HOW CLEAN IS YOUR PAINT BOOTH?
Volume 20, Number 5 l October 2021
SEEN AT SAAR
WHERE THE
HEART IS
The collision repair centre will always be home for Paul and Adam Prochilo
Saskatchewan celebrates in person at SAAR’s Fall Forum!
BACK TO REALITY Prepping your team for pre-pandemic repair volumes
PLUS+ SEMA SHOW RULES AND GUIDELINES | 19TH ANNUAL CRASH IT GOLF TOURNEY | HIRING ACROSS CANADA www.collisionrepairmag.com Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40841632 l 86 John Street, Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2
CONTENTS
VOLUME 20, ISSUE 5 | OCTOBER 2021
CONTENTS
HOW CLEAN IS YOUR PAINT BOOTH?
Volume 20, Number 5 l October 2021
SEEN AT SAAR
WHERE THE
HEART IS The collision repair centre will always be home for Paul and Adam Prochilo
Saskatchewan celebrates in person at SAAR’s Fall Forum!
BACK TO REALITY Prepping your team for pre-pandemic repair volumes
PLUS: SEMA SHOW RULES AND GUIDELINES | 19th ANNUAL CRASH IT GOLF TOURNEY | HIRING ACROSS CANADA www.collisionrepairmag.com Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40841632 l 86 John Street, Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2
ON THE COVER See how the Prochilo name became synonymous with collision repair in the GTA, from humble family beginnings to one of the most impressive repair facilities in the country.
38
Scarborough jobbers don’t need to look far for paint products anymore as Toronto’s east-end welcomes Paint Source Automotive Supplies to the neighbourhood.
FEATURES EVS 30 EVALUATING For some, they see them constantly. For others, rarely ever. Yet everyone seems to have an opinion on electric vehicles and where Canada stands on meeting climate goals.
HEALTH RESTRICTIONS 44 SEMA SEMA 2021 is fast approaching and
40
You know the old saying, “When it’s raucous in Secaucus, you know the NORTHEAST auto show is in town.” See our coverage of the latest auto news out of New Jersey.
organizers have laid out a plan for keeping attendees safe and healthy during their time in Las Vegas.
USA COVERAGE 54 IBIS Collaboration and conversation served as the theme for IBIS USA this time around, as influential industry leaders stress the importance of presenting a united front when working with OEMs.
TO REALITY 56 BACK With sales volumes pulling back up to pre-pandemic levels, how prepared do you feel to hit the ground running once things are back to business-as-usual?
46
The SAAR Fall Conference went off without a hitch once again, as Saskatchewan’s collision repair leaders shared a weekend of golf and good times. OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 3
CONTENTS
CONTENTS REGULARS
50
52
62
September saw collision repair education get kicked back into high gear as Fix Auto hosted a Trades Experience Day, from their training facility in Milton, Ont.
It’s not especially hard to get Albertans out on the golf course, but add in a great cause and you have the Crash It Golf Tourney, back in full swing and raising thousands for ALS.
Is your spray booth as clean as it could be? Collision Repair spoke to painters and shop owners from across the country to see how they keep their booths at peak performance.
YOUR ONLINE SOURCE Canada’s collision repair information resource. New articles and top news stories daily. For more infor visit collisionrepairmag.com
4 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
06
PUBLISHER’S PAGE
08
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
66
LET’S TALK TRAINING
68
WHO’S DRIVING
70
TOM’S TALES
74
THE INTRICATE WEB
78
PRAIRIE VIEW
80
REGIONAL NEWS
96
RECYCLING NEWS
97
TOWING NEWS
98
FINAL DETAIL
By Darryl Simmons
The comings and goings of the collision industry.
By Stefano Liessi
By Jay Perry
By Tom Bissonnette
By Vanessa di Vito
By Chelsea Stebner
The latest autobody insight from coast to coast.
Cycle through auto recycling!
Get hooked up with the latest towing news.
By Allison Rogers
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE TODAY!
HAVE YOUR SAY We welcome your comments on anything you see in Collision Repair magazine. Send your feedback to editor@collisionrepairmag.com.
PUBLISHER’S PAGE
SEE YOU AT SEMA The lights of Las Vegas are calling—will you answer?
I
In 2019—the last time the Collision Repair mag team walked the SEMA Show floor—the world was a much different place. In 2019, we weaved between the booths blissfully unaware of the pandemic awaiting us beyond the calendar flip. The New Product Room
November 4, with dozens of speaker sessions on repair trends to watch. For the first week of November, the Las Vegas strip will become the automotive aftermarket hub of North America. Further, by the time we arrive, it’ll have been two years since our last Vegas charade. Two years since we experienced the same wealth of resources, all together in the same place. As an industry, we’ve been craving
From November 2 through November 5, more than 1,300 exhibitors will take to the Las Vegas Convention Center for SEMA reverbrated with excitement over new tools and predictions for the decade upon us. AIA’s Canada Night was a night to remember, as always, and jokes were tossed haphazardly, comparing the year 2020 to its predecessor a century prior, the Roaring Twenties. On the final day of the show, we bid adieu with a simple “see you next year!” If only we knew. Alas, no time to dwell. Instead, let’s get excited for the almighty homecoming of SEMA and AAPEX. From November 2 through November 5, more than 1,300 exhibitors will take to the Las Vegas Convention Center for SEMA. Six minutes down the street from SEMA, this year’s AAPEX will run November 2 through
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Orest Tkaczuk | orest@mediamatters.ca EDITOR Allison Rogers | allison@mediamatters.ca STAFF WRITERS Max Reid | max@mediamatters.ca Erin McLaughlin | erin@mediamatters.ca Maddy Kylie | maddy@mediamatters.ca
By DARRYL SIMMONS
t’s almost the most wonderful time of the year—that is, in the minds of automotive aftermarket professionals. There is less than a month until the 2021 SEMA Show.
PUBLISHER Darryl Simmons publisher@collisionrepairmag.com
connection; the time to link up has finally arrived. Of course, some friendly faces will be missing from this year’s SEMA Show; SATA, PPG, Sherwin-Williams and Spanesi, to name a few. We’ll miss their spectacular booths but, if we cross our fingers hard enough, perhaps they’ll be back for SEMA 2022. To all the readers heading into the Las Vegas trenches in November; come say hi! Collision Repair magazine will have its own space—Booth #34223—on the show floor this year, where we’ll be handing out magazines, swag and insight aplenty. Stop by! For those not attending—we’ll see you in 2022!
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 Lisa McNab, Bianca Mattiozzi, Jay Perry, Stefano Liessi, Chelsea Stebner, Tom Bissonnette, Venessa Di Vito
SUBSCRIPTION Single edition $7.99 One-year $39.95 ( 6 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. PRINTED IN CANADA ISSN 1707-6072 CANADA POST CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES PRODUCT AGREEMENT No. 40841632 RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED Send change of address notices and undeliverable copies to: 317 Reid St., Peterborough, ON K9J 3R2
“We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada”
Collision Repair magazine is published by Media Matters Inc., publishers of:
6 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
Change your perspective. Spanesi’s Interactive Week is coming October 25 - 29, 2021.
Stay Tuned
Spanesi Americas, Inc. 123 Ambassador Dr. STE 107 Naperville, IL 60540
224-SPANESI (224-772-6374) www.spanesi-americas.com facebook.com/spanesiamericas
NEWS
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE SCOTT MEEHAN, FIX NETWORK Fix Network announced the appointment of Scott Meehan as Regional Vice President for Fix Network Quebec in late August. In his new role, Meehan—who touts 20+ years of experience as a strategic sales and customer relations leader, most recently with 3M Canada as Regional Sales Manager for Eastern Canada—will be responsible for creating new opportunities for the Fix Network family and spearheading the organization’s franchise development journey in Quebec.
SEAN DONALDSON, CSN COLLISION CENTRES Following a 25-year career at Enterprise Holdings as Assistant Vice President of Sales, Sean Donaldson has been named the new Senior Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for CSN Collision Centres. According to the network, Donaldson will be responsible for leading the organization’s growth strategy, as well as oversee and maintain overall accountability for the sales, insurer relations and marketing/communications departments.
SHAWN JAMIESON, AKZONOBEL In August, Shawn Jamieson, the former VP of collision centre operations for Myers Automotive Group, took on the new role of AkzoNobel services consultant. Jamieson had been with the Ottawa-based MSO since 2016, but also previously worked as the assistant collision manager for Myers from 2001 to 2006. In his new role with AkzoNobel, Jamieson will service the Ontario region and be based in the Greater Ottawa area.
BRENT HENKLE, ELITE BODYSHOP SOLUTIONS Dave Luehr’s Elite Bodyshop Solutions recently announced the addition of Brent Henkle to its team. Henkle, who has 34 years of experience in the automotive industry—13 of which were spent helping collision centres specifically, where he specializes in process and management optimization. With Elite, Henkle will serve as training manager and offer assistance to bodyshop customers on their management systems and operations.
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SATA Special Edition 2021 SATAjet® X 5500
True Soul 14 Sept
from
While stocks last
SATAjet® X 5500 True Soul – Colourful Insights The new SATAjet X 5500 True Soul is truly inspiring with its wild, beautiful and vivid design. Colourful, fanciful motifs such as dragons, female beauties, exotic fish, eagles or a skull adorn, among other things, the True Soul - Does the well-known American airbrush artist Leah Gall allow you to catch a glimpse of her own multifaceted, colourful life? The special edition spray gun SATAjet X 5500 True Soul is fully functional and suitable for the daily use in the spray booth. Reserve your Special Edition spray gun with your SATA dealer now!
www.sata.com/true-soul SATA Canada Inc. 125 Buttermill Avenue Vaughan, ON L4K 3X5 Phone: +1 905 660 1101 Toll-free: +1 844 554 SATA (7282) Fax: +1 905 760 1250 contact@sata.ca www.sata.com
ON THE COVER
10 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
ON THE COVER
FORGING AHEAD TOGETHER ProColor Collision North York will always be home for the Prochilos
Story by MAX REID
W
hen you stop to think about it, much of who we become as people is informed by our Saturday mornings. After a grueling five-day elementary school week, Saturday is the only day that truly belongs to you as a kid. It’s your time, the precious little that you have, and you’ve got to do something with it. For some, it’s the race to the couch to get lost in cartoons, the 6 a.m. hockey practice, or miscellaneous neighbourhood mischief. But when you’re an heir to a decades-old collision repair dynasty, the body shop draws you in. For brothers Paul and Adam Prochilo, the body shop is what’s familiar. It’s where family is. “Immigrating from Italy, my father Dominic chose this business as his first entrepreneurial venture”, Paul recalled in his interview with Collision Repair. “As kids we spent our weekends at the facility while our dad conducted his business. Whether it be washing a car or cleaning the shop, we were always around lending a helping hand.” The shop was a gathering place for the Prochilos, not simply a place where his father made a living, but truly a place where he and his family grew up. “As kids, we practiced our parking skills with the vehicles that were written off.” But with play always came a lesson in hard work. “In exchange though, we always had to make sure the customer’s cars, including our dad’s and uncles, were all detailed before we got to go home”, Paul said with a laugh. Paul’s work ethic would come to carry him throughout his whole career and afforded him the opportunity to decide early on that would change not only his own life, but the lives of his entire family.
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 11
ON THE COVER
“After attending York University and receiving my bachelor’s degree in business and economics, I had two options, pursue an MBA or start running the family business. I decided to give the business a shot and 25 years later here we are,” said Paul. Following in the guidance given to him by his father, as well as his late uncles Vince and Joe, Paul picked up the torch and committed to further building on his family’s already impressive legacy. The site the shop sits on has undergone some major changes into making the Prochilo’s ProColor Collision North York facility a reality. “We have invested almost $300,000 into the building, from equipment upgrades to a completely renovated office and production space.” Paul and Adam are capitalizing on every inch of real estate to ensure that their shop has everything one might need after a collision–all under one roof. Located on 141 Toryork Dr. in North York, the shop is staffed by fully ProColor Collision North York officially joined the Fix Network fold in September 2021—just in time for ProColor Collision’s 20th anniversary.
12 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
ON THE COVER
trained technicians who can carry out complex repairs and automotive services on all makes and models of vehicles. “The facility is 15,000 square feet of actual production space, but the building itself is 22,000 sq ft. We do sublet space to vendors like our in-house mechanic and Enterprise Rent A Car,” Paul explained. “It’s very much a one-stop shop, anything we need, from four-wheel alignments, rental vehicles, glass replacement, calibrations or something as simple as replacing a tire, we have it all,”. Paul is of course aware that a top-tier shop is nothing without a top tier team running it. The Prochilos are wizened students in the ways of I-CAR training, and they seek to pass on this trait on to all staff who enter their fold. “I-CAR is the main driving force for all of our training needs,” said Paul. “We ensure that we dedicate the appropriate time for each technician to work towards upkeeping their platinum designations.”
But the real kicker for the operation is their partnership with ProColor Collision. “My brother and I decided that for the longevity of the business, joining the ProColor Collision family would be our best option. We were attracted to ProColor Collision, not just because it was part of the Fix Network, but its President and CEO Steve Leal’s leadership is unparalleled. His vision for what he wants to create and accomplish in this industry marries very well with our goals and ambitions. It’s a big deal for both companies,” said Paul. In fact, Paul sees his shop’s signing on to a major network as the culmination of a goal long in the works, as the Prochilo Brothers have had an eye on consolidation for some time now. “Consolidation of the market has long been a major driving force in our industry. For many years it’s either been join a network or face the possibility of extinction!” For Paul, joining up with ProColor Collision also meant giving his staff the opportunity they need to succeed in their trade.
“As kids we spent our weekends at the facility while our dad conducted his business. Whether it be washing a car or cleaning the shop, we were always around lending a helping hand.” – Paul Prochilo, ProColor Collision North York
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 13
ON THE COVER
“The repair procedures utilized 20 years ago do not necessarily COMPLEMENT the modern day automobile.” – Paul Prochilo, ProColor Collision North York
“ProColor Collision has a fantastic training facility based in Milton, Ontario. Whether the franchisee requires some I-CAR training, or help with operational aspects of the business, they also have the ability to help train our apprentices.” Technology has come a long way since the Prochilo brothers learned the ropes of the trade. “The repair procedures utilized 20 years ago do not necessarily complement the modern-day automobile,” said Paul. “Blind spot, parking assist and lane departure systems are almost commonplace for the everyday vehicle today. Pre- and post- scans are essential to ensure each repair plan starts out on a solid foundation.” Despite all his success, Paul isn’t immune to the ebb and flow of the labour pool and is facing down an industry-wide staff shortage with the rest of the industry. “The older journeymen are on their way out if they haven’t retired already. The need to recruit, train and educate our youth is of paramount importance these days. We need to help create a career path to show them the endless possibilities that await once they have received the proper training.” One must imagine that there are still kids out there who spend their Saturdays the same way Paul and Adam did—witnessing family members, actively working for each other and for their business. That is the reality ProColor Collision North York delivers daily. “We’ve managed to create a culture between our staff and our family that’s still here,” said Paul. “It’s been our driving force all these years. It’s what has kept us so loyal to our business and gives us the energy we need everyday to deal with whatever obstacles come our way.”
14 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
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DATE: 03/98 GVWR: 6000LB/ 2721KG REAR GAWR: 3200LB FRONT GAWR: 3100LB 1406KGBY FORD MOTOR WITHCO.1451KG WITH VEHICLE P255 MFD. TIRES P255 / 70R16SL TIRES / 70R16SL DATE: 03/98 RIMS 16x7.0J RIMS 16x7.0JGVWR: 6000LB/ 2721KG FRONT GAWR: 3100LB PSI COLD kPaREAR 29 GAWR: 3200LB 221 kPa 32 AT 200 1406KG WITH /1451KG PSI COLD AT WITH / TIRES TIRESFEDERALOTOR P255 / 70R16SL P255 70R16SL / THIS VEHICLE OC NFORMSTO ALL APPLICABLE M RIMSSAFET RIMS TANDARDS 16x7.0J 16x7.0J VEHICLE Y, BUMPER, ANDTHEFT PREVENTION S COLD ABOVE. AT 200 kPa/29 INPSI AT D221 COLD ONTHE /32 PSI SHOWN EFFECT ATE OFkPa MANUFACTURE VIN: 1FTPW14V57F000000 F0257 THIS VEHICLE OC NFORMS TOTRUCK ALL APPLICABLE FEDERALOTOR M Replacement label: Not from Ford T0514 TYPE: VEHICLE SAFET Y, BUMPER, ANDTHEFT PREVENTIONTANDARDS S IN EFFECT ONTHE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE. VIN: 1FTPW14V57F000000 F0257 Replacement label: Not from Ford T0514 TYPE: TRUCK RC: 21 DSO: EXT PNT: K1 WB BRK INTTR TP/PS R AXLETR SPR 139 B M2 9 H9 U PF RC: 21 DSO: EXT PNT: K1 WB BRK INTTR TP/PS R AXLETR SPR 139 B M2 9 H9 U PF
VEHICLE EMISSION CONTROLINFORMATION
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TIRE ANDweight LOADING INFORMATION The combined of occupants and cargo should never exceed 505 Kg or 1114 Lbs.
SEATINGTIRE CAPACITY
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INDUSTRY NEWS
SAY IT AIN’T SO With COVID cases resurging and exhibitors getting cold feet as November starts rolling around, AIA Canada has announced that they have decided to cancel Canada Night 2021. Originally scheduled to take place on November 2, 2021, at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, during the AAPEX conference, Canada Night brings together some of the biggest names across the Canadian automotive industry for a night of camaraderie and socializing. “It was a difficult decision to make, however, we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today,” said AIA Canada President, Jean-François Champagne. AIA Canada thanks all event sponsors and guarantees a full refund of sponsorship fees.
THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ Seventy-two percent of drivers support fully automated AI-driven claims experiences, while 83 percent said they would trust AI-driven automotive claims, according to a survey cited in June’s CEICA webinar.
During a webinar held by CEICA, Driaan du Toit, the vice president of strategy and development at Solera, said that AI is going to be the next step in the automotive industry and body shops should embrace this new change. “This will be the new normal, don’t fight it,” he said. According to a survey, 72 percent of people said that they supported having a fully automated AI claims and repair experience, while 83 percent said they would trust automotive claims driven by AI. Most also said that they would switch insurers for a faster digital experience. DuToit believes that body shops can benefit from having the new technology by improving shop cycle times, productivity and customer service. AI will also allow for body shops to spend more time repairing vehicles and less time on estimating and ordering.
DRIVER’S ASSISTANCE? MORE LIKE DRIVER’S RESISTANCE A new Léger survey revealed that in Quebec, only 35 percent of drivers claim to understand all of the features available on their car. “Vehicles today are equipped with a host of tools to improve safety on the road, but still many people don’t fully understand how to use them, get distracted by them or turn them off, especially on Quebec roads where orange cones in construction zones can cause an overabundance of alarms and warnings,” notes Carmine Venditti, Allstate Agency Manager, Montreal-East area. “Being knowledgeable about these assistance technologies allows for a better understanding of their usefulness. As a result, the driver can benefit from better visibility around the vehicle, and make safe decisions, potentially avoiding a collision.” AI will also allow for body shops to spend more time repairing vehicles and less time on estimating and ordering.
TRACKING TIME Commercial trucks and buses travelling between provinces now must have electronic logging devices (ELD) that are used to track the number of hours they are driving daily. Having ELDs will help to be able to catch anyone who isn’t following the federal hours of service rules, which includes not driving more than 13 hours a day, and having at least 10 hours of off duty time each day - eight of those must be consecutive. Canadian Trucking Alliance president Stephen Laskowski says that ELDs will weed out any companies not following the protocol. “It’s going to force [non-compliant trucking companies] to get into the game and be compliant and be safe or face the consequences,” he said. “It’s going to make Canadian roads safer and it’s going to make it a better industry to work in.”
18 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
Commercial truckers travelling between provinces will now legally be required to use electronic logging devices to prove they are not driving more than 13 hours each day.
INDUSTRY NEWS
STUDIES SUGGEST A study made by Frost & Sullivan suggests that one in five vehicles will have Level 2 autonomous driving features by 2025, and OEMs will have to do everything they can to get ready for the new technology. OEMs will have to work on their strategies, product roadmap and capital investments to be able to offer autonomous features. Varun Krishna Murthy, senior research analyst, mobility practice at Frost & Sullivan, says that over 11 million units will have the Level 2 autonomous driving features in just a few short years from 115,450 in 2020.
AGING AUTOS
The U.S.-based Automotive Recycling Association is urging insurance companies and repair facilities to use recycled OE parts in the face of international parts shortages.
Meets the requirements of most OEM‘s
Shield Gas Welding
InvertaPuls IP 7-2 ACT
MIG-MAG/Aluminium
The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) is encouraging vehicle owners, insurance companies and repair facilities to consider using Recycled Original Equipment (ROE) automotive parts because the age of vehicles on U.S. roads has gone up to 12.1 years, according to an IHS Market report. Sandy Blalock, ARA executive director, says because of the rise of light vehicle operations, everyone needs to do their part to make sure every vehicle on the road is in top quality shape. “The age of vehicles on the road is at a historic high, increasing from 11.9 years in 2020. Professional automotive recyclers play a vital role in keeping these vehicles in roadworthy condition,” stated Blalock. IHS market’s recent research suggests the rise in vehicle age is linked to the pandemic and a reduction in new vehicle sales, thanks to economic pitfalls on buyers.
Welding programs for: • MIG brazing 0,8-1,0 mm • Aluminium 1,0-1,2 mm • Steel / stainless steel 0,6-1,2 mm • TIG (WIG) • Pulse and double pulse welding 2-cycle & 4-cycle mode including special mode thin metal sheet - ACT for steel welding
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 19
BUSINESS NEWS
MOBILE MERGER asTech has acquired Mobile Tech RX, an automotive and collision reconditioning application. Mobile Tech RX has over 4,000 companies using the application for glass repair, detailing, paintless dent repair, wheel and rim repair, paint touch up, window tint, interior repair, PPF and vinyl repairs. “The merger between Mobile Tech RX and Repairify will result in an application that better serves all end customers and technicians who currently utilize the solution,” said Eric Garves, the CEO and Co-Founder of Mobile Tech RX. Technicians will be capable of diversifying and expanding their revenue streams while end customers will benefit from access to a broader set of vehicle repairs.”
SOLICITING THE SEAL Collision repair facilities in the United States are reporting Tesla emails that outrightly recruit Tesla-certified technicians and estimators, Repairer Driven News reported on Wednesday. According to the email obtained by Repairer Driven News—bearing the subject line “Tesla Collision Tech Referrals—Who Do You Know?” —Tesla is “seeking experienced Collision Technicians who can join the team in San Jose, California.” Sent from a recruiter at Tesla’s Palo Alto, Calif. facility, the email went on to ask if the recipients “knew anyone in [their] network that would be interested in working at Tesla.” A benefit one-pager was attached to the email, “for review,” as well as a link to apply. According to an anonymous planner cited by Repairer Driven News, the email was sent to all technicians, estimators and “whoever else was signed up for training” in their organization. Collision Repair magazine has not received any notifications of similar situations occurring in Tesla’s Canadian network.
asTech has made yet another acquisition, this time adding Mobile Tech RX, an automotive and collision reconditioning app to their portfolio.
ADVANCED ADVANCES Advanced Auto Parts had a record-breaking quarter with an increase of 23.4 percent in net sales and an increase of 24.7 percent in same-store sales. Tom Greco, president and CEO, says the company’s hard work and strong focus on the financial side of their business has paid off ten-fold. “In the first quarter of 2021, we delivered record-breaking sales growth across our business, as both DIY and professional customers turned to Advance for their automotive needs amid a strong industry backdrop,” said Greco. “Our commitment and actions to protect the financial strength of the business during the pandemic resulted in first-quarter free cash flow of $259 million.”
MELANCHOLY AT MAGNA Swedish automotive technology firm Veoneer has opted to go with Qualcomm’s $37-per-share merger bid following a previously announced merger with Aurora, Ontario-based Magna International. Magna said October 4 that Veoneer’s board determined the previously announced proposal by Qualcomm is a superious proposal under the terms of the previously announced merger agreement between Magna and Veoneer. Magna had originally offered $32-per-share—$5-per-share less than Qualcomm’s offer. Veoneer will now pay Magna a termination fee of $110 million.
BRAKING THE BANK A US$1 trillion infrastructure bill currently before the U.S. House of Representatives has the potential to mandate automatic emergency braking in all passenger vehicles, setting a significant new benchmark for automakers. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to make a rule establishing minimum performance standards for such anti-crash technology, and to require all passenger cars and large trucks to be sold with systems that alert the driver if a crash is imminent, and automatically apply the brakes if the driver fails to do so. Passenger cars would also have to be equipped with lane-monitoring and lanekeeping systems and be able to correct the course of the vehicle’s travel if the driver fails to do so. A mandate for automatic braking has been a goal for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) for some time now, and according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, police-reported crash data shows that crash avoidance technology could cut front-to-rear crashes in half.
20 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
As of December 2020, more than 10 automakers have fulfilled a voluntary commitment to equip nearly all the new light vehicles they produce for the U.S. market with automatic emergency braking (AEB).
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INSURANCE NEWS
THE GECKO GETS THINKIN’ According to a release, Geico is starting to use Tractable AI review photo estimating to double check estimates. Todd Combs, Geico’s CEO, says that the new solution will only heighten the customer’s experience. “GEICO customers know us for our speed of service and value,” Combs said. “Tractable’s artificial intelligence solution delivers both, helping us review estimates more quickly and accurately, getting our customers back on the road faster.” The speed of service will increase as the Tractable AI review photo estimating solution can cut eight days out of the cycle time and find “$80 additional variance…per claim, thanks to AI consistency,” says the company. Although Geico is not available in Canada, systems that speed up the claims process like the Tractable AI, could be adopted by other insurers within the country.
NO LONGER HIDDEN The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) has discovered that Hidden Ace Brokerage has been operating an auto insurance business without a license to sell. The illegal auto insurance company is not licensed by the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) and is also not licensed with FSRA. Hidden Ace Brokerage offers home and auto insurance in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and they use the telephone numbers 1-877-379-2913 and 437-229-5658 on WhatsApp and the email address info@ hiddenacebrokerage.com. FSRA warns people to exercise caution if they are contacted by the insurance company and to not obtain any insurance products from them. Consumers are also encouraged to check RIBO’s website to ensure their insurance broker is licensed or FSRA’s public registry to ensure they are working with licensed insurance agents.
22 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
A BIGGER SLICE Intact Financial Corporation has completed the acquisition of RSA Insurance Group plc. Along with Tryg A/S, Intact Financial Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer, Charles Brindamour, says that merging with RSA is a decision that will only benefit both sides when it comes to creating a positive experience for shareholders and employees.“Bringing together Intact and RSA will expand our leadership and accelerate our strategy as we continue to focus on outperformance across our business,” said Brindamour.
GENERATIONAL SUPPORT CARSTAR has helped us as a second-generation, family-owned business by showing us great support and praise. Paul and Joe Saputo, owners CARSTAR Ancaster East and CARSTAR Ancaster West
Contact Collin Welsh to learn more about joining the CARSTAR family at cwelsh@carstar.ca
OEM NEWS
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
SPARE PARTS
General Motors revised its Repairs and Inspections Required after a Collision document, and the company made some new distinctions between major and minor damage. One of the changes involves waiving other inspections and part replacements when there is a “minor outer body panel cosmetic distortion,” as long as the repairer performs the mandatory seven-step seat belt check. If the damages are major, then multiple safety operations are mandatory. John Eck, GM wholesale dealer channel collision manager, says that if damages are only on the outside of the vehicle then it is considered minor, but once repairs to the inside are required then it becomes major. “What we’re saying is, ‘hey, once we start peeling this vehicle back, and it’s only cosmetic, and it’s not anything structural like bumper bars, or pillars or a rocker panel, then the damage would be considered minor,” Eck said.
Aston Martin released a car that is made out of spare parts they forgot they had, and the one of a kind car sells for millions of dollars. There just so happened to be a low-mileage carbon-fiber monocoque and V-12 engine from a One-77 prototype — which made its debut more than a decade ago — kicking around in storage, and Aston Martin’s Q division decided not to let it go to waste. Now one lucky customer has received a completely original Aston Martin Victor supercar. The resulting 12-cylinder improved on the One-77’s quite adequate 750 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque to a superior 836 hp and 614 lb-ft. It retains its 7.3-liter displacement and natural aspiration, but now the engine will be a six-speed manual transmission instead of the One-77’s six-speed automatic unit with paddle shifters. The car manufacturer isn’t planning on doing anything like this again in the near future, but who knows what the brands Q division team will uncover while going through their storage units next time.
ALMOST ALL OEMS
TO REFINITY AND BEYOND
Solera has announced that they have added Toyota and Lexus to their AudaVin service, which allows for customers to identify a vehicle’s build data from manufacturers and select the right parts, graphics and labour-relevant damage capturing. Now that Toyota and Lexus are added to AudaVin, 80 percent of the vehicles that are on the road in the U.S. are using the service. Evan Davies, chief technology officer at Solera, says that AudaVin provides a better estimating process for the customer and repair shops. “Solera’s goal has always been to provide its customers with a claims process that is simple, efficient, and accurate,” said Davies. “AudaVIN, is a oneof-a-kind solution that combines VIN look-up at the OEM-level with Solera-built data. Integrated into our Qapter claims workflow, AudaVIN renders a 3D image that enables Bodyshop’s to quickly capture vehicle damage and generate an accurate estimate.”
BASF’s Coatings division announced the launch of Refinity, a new, cloud-based digital platform for body shop customers all around the world. Refinity gives customers a more efficient digital experience in areas of colour, business, training and support solutions. Dirk Bremm, president of BASF’s Coatings division, says that Refinity will only allow for customers to have a more enjoyable experience and help them grow even more.“At BASF, we are committed to working together with our customers. We passionately share one vision towards digitalization which will see more and more smart digital solutions that make our customers’ lives easier and more efficient. With Refinity, we will take a big step forward in the collision repair industry by creating a seamless digital experience that will help our customers grow in the long term and become that body shop of the future,” said Bremm. OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 25
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
CLEAN INVESTMENTS KC Recycling, a Canadian firm, received US$852,000 from CleanBC Plastics Action Fund to go towards a US$1.2 million plant upgrade. The recycling company is an E-scrap and end-of-life battery specialist and they are currently renovating their facility in Trail, British Columbia. Peter Stamper, the CEO of the company, says that they are grateful for CleanBC Plastics Action Fund support. “The whole KC Recycling team is proud we’re expanding operations to enable the production of finished recycled plastic and providing a real circular economy solution right here in the Kootenays. It aligns with our mission of preserving a sustainable world for future generations,” Stamper says.“We’re thrilled our project meets the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund criteria to increase domestic recycling capacity as Canada makes changes to keep plastics out of the ocean and comply with the global Basel Convention.”
IHUB HYPE
BRING ON THE BUSES
FedDev Ontario is investing $10 million into an automotive, aerospace and advanced manufacturing network at McMaster University, which will bring new opportunities and help create a greener future through electrification. The Honourable Filomena Tassi, the Minister of Labour and MP for Hamilton West-Ancaster Dundas, says that these new jobs will help Canadian innovators thrive in the automotive and aerospace industries. McMaster President, David Farrar, says that iHub will bring many new opportunities and provide a way to bounce back from the economic downfall that resulted from the pandemic. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to advance our work with Canadian manufacturers in automotive and aerospace electrification,” he said.
The Government of Canada has invested $15 million in electric buses to move towards a greener future with zero-emission vehicles. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, says that restoring the economy is at the forefront of the Nova Bus project. “As we continue to safely restart our economy, it is important to do so in a strategic way and with a long-term vision. One of the ways to achieve this is by helping Canada and businesses here at home become world leaders in the manufacture of green transportation vehicles,” he said. “Nova Bus is a vital part of this journey toward electrification and a future marked by sustainable growth, dependable jobs and global leadership. Our government will continue to support businesses to ensure they can participate in the efforts toward a clean growth economy, including by investing in sustainable public transit and zero-emission vehicles.”
IT’S A JEEP THING The Jeep Wrangler could become more durable. The popular, mud-slinging vehicle may soon have the option of a Gorilla Glass windshield. Gorilla Glass was first associated with smartphones when cellular manufacturers started using it for its crack and shatter proof technology. The ultra-strong glass, made by Corning, is on either side of a transparent glass with thin-ply material that can increase its strength by several factors. Jeep’s take on the product could include an interior ply on the windshield with an outer ply about 50-per-cent thicker. This would provide greater resistance to stones, tree branches and anything else a Jeep owner’s windshield might come across on the back roads. It’s suggested this option will be available on Wranglers and Gladiators this summer.
TO THE SKIES Hyundai is prepared to take flight in the near future — the OEM says it could offer an air-taxi service as soon as 2025, Reuters reported last week. Hyundai’s global COO Jose Munoz told Reuters that the OEM is ahead of its previously stated timetable for rolling out air mobility vehicles. “We see this market as a significant growth opportunity,” Munoz told Reuters, adding that he is “very confident” of technology’s development. Hyundai is developing air taxis powered by electric batteries that can transport five to six people from highly congested urban centers to airports. Hyundai does not want to sell flying cars as a simple transaction, but believes it can develop services around the vehicles, Munoz said. General Motors also has its eyes on the skies; the OEM released a flying Cadillac concept in January. Though its executives are looking at a slightly longer timeline for its flying vehicles. 26 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
SWEDEN STEEL-ING THE SPOTLIGHT SSAB, a Swedish steelmaker, is partnering with Volvo Cars to explore the development of fossil-free steel to use in the automotive industry through their HYBRIT initiative, which aims to replace coking coal with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. The initiative will result in virtually no carbon footprint. Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive at Volvo Cars, says that this collaboration will help ensure a greener future in the car manufacturers’ supply chain. Volvo says it is the first to work with SSAB and the first to secure SSAB steel made from hydrogen-reduced iron.
T-TOWN STARTUP A Toronto woman with 20 years of experience working in AI is now starting her own autonomous vehicle company called Waabi. “I had thought about doing my own company for a while now,” Rachel Urtasun told Global News. “The more that I worked in the industry, the more it became clear that the traditional way of doing things is … I don’t think the way to go. There is a need for new technology and I have a very clear vision of what that technology is.” Urtasun initially worked as the chief scientist for Uber’s selfdriving unit, Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), but decided to leave Uber and go on her own. Waabi has been getting a lot of financial support through Series A funding that was spearheaded by Kosla Ventures and overall they were able to raise $83.5 million. “My goal with Waabi is to really put Canada at the forefront of self-driving. We have an amazing opportunity here and I think we have the talent here,” she said.
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CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!
MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY A Vancouver woman drove to the ATM, now has to take out a lot more than she originally intended. In Richmond, B.C., police charged a woman hundreds of dollars for driving her white Audi onto a pedestrian-only parkway at the Brighouse Skytrain Station. She claims to have not seen the multiple “Do Not Enter” signs and that she was in a hurry. Along with hundreds of dollars in fines, she also got four demerit points taken off her license. The incident started a debate on Twitter on whether there should be barriers to make it more obvious to drivers that they are not allowed to park there, while some say that it should be obvious with the multiple signs up already.
DO NOT ENTER
DEEP DIVE Toronto Police found a mysterious vehicle in the Humber River, which is believed to have been underwater for more than 25 years, as the vehicle was reported stolen back in the 90s. Jordan Marushiak, a real estate agent, is the one that spotted the vehicle while he was showing one of his clients a condo nearby. Marushiak ended up conducting a doit-yourself investigation on the vehicle and posted a video of it to his YouTube Channel. The video was titled, Car Underwater Lake Ontario, Part One, and it showed Marashiak using an underwater camera to get up-close images of the vehicle.
BATTLES OF WIT A Dairy Queen and a Speedy Auto Glass Facility have been competing in a sign war in Listowel, Ontario. The competition began in late April with Speedy Auto Glass writing on their sign: “Hey DQ, wanna have a sign war?” and DQ responded with: “You bet your glass we do.” The funny exchange between the two stores lasted for a few days and also started sign wars all around the country. Businesses from out east like Charlottetown, P.E.I. to out west in Victoria, B.C. have been participating in some light-hearted sign wars with their neighbours.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? It’s pretty rare for a car to hit your house once, but having two cars crash into your home within one year is almost unheard of. Richard Campbell’s home, however, has defied all odds. Unlike lightning, which doesn’t strike in the same place twice, his home was struck by a car two times this year. With the second incident occurring in May. Campbell’s house is located near what locals refer to as the Duck Pond turn, a sharp turn on Union Highway in Scottsville, N.S. According to the Cape Breton Post there is a sign warning drivers to slow to 35 kilometres per hour before the turn near his house— however it is clear not everyone is following these rules— as indicated by the extensive damage to Campbell’s home. Currently, there is a large chunk of the foundation missing from Campbell’s home and some of the drywall is cracked in the interior. The siding of his home was also damaged in both collisions, as well as two of his vehicles.
SMASH OF A SALE A sportswear shop owner in Victoria, B.C., got the surprise of his life when a Chevy Trailblazer smashed through his storefront window. Phil Nichols, who owns the 2:18 Run, a sporting goods store, was working when all of a sudden he felt the whole building shake.“At first I really thought there was some kind of crazy earthquake happening,” said Nicholls. “Then came the glass smashing. That was the sound. There was no one in the store, thank heavens.” Luckily, no one was injured due to the crash, but Victoria police are still investigating why the crash happened.
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STAND UP SPEAK OUT
RUNNING ON
EMPTY
Nearly 95 percent of aftermarket believe Canada’s gas-powered sales goals are unrealistic Story by MAX REID
W
ith climate commitments furiously being put into place across governments of all levels over the past several years, Collision Repair wanted to hear from readers to see where the Canadian collision repair community stands on the Trudeau government’s recent commitment to end the sale of all gas-powered vehicles by 2035. In late Summer, we sent out a survey to our readers to gauge the reality they see today with EVs in collision shops. Despite the current government’s call for the widespread adoption of EVs across the country, 76.5 percent of those who responded to the survey reported that they do not encounter EVs at their shops on a regular basis. Furthermore, there is a noticeable variance in the amount of EV traffic that shops are experiencing. For the 23.5 percent of shops who reported dealing with EVs on a regular basis, about 75 percent of those shops claim to only see five or fewer EVs in a month. Conversely, 11.8 percent reported that they, in fact, deal with more than 15 EVs on a monthly basis. Just about 60 percent of readers that responded to the survey identified themselves as shop owners, with the remainder made up largely by suppliers and distributors, as well as techs and estimators actively working in the field.
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STAND UP SPEAK OUT
Do you see EV/Hybrid vehicles come into your business on a regular business?
YES
NO
23.5%
76.5%
How many EV/Hybrid vehicles do you repair per month?
52.9% 1-5: 35.3% 6-10: 0% 11-15: 0% More than 15: 11.8% NONE:
Do you think Canada will reach its goal of ending all gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035?
YES
5.9% NO
94.1% OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 31
STAND UP SPEAK OUT
Despite the current government’s call for the widespread adoption of EVs across the country, 76.5 percent of those who responded to the survey reported that they do not encounter EVs at their shops on a regular basis.
Geographically, the respondents cover nearly the whole breadth of the country, with 30 percent reporting in from Ontario, followed by 23.5 percent from Alberta, 17.6 percent from Saskatchewan and 11.8 representing Canada’s east coast. In the survey’s open response section, concerns were voiced about the ability of current EVs to withstand an intense Saskatchewan winter. The prevailing impression seems to be that current EV goals are far too urban-centric and do not consider the robust EV infrastructure that would be required to make them feasible in sparse rural settings. A more incremental plan to first strengthen general mobility and transit throughout rural areas may prove to be the more effective route for government, before then integrating that infrastructure into an EV charging grid.
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32 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
On August 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a federal election. Votes were cast on September 20, which proved little change in the House of Commons.
VIEWS FROM PARLIAMENT HILL
What a reformed Liberal government means for the automotive industry Story by ALLISON ROGERS
F
ollowing a snap federal election, Canada has elected another Liberal minority government to—in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s words—“finish the fight against COVID-19 and rebuild the shattered economy.” But what does the reformed Liberal government mean for the automotive industry?
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“finish the fight against COVID-19 and rebuild the shattered economy.” - Prime minister justin trudeau
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Ground Zero The previous Liberal government made it clear in June that it wants all new light vehicles sold in Canada to be zero emissions by 2035— accelerating its previous goal of 2040 by five years. The Liberals also plan to electrify the entire federal fleet by 2030. Several market analysts have come forward to comment on the ambitious Liberal goal—which does include a federal incentive program, charging installation targets and pledged support toward investments in innovation and OEMs. The C.D Howe Institute says 70 to 75 percent of Canadian passenger auto sales will have to be zero-emissions by 2030 to achieve the 100 percent by 2035 goal. In 2020, zero-emissions vehicle sales comprised just 3.5 percent of total vehicle sales.
The C.D Howe Institute says 70 to 75 percent of Canadian passenger auto sales will have to be zeroemissions by 2030 to achieve the 100 percent by 2035 goal.
In the end, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals claimed 159 seats, up four seats from 2019’s results; Erin O’Tooles Conservatives claimed 119 seats, no change from 2019 results; Yves-François Blanchet’s Bloc Québécois claimed 33 seats, up a single seat from 2019; Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party took 25 seats, up one from 2019 results and Annamie Paul’s Green Party marked no change with two seats in the House.
For the Youth During the election campaign, the Liberal platform promised a move on its plan to establish a new Apprenticeship Service “that will connect 55,000 first-year apprentices in Red Seal trades with opportunities at small- and medium-sized employers,” under the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP). The UTIP follows a two-pronged approach, according to the Liberal platform, providing $25 million annually in two streams: investments in training equipment on union-led projects and innovation in apprenticeship. The latter supports the development of new approaches to “addressing apprenticeship challenges” as well as supporting partnerships between organizations—should a union be involved in the project receiving funding. OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 35
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Following a snap election, Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau has been re-elected Prime Minister of Canada.
Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice. As part of the federal election campaign, the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada) pushed for the candidates to understand the importance of the right to repair for the aftermarket. During the campaign, AIA Canada pivoted the Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice. label to Right to Repair to encompass the broader movement and urged citizens to let the candidates in their respective ridings know that they want to keep the right to repair and choose who repairs their vehicles. Prior to the election, AIA Canada’s campaign petition had garnered more than 43,000 signatures on Change.org.
AIA Canada recently procured the public polling services of Abacus Data: • 94 percent of respondents agreed Canadians should be able to have their vehicle serviced at the service facility of their choice. • 3 in 4 respondents say they would be either less likely or would not purchase a brand of the vehicle if it could only be serviced at an authorized dealership. • 83 percent of respondents agree that automakers should be required by law to share data with independent auto shops. Before the election, AIA Canada said it would take time to “assess what the most effective approach for advocating for consumer control of vehicle data is.” As of the end of September, no further details have been released.
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GRAND OPENING
647-490-6718 paintsource.ca
EVENTS
IT’S A PAINT SOURCE PARTY Mathew John and Garen Ghougamanian celebrate grand opening
Paint Source owners Mathew John and Garen Ghougamanian. Story by MAX REID
T
The entire John and Ghougamanian families were present at the grand opening. 38 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
he smell of homemade sausages and charcoal-grilled jerk chicken paired with the sound of the 80s new wave permeating throughout the shop and all-around beautiful weather set the scene for Paint Source Automotive Supplies’ grand opening on September 10, 2021. Co-owners Mathew John and Garen Ghougamanian bust open the doors to their brand-new retail space in Scarborough in the company of friends and family, as well as more than a few potential business partners from the area who strolled by for the festivities. Offering products from 3M, Evercoat, Farecla, Imperium, Gen Verde, Spray Max, POR15, House of Kolor, Devilbiss, SATA and more, Paint Source says its staff and skilled technical advisors hold specialized expertise in auto paint, restoration, and repair. Paint Source Automotive Supplies’ new location is located at 1345 Morningside Ave., Unit 2, in Scarborough, Ontario.
EVENTS
Co-owners Mathew John and Garen Ghougamanian bust open the doors to their brand-new retail space in Scarborough in the company of friends and family
Paint Source’s Morningside site is located at 1345 Morningside Ave., Unit 2, in Scarborough, Ont.
Paint Source offers products from 3M, Evercot, Farecla, Imperium, Gen Verde, Spray Max, POR15, House of Kolor, SATA and much, much more. OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 39
EVENTS
RETURN OF THE
TRADE SHOW NORTHEAST 2021 kicks off event season
Photos courtesy of KARL KIRSCHENMAN, SPANESI AMERICAS
F
rom September 10 through 12, 2021, the NORTHEAST Trade Show put on by gracious hosts the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, NORTHEAST 2021 served a long-awaited opportunity for automotive industry and collision repair professionals alike to mingle, educate and celebrate one of the first in-person events following extensive COVID-19 lockdowns.
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EVENTS
Check out Collision Repair’s photos from the event—courtesy of Spanesi Americas’ Karl Kirschenman
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 41
EVENTS
COMFORT TIP
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PEOPLE | PRODUCTS | VEHICLES | IDEAS NOVEMBER 2–5, 2021 • LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
SEMASHOW.COM/REGISTER
EVENTS
MOJAVE MASQUERADE SEMA and AAPEX to follow local health guidelines
T
o ensure that the event goes off without a hitch, SEMA Show organizers have announced the official health and safety measures for this year’s much anticipated AAPEX and SEMA events.Regarding SEMA safety measures, organizers say that—while subject to change— masks are required for all indoor events in Las Vegas. Proof of vaccination is not mandated for trade shows in Nevada. The co-owners of AAPEX—the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA)—recently announced that they will require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID PCR test be administered prior to arrival to attend their 2021 event at the Venetian Expo & Caesars Forum. Despite upticks in local COVID-19 and variant cases, SEMA Show and AAPEX organizers say they are “100 percent committed to ensuring a great Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week in Las Vegas” by staying up to date with all public health recommendations regarding COVID-19 and the state of Nevada.
CLEAN HANDS: Keeping hands clean helps prevent the spread of germs, like COVID-19.
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EVENTS
25% BIGGER FLOORPLAN: With the addition of the new 1,400,000 West Hall, the overall SEMA Show floorplan has grown providing more room to spread out.
Hand sanitizer stations will be placed in all public spaces, meeting room corridors, show floor areas, food and beverage areas. Participants are encouraged to regularly wash and disinfect their hands.
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 45
EVENTS
HIGH SPIRITS IN SASKATCHEWAN SAAR Fall Conference draws 200+ attendees Story by MAX REID and LISA MCNAB
G
one as quickly as it came, the 2021 SAAR Fall Conference is officially in the books as the hottest ticket in the prairies drew in more than 200 attendees at its peak. Held from September 9 through 11, SAAR kicked off the fall conference with a golf tournament comprised of 72 attendees and was followed by a dinner and presentation from Lloyd and Sandy Giles, a pair of Saskatchewan collision repair fixtures who announced their retirement from the industry after 50 years earlier this year. Dave Luehr and Don Pogoda led the charge on Friday, delivering a morning full of industry insights and hot tips for keeping bodyshops running at peak performance. Saturday closed off the event with even more presentations from industry-leading figures like AIA Executive Board chairman Bob Jaworski, as well as talks from 3M, SunLife Financial, Sask Polytech and others.
46 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
EVENTS
SGI held its annual Town Hall at the Fall Conference: Ryan Smith explained SGI’s overall plans moving forward while Ciaran Downes and Jessica Hill Flaman spoke in more detail about the issues. Downes talked about the appraisal and technical side while Flaman focused on the adjuster side of the relationship.
The recently retired Don Pogoda interviewed Lloyd and Sandy Giles, who also recently retired after 50 years of owning Giles Midtown Auto Body in Elrose, Sask. Tom Bissonnette, director of SAA
R, served as gracious host once
again.
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 47
EVENTS
the 2021 SAAR Fall Conference is officially in the books as the hottest ticket in the prairies. drew in more than 200 attendees at its peak.
An exhibition also took place, with many industry-leading companies present.
48 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
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EVENTS
THE TALENT OF
TOMORROW Fix Network hosts Trades Experience Day for Tropicana graduating class
Located at 8400 Lawson Rd. in Milton, Ontario, the Fix Network Training Centre opened its doors in 2019.
O
n September 9, Fix Network hosted its first-ever Trades Experience Day at the company’s state-of-the-art Training Centre in Milton, Ontario. Part of Fix Network’s mission to promote the automotive aftermarket and its associated career opportunities, the event hosted the graduating class of Tropicana Community Services Collision Repair Pre-Employment program, as well as guests from industry-leading companies like 3M, Axalta, NAPA/CMAX, Global Finishing Solutions, Hunter Engineering Company, Challenger Lifts, Kaeser Compressors, Car-O-Liner, Equalizer, SATA, Autel, WRD Glass Tools, Innovative Tools and Technologies, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Kent Automotive, Cam Auto, Eurovac and more. Check out Collision Repair mag’s exclusive photos from the event!
Car-O-Liner was on-site demonstrating the CTR-9 welder and its electronic measuring equipment.
50 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
MEETING DEMANDS. SOLVING PROBLEMS. Pro Spot International...Advancing the Collision Repair Industry...again! Here's a sneak peak at our all-new, all-in-one PR-5 Riveting and Bonding Station. See the full station and all our new products at SEMA 2021.
See Video
See Us At Made in the USA
Upper Level South Hall
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EVENTS
CRASHING
INTO THE GREEN Crash It Golf Tourney raises $10K for ALS Society of Alberta
Story by MAX REID
After last year’s event was cancelled, the golfers were raring to hit the green.
T
he signs may have said Crash It, but this year’s charity golf tournament for the Alberta collision repair community couldn’t have gone smoother. This year, organizers pulled in more than $10,000 for the ALS Society of Alberta. In a congregation of all the names in the Alberta auto world, the 2021 Crash It Golf Tournament saw the support of Lordco Parts,
CSN, PPG Canada, AAA Towing, Color Compass and BASF, through both their attendance and their sponsorship of the event. In total the tournament hosted 144 golfers and 160 dinner guests. Following the tournament, all eyes turned to Crash it committee member and operations manager for CSN Image Auto Body, Brady Chattington, who spoke to the importance of
52 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
ALS research to him and his family and told the story of his father who was diagnosed with the disease last year. In a moment of true serendipity, the winner of the night’s 50/50 draw ended up being Chattington’s cousin and co-worker at CSN Image Auto Body, Brandon Fox. Fox promptly donated his winnings back to the ALS Society of Alberta.
EVENTS
This year, organizers of the Crash it golf tournament pulled in more than $10,000 for the ALS Society of Alberta.
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 53
EVENTS
TOUGH TALKS
Collaboration and conversation the key to aftermarket sustainability
Moderated by IBIS CEO Jason Moseley, the August 27 IBISConnect USA panel included speakers Steve Fletcher, managing director of the Automotive Recyclers of Canada; Mario Dimovski, CEO of Plastifix and John Chalifoux, president and COO of MERA.
Story by ALLISON ROGERS
S
ome deep discussions need to be had across the automotive and automotive aftermarket industries if a path toward sustainability and sustainable repairs is to be achieved, according to a panel during the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS) broadcast last week. The International Bodyshop Industry Symposium’s IBISConnect USA event took place last Thursday and featured a near-three-anda-half-hour broadcast with some big names in collision repair and relative aftermarket
swering IBIS CEO Jason Moseley’s question on where the industry currently stands on sustainability. “The issue of sustainability is really a longterm view of the world,” he said. “Oftentimes people will look at it in terms of where their business will be in 100 years; it’s difficult to play that way, but it is important to start with building blocks and progress from there. “Our industries are very day-to-day, almost minute-to-minute, which begs the question of how you make a significant transition toward
“We need to work together with OEMs and industry in alliance to ensure that if something can be repaired, it will be repaired. We require synergy.” – Mario Dimovski, CEO of Plastifix verticals. During the stream, Canada’s own Steve Fletcher, managing director of the Automotive Recyclers of Canada, was featured as a panellist alongside Mario Dimovski, CEO of Plastifix and John Chalifoux, president and COO of MERA, where the trio discussed sustainability and the environment as it pertains to the collision repair industry. Fletcher kicked off the conversation by an-
sustainability while dealing with the next car coming in, getting the parts for it and whatnot, and keeping that long-term, sustainable view in mind. It’s a real balancing act between the short-term interest of the business and the long-term interest of the consumer, the sector and the world, quite frankly.” Moseley then dug into the meat and potatoes of the argument, asking panellists if the
54 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
dichotomy wherein OEMs dictate certain parts must be replaced hinders progress toward sustainable repairs. “We need to work together with OEMs and industry in alliance to ensure that if something can be repaired, it will be repaired. In our industry, it’s acceptable to toss a plastic bumper cover in the bin over a minor impact but in society, we’re fighting to better recycle our 60g Coca-Cola bottles,” said Dimovski. “We require a synergy so we can work together and understand from an OEM perspective: if something is repairable, it should be repaired.” On the recycling side, Fletcher said there’s almost always “natural tension” as new technologies are developed, regardless of industry. “It’s the people, the collaboration, the use of technology and training that overcome. Recycled parts are OEM parts—there are places to use them, and there are places where they should not be used. We’re just having those conversations.” Moseley asked if the conversation is being accepted by OEMs and collision repairers., to which Fletcher answered that electrification makes the question that much more complex. “That is where the really productive discussions with OEMs are happening; on how you manage what is essentially the new engine of the modern vehicle. It’s a complex conversation—multifaceted—but the entire circular economy needs to be invoked.”
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
LEAD OR BLEED Reality will soon return— do you have a game plan?
The commun ication levels achi have proven their power. Do eved amid the crisis n’t let your co suffer when th nnection e work comes roaring back.
Story by ALLISON ROGERS
T
he pandemic made everyone take a magnifying glass to the state of their operations. “For many businessowners the pandemic forced the realization of doing more with less,” says John Cox, Acoat Services Manager for AkzoNobel. “Crisis forced everyone to look at the fixed cost side of their business and make decisions based on those numbers.” In essence, many collision repair centres were forced to go lean—a principle that businesses everywhere strive toward in normal circumstances.
What are lean operations? Lean operations propose a business strategy driven by the principle of doing more with less. A lean organization understands customer value and focuses its key processes to continuously increase it. The ultimate goal of lean operations is to provide perfect value to the customer through a perfect value creation process that has zero waste
In many cases, workforces became smaller as cuts were made in efforts to survive the slowdowns. Those who remained, however, found ways to finesse their procedures and focus on improving details they may not have had time to consider under the typical ‘full throttle’ mindset of a full production board. With life raring back to some semblance of pre-pandemic normal, some questions remain; namely, are shops prepared to handle the same level of throughput they were dealing with before the pandemic? For many, the battle will be keeping hold of the leadership principles they’ve relied on throughout the pandemic. Can your operations remain lean? Better yet, can you do more? The answers to those questions all lay in your leadership.
Don’t cancel on your culture If there is but one positive lesson learned amid the pandemic, it’s the importance of clear, concise communication. When the pandemic first gripped the world, the sheer power of ‘crisis communication’ was proven. Crisis communication—a term coined by communication scholar Timothy Coombs, referring to the dialogue and direction occurring prior to, during and after a negative occurrence—enabled
56 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
businessowners to produce timely, relevant and transparent messages to stakeholders, staff and other business partners when the pandemic first hit. Those businessowners concerned with crisis communication and relaying all relevant information to their colleagues and workforce The pandemic and ensuing lockdowns immediately dwindled repair volumes. That was nearly two years ago. In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, there was ample free time to discuss the situation at hand and, in turn, any grievances eating away at staff and potentially causing hiccups on the shop floor. Albeit forced, the immediate closures allowed for top-to-bottom company reevaluation. Things may not be as rosy on the other side, though. Let’s face it—when operations are in full tilt there’s just not enough hours in the day to discuss everything you really want to. Don’t let that be your excuse—there’s always time for a chat with your staff. Patrol the break room during lunch hours, take a walk on the production floor and keep connected with your team. You spend nearly every day inside the same walls as them—but how much do you really know about them? Make an effort to connect. It could mean more than you know.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
A chaotic work
place is a mes
s you don’t wa
nt to deal with
. Plus, when the shop floor is clean, it’s easier to spontaneously spot and plug holes in your processes.
What does good communication entail? • Dictating clear goals with your team (i.e. how many cars do you plan to put through today? This week? This month? Keep your team informed of your expectations). • Dictating processes/whereabouts in repair procedures (For floor staff; keep in touch with your colleagues and always know what’s coming your way). • Honesty (About state of the business, state of an employee’s work, etc. Hold people accountable for their actions. Be upfront and clear, while maintaining a positive attitude).
Organize, organize, organize It may be tempting to take on every job that comes your way in the next few months. Don’t fill your bay with more than your team can chew. Seriously, they will thank you for it. Only take on the jobs you feel you and your team can handle. The last time your team dealt with a docket like this could have been up 18 months ago. Not to mention that for newer staff, this is a whole new ball game. Ensure you have a production plan in place and understand the work mix that your current staff is capable of. If you give them too much to handle, they’ll almost certainly run for the hills—and scream obscenities about your business the whole hike up.
• Wellness checks (Making sure your staff are happy, no grievances or conflicts with workplace/other staff).
Keeping everyone on the same page when jobs ramp up is an integral key to success. If you’re able to pull off a seamless repair process and transition the job through the required repair stages smoothly, your KPIs will blossom to new heights. For instance, consider implementing morning production meetings where you detail your expectations to the team. If your goal is to put five cars through that day, tell your team that. Be clear and concise with what you’re trying to accomplish each day. If you find your team needs further visual assistance, consider implementing a production board, or an interactive version like that of AkzoNobel’s CarBeat, which handily displays colour coded boards easily understandable by everyone in the shop.
Accept the reality and learn from it The truth of the matter is that businesses across the industry are lacking resources— whether that be in the parts department, materials shortages or a smaller workforce. Aim to prioritize a repair mindset in the ‘repair vs. replace’ equation. By focusing on repairs instead of replacements, the benefits are coupled; decrease the risk of parts delays and squeeze every labour hour possible onto those sheets. One of the best ways to ensure satisfaction in shortages is to get the customer on your side. Explain your situation, that you’re at the disposal of delayed parts deliveries—or whatever the reason may be—honestly. Tell them exactly why you cannot deliver how you would like to. Believe it or not, customers are people too. They’ll likely understand. Trust honesty—it’s the best policy.
Let’s make the most of a less-than-ideal situation—the aftermarket is more than capable. OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 57
TECHS • PAINTERS • APPRENTICES
LEARN FROM THE BEST THROUGH
BODYWORX THE VOICE OF COLLISION REPAIR TECHS & PAINTERS
PROFESSIONAL
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
RENTAL CAR-POCOLYPSE U.S.A. shortage could soon become Canada’s problem Story by BIANCA MATTIOZZI and MADDY KYLIE
T
he United States is in the grips of a rental car shortage—dubbed ‘carpocolypse’— Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) has been among the hardest hit by Canada’s rental shortages, so much so that rental companies are turning tourists away because they just don’t have any available. Tolga Toprak, owner of PEI Car Rental, says that no one was prepared for the sheer droves tourists that would descend upon the province once it started easing restrictions. “When the government announced the Island was opening up, people were so quick to book cars that it jammed up our business,” said Toprak. “We were not ready. Even car dealers weren’t ready.” Throughout 2020, people were largely stuck at home, with no need for a rental car. For Toprak, yearly revenue dropped more than 70 percent. Now, the team is experiencing the opposite problem—low fleet volumes and higher rental fees for the vehicles the business does have available.
“We were not ready. Even car dealers weren’t ready.” – Tolga Toprak, owner of P.E.I. Car Rental
ld out for August busines s was so eir th y sa llers s ak The Topr .I.-bound trave and suggests P.E e. nc va ad in s well in advance th mon als at least two book their rent
60 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
“Rentals are extremely expensive because of demand,” he said. Pre-pandemic, P.E.I. Car Rental charged about $70 per day for a car rental. To attract customers in the thick of restrictive measures, the company had to lower its prices to $30 a day. Now that demand is up, the business charges $99 per day. In the wake of the pandemic and travel restrictions, many car rental companies took steps to drastically downsize fleets and lay off workers. The hardest impact has been felt in tourism-based communities, like that of P.E.I, which relies largely on tourism to bolster its economy.
“We’re fully sold out for the month of August,” Toprak told Collision Repair magazine in July. “We are really trying to make it easier for our guests, but our fleet isn’t limitless, so unfortunately we have to tell people that we don’t have any cars available.” Toprak instead urges P.E.I.-headed tourists turn to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia car rental facilities to meet their needs. “Most, if not all car rental operators across the world had to reduce their fleets significantly during the pandemic due to extreme reductions in consumer demand,” Craig Hirota, vice-president of government relations and member services with the Associated Canadian Car
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Rental cars have beco m relie s larg ely on tour e a hot commodit y in ism for ec onomical su P.E.I., which pport.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s LOR report for the second quarter of 2021.
Rental Operators told CBC News. “Nobody was travelling for vacation and corporate travel was basically non-existent. It left a lot of unused vehicles sitting on lots.” Roland Van Meurs with the Alberta Motor Association (AMA), however, attributes Alberta’s car rental shortage was caused by one thing, and one thing only: the pandemic. He says COVID-19 was the first domino to set off this entire issue. As COVID-19 restrictions prohibited travel, many car rental companies were in a dire position financially and had to sell a large portion of their inventory to stay afloat.
“As long as COVID was lasting, a lot of the car rentals had to sell a good chunk of their fleet,” Van Meurs told CBC News. However, now that things are opening back up and more people are travelling, many car rental companies simply lack the inventory to keep up with the demand. “There is not a lot to be tapped. It’s pretty frightening,” said Van Meurs. AMA’s data indicates there are currently almost no rental vehicles available and as result companies have increased their prices quite dramatically— sometimes “double” to “triple” the regular price, he said.
Even still, Enterprise Rent-a-Car’s latest data on length of vehicle rentals for Q2 dictates a drop in billed rental days. Ontario, followed by Newfoundland and Labrador, showed the most notable change in the data from Q2 of 2020 to now, showing a drop in billed rental days of 2.1 and 1.9 days, respectively. Every other province covered in the report saw rental lengths drop since last year, except for P.E.I.—which recorded an average rental length 0.3 days longer than in 2020. Nationwide, the average rental length is currently 10.2 days, down from 11.4 last year.
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HEALTH AND SAFETY
Les Heshka, the manager of Manitoba’s Eastside Collision Repairs knows dirt is a painter’s worst enemy.
Rod Katchuck, the head painter at Bergen’s Auto Repair in Saskatchewan, says you can only rely on a clean booth to put out a clean vehicle.
TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR
PAINT BOOTH When was the last time you did a deep-clean?
Story by BIANCA MATTIOZZI
P
aint booths are an essential part of any collision repair shop—but what does it take to deliver exceptional service every time? Rod Katchuck, the head painter at Bergen’s Auto Repair in Saskatchewan, says you can only rely on a clean booth to put out a clean vehicle. “I do a full clean once a month,” said Katchuck, who knows that even though it is time-consuming, it is worth cleaning their downdraft paint booth regularly. “Between removing the filters, washing the walls, reboot coating, and replacing all the filters, you’re looking at about three hours.”
The importance of cleaning goes beyond the vehicle, as paint booths that haven’t been cleaned regularly can become a safety risk. “You want to keep a log on it as well—Fire Marshals can ask for that. If the exhaust isn’t clean it can become a fire hazard,” said Katchuck. At Eastside Collision Repairs in Manitoba the bodyshop holds two paint booths: one is a JBI downdraft that is 60 feet long, and the other is a GFS downdraft. Les Heshka, general manager at Eastside, says that they also highly prioritize cleaning when it comes to their paint booths.
62 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
“I guess you could say they are cleaned daily, but it depends on what kind of cleaning you’re talking about,” said Heshka. “Filter changes go anywhere from three months to a year. For the downdraft filters, the floor filters are changed out weekly.” Of course, Heshka says dirt is a painter’s worst enemy, so his business ensures regular shop maintenance themselves and once a year they have a company come in and do a thorough cleaning of their paint booths. Rob Armstrong, the operations manager of Trinity Collision Centre in Moncton, New
HEALTH AND SAFETY
tions llision Centre, opera nswick’s Trinit y Co ilit y’s Garmat booth floor Bru w Ne , ton nc Mo fac At strong ensures the manager Rob Arm every 14 days. ed an cle are ers filt
Brunswick, says the floor filters get cleaned every 14 days when it comes to their two Garmat paint booths. The shop schedules the cleanings during down production times, which is typically a Monday morning. “Most of the vehicles that would require paintwork to be done are usually completed by Friday,” said Armstrong. “Then on Monday, it’s a little bit of a quiet time during startup. So, it makes it an easy transition as the vehicles are getting repaired and sent over to the refinish department.” Armstrong says cleaning the paint booths is more of a tedious job than it is a highly skilled job. “It’s not something that is glamorous, but it needs to be done,” said Armstrong. “And the staff knows that because it directly affects the kind of quality that we produce at the end of the day.”
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EMPLOYMENT
OPEN FOR BUSINESS In some parts of Canada, hiring is no longer easy as 1-2-3 Story by BIANCA MATTIOZZI
With the seemingly ever-present skills shortage looming over the industry, Canadian collision centres have been getting creative in attracting new staff to their businesses post-pandemic.
1 . A L B E R TA Although Canada’s automotive industry has been having difficulty hiring people, not all hope is lost. With provinces opening more, Fadi Smaidi, the CEO of SkillsTrader, a skilled trade hiring company, says that Ontario and Alberta are better off than the rest of the country when it comes to new talent. “There’s some markets that are more active than others, economies that have reopened earlier have obviously seen a big jump in rehiring, like Ontario for example, who’s just recently opened,” said Smaidi. “The body shops are not as full as they want to be, but the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) has the highest number of enrollments ever. There is clearly more interest in automotive in Alberta.” SkillsTrader has more technicians looking than there are jobs available, which means that a large part of the reason some shops are struggling to get more talent is because they aren’t advertising enough and letting people know that they are wanting to take apprentices on. “Not only do they have to let the Universities and the trade schools in their area know that they are open to taking apprentices, but they also have to be better at marketing themselves,” said Smaidi. “So, using social media to promote who they are and what kind of shop that they have will go a long way when it comes to getting apprentices and new hires.” Carlaw says that for apprentices looking to get into the trade, it is worth going to a place that may pay less in the beginning, if it means they will be trained and develop a higher skillset to make more money later. “I would say that you should just try to get experience first. If a kid is trying to get into the trade, just get your foot in the door and start in the detail department and show them that you want to be in the trade in the first place,” said Carlaw. “Then pick a shop that you feel is progressive, that can teach you things and is willing to invest time to train you.”
64 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
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2. BRITISH COLUMBIA The skills shortage situation is just as dire on Canada’s Pacific coast, according to British Columbian statistics. “I can say that in the last 10-or-so years I’ve been recruiting, I’ve never seen it to be this competitive,” said Wong, a B.C. businessowner. “When we post the job, we’re getting very low response rates,” Wong said. “You know, where pre-COVID, we might see 50 to 60 applicants for one job, (now) we’ll be lucky to see 10.” Of note, however, is the Pacific coast is the revival of B.C.’s compulsory trades program earlier this year. Cancelled in 2003, the provincial government has re-launched the mandatory skilled trades certification system, which will allow the province to offer more stable and high-paying jobs to skilled trades workers, according to the government. The certification system will be in phases, and the first phase will start with the 10 jobs that are the most in need of workers, this includes autobody and collision technician, automatic technician, heavy-duty equipment technician, gas-fitter, steamfitter and pipefitter, sheet metal worker, electrician, powerline electrician, industrial electrician, and refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic.
EMPLOYMENT
3 . O N TA R I O Corey Carlaw, the owner of CSN Carlaw Collision in Peterborough, Ontario, knows all too well that it’s important to help apprentices as much as possible and give them something to reach for. “We want to put someone on an apprenticeship basically immediately when they get here,” said Carlaw. “There’s a few reasons for that, number one, we’re trying to get people interested in the trade and stay into it in the long run. Then, offering them the opportunity of the apprenticeship gives them a goal to work towards.” Not only did COVID-19 slow down hiring opportunities, but Carlaw believes that students are now leaning more towards jobs that allow them to work from home, which means the automotive industry is looking less appealing to the newer generations. To top it all off, Carlaw says that the long, and arduous process to get into the trade is turning potential automotive workers away. “It’s difficult to get into the automotive industry because people have to really want it to go through the long process to get a job. It’s not easy, and it’s not accessible for people,” said Carlaw.
4. P RINCE EDWARD ISLAND
C avendish
Toronto ci
ty sk yline,
beach in P
rince Edwa
rd Island
At CSN Koughan Auto Body on Prince Edward Island, Sam Koughan says they’ve gotten quite creative to reach the youth to inspire a career path in the rewarding collision repair trade. “On Prince Edward Island it’s awful trying to get apprentices. We’re taking kids from high school through a work program, and then we try if we can invest in them through training and try to get them into the trade that way,” he said. Koughan said one of the reasons there are less and less people getting into the trade simply comes down to people not being educated and informed about the automotive industry and all the opportunities it can bring. “It comes down to just the lack of awareness. A lot of high school kids don’t even realize that this can be an option as a career,” said Koughan.
Ontario
4 3
VACANT
“There is clearly more interest in automotive in Alberta.” – Fadi Smaidi, CEO of SkillsTrader
WE ARE
HIRING OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 65
LET’S TALK TRAINING
TIME TO CELEBRATE-
WE ARE OEM
CERTIFIED So…now what?
Column by STEFANO LIESSI
A
s with many of you, part of my day involves a generally quick perusal of some social media sites, mainly LinkedIn and Instagram. The rest I generally feel contribute less than nothing, and at times such is the case for the two I mentioned, but that is a story for another time to share over some libations. You may or may not have recently noticed the uptick in “OE-certified facilities” in our industry. Finally—a recognized form of regulation and accountability placed on the industry, a
way of getting repairs consistent and correct every time along with an actual document supporting means to obtain the proper compensation for efforts rendered. Eutopia has been achieved.
What makes a shop ‘certified’? Or has it? For many years I have felt—and honestly, still do—that our industry is in dire
66 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
need of some regulatory guidance, be it a third-party entity or even, dare I say, a government body to oversee the day-to-day workings within the collision repair world. Welcome the OEM certification. Now, at first this seems like the answer, however, before we crack open that bottle of champagne, let us break it down a bit and see if the money is where the mouth is and if it is worth it. I am not setting out to rain on anyone’s parade; I’m merely taking a closer look. I have seen many shops with multiple plaques on the walls
LET’S TALK TRAINING
representing many different OE manufactures. I think it is great to see, but what makes the shop “certified?” After all, the OEs all have different ideas on how “things” should be. With some investigating it seems there are a couple of variations on the idea of OE-certified. For many there is a third-party overseer that monitors or audits a facility to document the assets of the facility and to make sure they meet a certain criterion laid out in agreement. For example, regardless of what type of welder you have, if it meets the specified requirements, you are good to go. Does it meet the proper amperage capabilities, duty cycle, or squeeze pressure etc. Then we have some OEs that say this is not good enough; you need the specific make model or brand we want you to have. Even though you already have a welder that meets the specifications, it’s not the one they want, ergo, you’re back out shopping. Then there are some that want you to send your technicians to their OE facility to receive training from their OE instructor. Makes sense, I can see this being a requirement, however, it adds up fast and comes with some stringent stipulations and criteria for the tech to pass. This means a huge outlay of funds for a shop, especially if more than one is required to become certified, it could leave the shop under a bit of duress if the technician doesn’t pass or leaves altogether and opens a flower shop. I must admit, I still chuckle at the designation thrown in adds ‘Factory Trained’. Tongue in cheek perhaps. Let’s say that you have a mix of OE trained
techs for designated makes that potentially cost more than your first divorce to get certified, and you have bought the fancy unpronounceable named welder and you have met all the criteria laid out by a third-party audit group, you have committed to the investment. Every shop should be outfitted this way, we know that’s not reality, so points to you for doing so. This is a step in the right direction. So, how do you get the ROI? Plaques on the wall mean work through the door, right? Not so fast, you will need to be diligent on meeting and keeping those set out standards. There is more to this than the certification. You will need to change some of the culture, some of the operating procedures and educate the partners on how you are required to complete the work in your facility to maintain this certification. Now, in my thought process this should be easy, I am certified, and this is how I must complete my day-to-day repairs. Not all the partners buy into this thought process. This is where the ROI becomes challenging: do I maintain the status quo, or do I push to uphold my OEM certification agreements? Remember the statement about culture change, this is it. It is hard work. When certifications started getting popular, I must admit my naivety had me believing that since OE procedures are so incredibly important, the OEM certifications must include access to this information, giving some weight to being certified. Would make sense, wouldn’t it? Well, apparently only in my mind. The fact is you have the same access as anyone else, no privileges in this area.
To become OE-certified you pay a yearly fee to get audited and certified. The equipment list is, for the most part, standard, with the odd anomaly some may or may not have. The training of the technicians is generally available to anyone, insurance partner acceptance and recognition is viewed by some as negligible and the access to information is available to those that want it for a fee, certified or not. Overall, some may think the only difference is whether a shop pays a fee or not is the difference between certified and not. Many shops I spoke with say that overall, the increase in volume solely based on the OE certification is negligible, however one or two jobs generally cover the cost. So, the magic question, is it worth it? In my opinion, and you are entitled to my opinion, it is worth it. If you are only following the motions expecting the plaque on the wall to do the work—it won’t. You should consider alternatives such as resto, or that flower shop. If you approach this with the heartfelt passion that you want to repair the vehicles properly, uphold the certification standards and maintain this higher level of quality and commitment, it is worth every penny. With that attitude, meeting and maintaining these standards, you should display the certifications with pride and confidently express to your customers and partners your commitment to them, the repair process, your technicians, and taking your business to the next level. This is the first major step towards a better future for all the collision industry. Imagine how much better off all of us will be if OE Certifications can inspire us.
STEFANO LIESSI
A Red Seal technician and founder of Canadian Collision Specialist, Stefano Liessi enhances his experience with 12 years of I-CAR instructing, coupled with high school teaching to bring training that encompasses all learning types. With experience on the corporate side of the industry, as well as in management and ownership, Stefano’s focus is proper repairs and equitably for all people involved in the collision industry.
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 67
WHO’S DRIVING
EVALUATING EXPECTATIONS You know what they say about assumptions
Column by JAY PERRY
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elieve it or not, there is a solution to frustration you experience as a businessowner. It may be simple, but it’s by no means easy. When you look at any problem the best approach to a solution always involves an evaluation of the background—the origin, if you will—not just the immediacy of the situation. We all face disappointment in the results turned into us by team members. Of course, it is truly a rare situation that people deliberately turn in a disappointing result. Most team members put in effort that they believe is going to satisfy others. Yet, regardless, there is disappointment that we must handle.
Everyone has their own, slightly different perspective on all things. For example, quality levels. What is deemed ‘good enough’ for one person is not a standard acceptable to another. The origin of this problem, in our experience, has proven to be ourselves! What we need to understand is that we set the pace for success when we outline what we want as a result from people. Is the messaging clear? Is the expected outcome you have in your mind painted into a picture that others can easily see? To ensure that this happens consistently one must do two very important things. First, there are always three components of an expectation of results. Each of these three things must be crystalclear if the expectation is to be met.
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You have the ‘what’ of the situation: what action is going to happen; the ‘who’: the actors involved; and the ‘when’: the timeframe within which the action will be completed. Not so hard thus far, right? The second point is where the wheels start to fall off the wagon—in assumption. This is where the disappointment arises. There is an assumption made that those involved understand our vision, what we see as an outcome. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone has their own, slightly different perspective on all things. For example, quality levels. What is deemed ‘good enough’ for one person is not a standard acceptable to another. People make assumptions that other team members will be executing a certain part of the operation underway. This is often very wrong as the others on the team think in different terms. Now the timeframe involved. To some there is a need to jump into action while for others there is a need to pause and reflect. Others still have their own priorities and when left with an unclear vision they will interpret what they “believe” to be the expectation of the director. The best way to eliminate assumption is by recapping or summarizing the what, the who and when of the vision then asking for agreement from all parties involved. In my view, the superior way to do this is to get the other party to share their understanding of what they are agreeing to do. So, you can see that the responsibility remains with us. We hold the obligation to be able to enunciate the vision in our minds in clear, unambiguous terms and gain verbal commitment to execution. This is how you can 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.
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TOM’S TALES
THE GAME OF WORK It’s all about fueling the fun
Column by TOM BISSONNETTE
... CONTINUED FROM Issue 20#3
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e still had our share of challenges getting the new shop up and running at Dodge City. People were getting used to working with each other, equipment still needed to be set up and required training. Production systems and administrative tasks were still being smoothed out. Remember Jim the controller? He was almost going berserk watching this new shop suck up boat loads of money with very little to show in return. For example, I asked Don Swick to get rid of our old paint system, which he did in a matter of an hour or so. He got $500 for over $5,000 worth of product! I almost had a heart attack, but I told myself that he did
immediately used his to write one word on each sticky note and stuck them across the counter in front of the receptionist. Here is what he wrote: “I - would - like - to - have more - sticky - notes - please - and - thank - you, - Don – Pogoda.” The receptionist immediately ran to Jim who promptly came over and scolded us for being adolescent and annoying. This situation carried on throughout the summer and towards fall I could feel that the end was near as Jim was literally wearing the dealer principal down, urging him to get rid of the two Dons and me. Two things worked in our favor: the dealer principal liked us—we
the shop was very profitable and adding tremendous value to the dealership. We had practically become untouchable in the dealer principal’s eyes! So how did we do this? The first thing we did was make the shop a fun place to work. Those of you that know Don and Don are aware of how zany and fun they can be. We tempered this with a strict regime of measurement, scorekeeping and feedback based on a book we had read called The Game of Work by Charles (Chuck) Coonradt. Ken Krogue from Forbes Magazine sums up the Game of Work better than I can: “Chuck wrote the book in 1984 but he
“In those days we were using metal mixing cups that were expensive and hard to clean unless you got at them right away. We came up with a game where we asked the staff to collect cans from home, clean them and bring them to work. Whoever brought in the most cans would win a neat prize.” what I asked. Note to self, be more specific next time. Our front office receptionist was very loyal to the controller and anytime she saw anything where we had to spend money or lose money she ran straight to Jim. This episode really set him off. Jim’s reaction was to tighten up our spending big time. We could hardly get pens and paper! When we asked for 3M sticky note pads, he sent one pad over and requested that we split it up amongst us. Don Pogoda
were a breath of fresh air for the dealership— and he could see the body shop transforming into a world class facility. Secondly, Jim was cleaning the eavestroughs at his home and fell off the roof badly injuring his right arm and ribs forcing him to have to stay away from work for the next four months! During this time our receptionist quit, and we hired an amazing receptionist named Cathy who was super organized and extremely competent. By the time Jim got back to work
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founded The Game of Work in 1973 to answer the charge that U.S. productivity was not world class. He noticed that the same people who considered work drudgery were often the first ones to leave right at 5 p.m. They were the very same people who spent incredible amounts of money on hobbies or sports like skiing and golf. This caused him to ask the question: “Why would people pay for the privilege of working harder at their chosen sport or
TOM’S TALES
recreational pursuit than they would work at a job where they were being paid?” Chuck answered his own question by developing five key principles: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Clearly defined goals Better scorekeeping and scorecards More frequent feedback More personal choice of methods Consistent coaching
He is known for saying: “You have to measure what you want more of.” He says in his book that he has built two feedback corollaries upon a statement first made by Thomas S. Monson that may well be one of the most well-known goal setting and feedback principles ever written: “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates.” The two Don’s and I immediately saw the value in what Mr. Coonradt was trying to say and we put it to use in our shop with spectacular results. Here are some of the things we did: We had to drill holes in the floor of the new shop to install tie downs for body pulls. It was hard and noisy work; nobody wanted to do it and if they did, it was a halfhearted effort. We decided to play a game, whoever could drill a hole the fastest would receive a prize like preferred parking at the dealership for a month. I grabbed a stopwatch and Don did the first hole in 1 minute 57 seconds, another guy stepped up and did a hole in 1 minute 40 seconds, another guy jumped in and so on until we got to the point where guys were drilling a hole in less than a minute. It took no time at all to do the entire body production area and people were high fiving and cheering each other on! In those days we were using metal mixing cups that were expensive and hard to clean unless you got at them right away. We came up with a game where we asked the staff to collect cans from home, clean them and bring them to work. Whoever brought in the most cans would win a neat prize. One of our painters, Gerry Forseille was from the small town of Duck Lake about 45 minutes north of Saskatoon, he got practically the whole community collecting cans and easily won the contest. We did not buy mixing cans for over a year. We had a competition to see which body man would have the least amount of body filler
waste. We literally had to use the digital scale in the paint room to declare Dennis Klemecki the winner with less than a tablespoon of wasted body filler. He won a nice prize. We played another game called: ‘The Price is Right!’ We brought in some new unused body and paint shop materials—a roll of masking tape, a can of body filler, some sanding strips and discs, a gallon of two-part primer—gave each employee a paper and pen and asked them to guess how much each item cost us. The one closest to the correct price won a nice prize, but the shop won as well. People were astounded at how much this material costs and going forward they were very careful in how they used it.
“When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates.” We also met every Tuesday to have lunch with the entire staff. We set goals, gave reports on how many hours the shop had generated, brought in guest speakers to motivate, and encourage high performance and basically asked the employees what we needed to do to help them succeed. One of the coolest things we did was play: ‘Show and Tell’—I’m not kidding. We asked each employee to tell us something about themselves that none of us would know and that it would give us a better understanding of who you were and what you did besides work. One guy brought a trophy and shared stories about his younger days playing hockey and winning championships. Another guy brought a clock from his father’s garage and explained how he learned to tell time on that clock vehicle visiting his dad for coffee breaks. One young man brought a knitted sign that his grandmother had made for him. It may sound hokey, but we learned a lot about each other doing that little exercise and our staff was proud to share a piece of themselves with us.
The most interesting ‘Show and Tell’ was brought in by Don’s brother, Dennis Pogoda. He brought a jar that was wrapped in masking tape and proceeded to tell us a story. “Do you ever come home at the end of a day and put your change on the dresser only to find it gone the next day? Simply put this jar there and nobody will touch it! Do you ever buy a gift for your wife and hide only to see that she finds it and the surprise is gone? No problem—just put it in a bag in your closet and put this jar in front of it, she will never look! I’m a fly fisherman and I like to tie my own flies; I use feathers and horsehair, but my wife comes by with the vacuum when I’m not around and sucks it all up! No problem, just put this jar on the table with the feathers and horsehair, she won’t come near it.” By now our entire crew is totally transfixed on the jar, what on earth can be in there that could do such a thing? Dennis pulled the tape off to proudly display 10 years of toenail clippings, some greenish and black and the room exploded with laughter and gasps! Now you might think ‘what the heck does any of this have to do with running a body shop?’ Well, I can tell you that we did not have people gossiping about other people or complaining about who got what job, we had people laughing and enjoying each other’s company as we systematically cranked up the volume, the quality and the profitability of that shop. We were having fun at this Game of Work! We were the Ted Lasso’s of the 90s!
TOM BISSONNETTE
is the director of the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR). Tom’s Tales is a series of Collision Repair magazine articles chronicling his journey through the collision industry, since 1982. Besides telling his story, Tom hopes that today’s shopowners and manager can learn from his victories—and his mistakes.
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 71
ENGINE KNOX
THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL STAFFING Seven tips to secure top talent Story by MADDY KYLIE
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elcome to the Canadian aftermarket, where the average age of the collision repair technician is 49, and the average age of the apprentice is 29. In other words, the nation’s skills shortage has situated the industry in desperate times. Pile on a pandemic and the conundrum only worsens. Fear not, though—Collision Repair magazine has inquired with some of the top-rated collision repair workplaces in Canada to learn how they attract hardworking, passionate techs and, most importantly, how they keep them on board! Check out their compiled tips below!
1 . A D V E R T I S E O U T T H E Y I N G - YA N G The number one reason your shop may not be attracting top talent is simply because the talent doesn’t know about you. Whether you put a jobposting on Indeed, or on social media, just get the word out and you’ll be twice as likely to find a good candidate.
2 . D O N ’ T TA K E Y O U R T E A M F O R G R A N T E D If you’re looking to attract skilled technicians, the first step is to look inwards and train your current team. Having an already well-trained and developed workforce is not only good for business, but also draws in skilled workers eager to learn.
3 . F O C U S O N Y O U R S TA F F Offering a place of work that works in favour of your employees is a sure-fire way to grab the attention of highly skilled techs. Especially with older candidates or people with young children, allowing them to keep flexible hours may be the reason they choose your shop over another.
4. CHECK THEIR REFS Asking your current employees for referrals is one of the best ways to find skilled workers—after all who would want to be responsible for referring a bad candidate? If you are looking to hire someone new, ask your employees if they have any recommendations, and who knows you may find yourself some great applicants.
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5 . O P T I M I S M , A LW AY S Work environment is huge, bigger than most people think. A work environment that makes people feel welcome and celebrates inclusivity will not only attract workers but also encourage them to stay.
6. A PERSON IS A PERSON Although it may be tempting to hire someone for their extensive work experience or unmatched skill, sometimes the best of the best just need a bit of direction. It’s just as important to look at a candidate’s personality, work ethic, and potential, compared to anything else. As many shop owners know, some of their best employees started off as high school students with little experience and know-how.
7. KEEP CONNECTED Another way you can find skilled techs is getting in contact with former employees. Reaching out to employees who left on good terms, can help you strike the jackpot in terms of hiring. Ask them why they left and ask what it would take for them to come back. Either way the process will be insightful and may shed some light on ways you can improve your workplace. TD
AUTEL’S IA800: INTELLIGENT ADAS OPTICAL POSITIONING SYSTEM When technicians speak about the calibration of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems words like accuracy and precision are always used. Because they know just how sensitive the cameras, sensors and components of these systems are and that an improperly aligned component and/ or one incorrectly calibrated can have dangerous consequences. True ADAS calibration professionals realize that every requirement and instruction set forth by the vehicle OE is there for reason and that shortcuts have no business being taken on the shop floor. Case in point, an examiner for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) looked at the failure of a Honda Civic’s forward collision autobraking system, which in their test resulted in delayed action and subsequent obstacle collision at 20 mph. The IIHS examiner found that the technician had failed to follow OE procedures including parking the vehicle on level ground, identifying the center of the vehicle and properly measuring distance from target to vehicle. That was never done, “they were just eyeballing it,” the IIHS examiner said.
The IIHS examiner never said why the technician failed to follow the correct procedures—lack of the right tools or equipment, poor training or that he simply found the measuring process time consuming and/or tedious and decided to take a shortcut. And why the excuse is unimportant, it’s true, the setup processes for the ADAS calibrations are time consuming, and tedious. Calibration systems developers have heard technician’s lament and answered with new systems or adaptions for existing ones that not only drastically cut the setup time but also ensure a more precise positioning of the vehicle. No plumb bobs, no chalk, no measuring tape. Autel’s IA800 is one such solution and it is the definition of efficiency. Described as an Intelligent ADAS optical positioning system, the IA800, employs six high resolution cameras and ADAS positioning software, to transform Autel’s Standard Calibration frame into a rapid yet precise frame centering and vehicle distancing unit, enabling technicians to accomplish frame to vehicle placement in less than a minute. Compare that with the
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mechanical tools setup that takes on average 40 minutes. Wheel clamps with camera targets are attached to the rear wheels and a standing target component is placed in the front of the vehicle by the vehicle badge. The tablet, now placed securing on the frame, is paired with the cameras. The system recognizes the positioning targets and calculates the current angle, distance and offset position of the frame to the vehicle. The technician simply follows the onscreen instructions to move the frame or adjust the angel of it until the current values match the required values. A green check mark will display for each parameter once the required position values are achieved. That’s it, the vehicle is ready for calibration. The IA800 is a game changer for efficiency and precision.
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THE EVOLUTION OF AUTOMOTIVE MARKETING How Looking Back Can Drive Change Column by VENESSA DI VITO
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espite working in the industry for almost 20 years, I have never taken the time to look back and observe how far we have come and how much we have evolved over such a short period. When I began writing this article, my research for it started to delve deep into the evolution of collision repair facilities. What immediately became apparent was that the industry has only been around and functioning at the rate it is today for around 60 years. In this article, I would like to take you back in time to demonstrate how looking back on the automotive marketing sector might be the motivation we need to drive positive change in an ever evolving—yet incredibly exciting—industry.
Where it all began Vehicle development began in the early 17th century, and in 1886, Carl Benz received a patent for his automotive invention, which confirmed that he had built the first car ever. At the time, automotive comprised of a gasoline engine with a one-cylinder two stroke unit and had only three wheels as well as space for only two people to sit. In 1887, the production of automotive vehicles started to become increasingly popular. In 1908, Henry Ford mass produced his Ford Model T: the first automobile to be mass produced on a moving assembly line. This concept in the automotive industry was so new that no one, outside of those few people who designed the Ford Model T, were qualified to conduct repairs on such machines. As mass production continued to rise in frequency, the popularity of the automobile also grew, and so did the need for qualified and experienced collision repair facilities and reliable mechanics. During these years, many people turned to car manufacturers, machinist, or bicycle repair shops for their car repair needs.
This came to a halt, however, when the industry began to feel the effects of the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world: The Great Depression, lasting from 1929 and 1939, followed by World War II from 1939 to 1945. This left manufacturers with a significant decline in vehicle sales and an ensuing decline in need for repair, too. In the 1950s, after the Second World War had ended, several countries experience an economic boom, and this is when Collision Repair Facilities really started to evolve as many auto manufacturers could not handle the vast number of repair requests themselves and needed to provide drivers with more efficient means through which to repair their damaged vehicles. In the 1960s, the first DRP list was ever created, which was where an insurance company built a list of reputable shops that they felt comfortable sending their customers to for repairs. Staying busy and getting paid was no concern for collision repair facilities in the 1960’s, as their focus remained on fixing cars, never needing to advertise their work or increase the efficacy of marketing campaigns. However, as more and more people saw the great opportunities of consistent work and high door rates that collision repair facilities were getting, an increasing number of collision repair facilities began to evolve even further.
Where facilities have evolved With many collision repair facilities established all over North America, and the world, it became a concern if repairs werebeing carried out correctly. Some repairs became botched jobs, some because of a lack of effort, but mostly because there was a lack of knowledge. In 1980, the industry was officially introduced to its first ever DRP program which allowed the repairing vehicles without
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approvals and customers no longer needed to receive multiple estimates from different collision repair facilities. If you were a trustworthy shop with a willingness to grow and attract more business, a DRP program was a great solution. In 1994, the first automotive franchise was born. This corporation, and many others, grew at a rapid speed primarily because they saw an opportunity to increase collision repair facilities communications, marketing and branding strategies, thus capturing more sales. Their strategy was to carry out all the work that collision repair facilities did not want to do, didn’t like doing, or was looking for support on, such as marketing, sales, business compliance, providing support on quality repairs, education, and more. Several organizations still provide these valuable services to collision repair facilities today. Franchises and networks have been a great asset to many businesses as they provide sales, traffic, and help retains customers.
The future of collision repair It is clear to see why automotive marketing has never been popular in the automotive industry, primarily because collision repair facilities have always encountered different solutions on ways to advertise, increase sales, or market their own business, within their own local communities. Manufacturers provided and provide work to collision repair facilities, DRPs provide work through their DRP programs and banners/networks support businesses with sales, marketing, and business solutions. But what if you are looking for something more than what a franchise/networks can provide? What if your business is currently not associated with any networks but is looking for an opportunity to grow, gain traffic, and build lasting relationships? What if you would like work outside of a DRP relationship? There is an easy and affordable answer to this.
THE INTRICATE WEB
THE EVOLUTION OF COLLISION REPAIR MARKETING 1886
Carl Benz received his patent, which gave the confirmation that he built the first car ever produced.
1908
In 1908, Henry Ford mass-produced it’s Ford Model T which became the first automobile to be mass-porduced on a moving assembly line.
1929
The Great Depression started. Economic downturn.
1939
World War II started. Continued economic downturn.
1950
War ended, economic boom. Collision repair facilities really started to evolve as many auto manufacturers couldn’t handle the repairs.
1960
The first “DAP list” was ever created where an insurance company built a list of reputable shops that they felt comfortable sending their customers to for repairs.
1980
The industry officially introduced to its first-ever DAP program which allowed trust of repairing vehicles without approvals began and the lack of sending customers to receive multiple estimates.
1994
The first automotive franchise was born. The corporation grew at a rapid speed and became the massive corporation they are today from seeing an opportunity to communicate, market and brand automotive businesses to capture more sales/
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The last piece of the pie This strategy requires some out-of-the-box thinking, but I can reassure you, its strength is far greater than it can be explained in a 1,000-word article. The last piece of the pie focuses on building on your strengths in automotive marketing. It is about learning to build strong and loyal relationships with your customers directly and becoming active within your local communities. For thousands of years, the concept of marketing has evolved, but it has always remained true to its purpose: to provide a business with additional sales, profits, traffic, and customer retention. With Digital Marketing now on the rise, Collision Repair businesses can take advantage of how easy it is to get their brand recognized at a much more affordable rate than traditional advertising.
In 1994, the first automotive franchise was born. This corporation, and many others, grew at a rapid speed primarily because they saw an opportunity to increase collision repair facilities communications, marketing and branding strategies, thus capturing more sales.
So, what are some things you can do today to start building relationships and advertise your business with your local market? 1) D etermine your local communities’ current marketing strategies and relationships
Need our help? We provide a FREE marketing assessment!
Bringing it together With 135 years since the announcement of the first vehicle ever produced, our industry has evolved at a rapid rate, with manufacturers now even testing self-driving vehicles. As the industry continues to shift and evolve and continue traditional and results generated methods, it is always wise to gain a fresh perspective on your approach to business marketing and take into consideration any new actions that may need to be implemented to obtain the results you desire for the profitability, success, and a powerful future of your collision repair facility.
Visit autoplusperformance.com/ your-automotive-marketingassessment/ VENESSA DI VITO
2) Next, build a powerful and consistent Marketing Strategy 3) Execute your Marketing Strategy throughout your local communities and continue to evolve it to make your brand stand out
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is the owner and founder of Auto+ Performance, a full-service automotive marketing and solutions company specializing in generating growth in sales, traffic and customer retention for collision repair or dealership facility. For almost 20 years Venessa has been helping automotive businesses across North America with business best practices and will continue to find ways to support and grow this everevolving industry.
PASSION MEETS PERFECTION Würth Body Shop Products
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VIEWS FROM THE WEST
CHANGE
Coping with the only constant in collision repair Column by CHELSEA STEBNER
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hange; if you’re green you’re growing—if you’re ripe, you’re rotten. It’s a silly saying but it’s true. Another tried-and-true cliché: if the rate of change on the outside is greater than the rate of change on the inside, then the end is near. Yikes! That one comes from our old friend and mentor named Outlaw. This past two years or so has been rife with uncertainty. The only constant was the change that waited for us every single day in the news; from the government, from our health authorities, from our education system and within each of our businesses. How did you manage to cope with the shutdowns, the constant changing requirements from the levels of government, the uncertainty of whether we’d be able to keep our doors open and whether there would even be work to do? What kind of rapid, reactive decisions did you make to ensure the longevity of your business?
At the beginning, we laid off one-third of our staff, locked our doors and moved our customer-focused processes to contactless. We used Bodyshop Booster—a great program we’d been dabbling in for six months prior—for capturing initial images and triaging claims. We promptly started sanitizing vehicles and fogging them for both customers and staff safety. We offered pickup and delivery. We adapted, sometimes daily, to government orders. Claims went down across our market by approximately 40 percent. We kept our core staff busy while preaching handwashing, social distancing and following the rules. The adaptation of our own processes has been a learning curve. We removed some waste from our processes and realized that over the last year some of our processes were outdated and it is high time to evolve them along with the many changes our businesses are going through. With the constant change, we’ve had the opportunity to add an operations
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leader to our team. With her background as an engineer, the process changes, along with her teaching us accountability and sustainability, we’re slowly but surely moving forward. We are still in the thick of COVID. The topic continues to dominate conversations and conjure frustrations between and antivaxxers and the public. Is your staff on the edge of burn out? Do you have a full team? Are they home-isolating with a child under 12? Have they been vaccinated? Have they had an exposure? This is a constant HR issue that will continue to rear its ugly head throughout this pandemic. Mental health was a big priority for our team this last year–but this Fall we hear, “let’s get back to business and back to normal!” The reality is all the aforementioned issues are still very much part of our world. As if the last year and a half has not been enough, we are now starting to see a different challenge coming out of the COVID-19
VIEWS FROM THE WEST
pandemic–supply chain interruptions that are rearing their ugly heads and they seem to be ramping up instead of winding down. What are you doing in your shop to manage this supply chain issue that only seems to be increasing? It is a constant adaptation of our processes as we navigate this. Sometimes I think we are fighter pilots, constantly dodging bullets and making sure we’re ready to react quickly! We are changing and adapting how we write estimates, but more importantly; how
we are educating customers on setbacks we might face during the repair of their vehicle? We’re booking longer estimate appointments, utilizing a bigger skillset of our team, teaching customers about loss of use and replacement cost insurance and how to navigate the consequences of a collision. We are adaptable, us collision repair folk. We earn our livings in a reactionary business. No one plans an accident. We step up and react and help and rebuild. We’ve adapted for years; through sheet metal changes, through
We are adaptable, us collision repair folk.
solvent to water base, unibody and full frames, computers, seatbelts…basically I can list every component of a vehicle and, even in the 20 plus years I’ve been in the business the change is never-ending. If the constant change and the COVID burn out is hitting you, reach out. To me, to a trusted business friend, to a mental health professional. Business is hard at the best of times, but we are a hardy bunch. The best thing about this business is the people in it. And that’s all of you.
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 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 79
REGIONAL NEWS | BRITISH COLUMBIA
REGIONAL NEWS | COAST TO COAST RUSTED OUT The valley around Tappen, B.C. is about to get a little less rusty now that Mike Hall announced that he auctioned off most of his 550-strong car collection in October. As one half of the History Channel’s “Rust Valley Restorers”, Hall has spent decades building his impression collection of vintage vehicles in southern B.C., but with thoughts of retirement on the horizon, Hall said he was looking forward to shedding the load of caring for 550 cars. Hall says it was a letter from the government, telling him that he had reached retirement age, that put things in perspective for him. Hall couldn’t confirm whether this means the definite end of his TV show but responded with the statement, “I’m not getting any younger.”
“It’s going to be 40 years of my life that vanishes in one day. It’s like I’m Mother Hen and all the chicks take off at once,” Hall said.
THE SMOKE CLEARS The Insurance Bureau of Canada has reported that the June 30 wildfires in Lytton, British Columbia are estimated to have caused $78 million in insured damage. In addition, a press release from IBC said that a majority of the roughly 300 claims issued are related to residential property damage. “This wildfire has devastated the community. Canada’s insurers are here to help the residents of Lytton recover, and are committed to help rebuild from this loss,” said Aaron Sutherland, western and Pacific v-p of IBC. IBC sees events like this as opportunities to galvanize support for nationwide climate initiatives that aim to track and address the increasing climate risks that face environmentally vulnerable communities across Canada.
80 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
BRITISH COLUMBIA | REGIONAL NEWS
Over the years, Craftsman Collision has given more than $1.7 million to various philanthropic efforts.
CRAFTING COMMUNITY A collision centre is nothing without the community it serves, Craftsman Collision knows this and that is why the MSO has been hard at work helping to raise more than $31,000 for wildfire relief in British Columbia. Craftsman launched a two-week matching fundraising campaign with the Canadian Red Cross in mid-August and managed to raise an impressive $15,833, with Color Compass and BASF kicking off the initiative with a $10,000 donation. “As a proud Canadian brand, Craftsman has been committed to supporting our local communities for more than four decades,” said Craftsman Collision president Rick Hatswell. “In these unprecedented times, we are continuing to give back in the best way we can, while encouraging others to do the same. We were thrilled with the results of our matching campaign which raised a total of $31,266 for the Red Cross who have worked so tirelessly supporting British Columbians affected by the devastating wildfires this summer. Thank you to all our staff at our Craftsman Collision locations in Kamloops, Kelowna and Vernon for helping make this fundraiser such a success.”
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REGIONAL NEWS | ALBERTA
TRUCK TALK A column denouncing Canada’s love affair with trucks was published by the Globe and Mail this summer, and boy, oh boy did it ever get a response. Both truck lovers and haters alike took to their devices to share their thoughts on the matter, with Albertan and Saskatchewan Premiers Jason Kenney and Scott Moe, respectively, also weighing in on the article. Some agreed with the column author Marcus Gee’s opinion that trucks are safety hazards and have quite an environmental footprint. While many argued that trucks are necessary for specific jobs, hobbies and regions. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the column was “ridiculous.” “Come to Saskatchewan where we use our pickup trucks to build and grow our province … and pull the odd car out of the snowbank,” he said in a Tweet. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney also piped up and even changed his Twitter profile picture to a photo of himself in a truck. “The Toronto Globe & Mail is having a temper tantrum about pickup trucks. I’m happy to say that ~40% of the vehicles on Alberta roads are pickups,” he tweeted. “Maybe Toronto columnists should try getting around this province during a prairie blizzard in a Smart Car.” While Gee does say trucks serve a purpose for certain people, he says they have become a “plague” on Canadian streets. “Even if they weren’t polluting and dangerous, the parade of pickups would be a blight on the road scape and a finger in the eye of other drivers – a way of saying to everyone else: I am bigger, badder and richer than you. A vehicle that started as a practical tool for hard-working people has become, for many, an obnoxious assertion of dominance and division,” Gee wrote.
When Toronto-based Globe and Mail published an article denouncing Canada’s love of pickup trucks, some westernly government officials had some words to share.
BOOTS ‘N’ BREAKFAST CARSTAR’s MK Auto Group helped Calgary Stampede attendees start their day right and kick off their daily activities for the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ by hosting three breakfast events. Hosted from July 13-15, the team welcomed the community to CARSTAR Airdrie, CARSTAR Calgary Heritage and CARSTAR Okotoks, where Calgary Stampede attendees could enjoy a hearty breakfast before embarking on the day’s events. “We had the local police department giving children tours of their cruisers, we had some fun giveaways and of course, a delicious breakfast for everyone to enjoy,” continues Kharfan. “It was such a pleasure to welcome the community back to our stores for a fun event and we are always happy to give back to our communities where we operate.”
“The Calgary Stampede has become something our CARSTAR family looks forward to each year,” said Mark Kharfan, owner, MK Auto Group. “Hosting such successful events with over 2,500 attendees was incredibly rewarding for our team.” 82 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
ALBERTA | REGIONAL NEWS
BERZERK IN BEISEKER Heighton Auto Restorations in Beiseker celebrated its twenty-fifth year in business with a show-and-shine event during the second weekend of September. The little village in southern Alberta went off on Sept. 11 when the shop hosted their in-house classic car show, along with food and drinks and a DJ. The event was open to all classic car enthusiasts and encouraged attendees to pull up in their classic or restored vehicle and be featured in the show. Chris Heighton, founder of Heighton Auto Restorations, said he was excited to be able to give something back, in-person, to his community and the many classic car fans in the area.
“We host an annual car show in June,” said Heighton. “It’s a community fundraiser and we get the whole community involved. The town loves the car show, it brings the community together and it raises funds for Community Links, which is a local fixture in the village.”
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SASKATCHEWAN | REGIONAL NEWS
REGINA RECOVERING While the real costs are of course still being tallied up, SGI places the amount of vehicle damage claims they received in the days following Tuesday night’s hailstorm at more than 3,700. Reports of golf ball-sized hail extend as far as Assiniboia, 130 kilometres southwest of the storm’s eye in Regina. “It’s been busy every day since, with phone calls and inquiries about the hail damage,” said Chuck Rust, owner of Chuck’s Collision. Rust said this storm took people by surprise, as Regina is not used to the same frequency of hailstorms as Calgary, for example. “The last big hailstorm we had was 25 years ago, and now we’ve had two significant storms in two years,” he said. “We’re not used to it, that’s for sure.”
According to SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy, people with damaged vehicles can take them to SGI-accredited body shops, not just claim centres, for assessments.
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REGIONAL NEWS | MANITOBA
REELING IN THE NET
Auto claims costs are down in Manitoba as the provincial insurer reported a 27.3 percent drop in the first quarter of 2021. The cost reduction takes the form of a $89.4 million savings for MPI. MPI also reported $115.5 million in net income for the first three months of the year after surplus distribution. Last year, MPI decided, “as financial relief to policyholders during the COVID-19 pandemic,” to redistribute all $110.1 million of surplus capital, marking 2020 net income as nil. MPI also said it previously applied for a 2.8 percent rate decrease in basic insurance premiums for the 2022/23 insurance year, which is expected to result in a rate reduction or no change for 74 percent of vehicles.
GROWING IN GIMLI CARSTAR recently announced the opening of a new shop in Gimli, Manitoba. Owners of CARSTAR Gimli, Dan Jonsson and Skye Grexton, have been in the collision repair industry for over 30 years. Looking to continue growing their business, they joined CARSTAR in 1998 and have since grown their operations to seven locations. CARSTAR Gimli is a 3,000 square foot facility that is an MPI accredited facility and has its I-CAR Gold and Ford Aluminum certifications.
“Dan and Skye have always prioritized the community they serve, going the extra mile with their collision repair quality and customer service standards,” says Tony Mammone, vice president of operations, CARSTAR. “They go above and beyond for their community.”
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REGIONAL NEWS | ONTARIO
In 2019, Nicholas Foster–known to many as “Fozzy”–of Waterdown, Ontario, succumbed to a fatal brain tumour. Waterdown Collision is offering its services to those who donate $50 or more to Fozzy’s Fight to End Brain Tumours.
COMMUNITY MATTERS It’s no secret that big things can happen when a community works together in the name of positive change. The question is: how do you motivate a community to put in the effort necessary to make the world a better place? Waterdown Collision, a Hamilton-based collision repair centre owned by Margaret and Domenic DiFelice, has found an answer to this question with their latest community outreach program, a partnership with Fozzy’s Fight to End Brain Tumours. In 2019, Nicholas Foster–known to many as “Fozzy”–of Waterdown, succumbed to a fatal brain tumour. He was just 21 years old. To commemorate Nicholas’ life, his family started Fozzy’s Fight to End Brain Tumours, a fundraising initiative to support the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. A family member states, “With your donation, together we will bring hope. Hope through support, hope through information and education, and hope through research.”
MOMS HOUSE The Ontario government is hoping that the recently beefed-up MOMS act will help teach a lesson to all the stunt drivers out there who may have doubted that their one-week grounding could be extended to a whole month. As defined by Ontario law, driving can be considered stunt driving when a driver is clocked at 40 km/h over the speed limit on roadways with speed limits of 80 km/h and less, or at 50km/h over the speed limit on roadways with speed limits higher than 80km/h. Perhaps the most significant update lies in the increase from a seven-day license suspension to 30 days for any case of stunt driving. As of September 12, stunt driving charges may now include the following penalties: Minimum one year and maximum three years suspension for a first conviction; minimum three years and maximum 10 years suspension for a second conviction; for a third conviction, your licence is suspended indefinitely with the possibility of having it reinstated at a later date and, for a fourth conviction within 10 years, your licence is suspended permanently.
88 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
ONTARIO | REGIONAL NEWS
CAMBRIDGE QUALITY Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. has come away with the J.D. Power Plant Quality Award this year, recognizing TMMC’s South Plant in Cambridge, Ont. as one of the top facilities in the world. Plant awards are based on the lowest number of customer-reported defect/malfunction problems per vehicle.This year, the South Plant won the Silver award for building the Lexus RX. This is the fourth consecutive year, and ninth award overall, for the TMMC-built RX.
To date, TMMC has been recognized with 20 awards, including three platinum awards, awarded to the top automotive manufacturing plant in the world.
FAUX LAMBO Let us reflect on youth; the days when we would be sent off to school and assured by our parents that our knockoff “redswinging-bug-man” backpack was “just as good” as Spider-Man, and that the other kids wouldn’t even notice. They always notice. Same goes for when you’re trying to sell off your Lamborghini and—oops—it’s actually a 2017 Toyota 86 wrapped in gold and dressed with Lambo badges. If you’re in the neighbourhood of Monaco Motorcars in North York, Ont., boy do they have a deal for you. For only $26,500 you can get a faux Lamborghini for the price of a Toyota with 60,000 km on it, not to mention 18-inch wheels, high-performance Invidia exhaust and all the badges and wrapping to at least warrant the double-take that the real supercar would get. In all fairness however, the car does have a completely clean accident record according to CARFAX and the sellers at Monaco Motorcars do include in the ad the very crucial note, “Disclaimer: This is not a Lamborghini.” OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 89
REGIONAL NEWS | QUEBEC
BENZ DELUXE
“The addition of this high-quality collision centre is another step towards our goal of filling out our national collision centre footprint,” said executive chairman Paul Antony.
AutoCanada is breaking in on the Benz market as the dealer group announced the acquisition of Autolux MB Collison in Montreal. Autolux has been in operation for over 30 years and is a certified Mercedes-Benz collision centre. The business operates out of a facility with more than 15 production bays and is strategically located near four of AutoCanada’s dealerships: Mercedes-Benz Rive-Sud, BMW Mini Montreal Centre, BMW Mini Laval and Planete Mazda.
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REGIONAL NEWS | ATLANTIC
FROM DENTS TO DARTS Ever thought about trading in your dent repair kit for a dartboard? Well, Jeff “The Silencer” Smith, a bodyman and pro dart player hailing from Hampton, New Brunswick, could give you a few pointers. Smith was in Germany in late August representing Canada at the Cazoo World Cup of Darts—and it’s not his first rodeo on the global scale. Last year the multitalented tech reached the quarterfinals, marking Canada’s first trip to the World Cup of Darts QFs since 2016. The other Canadian representative in Germany also touts a background in skilled trades; when he’s not on the pro darts circuit, Matt “Ginja Ninja” Campbell is a welder, hailing from Hamilton, Ontario. Unfortunately, the two Canadians were beaten by host country Germany’s players in their first rounds. Gabriel Clemens defeated Smith, while German Max Hopp won over Campbell in their match.
FRESH COAT OF PAINT What’s that song you’ve got stuck in your head? Oh, might it be CSN Collision Clinic’s newly revitalized jingle, featuring Newfoundland’s own Evelyn Jess. CSN Collision Clinic ran a contest this summer to find the best rendition of the brand’s famous jingle, in exchange for an artist development grant from the company. Drawing on a pool of fantastic musicians from a province known for its artistry, CSN Collision Clinic let the public decide who they thought brought the jingle back to life. Evelyn Jess of Ragged Harbour, N.L. was announced as the winner via LinkedIn. Jess said that she is “beyond excited and honoured to receive such a wonderful prize”, and that she plans to put her winnings toward the release of her upcoming album, “Bare Bones”, due out this fall.
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 91
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The PULL UP! repair system from Spanesi is now available in the Light version. This slimmed down package features the same innovative cold repair process to repair damaged steel or aluminum panels as the Standard and Full versions. The new slimmed down Light version incorporates different size suction cups and special glue to restore the shape of metal panels, repairs are performed with slide hammers or with an optional electro-puller.
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Rexall Labs’ 2.8lb/gal (340 G/L) VOC Compliant Reducer line is designed to be compatible with most urethane paints in the market and is available in three dry time speeds and in gallon as well as pail sizes! Simply follow mixing usage and recommendations in the VOC compliant products chart for your area. Contact your local supplier regarding Rexall’s Compliant Urethane Basecoat Reducer today!
The asTech Remote Diagnostic Device uses OEM factory scan tools to search for, identify and resolve the diagnostic, electronic, and computer related trouble codes resulting from collisions. This device has been noted to improve efficiency in automotive repair shops by helping control severity, improve cycle times, reduce loss of use, meet more guaranteed completion dates, secure better results for the DRP partners and loyal customers all while keeping the car in the production lane at the repair facility. asTech Master Technicians can service many trouble codes remotely and provide real-time assistance to shop technicians at the vehicle when needed. OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 95
RECYCLING NEWS
SETTING THE STANDARD
David Gold, owner of Ontario’s Standard Auto Wreckers, was recently recognized by Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson for his company’s work in the local community. “In 2014 we began discussions [for Standard to open in Port Hope], and it’s only been positive since then,” said Sanderson. The mayor noted Standard Auto Wreckers’ exceptional community involvement projects, from its general vehicle recycling initiatives to tree planting, partnerships with local firefighters for vehicle extraction training and more. Sanderson also commended Standard for remaining a family-oriented business throughout the years. “Thank you for all the good work you do,” concluded Sanderson.
“This means a lot to us,” said Gold. “Since day one, we’ve felt a sense of community in Port Hope. Our mission here is to do good by the community, and to be recognized for that is truly amazing.”
CHALLENGING CHANGE
If there’s one constant the automotive recycling industry can count on for the future, it is continuous change–and the United Recyclers Group (URG) supported that sentiment at its recent URG Educational Conference, held August 5 through 7 in Dallas, Texas. With more than 600 people in attendance, this year’s URG Educational Conference sessions were carefully selected with the goal of helping attendees develop key attributes to take advantage of today’s market and challenging business market. The event’s keynote speakers included the ‘Marvelless’ Mark Kamp, engagement guru, author, entrepreneur and Las Vegas headliner; as well as inspirational speaker and author Inky Johnson, as well as countless recycling industry representative speakers, including, but not limited to: Kristen Alexander of URG, Mark Allen of Audi, Theresa Colbert of Car-Part.com, Chad Counselman of Auto PARTnered Solutions, Mike Kunkel and Lee Worman of Profit Team Consulting.
SAVE THE DATE
On November 4, the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) will host a webinar in partnership with U.K.-based Auto Recycling World to discuss the implications of the electrification of the Canadian fleet on the automotive recycling industry. The session will feature experts across the board, including speakers Joanna Kyriazis, senior policy advisor with Clean Energy Canada; Ken Hendricks, senior advisor with the ARA Auto Recycling Division; Jeff Haltrecht, executive advisor with Call2Recycle; Kunal Phalpher, chief commercial officer with Li-Cycle; Hans Eric Melin, managing director with Circular Energy Storage and Steve Fletcher, managing director of the ARC. Further details will be available closer to the session date.
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ARC has been working on the implications of the electrification of the Canadian fleet and its impact on automotive recyclers for nearly two years now. Even still—following long hours of research and conversations with experts—the organization concludes there is much more to learn.
TOWING NEWS
TOWING NEWS
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MAKE ROOM FOR MOMS As of July 1, Ontario is implementing the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act–the MOMS Act–which includes stricter penalties for stunt driving, as well as heightened measures for commercial-truck safety, protection for cyclists and road workers and more oversight on the towing industry. Officials say that truck safety will improve with new enforcement tools for commercial drivers who are behind the wheel longer than the permitted number of hours. The new Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act will set standards for consumer protection and roadside behaviour, and penalties for non-compliance; require tow operators and vehicle storage operators to be certified under the new act and meet the requirements. The MOMS Act will also target those with a need for speed. When driving in an 80 km/h zone, travelling
40 km/h over that limit will catch you a stunt driving charge. Formerly, you’d need to be travelling 50 km/h over before getting hit with the fine. The penalty for stunt driving and street racing used to be a seven-day licence suspension and seven-day vehicle impoundment. That now rises to a roadside 30-day licence suspension, and your vehicle’s in the pound for 14 days. The MOMS Act aims to protect road workers on emergency scenes or construction sites as MTO (Ministry of Transportation) enforcement officers are now allowed to close a road if necessary, for an emergency. Automated control devices, known as automated flaggers, can be used in construction sites, so workers don’t have to stand in the road and stop traffic. The act will also introduce cameras on the sides of streetcars to catch drivers illegally passing.
Ontario drivers will now be hit with stunt driving charges if travelling 40 km/h over a posted 80 km/h limit. Previously, drivers would be hit if traveling 50 km/h over the posted limit.
HEROES WITH THE CAPE Horns and shouts could be heard in Sydney, Nova Scotia one warm summer night in June; but it wasn’t a parade or a celebration, it was over a dozen tow truck operators–and they weren’t picking up cars. Tow truck operators were protesting the proposed by-law they say would make them pay more to operate in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM). The operators, honking their horns in unity, say that this bylaw would include an annual fee, driver accreditation and a flat rate that could cost the consumer more. Stephen Jamael, the owner of Jamael’s
Towing in Sydney says tow truck operators already pay these fees to the Nova Scotia Government. “Doing quick math, if you have 10 tow trucks, the new cost per truck is the better part of a thousand dollars, so if you have 10 trucks that’s 10 thousand dollars before you even turn your wheel,” says Frank Campbell, a tow truck operator. Christina Lamey, the communications officer for the municipality says the by-law is to put more consistency into the cost of towing, seizure and impounding of vehicles, particularly after traffic accidents.
Tow truck operators feel they should have been consulted before these changes were proposed. They say comparing the CBRM to the way bigger cities operate and regulate towing companies is unfair to the small companies operating on the island. “What is going to happen is all of the small tow companies, most of them are going to end up going bankrupt over this,” says Kim Withrow, a tow truck operator. This new bylaw was on the agenda for Tuesday’s council meeting but has since changed. There is no clear doubt for when it will appear before council.
towing operations in the agglomeration of Montreal and offering road users quality service with regulated rates,” according to a statement issued by the Montreal police department. The new policy does not apply to motorists on provincial highways, or to private parking spots – *4141 still services those situations.
If you need of a tow in Montreal, Quebec, be prepared to call 911.
911, I NEED A TOW 911 dispatchers in Montreal are about to get a lot busier. Montreal Police announced on Monday that motorists whose vehicles are blocking traffic on Montreal Island streets, due to mechanical issues or a collision, must call 911 to contact a tow truck. The policy follows a 2017 city inspector general’s report on towing services in Montreal and is aimed at “standardizing
OCTOBER 2021 COLLISION REPAIR 97
LAST WORD
MIC CHECK, 1-2, 1-2 ADVERTISER INDEX
How do you lend an ear?
3M............................................. 21 Arslan Automotive .............. 15,94
By ALLISON ROGERS
Assured..................................... 55 AsTech................................. 36,95 Autel US.................................... 73 Auta Data Labels... BellyBand, 16 Axalta...................................... 100 Carcone’s Auto Recycling........ 79 Cardinal Couriers Ltd............... 08 Caroliner................................... 69 Car-Part.com............................ 23 CARSTAR Canada.................... 24 Color Compass Corp............... 63
W
hat’s your take on critical feedback? Are you willing to listen to outside observations, or are you more of the “OPINIONS GO HERE” sign over the trash type? Hint: one of these archetypes will always do better than the other. When it comes down to the fundamentals, there are a few ways of responding to criticism. You could be an internalizer; the kind of person who listens keenly when
frequencies; they could be slightly defensive in the face of critical feedback, or downright explosive. They often default to the belief that their critic is simply misguided and could never understand; but, “it’s always been that way. You’re not going to change it,” is not a productive sentiment. Finally, there is the feedback seeker, from which branch many other listening styles. Feedback seekers are always on the hunt for ways they can improve their operations, en-
“It’s always been that way. You’re not going to change it,” is not a productive sentiment.
CSN Collision Centres.............. 99 CWB Group............................... 27 Dominion Lending.................... 32 Equalizer................................... 81 Global Finishing Solutions....... 61 Hail Specialist........................... 83 Impact Auto Auctions............... 33 Induction Innovations............... 84 John Bean................................. 05 LKQ........................................... 17 Motivated Reps........................ 94 Paint Source............................. 37 Polyvance................................. 31 PPG........................................... 02 ProColor...................Centre Insert ProSpot International Inc.... 51,95 Rexall................................... 42,95 Sata Canada............................. 09
someone critiques your actions or technique, but continues to beat themselves up over it, letting your past mistakes eat you up instead of learning from them and striving to do better. Or perhaps you resonate with the ‘self-convincer’, who quite similarly takes feedback very personally but, instead of beating themselves up over it, deflects that disappointement elsewhere; think, onto your employees and family. Certainly not a productive or happy situation for anyone involved. You expect accountability from your employees; don’t you expect the same from yourself? Another less-than-ideal listening type: the defender. The defender comes in many
lighten their mindsets and ultimately make their business a better place to be for customers and employees alike. These listeners simply want to know what their team thinks they should do and why they think they should do it. The most simple yet overlooked aspect of listening is the failure to realize that not all criticism is an attack. The customer pointing out a pinhole on their paint job is not trying to threaten the livelihood of your business, nor is the employee commenting on feeling overwhelmed by their workload. Believe it or not, just like you, they are trying to be heard. And, well, if you’re not willing to listen, you better be penning that exit strategy.
Sherwin Williams...................... 29 SEMA........................................ 43 Simplicity Car Care................... 49 Spanesi Americas Inc.......... 07,95 Symach..................................... 87 Thorold Auto Parts................... 96 Titanium Tools .................... 19,91 Wurth........................................ 77
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Allison Rogers Allison Rogers is the editor of Collision Repair magazine. She can be reached at allison@mediamatters.ca.
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