month of traffic to the autoTRADER.ca marketplace, which reached a milestone of 22 million visits, after a previous record high in May. The study also found that both independent and franchise dealerships are benefiting from a sizable lift in consumer engagement. When examining footfall comparatively, the study recorded a 36 percent increase in visits to independent dealerships, while franchise dealerships experienced a staggering 154 percent increase in foot traffic.

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ONTARIO | REGIONAL NEWS

TRICKY TICKETS York Regional Police Officers have been issuing tickets for expired vehicle permits amid the COVID-19 outbreak, even though the provincial government has extended the period for which they are valid. So far officers have issued hundreds of tickets throughout the region.

According to the departement, the tickets have been given at the discretion of the individual officer issuing the ticket. Some officers maintain they have no knowledge of the province extending sticker permits.

Drivers will have the option to fight the tickets in court.

On June 29, Service Ontario reminded drivers of the extended timeline by taking to twitter with the statement “Reminder: Your licence plate sticker is valid!

Learn more about extensions for driver’s licenses and vehicle ser vices due to COVID-19…” followed by a link to the government’s original announcement of the extension.

The reason for the extension is to limit the

amount of in-person visits to Service Ontario locations. The validation period has been extended for not only licence plate stickers but also drivers licences, Ontario photo cards and commercial operator registration certificates.

Documents that expired on or after March 1, 2020 will remain valid and legal past the expiry until further notice.

People who have confronted officers about the tickets have been told that officers are not aware of an extension and that people should be able to validate their licences online. They are also told they will have to fight it in court.

Since March 1, officers have issued roughly 900 tickets to drivers for “permits that have not been validated”. Last year 2,600 tickets were issued for the same offence.

Many people lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and for many renewing their licence plate stickers isn’t at the top of their concerns. Many people have complained about the tickets being issued even though Service Ontario and the government of Ontario stated the licence plate was still valid.

York Regional Police Officers have been giving out tickets for expired vehicle permits, even though the provincial government has extended the period for which they are valid, due to the pandemic.

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REGIONAL NEWS | ONTARIO

MORE MASKS Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have announced a deal to ensure Canada always has access to personal protective equipment during a pandemic.

The agreement means 3M will have to increase its capacity at its Brockville facility to allow it to produce up to 100 million medicalgrade N95 masks a year. The federal and Ontario governments are each contributing $23.3 million to help increase production capacity at the facility.

The masks will be used to meet the private sector, provincial and North American market demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future. Full production is slated to begin early next year, according to Prime Minister Trudeau.

Ontario has recently been concerned with the production of personal protective equipment in the country when the COVID-19 crisis caused a global competition for a limited supply of masks and other equipment. The N95 masks set to be made at the 3M facility were in particularly short supply.

Ford has said that he felt particularly frustrated at President Donald Trump’s attempts to limit the export of N95 masks from American plants, which includes 3M.

“We were at the mercy of other countries when it came to the PPE we desperately needed,” said Ford during Friday’s press conference. “We will never be put in this position again. I’m not going to rely on any country ever again.”

This is the second domestic contract to produce N95 masks–Medicom, a Quebecbased company that recently signed a 10-year agreement to supply N95 and surgical masks to the federal government.

Health Canada regulations require the

approval of the masks and each shipment must be inspected by the Public Health Agency of Canada for quality control.

Canada currently has contracts for 154.5 million N95 and KN95 masks. However, as of Aug. 3, only 54 million N95 and KN95 respirators had been delivered. All masks were imported from outside the country.

KN95 masks are the Chinese equivalent of the N95 respirators that are certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States.

With support from the federal and Ontario government 3M will produce up to 100 million N95 masks a year at its Brockville, Ontario facility.

PEDALLING A NEW PARTNERSHIP On July 14, Bike Share Toronto and CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) signed a multi-year agreement that will make CAA SCO an official partner of Bike Share Toronto.

The agreement includes CAA SCO’s commitment to continue its official sponsorship of Free Ride Wednesdays. It also provides CAA members and CAA On the Move members with special offers on bike share memberships and rides through its CAA Rewards Program.

“The new partnership is a great example of what we can accomplish when we collaborate with the private sector. Through this partnership, residents can take advantage of the Bike Share program and find new ways to get moving across the city. I want to thank CAA for their support for our Bike Share program, and for being a road safety partner to help make our streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers,” said Mayor John Tory.

CAA may be best known for its automotive roadside assistance, but its advocacy work has always focused on making Ontario roads safer, including providing access to resources and roadside assistance for bikes through its CAA Bike Assist program. CAA Bike Assist helps CAA members who run into a bicycle problem that can’t be fixed on the spot.

“CAA has a long history of advocating for the safety of the travelling public, no matter how they get from point A to point B,” said Rhonda English, chief marketing officer, CAA SCO. “We are always pleased to team up with the city of Toronto on road safety initiatives. Whether it be the Watch for Bikes program that kicked off over two decades ago, or the cycling safety programs aimed at sharing the road, today we are excited to once again partner and to help get more people moving safely around the city.”

88 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Bike Share Toronto and CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) signed a multi-year agreement that will make CAA SCO an official partner of Bike Share Toronto.

REGIONAL NEWS | QUEBEC

SHATTERING SUNROOFS A Quebec class action lawsuit is targeting Kia over an alleged design flaw that causes the panoramic sunroofs of several Kia models to shatter. The Canadian class action lawsuit alleges that Kia breached its obligation of quality warranty by selling defective vehicle models.

The affected Kia vehicles included in the Canadian class action lawsuit are 2011-2019 model year Kia Sorento vehicles; 2011-2019 Kia Sportages; 2011-2019 Kia Optima models; 2014-2019 Kia Cadenza vehicles and 20142019 Kia Souls.

The Kia sunroof class action lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages at an amount to be determined at a later date, as well as punitive and/or exemplary damages temporarily assessed at $1 million.

Plaintiff Marina Roy is leading the Kia sunroof class action lawsuit after encountering several problems with her 2016 Kia Sportage’s panoramic sunroof.

The Kia class action lawsuit alleges that the automaker did not respect its obligation of

quality warranty. Additionally, the Canada class action lawsuit argues that Kia did not respect its conventional warranty on the vehicles at issue, because the panoramic sunroofs on those vehicles have major defects that render them unfit for the use for which they were intended.

The sunroof breakages in the Kia lawsuit are blamed on a design and manufacturing defect as well as a faulty installation.

Aside from the warranty and defect charges, the Kia sunroof class action lawsuit alleges that the automaker made false and m isl e a d i ng re pre s e nt at i ons to consumers about the quality and safety of its vehicles.

The Kia sunroof class action lawsuit also alleges that Kia was aware of the risks of breakage, especially for panoramic sunroofs, however, failed to warn customers.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 89

REGIONAL NEWS | QUEBEC

BRAND EXPANSION Fix Network has announced that it is expanding the ProColor Collision brand across Canada. The first ProColor location outside of Quebec, is now open in Hamilton, Ontario.

ProColor Collision was acquired by Fix Network in September 2019 to expand the brand outside of Quebec Canada. This is the brand’s first venture outside of Quebec.

The brand already has 175 locations in Quebec and is planning on launching 14 other locations in Ontario, the Atlantic and Western Canada.

“By expanding the brand across Canada, we’re offering customers greater choice for their automotive repair needs,” says Steve Leal, President & CEO of Fix Network.

“We’re also providing body shop owner operators a chance to grow their business using Fix Network’s proven operational processes and management tools, and access to our talented team of professionals who know the industry inside and out.”

Fix Network’s business involves collision, glass repair and mechanical services. Its franchise’s strategic partners have exclusive territorial access, full operational support, training and technologies as well as established relationships with insurers and work providers.

Fix Network has added 15 new Fix Auto and NOVUS Glass locations in the last six months. Majority of provinces have also designated collision, auto glass repair and mechanical services as essential services.

Fix Network locations have been open for business throughout the pandemic, following strict safety protocols including physical distancing, enhanced cleaning and disinfection, as well as following all provincial and municipal guidance and bylaws.

Plans for ProColor Collision growth throughout Canada, as well as other markets are expected to be announced soon, says the company.

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ATLANTIC | REGIONAL NEWS

FRESH START Formerly re cog nize d as CSN the Coachworks, the facility has officially changed its name to CSN Keizer’s Halifax.

The facility becomes the second collision centre in the CSN network to bear the namesake of the Keizer’s, who have been providing the Sackville and Halifax area with vehicle sales and automotive repairs from maintenance to tire service and collision repair since 1982. The name change is part of an approach the Keizer’s are taking to unify their brand identity across all of their businesses in the Metro area.

“We want to make sure that customers know we are a full-service business they can trust,” said Dale Keizer Dale Keizer, owner of Keizers Collision CSN. The family-run operations under the Keizer’s umbrella of services include CSN Keizer’s, Keizer’s Auto Sales, Keizer’s Tire Auto Service, and OK Tire. They are all located from Sackville to Halifax, providing the driving public with a solution for all of their automotive repair needs.

Formerly known as CSN the Coachworks, the facility’s name has officially been changed to CSN Keizer’s Halifax.

The Keizer’s purchased the CSN the Coachworks facility in 2015 from another well-respected member of the greater Halifax community and collision repair industry. The rebranding efforts are not about a course correction but more about giving the business a fresh start.

“When it comes to our brand, we are starting fresh with our name in a community that already knows us well,” said Keizer.

“Now our businesses all carry the family name and there is a strength in that because of how we treat our customers,” said Keizer.

In addition to the refreshed approach to customer relations, CSN’s insurance partners receive the added value of having another option in Halifax that provides the same high-quality repairs and world class customer service as the other CSN Keizer’s location.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 91

DROP & GO Here are 4 contact-free options for getting an estimate or repair without having to walk into one of our shops: 1 Scheduled Appointments

2 Contact-Free Curbside Estimates

• Make appointment

• Visit repair center

• Repairs are completed

• Estimator provides estimate while you stay in vehicle

• Vehicle is cleaned and delivered

• Estimate delivered electronically

3 Online Estimates

4 Home Pick-Up & Delivery

• Submit photos using online form

(if available)

• Appointment is made

• Pick-up and repairs are made

• Repairs are completed and vehicle delivered

• Vehicle is cleaned and delivered

• Schedule pick-up of vehicle

Boyd Autobody & Glass and Assured Automotive’s top priority is the health and safety of our customers and team members. That’s why we are providing Drop & Go Services that allow you flexible solutions that meet a variety of contact-free and social distancing needs.

We realize that this is a very challenging time for everyone and we’re here to help.

For more information visit us online: boydautobody.com • assuredauto.ca

TOWING NEWS

TOWING NEWS

Brought to you by

AN EXPENSIVE TOW An Ontario fleet has said that its tractortrailer is being held hostage in Chicago, Illinois.

RoadStar Trucking, the fleet, is attempting to recover a tractor and trailer that a Chicago-area towing company impounded on August 12.

Four men from VIP Towing reportedly appeared and informed the driver that they had permission from RoadStar general manager Joe Smelko to tow the truck. The driver did sign a “pre-tow disclosure,” granting the employees permission to tow the equipment.

Smelko, however, insists that he never granted such permission and does not even have his company’s authorization to do so.

After contacting the company to find out how much it would cost to recover the equipment Smelko was informed it would be a whooping US$20,000. The invoice was broken down as: US$2,495 for towing; US$2,495 for winching; US$1,995 for debris cleanup; US$2,995 heavy wrecker fee; US$3,570 for labor (two workers at $595 per hour each); US$2,985 for truck time; US$350 per day for storage; and US$1,723 administrative fee.

RoadStar is choosing to fight back filing a claim with the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois and is demanding the return of its equipment and $50,000 in damages.

An Ontario fleet has said that its tractor-trailer is being held hostage with a $19,000 price tag in Chicago, Illinois.

HEAVY RESCUE VISIT A new Sarnia tow truck is expected to debut during the upcoming season of Heavy Rescue: 401, but several residents and tourists were able to catch a sneak peek of the machine when it was parked downtown in the city of Sarina.

A red 2020 Rotator was parked along Christina Street for a few hours during the city’s new pedestrian zone pilot project. It will be Preferred Towing’s latest truck to appear on the Discovery Canada series when season five debuts in January.

The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce also saw the “Famous Rotator” appear at the Weekend Walkabout on August 22, 2020.

Sarnia, Ontario’s Preferred Towing has a new truck set to appear on the latest season of Heavy Rescue: 401.

INNOCENT INJURED An assassination attempt in what was part of the GTA’s tow truck war occurred on Monday, July 20, 2020 says a police report.

On Monday, July 20, 2020, at 9:21 a.m., police were called for a shooting in the Meadowvale Rd. and Hwy. 401 area where “a man was driving westbound on Hwy. 401,” according to the police report. A passenger sitting in the rear of the Toyota Corolla pointed a firearm at the man and shot at his vehicle multiple times.

The man in the car “sustained a gunshot wound that was deemed non-life threatening.”

Later on, July 27, Durham Regional Police reported a male shot in his driveway on Woodview Dr. in Pickering by a male in a white car. Detectives released a surveillance video of a man getting out of a car with a handgun and firing four times at a victim in his driveway who tried to escape. Fortunately, the man survived and is recovering.

The victim of this shooting was 58-year-old Mano Subramaniam who owns T Dot Auto Collision, GL Towing, Prime Towing, Seven Star Towing and is a partner with Williams Towing which has police contracts.

Police discovered that the shooting the week before on Hwy. 401 was meant for him.

The innocent man shot on Hwy. 401 was a doctor who was on his way to his shift to help with COVID-19 issues at a Toronto hospital.

It was a case of mistaken identity.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 93

TOWN HALL

TOWING TOWN HALL

Conversation between CAA, OPP and PTAO on reforming the industry

BY MADDY KYLIE

S

usan Rosenburg once said“it’s not enough just to punish and to hold people accountable for what’s done. It’s to set down procedures so it can’t happen again.”

This quote really pertains to Ontario’s towing industry and this concept was discussed heavily in the Towing Town Hall webinar held on August 12.

In the webinar, held by CAA, panelists from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Provincial Towing Association of Ontario (PTAO) and CAA discussed ways to not only hold the ‘bad apples’ within the towing industry accountable but the ways in which to prevent this fraudulent behaviour from continuing.

The online event kicked off with a presentation from Teresa Di Felice, from CAA South Central Ontario. Felice discussed the current problems facing the towing industry in Ontario, consumers behaviours and beliefs about the industry, why reform is needed, and also revealed a proposed framework of regulations for Ontario tow truck drivers.

She explained that currently the towing industry is plagued with a wide array of challenges, including municipal inconsistencies, enforcement inconsistencies, business model

challenges, traffic incident management, chasing, fraud, competition, unsafe roadside conditions, and many more.

With all these issues at hand, all parties involved would benefit from some form over provincial oversight, she said. Adding that the stakeholders involved want to see more consistency across communities, effective incident

monitor those in the industry, handle complaints and create as well as enforce regulations.

Although the proposed framework would be province wide, Di Felice says it will take note of the municipal and regional differences within the towing industry.

“There is a difference between towing in the GTA and Northern Ontario, so, you don’t want

“Currently the towing industry is plagued with a wide array of challenges, including municipal inconsistencies, enforcement inconsistencies, business model challenges, traffic incident management, chasing, fraud, competition, unsafe roadside conditions, and many more.”—Teresa di Felice, AVP of government and community relations, CAA South Central Ontario management, centralized oversight, a proactive multi stakeholder engagement, as well as safe and professional tow truck drivers.

The framework of rules and regulation she proposed for the towing industry is a province-wide process for enforcement, which would

94 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

to create a one-size-fits-all regulation that only looks at problems that people predominantly hear about in one community and not another.”

The second video presentation in the Towing Town Hall was conducted by Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, Ontario Provincial Police.

TOWN HALL

“The industry is not only ready for this, but they know it’s needed.”

— Mark Graves, PTAO president Schmidt discussed some best practices motorists can do when calling for a tow, as well as some laws and regulations people may not be aware of within the towing truck industry.

The first call you should make when you get into an accident or are stuck on the side is to your insurance provider, says Schmidt.

He suggests you let them know what has happened then proceed to ask if they can suggest any tow truck drivers in the area.

Another thing he warned participants about is tow truck drivers who arrive on scene without being directly contacted.

“What a lot of people don’t understand is that the solicitation of a tow truck on the side of the road is prohibited by law, under the Highway Traffic Act. A tow truck driver cannot approach someone who has been involved in a collision and solicit their business and their services.”

He said motorists should also be wary of signing documents and of tow truck drivers who claim they have an OPP contract.

“When they’re talking about an OPP contract tow price, that doesn’t mean anything in terms of law enforcement. We don’t set rates, we don’t

set standards—it is a competitive process out there, a competitive industry but the only time a contracted tow is where there may be an impound.” he said. “They are all independent businesses and we do not have contracts with any towing companies at all.

He also addressed that just because a tow truck driver is licensed in a municipality does not mean it is provincially.

The bylaws that apply in the municipalities do not apply across the provincial and “do not apply on provincial highway,” said Sgt. Schmidt.

The webinar concluded with a presentation from Mark Graves, Provincial Towing Association of Ontario (PTAO). Graves discussed some of the initiatives the PTAO has spearheaded to help reform the industry and why reform is necessary.

“Right now, somebody can go out and buy a $5,000 tow truck, and literally the next day be out working for the police. There’s no background checks required, no equipment requirements, no training requirements, it’s sad but it’s true,” said Graves.

He explained that basically every professional

association has someone to answer to, but the towing industry does not at this point in time, which is why the PTAO has been working towards obtaining provincial licensing.

“One of the first things the PTAO set out to do was to define the true meaning of what a tow truck is. One would assume that this is pretty simple but it’s actually a lot more complicated and in- depth then you would ever think. In the current highway traffic act a tow truck is defined as a vehicle that tows another vehicle.” “So, if you got a Chevy Chevette with a piece of nylon rope towing another car down the highway, not only is it legal—it’s a tow truck. It’s that simple.”

Graves showed audience members pictures of what the PTAO defines as a tow truck and what it does not. He says many trucks operating on are and should not be considered legal tow trucks.

When asked by an audience member whether the tow industry wants to reform Graves said, “the industry is not only ready for this, but they know it’s needed.”

To learn more about how you can help reform the towing industry in Ontario visit www.moresafetows.ca

TOWING THE INDUSTRY FORWARD! Dedicated to celebrating the heroes, industry best practices and novel strategies being pursued by members of Canada’s towing sector.

Join the Canadian Towing Professional network at towpromag.com.

FOLLOW US OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 95

RECYCLING NEWS

RECYCLING NEWS PPE PHILANTHROPY The Automotive Recyclers Association of Atlantic Canada (ARAAC) recently made a donation of 1,000 N95 masks to be distributed in communities throughout Atlantic Canada.

Trevor Kingsbury from Wholesale Auto Part Warehouses coordinated the purchase of a large quantity of masks and then reached out to his auto recycler customers to help to distribute these much sought after PPE. While an enormous effort was put into getting these masks to all of our front-line healthcare workers during the pandemic, other opportunities to help out were identified with seniors’ homes, community centres and first responders.

The ARAAC Board very quickly approved securing a 1,000-mask order from Trevor and then distributed 250 to members in each of the four Atlantic Provinces.

MEET THE PROS OF THE CANADIAN AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING INDUSTRY Canadian Auto Recyclers magazine offers a comprehensive look at the recycling industry with exclusive articles on parts, the environment, association updates, the mechanical sector, a directory and much, much more.

Follow Canadian Auto Recyclers Visit or subscribe to canadianrecycler.ca Andrew MacDonald, ARAAC Chair and owner of Maritime Auto Parts with some masks destined for New Brunswick.

96 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

RECYCLING NEWS

RECYCLING NEWS

Brought to you by

RELIEF RECEIVED The Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) Board of Directors have begun to distribute funds from their ARC Covid-19 Relief Fund.

After an initial donation from Car-Part.com of $5,000, ARC matched that donation and Car-Part.com kicked in another $5,000. From that initial funding, nine cheques of $1,000 each have been issued to ARC Members. Six cheques went to a Direct Member business, and three cheques went to employees of Direct Member business. Regionally, two went to OARA Members, one to an OARA employee, one to an ARPAC Member, two went to an ARPAC employee, and three went to ARAAC Members. The Fund was established to support Direct Members of ARC, and their vulnerable employees, to help deal with the repercussions of the Covid-19 Pandemic and/or industry shutdowns or slowdowns.

PLUG YEAH

Plug’n Drive’s Ontario Used EV Incentive and Scrappage Incentive will continue, with the ARC ensuring vehicles to be scrapped through the program are responsibility dismantled or scrapped.

Ontario’s Used EV Incentive has been extended. The program, delivered by Plug’n Drive in collaboration with Clean Air Partnership and made possible thanks to the support of the M. H. Brigham Foundation, qualifies Ontario drivers for $1,000 toward the purchase of a used fully electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Since the program launched in April 2019, it has issued more than 500 incentives and continues to attract public interest despite the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To qualify for the incentive, drivers must attend an educational webinar on the environmental and economic benefits of electric transportation and purchase a used fully electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with a re-sale sticker price below $50,000. A Scrappage Incentive was added to the program in February 2020, granting drivers an additional $1,000 if they also scrap their old gas car.

The Automotive Recyclers of Canada ensure these vehicles are responsibly scrapped.

OCTOBER 2020 COLLISION REPAIR 97

LAST WORD

DIGITAL DILEMMA ADVERTISER INDEX COMPANY

Lean in to the world of online tradeshows!

PAGE

BY ALLISON ROGERS

3M............................................. 36 Arslan Automotive ..................... 9 Assured..................................... 92 Audatex..................................... 29 Autel US.................................... 24 BASF........................................... 4 Brown’s Auto Supply................ 50 Car-0-Liner Automotive.......... 100 Car-Part.com............................ 77 Carcone’s Auto Recycling........ 91 Cardinal Couriers Ltd............... 10 CARSTAR.................................. 19 CCS...................................... 32,33 Color Compass Corp............... 41 CSN Collision Centres.............. 38 Eagle Towing Equipment.......... 50

A

ny normal October would see members of the Canadian collision sector working hard to complete any last-minute SEMA Show plans. Plane tickets would be purchased, plans all set in place and products stowed away for travel to the bright lights of Las Vegas.

2020, however, is no normal year.

While the 2020 SEMA Show has not been wiped from the slate, this year’s event will look a little bit different. The usual crowds that line up outside the Las Vegas Convention Centre during SEMA week will be all but a memory of show’s past, for this year’s event—along with the Automotive Aftermarket Product

will take on its own online event beginning October 9 and, according to its schedule, the two-day session will feature workshops in both French and English, a host of speakers from industry-leading companies and extensive opportunities for online networking via video chat and other platforms.

These virtual spaces may not be what we’re used to but, like we’ve been saying since March, these are unprecedented times— times that require unprecedented solutions to match.

If you are still unsure about your participation in the waves of virtual tradeshows, consider this; not once in the

These virtual spaces may not be what we’re used to but, like we’ve been saying since March, these are unprecedented times—times that require unprecedented solutions to match.

Equalizer................................... 83 Eurovac..................................... 86 Fix Auto Truro........................... 50 Global Finishing Solutions....... 81 IBIS............................................ 90 Impact Auto Auctions............... 27 Level5drive.com.................. 42,43 Nitroheat................................... 89 Polyvance........................... 50, 87 PPG Canada............................... 7 ProSpot International Inc.... 64,65 ProColor Collision.............. 2,3, 55 Rexall........................................ 23 SATA Canada............................ 99 SEMA........................................ 44 Sherwin-Williams...................... 37 Simplicity Car Care................... 11 Sirius XM Canada..................... 72 Spanesi Americas Inc... 50, centre SprayMax.........................12,13,85 Steck Manufacturing................ 84 Symach Canada....................... 21 Thorold Auto Parts................... 97 Titanium Tools & Equipment.... 75 Tropicana.................................. 50 WDCO-Auto......................... 56,57

Expo (AAPEX)—will be held entirely online.

Due to our current global situation, virtual events have taken the industry by storm. In response, many industry stakeholders are asking themselves what benefits accompany attending these online shows. How will companies interact with booth visitors? How will products be purchased? Will the aweinspiring demonstrations of years past be translated into this online format? Most of all—how do we network?!

Whatever question you may have, virtual show organizers have already considered.

The International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS) has held two virtual shows so far, chock-full of comprehensive sessions conducted by industry-leading companies from all corners of collision repair, and even include real-to-life spaces like an expo hall and networking rooms.

The Canadian Collision Industry Forum

Wurth Canada........................... 31

98 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

industry’s history have we seen this many tradeshows cancelled in a single year. By taking part in the first-ever wave of virtual events, you’ll be a part of history.

We have little indication of when crowdfilled convention halls will be allowed to host the full-scale conferences and tradeshows the aftermarket holds dearly. What we do know, however, is that the members of Canada’s collision sector are as tight-knit as they come.

No matter the strictness of social distancing, it will never shake the bond within our industry. We will always find ways to connect.

Allison Rogers is the editor of Collision Repair magazine.

She can be reached at allison@mediamatters.ca.

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