Collision Repair Magazine 8#5

> LAS VEGAS SHOW GUIDE: THE HOTTEST GEAR FROM NACE AND SEMA! Serving the Business of the Industry

EVOLVING MARKETPLACE

WORLDSKILLS WRAPUP

Trends and analysis of 2009.

The results are in.

plus:

FUTURE REPAIR

Performance training, CSN conference, and much, much, more…

The straight goods on what to expect.

ODEJOY TO

You should know JOY SKINNER of Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN. Find out why inside.

Vol.8 No.5 I $4.95 Canada 1Y2 L3T 1Y2 ON L3T Thornhill ON St. Thornhill John St. 86 John 40841632 86 No. 40841632 Agreement No. Product Agreement Sales Product Mail Sales Publications Mail Canadian Publications Post Canadian Canada Post

A World

of difference Offering a complete line of product solutions to support your waterborne conversions.

3M’s PPS™ Paint Preparation Systems offer productivity improvements to save time and money.

Contact your 3M Representative at 1-800-364-3577.

Meeting your needs – yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Head to the NASCAR finish line with 3M!

© 3M 2008 0803-1468E 3M and PPS are trademarks of 3M. Used under licence in Canada.

IN THIS ISSUE

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

On The cover Issue 8 No. 5, November 2009

Joy’s Luck Club

Joy Skinner of Industrial Park Collision has a unique approach to staffing.

c

Spe

8 pg.2

32

t

30

Michelle Rolls of Queensway fix auto does things her own way.

t Niagara falls provides a backdrop of elemental power for CSN’s Annual Conference.

ure eat F l ia

departments

SHOW GUIDE features

04 publisher’s message Blitz begins.

by Darryl Simmons

08 titleLAS VEGAS! 37 VIVA Caption Our guide to the latest and hottest new gear at NACE and SEMA.

08 news Power and performance, new shops,and much, much more...

features

14 point blank Tow the line.

by Sam Piercey

20 worldskills wrap-up Thousands of people got to see what the business is about in Calgary, Alberta.

16 prairie view Keep going.

by Tom Bissonnette

24 Future of repairability Direct from IBIS, we bring you what you need to know to stay competitive.

48 who’s driving?

Keep it lean.

by Jay Perry

46 Training, advanced An inside look at PPG’s Green Belt Six Sigma training program.

51 health & safety Real cost of accidents.

by Larry Crangle

52 Evolving business Consolidation, fragmentation, dealerships, and trends.

59 recycling Retired cars.

by David Gold

66 The Last Word Saying goodbye to one of the industry’s best friends.

6&7 t

Trackside at the 3M NASCAR event.

Start your day the Cardinal Way! ...because your business is our business Call 1-800-387-3199 www.cardinalcouriers.com

On-time, pre 8 AM delivery service to meet the needs of customers with time-sensitive goods and parts is why Cardinal Couriers is your preferred choice in Ontario and Quebec.

Our delivery is facilitated through the use of secure vaults, which are placed just outside your place of business. This allows our professional drivers to handle pick ups and deliveries unattended. We can also partner with you using key access to a secure area in your business, when shipping volumes exceed vault capacity.

Consistency, security and reliability is our commitment to you.

Pre 8 am delivery means you can get down to business right away.

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november 2009 collision Repair 03

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

www.collisionrepairmag.com

BlitzBegins

PUBLISHER DARRYL SIMMONS (905) 370-0101 publisher@collisionrepairmag.com

It’s time to get back to basics.

by

A Darryl Simmons

rmed with nothing more than a clipboard, he carried the influence of three government departments and the weight of the general public as he walked through the doors of 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN in Toronto’s west end. So began Ontario’s health and safety blitz targeting the province’s collision repair facilities.

As one of the best shops in Ontario, in the country for that matter, it was obvious the inspector wanted to set an example and create a benchmark for others. With more than 75 staff in nearly two acres of

This was one of the very first inspections of an 800-shop blitz the Ontario government is committed to conduct before the end of this year. So be ready.

Even if you are not in Ontario, the tone will be set for other jurisdictions.

Looking past the obvious pain of having more government intervention, take a hard look at the positive side. This industry is changing faster than ever. If you don’t think so, put a rubber band around your head and snap out of it.

Shops that are seriously committed to improvement, profitability, and productivity only stand to benefit. This is the

Be prepared. Be ready.

Be prosperous. workspace there’s a lot of room for error.

An empty can there, a missing bandage in the first-aid box there. Who knows?

On the other hand, if a shop that big can come out squeaky clean, then smaller ones should be able to.

Anyone who has ever seen or heard of 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN’s immaculate shop knows the results were overwhelmingly positive. Lorenzo D’Alessandro and his staff pride themselves on their processes and internal checklists.

Those fearless of audits are rare. All of us have felt that chill as the flashing lights of a police car pull up behind on a highway; dealt with a European customs agent; or got an letter mailed from Revenue Canada (in the off tax season).

Frank D’Alessandro, 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN’s production manager, was prepared but the whole staff still breathed a huge sigh of relief when the final checkmarks were ticked off and the passing grade was tallied.

04 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

only way to rid the industry of those who “accidentally” spill some leftover paint down the drain, who consider a first-aid kit a bottle of aspirin and a band-aid, who don’t have a safety committee and action plan in place. However, there will be a lot less if the biggest deterrent known to business is enforced...heavy fines, not just against the business, but the owner.

You can’t legislate stupidity, ignorance or intentional disregard for doing the right thing. There will always be those who flaunt the law. But now there will be a lot less. There’s nothing like a swift kick in the wallet to change people’s attitudes.

It’s sad that it had to get to this point to get the government involved, but even legislators and bureaucrats make a good decision once in awhile. Be prepared. Be ready. Be prosperous.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OREST TKACZUK (905) 370-0101 orest@collisionrepairmag.com EDITOR MIKE DAVEY (905) 528-8377 editor@collisionrepairmag.com ART DIRECTOR DANIELA LUBERTO COLUMNISTS TOM BISSONNETTE, LARRY CRANGLE, DAVID GOLD, JAY PERRY, SAM PIERCEY, BRIAN SLAUNWHITE CONTRIBUTORS VINCENT ROMANS VP INDUSTRY RELATIONS GLORIA MANN (647) 998-5677 advertising@collisionrepairmag.com SUBSCRIPTION One-year $24.95 / Two-year $35.95

Collision Repair ™ magazine is published bi-monthly, 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, statements appearing in this publication are those of the writers and editors themselves, and are in no way to be construed as statements, positions or endorsements by the publisher.

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: 86 John Street Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2

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

3M and Collision Repair magazine take you trackside at NASCAR!

Paint cars faster than ever before.

Speed up your operations and increase productivity with DuPont™ Cromax® Pro waterborne basecoat. With 1.5 coat coverage, wet-on-wet application and no flash time between coats, it’s easy to see why leading shops are making the switch to DuPont™ Cromax® Pro. And for even faster results, DuPont™ ColorNet® Color Proofing can give you great color matches before a single drop of paint is mixed.

Just a few of the ways that DuPont Refinish can help you reach your operational goals today— while getting ahead of tomorrow’s environmental regulations.

To learn more about increasing your productivity visit www.cromaxpro.dupont.com or speak with a DuPont Refinish waterborne conversion specialist at 1.800.668.6945, prompt 5.

Copyright © 2008 DuPont. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont ™, ColorNet ®, and Cromax ® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Along with entertaining customers, the event brings 3M employees from across the country together. Left to right: Mike Savage, Chet Patel, Bill Suzuki, and Keith Chapman find time to catch up as they help at the event.

Fast& Furious

By Darryl Simmons

Trackside at Montreal’s NASCAR event as 3M heads to the finish line.

R

oaring at full-throttle, the fuel-injected engines fill the pits with sound and fury as drivers prep for a white-knuckle, pulse-pounding challenge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Hand signals are the only way to communicate as the sweet scent of fuel and rubber waft over the select few on the inside track.

For any fan of NASCAR racing, the sights and sounds are like a dream come true.

The dream did come true for a number of industry stakeholders recently, thanks to 3M. The company hosted a over 175 members of Canada’s collision repair community for two days of NASCAR racing at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. The event was part of the company’s customer appreciation package, and extreme turns, spectacular skids and breathtaking action were all part of the experience. From seats in Grandstand 34 in the Hairpin Village, 3M customers could see it all, up close and personal. You haven’t really lived until you’ve heard the mechanical symphony of finely tuned racing machines shift from 180 mph to 40 mph as they

ABOVE: A hot band kept things swinging in the 3M tent, while racing provided plent of excitement on the track.

BELOW LEFT: Sybil Paul puts her driving skills to the test in the NASCAR simulation car, a racecar video game open to all NASCAR fans as they passed the 3M tent.

BELOW RIGHT: Two NASCAR fans show their pride for 3M’s car 16.

RIGHT: Serge St. Louis of Automatch and his son.

06 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

INDUSTRY EVENTS slide through the hairpin. It’s a truly awesome display of seemingly untameable power, brought under control through sheer skill.

The main attraction, of course, was watching Colin Braun take the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion around the track at dizzying speed. But the excitement didn’t end there. Braun was also available for autographs, and guests of 3M got a chance to see his car up close.

Even more exciting, 3M was able to arrange guided pit tours for their customers, as part of the Hairpin Village package. Until you’ve been down in the pit, you haven’t seen NASCAR. For more information on 3M, please visit 3m.ca. CRM

ABOVE: Eric Leveille and Robert Issenman president of LAR. BELOW LEFT: Jim McSheffrey and Rick Berg of 3M. BELOW RIGHT: Sybil and Manuel Paul, from Scarborough, Ontario, of Formula Honda.

LEFT: Tony McCoubrey of Paint Circuit and Mike Savage of 3M. ABOVE: Guy Ouellette of Verchere Auto and his son taking a break from the heat in the 3M tent.

RIGHT: Jim McSheffrey (president of 3M Canada) and Colin Braun, driver of 3M’s No. 16.

FAR LEFT and BELOW: Throughout the two-day event, 3M’s NASCAR fans pop in and out of the hospitality event for food, shade and great company, including Stefan Morin of De Ses Sources Dodge Chrysler (far left in hat) and Steve Bujold of Uni-Select and his son (far left).

LEFT: Steve Waletzko and Scott Blanchard of 3M.

Scott Blanchard and Cathie Hastings of 3M.

november 2009 collision Repair 07

NEWS Fix Auto Announces Tenth Location in B.C. Fix Auto has announced the signing of Queensway Fix Auto in Prince George. This will be the tenth Fix Auto location in British Columbia. The international network operates with a strong technology base and allows Fix Auto franchisees to benchmark their performance in the industry.

“I needed to differentiate myself from my competitors and offer something that other shops could not. Fix Auto gave me these

tools,” explains owner Michelle Rolls.

Martin von Holst, area developer for British Columbia, said that Fix Auto Prince George is a natural fit as they, “have a progressive shop owner committed to quality repairs, involvement in our association, and a desire to improve the professionalism in our industry.”

“I strongly believe that no matter how much money we throw at investing into

individual shops, we will never be able to reach critical mass unless the shops unite,” says Steve Leal, president of Fix Auto Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Alberta. “Putting the shops under the same brand name, uniting in numbers, and having a strong marketing presence in the industry only makes sense.”

For more info, please visit fixauto.com.

For more on Queensway Fix Auto, please see page 30.

CSN Signs Two Nova Scotia Facilities Keizer’s Collision Centre ~ CSN in Sackville and Brent’s Auto Body ~ CSN in River Bourgeois have recently signed with Collision Solutions Network (CSN).

Keizer’s Collision Centre ~ CSN, owned and operated by Dale Keizer, has been in business since 1980. The 10,000 square foot facility is located approximately 30 minutes outside of Halifax. Dale and his team moved into their new state-of-the-art facility in April of 2009. To celebrate their signing with CSN and promote their new facility, Keizer

Collision Centre ~ CSN held a Re-Grand opening. Over 60 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the new facility.

Larry French, national director of sales for CSN says, “Keizer’s new facility represents the commitment and forward thinking to the needs of today’s consumers and insurers. We are very excited about the experience and service they bring to the greater Halifax area.”

Brent’s Auto Body ~ CSN is owned by Brent Sampson and has been in operation since

1964. Brent’s Auto Body ~ CSN is an I-CAR Gold Class facility trained in both WHIMIS and First Aid. “The addition of Brent’s Auto Body ~ CSN to the CSN family ensures our promise to have the highest quality of repair standards available across Canada. He embodies the spirit of rural Nova Scotia, which is further displayed by his exceptional customer service,” says Larry French.

For more information on CSN, please visit csninc.ca or email info@csninc.ca.

www.sonshineautoparts.com “Quality Used Auto Parts!”

A locally owned auto recycler.

Specializing in late model auto parts for all makes.

Computerized inventory and nation wide locating service.

Toll Free: (888) 834-3666 T: (613) 833-1200 F: (613) 833-1250 2104 Dunning Rd Cumberland, ON K4C 1M1 08 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

CANADA

HAS CHOSEN ITS BODY SHOP

Why Should I Convert My Body Shop To A Maaco? · Maaco is ranked #1 in its category by Entrepreneur Magazine in its Franchise 500 list · Maaco has a Canada-wide 97.4% customer satisfaction rating (measured by CSI Complete) · Maaco receives 75% of its business through retail out-of-pocket customer pay · Maaco services more than 500,000 customers/year in North America (572 more customers/year per shop on average than a traditional body shop) · Maaco Canada average store volume = $1 Million PLUS · Half of Maaco Canada’s shops achieve average sales of over $1.4 million annually with a 12% average net profit

Canada Has Chosen Maaco, Now It’s Your Turn.

CALL 800-387-6780

today to learn how you can convert your body shop into a high-volume Maaco franchise.

Chip Foose sprays for results, and that includes environmental results. So it’s only natural that he joins the collision repair industry’s leaders in specifying BASF waterborne basecoats. Our technology, proven over the last 14 years, delivers the attributes you expect—precise color, superior durability and increased throughput— while lowering basecoat VOCs by as much as 90 percent.

Leadership. It’s why Chip’s choice has always been BASF, and why we’re the only waterborne paint to take him into the future. Call 1-800-825-3000 or visit basfrefinish.com today.

Discover what Chip Foose already knows.

FooseTM, Chip FooseTM, Foose DesignTM and the Chip Foose signature are registered trademarks of Foose Design Inc. and used with permission. © 2009 BASF Corporation.

Boyd Communications BASF Automotive Refinish “Chip Foose Waterborne” Refinish Ad Collision Repair InDesign CS3 January, 2009 Writer: Sue Salter Art Director: Pam Moran Contact: Kathy Boyd 248-539-7861 Ad Size (TRIM): 8.125” x 10.875”

NEWS

Dee Fernandes and Mike Emerson (left) are the owners of Hawley Collision, where the announcement of Ontario’s new workplace injury reduction initiative was made. They’re joined here by the Honourable Peter Fonseca (Ontario’s Minister of Labour), and Don Teevens (Co-Auto Co-Operative refinish manager).

Inspection Blitz Focuses on Body Repair Facilities The Ontario government has launched a new initiative in an effort to reduce workplace injuries by focusing on hazards in vehicle body repair facilities.

The Minister of Labour made the announcement recently at Hawley Collision

Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. The collision repair facility is owned by Mike Emerson and Dee Fernandes, and was chosen for the event due to its excellent reputation with the labour and environment ministries.

The new initiative will focus on York,

Durham and Peel Regions, Dufferin and Simcoe Counties, and Toronto.

Over the next six months, Ministry of Labour inspectors will visit about 800 vehicle body repair workplaces to check for various workplace hazards. There are a number of things that you can count on being on the inspector’s checklist. This includes items such as the use and maintenance of hoists, jacks and other lifting equipment, paints and materials containing hazardous substances such as isocyanates, and materials handling, storage and ventilation.

Inspectors will also check workers’ certification and training, assess the effectiveness of health and safety procedures, and document infractions of environmental protection regulations.

At time of publication, the blitz was well underway, with 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN already having passed its inspection.

For more information, please see the Publisher’s Message on page 4 of this issue.

Women’s Industry Network Gears Up for Annual Conference The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) has selected the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida as the site of its 2010 conference, which is scheduled for May 2-4, 2010.

“This will be our fourth annual conference, and it promises to be a great forum for education, networking and personal development,” said Kim White of FinishMaster, who also serves as WIN’s chair.

WIN is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, developing, and cultivating opportunities to attract women

to collision repair while recognizing excellence, promoting leadership, and fostering a network among the women who are shaping the industry.

More details about the conference will be available soon. For more information about becoming a WIN member or sponsor, please visit womensindustrynetwork.com.

Mitchell’s Content Concierge to Deliver OEM Repair Info Mitchell International has announced availability of its Content Concierge Service for the Mitchell Information Center, helping shops locate OEM repair information.

Mitchell’s Content Concierge Service provides technicians with several options to access this critical repair data via both live and online customer service. Mitchell Information Center provides access to critical repair information. Repairers are encouraged to visit mitchellinformationcenter.com or contact Mitchell International at (800) 2389111 for more info and a free trial. november 2009 collision Repair 11

NEWS PPG Reaches 1000th Shop Conversion Milestone PPG has announced that more than 1,000 collision centres across Canada have converted to Envirobase High Performance, a PPG brand, and Nexa Autocolor’s Aquabase Plus waterborne basecoats from solvent-based systems. PPG initiated a program known as “Convert with Confidence” when the conversion program began. It’s a disciplined process that provides owners, managers and technicians with training and support prior to, during, and after the conversion.

“We knew this would be a big change for our customers, so we wanted to make sure it would be as easy as possible,” said Debbie Nucciarone, PPG product manager. “Things have gone extremely well. Shops are finding the conversion process to be efficient.”

Knowing the change is inevitable, some are eager to move ahead, convert as quickly as possible, and be fully familiar with the paint when compliance is required.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of the changeover. We’ve been with PPG 15 years and they supported us completely,” said Bill Kowalchuk, owner of General Collision, Lethbridge, Alberta.

Don Tobin, owner of Jensen Auto Collision, Whitby, Ontario adds, “We recently converted to waterborne basecoats and the results greatly exceeded our expectations.”

PPG is encouraging shop owners across Canada to take advantage of the “Convert with Confidence” program as soon as possible to ensure they are properly prepared when regulatory deadlines go into effect.

For more information, contact a local PPG or Nexa Autocolor sales representative or visit the PPG Automotive Refinish website at ppgrefinish.com.

Watch for more in next issue, when Collision Repair magazine takes you inside the conversion process at the shops that helped PPG hit this conversion milestone.

Busy and profitable auto repair shop for sale.

Located in beautiful South East British Columbia. Owners want to retire.

Please call (250) 425-2811.

12 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Green Go

Over 1000 Canadian conversions and counting.

Here’s what our customers have to say:

“I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of the conversion.

We’ve been with PPG 15 years and they supported us completely. Their waterborne paint is user-friendly and allows for superior color-matching.

Besides that, we want to do our part to help the environment.”

Bill Kowalchuk, Owner of General Collision, Lethbridge, Alberta

“We recently converted to waterborne basecoats and the results greatly exceeded our expectations. Making the switch has given us better color-match and allowed us to take a step forward in becoming more environmentally responsible. Not only will we be using less solvent, the waterborne system provides consistency and superior metallic control, is more efficient

“The training was excellent, I was expecting

and gives us the added bonus of

it to be hard, but it wasn’t. It is definitely

complying with current and future VOC

less harmful to me healthwise, and the

regulations.”

color matches are much better.”

Don Tobin, Owner of Jensen Auto Collision, Whitby, Ontario

Sylvain Lagacé, Painter at Collision Centre Carrosserie S. J. Houle, Inc., Montreal, Quebec

©2009 PPG Industries All rights reserved. www.ppgrefinish.com

POINT BLANK WITH PIERCEY

TowtheLine Let’s solve this together.

“Our Focus is Spray Booth Filters!”

• • • •

I

Sam Piercey

’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. But before we get into what’s making me mad, we should get a few important things straight.

First, the situation I know about is the situation in the Greater Toronto Area.

This applies to that area of the country, and that’s it. That’s still a pretty big chunk of Canada, people-wise.

There are lots of people in the tow truck business, and I’m proud to count many of them as friends. I believe that 99.9 percent of them are honest and ethical.

They’re good people. They’re often the first people on the scene, and they can really help people after the trauma of an accident. The vast majority of them are good. But when they’re bad, they’re really, really, REALLY awful.

So what? There are bad apples in every barrel, right? Well, I’ll tell you what.

These few (and it really is very few, or the

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14 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

I’ll repeat: most tow truck operators are pretty good joes. They do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage. But, if a tow truck operator is crooked, there are lots of ways they can indulge.

The biggest part of the problem is that they feel there is no one who can stop them. We need to show them that they are as wrong as wrong can be.

First, if you have a truly outrageous tow bill in hand, send it to your politician. The first step in any problem is letting people know that there is a problem.

That’s a start, but it’s not enough. Here’s a point to ponder, though: honest people outnumber crooks. Always have, always will. Have you ever heard the old saying that all it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing?

That’s true in this case, and the reverse is also true. All that’s needed for evil to lose is for good people to do something.

If we get together we can force the crimi-

The vast majority are good. BuT When They’re bad, they’re Really awful. entire system would break down completely) are tarnishing the reputations of all tow truck operators.

I bet I’m not the only one who has had customers complain about a massive tow bill. I’m not talking about a little padding either, but truly outrageous amounts of money. I’m talking about a $2,000 charge for a one day tow and storage. Seriously.

Or how about when a motorist ends up paying out $800 to get their car out of the tower’s compound? Remember that in at least some cases, the motorist didn’t really want the vehicle taken there anyway. But people who have just been in a major collision are often confused and disoriented.

It can be really easy in that situation for a dishonest tow truck operator to bamboozle and trick the motorist into doing something they don’t need to do.

nals and crooked operators out of the tow truck industry completely. At that point, the only ones left will be the good and honest operators.

Remember, we’re not alone. The good operators and our friends in the insurance industry are with us on this. Bandits hit them in the wallet too. Getting the public on our side should be ridiculously easy.

There are meetings being planned right now between towers, insurers, and repairers. Me, I’m all for having a parley so we can sit down and hammer these things out. Let’s do it! CRM

Sam Piercey is the co-owner of Budds' Collision Services in Oakville, O.N. Sam is a long-time coyote member and sits on many boards and committees.

He can be reached at sam@buddscollision.com.

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(866) 655-2544 or mitchell.com © 2009 Mitchell International, Inc. All rights reserved.

PRAIRIE VIEW

NaySayers

Here in Saskatchewan, we’ve learned to ignore them.

by

T Tom Bissonette

he 1971 Torino Cobra Jet in the picture at right represents a checkpoint in my life.

I was 18 years old and I had just bought my first ‘muscle’ car. It had a 351 Cleveland engine with a 4 on the floor shifter, a tachometer that ran left to right on the dash and a console that could easily hide six cans of oh, let’s say... pop (I was young and invincible). It was fast and sharp looking – just like my future now that I was out of school.

However, a series of events soured me on this car. I blew the clutch the very first week I had it - trying to impress my friends with a burn out.

One of the great things about driving the highways in Saskatchewan is that you

can see for miles and miles. But in urban areas you still can’t see any further than you could in Toronto or Vancouver. That fact got me in a bit of trouble.

The very nice RCMP officers in my hometown gave me tickets for speeding and the loud ‘Hush Thrush’ mufflers that I had installed. I nearly got my brother and

SWITCH OUT The October 2009 collection sweep is happening now! Be sure to return your old collection pail to remain listed as an active participant.

Returning at least two pails containing mercury switches in 2009 automatically enters your business in the Switch Out contest. See our website for exciting prize details.

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16 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

PRAIRIE VIEW I did some quick math in my head. I had paid $2,700 for the car, but when you add in two clutches and the tickets I had accrued, I figured I would need about $3,600 for the car. “Sold!” he said, and the car was gone.

has been absolutely great! So what’s the message here?

Get on with it! Quit listening to the radio and TV guys telling you that our world is going to hell in a handbasket!

Times may be tough but so are you and

times may be tough, but so are you. you can take steps now to prepare. you can take steps now to prepare for the good times coming up. Things go up, things go down but depending on how you react to it, life keeps getting better. I think the best is yet to come! By the way, in regards to that 1971 Torino, I checked its value and, depending on its condition: it is now worth somewhere between $50,000 and $80,000. CRM Tom Bissonnette is the owner/operator of Parr Auto Body, a collision repair facility located in Saskatoon, SK. He can be reached at tom@parrautobody.com.

LIF

Y

Well, since then the energy crisis came and went. New techniques for finding oil and extracting it mean there are more known oil reserves in the world today than there were in 1974.

El Nino came and warmed us up, then came global warming – now morphed into something called “climate change.”

In those years, we’ve really seen it all.

We’ve had good times, and tough times, economically, but no matter what, we always seem to bounce back. In the last 35 years, I would have to say that over all life

E

GU

UT

I seriously hurt in a near miss accident on the highway due to excessive speed on my part. Then I blew a second clutch. I was getting beaten down.

The ‘coup de gras’ was the energy crisis that hit our nation in 1974. Gas prices skyrocketed and talk of rationing fuel was rampant. Further to this, the environmental guys were predicting that we were entering into an “ice age” and that we would all freeze to death because we were running out of fossil fuels.

I remember while putting in the second clutch that I was thinking to myself “all the good things in life are over for people of my generation.”

It was a feeling of desolation, thinking that the good times were done forever.

While I was buttoning up the car a local farmer and his son walked in.

The son was immediately smitten with my beautiful red car. Who could blame him? Looking back, it’s still a thing of beauty. He asked “How much do you want for it?”

ARD ON

D

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+ www.treschak.biz november 2009 collision Repair 17

NOVA SCOTIA NEWS

CertificationRoad How (and why) Nova Scotia got there.

by

Y

Brian Slaunwhite

ears ago, Lindsay Gates (executive director of our association) and I had several heated discussions about the best way to help move Nova Scotia’s collision repair industry forward.

The route we chose was to explore the concept of making the collision repair trade, Motor Vehicle Body Repairer, a compulsory certified trade.

What this means is that anyone who works in the trade would have to hold a Certificate of Qualification, be a registered apprentice, or hold a temporary permit.

This would require involving the province of Nova Scotia and the Provincial Apprenticeship Board, as well as the industry because compulsory certification

becomes part of trade regulations. The question was, would compulsory certification actually be beneficial for the collision repair industry?

It has been five years since Lindsay and I, on behalf of the Collision Repair Association of Nova Scotia, submitted the application to the Apprenticeship Board requesting compulsory certification. As president of CRANS, I can say that signing that document, the formal application, was a scary moment because the end result was not clear. I can say with confidence that the risks were worth the rewards.

Our information to make the application was based on a landmark report, Prep For The Future, which you can download at aiacanada.com/downloads/Prep.pdf.

The study presents key findings and data from a Canada wide human resource study of the collision repair industry. It looks at a number of key issues and challenges facing the Canadian collision repair industry in the present and the future.

Thanks to this report, we largely knew what things would be like if the trade became compulsory certified.

A huge issue was the 70 percent failure rate on the examinations. That number was very discouraging, but at least we knew the score and we knew we had to do something about it. I am pleased to report that the numbers have undergone a complete reversal. We now have an amazing 90 percent success rate for those who are challenging the Red Seal certification exam.

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NOVA SCOTIA NEWS This is due to a number of factors. Firstly, CRANS, in partnership with the Apprenticeship Training division of the provincial government and the Nova Scotia Community College, conducted focus groups throughout the province. You, the people of the collision repair industry, told us your concerns about having to write a certification exam. As a result, the Apprenticeship Training and Skill Development division (ATSD) with the help of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) developed an upgrade course to be offered at NSCC at no cost, and the ATSD has been waiving the examination fee. This will continue until August 2011.

Compulsory certification raises the profile of professionalism of everyone working in the trade who takes the time to become certified. For the industry, it ensures workers’ skills are at a high standard and it provides mobility throughout the country.

Certification will make our industry more attractive to new people seeking to

enter a professional trade and I believe it will give the public greater confidence.

I really can’t say enough about how valuable strong relationships in this process have been. We have struck partnerships

certified, the repairs will be the very best they can be. This will benefit everyone.

In my view, what the collision repair industry in Nova Scotia needs is a way to show that the workforce is composed of

Compulsory certification raises the profile of professionalism. with the Nova Scotia Community College, the Automotive Human Resource Sector Council, the Apprenticeship Training division of the provincial government, and the Apprenticeship Board, to name a few.

In addition, there was a great deal of time and effort from our partners in the industry to attend industry meetings and focus groups, answer surveys, and sit on the Industry Committee that developed the regs.

As I said earlier, we were concerned about where the compulsory certification process would take the industry. I am confident that if all the workers in a facility are

highly trained specialists who are educated on the latest advances in vehicle design.

Experience is no longer enough. The rising use of aluminium and various highstrength steels alone will make the repair of future vehicles a matter of knowledge, not just experience. Compulsory certification shows that you’ve got what it takes. CRM

Brian Slaunwhite is the president of the Collision Repair Association of Nova Scotia (CRANS). He can be reached at 902-453-5968, or via email to bslaunwhitefap@eastlink.ca. For more information regarding CRANS, please visit crans.ca.

november 2009 collision Repair 19

WORLDSKILLS 2009

Daniel Green (above left) and Devon DeBoer competing at WorldSkills 2009 in Calgary. Green competed in Car Painting and DeBoer in Auto Body Repair.

World W Competes the

Over 100,000 people experienced skilled trades at WorldSkills 2009.

By Mike Davey

20 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

orldSkills 2009 is now behind us, but thanks to a lot of hard work by dedicated volunteers, the entire industry may reap benefits. The real purpose of WorldSkills isn’t to give young people a chance to test their skills, or to provide spectators with exciting competition. Those are nice, but they were never the primary purpose.

The real reason WorldSkills was started (and continues today) is to inspire young people to pursue the skilled trades as a viable career. Many volunteers and sponsors helped with this goal at WorldSkills, but the centre of attention was on Devon DeBoer and Daniel Green.

When building and painting plastic model cars at age eight, Daniel Green of Drumheller, Alberta, did not realize 10 years later he’d turn his hobby into a full-time job at Peterson Autobody Limited.

Now 22 years old, Green’s colourful career choice took him to WorldSkills Calgary 2009 in September, representing Canada in the car painting competition. He qualified

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WORLDSKILLS 2009 WorldSkills 2009 Facts & Figures

ABOVE, LEFT and RIGHT: Kids of all ages were intrigued by the “virtual painting” booth in Canada House at Skills City. The system, featured in the March 2008 issue of Collision Repair magazine, allows painters to practice skills in a virtual environment, thereby saving on materials. Devon DeBoer (top) with the Car-O-Liner system used in the competition. Daniel Green (bottom) preps a surface during the event. Sponsors for the events included Car-O-Liner, DuPont, and 3M.

WorldSkills 2009 was the largest independent event ever hosted at Stampede Park in Calgary. It was also the largest international competition in Calgary since the 1988 Winter Olympics. Even though the event only lasted a week, it took more than four years to plan. Take a look at the numbers below and you’ll see why: • •

after winning both the provincial and national skills competitions in Calgary last year.

Set up like a highly interactive tradeshow, WorldSkills allowed the public to freely walk around and view the competitors at work in six tasks over three and a half days.

“I knew painting against 15 outstanding international competitors would be challenging,” said Green. “With cameras flashing and people wanting to know who I am and where I work as they watched about two feet away added to the pressure, but I felt like a rock star.”

The tasks included painting car parts from scratch and painting WorldSkills’ fivecolour logo on a hood, and involved all steps of repair, from sanding and masking to panel preparation and painting, to restoring various parts to original equipment manufacturer quality.

“Both in the competition and on the job, my main goal is to make the vehicle I’m working on appear seamless as if no damage ever happened to it,” said Green.

Many industry volunteers helped to promote the industry to thousands of students, parents and educators. Just a few of these dedicated people, from left: Rob Festa (PPG), John Fernie (CMAX), Leanne Blackborow (CCIF Skills Program), John Mellar (Sherwin Williams), and Trace Steffan of the University of Northern Iowa Waste Reduction Centre, which supplied the virtual painting equipment.

To achieve this level of success is a highly technical process. Green needed to know mixing ratios, how much coats overlap and how long to wait between coats. After 13 months of preparation at work, and with a WorldSkills-appointed trainer and expert every other weekend, Green finetuned his techniques for competition.

“Everything about this experience, from the way our booths were set up to the top quality products we used, was amazing,” said Green. “I recognize the final product, if done incorrectly, could be dull, too soft or filled with small pinholes, but using the right products ensured predictable results.”

3M Canada, a sponsor of the car painting and autobody repair competitions, supplied product to help with everything from sanding primer to polishing clear coat.

“Developing people’s interest in trades is important to 3M,” said Marc Bonneau, western Canada sales manager, 3M Canada.

“Investing in WorldSkills Calgary 2009, where competitors demonstrate their abilities at the highest level, is a natural extension of our trade development program.”

DuPont was the Gold Sponsor of the Car Painting Competition. “We’re proud to have helped support the future of the industry,” said Patrice Marcil, national training manager for DuPont. Competitors used a full line of environmentally friendly DuPont products including DuPont Cromax Pro Waterborne Basecoat.

Green agreed and added, “As long as people are willing to work hard, listen to what experienced people say, and do it safely with the proper equipment, being a successful tradesperson is both attainable and rewarding.” CRM

• • • • •

•

•

•

• • •

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The competition drew 900 competitors from 51 different regions and countries.

Even more impressive, the competition drew 100,000 public spectators.

50,000 students registered to attend, giving them a chance to see just how exciting the skilled trades can be.

3,000 volunteers pitched in from various industry segments to help ensure the event was a success.

The competitors speak 30 different languages between them.

Also on hand were 5,000 international experts, delegates, and visitors.

Over $16 million in new tools and equipment was purchased for the competitions. These will be donated to various Alberta schools.

If previous competitions are anything to go by, Canada will soon see climbing enrollment in skilled trades education. Host countries tend to experience increase in enrollment to technical/polytech institute programs. The increase is typically in the 15 - 20 percent range.

This is only the second time that Canada has hosted this event. The city of Montreal also played host to the event in 2004.

The competition is only held once every two years. The next one is scheduled for 2011 in London, England. The following competition (2013) will take place in Leipzig, Germany.

Admisssion to the event at Stampede Park was free.

The competition took place September 2 - 5.

Competitors must be under the age of 23 during the year of the WorldSkills Competition. Two skill categories have exceptions to this rule: The Manufacturing Team Challenge and Aircraft Maintenance both allow competitors to be up to 25 years of age.

The competition and associated events are targeted to youth in school, young adults aged 17 - 25 and parents, industry leaders, educators and youth influencers.

WorldSkills was launched in 1946

by José Antonio Elola Olaso, then general director of OJE. november 2009 collision Repair 23

GLOBAL VIEW

Future Repairability the

of

Mark White of Jaguar Land Rover on safety systems, structure, and prediction.

By Darryl Simmons

T

he International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS) features some of the most thought provoking and interesting concepts current in the industry today. As the Canadian Publisher Partner for IBIS, Collision Repair magazine is pleased to bring you an inside look at those ideas.

The future of repairability is a key concern for all stakeholders.

Mark White spoke on this in-depth at IBIS 2009. As the chief technical specialist for body engineering at Jaguar Land Rover Product Development, White is in almost unique position to know what the future of car design will be. He noted that generally, we are either overly optimistic in terms of predictions or we are overly pessimistic. It is very rare that someone hits the mark exactly.

Regarding car body technology, White believes that the trends in the next few years are going to split in three different segments: Premium, Executive and Volume.

“To put that into context, Premium for me is the top end of the market,” said White. “The Rolls Royce, the Jaguars, the Ferraris, the Aston Martins, the Bentleys, Porsches, etc. Executive would be BMWs, Audis, Lexus’, etc. Volume clearly is Volkswagen, Fiat and the other large producers.”

As White pointed out, the Premium market is already largely aluminum or a combination of materials, at least in European vehicle manufacture. Composite cars like the Porsche GT and Ferrari Enzo occupy the very top end, but they tend to be specialized.

“The main reasons Premium Vehicle Manufactures choose aluminum are; it is very light, so you can save a lot of weight; and it is relatively close to steel in terms of both initial manufacture and understanding of what you need to do in the repair shops to fix the car should the customer have an accident,” said White.

Next is the Executive market. Typically what we see here is targeted weight saving. A good example of this is the BMW 5 series, with its all aluminum front end.

BMW are very focused on getting the correct handling balance with 50/50 weight distribution, so they put a lot of their weight saving technology in the front end of the car,” said White. “The Audi TT is similar, because it is based on a shared VW/Audi platform. They have made the whole car aluminium right up to the heel board, so all the back end is steel and all the front end is aluminum. Audi have put a mixture of aluminium and steel closures on the car, again, to get a balanced weight distribution, all the front end, the hood and the fenders are aluminium, the doors and the tailgate are steel.”

Over the years, we have seen more and more lightweight metals coming into both the Premium and the Executive segments.

Magnesium and lightweight composites are also showing increased use, typically in cross car beams and front end modules that bolt on to the body.

This is to be expected. What is not expected, however, is that we have begun to see the same trends in the Volume segment of the marketplace.

“Volkswagen is a good example of technology use in this segment,” said White. “First of all VW started with high strength steels; the reason high strength steels have been the focus is it is a fairly easy transition from making a mild steel spot welded car to making a high strength steel largely spot welded car. However, once you start running into DP steels and Boron steels you really start to have to look at your joining technology. The Volkswagen Passat has, for example, about 16 percent of the structure in Boron steel and this had a significant impact on the repair industry.

Anyone that has had to repair either a Passat or an equivalent car with Boron steel would realise you can’t just use your existing spot welding equipment and make a satisfactory repair.”

“The trends in the next few years are going to split in three different segments; Premium, Executive and Volume.”

24 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

White gave IBIS attendees what can definitely be considered good news: The car industry as a whole is starting to become more conscious about putting technology into the marketplace without putting the information into the hands of repairers. This is extremely important now, and will likely become even more important as the Volume car market continues to advance technologically.

One of the things White discussed was the super-light car concept, which we may see in the next generation Volkswagen Golf. It will be a truly radical change in Volume car manufacturing, with a large number of the panels constructed out of aluminum. Most of the box sections will probably be high strength steel, and there will very likely be some magnesium and some composites panels used in its construction.

Mark White of Jaguar Land Rover spoke at IBIS 2009 on trends in the future of vehicle repairability and sustainability.

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GLOBAL VIEW “You can see if that hits the streets and we don’t tell you about it in advance and prepare the shops, it could be a significant change in terms of the way you do your work,” said White. “We need to make sure that we prepare for that.”

Europe has already seen a large transition from steel to aluminum on closure panels. Currently 50 percent of European cars have an aluminum hood, and according to White, that trend is going to increase, for the very simple reason that it greatly helps in pedestrian impacts.

“The next trend in closures and exterior panels is going to be roofs and doors, so again something for the shops to consider,” said White. “Doors are fairly easy. Clearly if you put an aluminum door on the car you can just take it off and put a new one on, but aluminum roofs will be a trend that we will see more and more of.”

For example, the new BMW 7 series has just been introduced with an aluminum roof, and the Mitsubishi Outlander has one as well. White predicts those trends will increase in the next few years.

Repairs to roofs aren’t exactly the bread-and-butter of the collision repair industry, but it does happen, so it is another technology and another kind of change that the industry needs to be prepared for.

However, White believes that the next big change on the horizon in vehicle design is a move from passive safety systems to dynamic safety systems. Cars today are undoubtedly safer, with body shells that are three to four times stiffer than 20 years ago. When EuroNCAP began testing cars, most of the vehicles were getting a crash protection rating of only one or two stars. Now it is very rare that a European vehicle tested by EuroNCAP gets less than five stars. In fact, this has led the testing agency to begin moving away from looking at predominantly front occupant injury criteria. Instead, they are also taking into consideration in a greater way how the car interacts with other users, such as rear seat passengers and now pedestrians.

White predicts that there may be a bit of a drop back of scores on EuroNCAP, not because the cars are becoming less safe, but because they will be judged on more stringent criteria such as pedestrian safety.

“We have pretty much gone as far as we need to go in terms of stiffness and strength of the body structure,” said White. “Yes, we will have changes in materials, and yes, we will have changes in joining technology. We will mix it up depending on the volume, but largely the technology that we see for bodies at the moment is already there in the marketplace and it is just how much aluminum or how much magnesium or how much high strength steel will go into an individual car.”

The real revolution is one that is already starting to happen. In five to 10 years, we will likely be seeing less accidents, because as White put it, “The car will stop you from doing stupid things. We already have some of the technology in the Premium segment.”

Collision mitigation systems will likely become increasingly common, even in vehicles in the Volume segment. However, it isn’t just major collisions that will start to decrease. The future will likely see an increase in systems that help avoid minor collisions as well.

“We will have systems that not only park the car, they will actually brake the car before you run into the car behind or in front,” said White. “All of these features are coming to the Premium segment. We are driving cars in prototype form now, or we already have the systems on one of the new cars that are coming in the next few years.”

The vehicles of the future will feature a host of new systems.

Here are just a few that you can expect to see.

Pedestrian Safety Systems Numerous ideas are in development (or in production!) that will make the cars of the future safer for people around them.

26 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Adaptive Cruise Control

Forward Collision Warning

This system uses forward-looking radar, installed behind the grill, to detect the speed and distance of the vehicle ahead of it.

The day of the car based radar system is almost here. Sensors will alert you of impending impacts.

GLOBAL VIEW There’s been a push at the OEM level in recent years to build pedestrian safety into automobiles. Expect to see more and more pedestrian deployable hoods and pedestrian sensing systems in cars.

“To put all this in context, clearly the vehicle safety systems are things that are really going to matter, but…we are going to see really strong technology trends there too. The first thing we are going to see is the growth of electronics in the car,” says White. “By 2015 we are likely to have more computing power in the car than you have in your head, which is pretty significant.”

These advanced electronics will interact not only with the per-

son using the car, but the environment outside the car as well.

White also quizzed attendees about the future of the electric car. A show of hands indicated that not one single person in the audience at IBIS actually drove an electric car. A few hands went up when he asked if anyone would be driving one five years from now.

He used this to illustrate that assumptions are often incorrect.

“The whole world, if the scenarios are correct, will be driving electric cars by 2050,” said White. “Now that’s again only a prediction. That’s my opinion, but there are some strong reasons why we may want to do that.” CRM

Blind Spot Mirror Probably one of the most low-tech devices listed here, it will serve as a bigger mirror, allowing you to see more.

Parking Aid Computers will help you park your car, leading to fewer fender benders.

Advanced Emergency Brake Assist Should an impact become unavoidable, Advanced Emergency Brake Assist (AEBA) function will trigger, enabling full ABS braking to be achieved more quickly than a conventional emergency brake assist system.

Automatic Headlamp Dipping Advanced sensors will automatically dip the headlights to prevent dazzle.

Rear View Camera An active system that will allow you to see behind the vehicle, eliminating the “blind spot.” november 2009 collision Repair 27

PROFILE OF SUCCESS

Joy

Joy Skinner takes Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN to the next level with true passion.

By Mike Davey

A

Secret

passion for the business is an essential part of any successful shop owner. You won’t find anyone more passionate about the collision repair industry than Joy Skinner, the owner/operator of Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN in Orillia, Ontario.

“I feel very blessed to work in this industry,” says Skinner. “It’s a fast paced business that’s always changing. There are always new ideas, new ways of doing things and exciting avenues to explore.”

Anyone who knows Joy Skinner knows that she has a lot of energy and looks at every new day as a new opportunity. If you don’t know Joy Skinner, then you should. Her positive thinking and passion for the business are infectious, but you could get that response from others. What sets Joy Skinner apart is her devotion to her employees and her shop. Her philosophy is to do everything she can to ensure both are the very best they can be.

“All of our technicians are ministry licensed and I-CAR Gold Class trained,” says Skinner. “But we don’t stop there. I-CAR training is mandatory and our staff members have the opportunity to take personal development classes three times a year. Staff are also comprehensively crossed trained, allowing them to do each others’ jobs when needed. It also helps them understand the difficulties other team members face, day to day.”

It is easy to see why Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN has a high rate of staff retention. However, as Joy Skinner points out, it’s just as vital to attract young blood. The facility has an in-house apprenticeship program to help achieve this end.

“We work hard to develop good relationships with local high schools and co-op programs”, says Skinner. “After a new employee has been here for a year, we can see if they have the vision and passion for collision repair that we are looking for. If they do, they can start in on the apprenticeship program, which we pay for.”

It’s an attractive package for a young person considering a career in the field. Joy Skinner believes that it’s one of the best ways to attract new talent to Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN. “We want to have good staff, and the best way to get them is by nurturing young people,” she says. “We all know that the collision repair industry has an aging workforce and that’s what we need to do to make sure we have excellent people. It’s really important to have that young blood.”

28 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Snapshot NAME: Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN ADDRESS: 21 Ontario Street, Orillia, ON L3V 6P3 STAFF: Technicians: 4 Apprentices: 3 Detailers: 1 Painters: 1 Preppers: 2 Office: 2.5 Management : 2 (full time – 1 CGA 1 day a week) Quality Control/ Foreman: 1 SYSTEMS: Paint AkzoNobel Sikkens Frame: Wedge Clamp (2), CHART Estimating: Audatex, Eclaims Management System: Shopman ABS Joy Skinner

profiles of success

Equipment on reels and a design that helps to eliminate walking improve performance at Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN.

Joy Skinner also points out that the aging workforce itself can be a boon in attracting young talent. “Experienced workers who have seen it all can serve as mentors to the next generation. That can be very helpful to someone just starting out,” she says. “We have one fellow who has been here for 26 years and apprentices can learn so much just from talking to him and working with him. It’s really important that apprentices have the opportunity to learn from experienced people who have been down the same road they are about to embark on.”

Another relationship that Joy Skinner helps to foster is with Georgian College, in her position on the school’s Community Advisory Board. Gwen Strachan is vice-chair of the Board of Governors of Georgian College and believes very strongly in Joy Skinner’s abilities.

“Joy sees Georgian College as a good partner,” says Strachan.“She is an outstanding business woman and community member. From my perspective, Joy’s service delivery is second to none.”

This is a sentiment that customers, suppliers and insurance partners of Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN would likely echo. The facility’s CSI has never dropped below 98 percent and most often is higher.

Joy Skinner also takes time from her busy schedule volunteering for many other community initiates and was awarded “Citizen of the Year” by the Honorable Hilary Weston, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

This is just one of many honours she has received over the years.

When it comes to collision repair we can talk about passion and worker support until we’re blue in the face, but there is still one primary question: What is the shop like? In the case of Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN, it can be answered in one word: Amazing.

A massive expansion was completed two years ago with the facility now spanning two buildings. The original site is where the offices are located, as well as the prepping, detailing and paint operation. It also houses the facility’s “fast lane” operation.

The second building is the new one, and it’s where the facility’s parts department and 14 collision bays are housed. Communications between the two buildings are connected underground linking phones and computers and to further be sure that everyone could reach someone the minute they needed them staff have access to a hand held “Mike” system. Each member can communicate through this system and the management team carries a “Mike.” It is one more way to speed up flow through.

Two of Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN’s largest suppliers also use the “Mike” system so they have instant access to staff, and suppliers can be reached instantly anywhere in the city.

This alleviates tying up phone lines and speeds up turn around times. Every idea possible has been incorporated to help communication and allow work to flow smoothly.

Equipment is on reels and is easily accessed. Technicians who need assistance do not need to go looking for a manager, as each bay is equipped with a special light to indicate when assistance is required. The interior of the building has been designed to eliminate as much walking as possible.

“We review our walking policy and other policies on a regular basis. When there are problems we talk and do our best to eliminate them right away. The last two years we have also spent a lot of time of our 5S lean system at Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN. We continue to work on improvement. I am a firm believer in continuous improvement,” says Skinner.

Joy Skinner has been a member of the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) since its inception. She says it is a chance for her to give back to the industry and to help young women who need mentoring on their journey in collision repair.

“I feel very blessed to work in this industry. There are always new ideas, new ways of doing things, and exciting avenues to explore.”

“I think at least some of Joy’s success can be attributed to two key characteristics of her personality,” says Roland Taube, Canadian market manager for AkzoNobel. “Loyalty to her staff is returned in kind, and her integrity translates to quality repairs.”

Over the years she has been active in many other associations in the collision repair industry, including representing collision repairers on the I-CAR Board of Directors for 11 years. Sam Pezzullo of State Farm Insurance has also been involved with I-CAR’s Board for many years and recalls his thoughts on meeting Joy Skinner.

“She was one of the first true women leaders in the collision repair industry that I knew,” he says. “She’s passionate about training her people, and she was one of the first people to recognize that there’s a consumer awareness element to training and getting the message out to the public.”

Like many in the industry, Joy Skinner foresaw the effects of consolidation and today Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN is a member of Collision Solutions Network (CSN). “It’s a wonderful organization, because we all have a really strong commitment to our industry and the consumer,” says Skinner. “As independent owners, we all have a vested interest in making sure we provide our customers with exemplary service and quality. I really identify with that. My community, my industry, and people are very important to me.” CRM november 2009 collision Repair 29

WOMEN OF THE INDUSTRY

NorthernVoice

Michelle Rolls of Queensway Fix Auto speaks with confidence.

By Mike Davey

Women’s Industry Network (WIN) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, developing and cultivating opportunities to attract women to collision repair while recognizing excellence, promoting leadership, and fostering a network among the women who are shaping the industry.

Collision Repair magazine is pleased to announce that Michelle Rolls, and every woman profiled in our Women of the Industry section, will receive a membership to WIN. For more information on WIN, please visit womensindustrynetwork.com.

30 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

T

here’s something about a long standing business that seems to say that it has resisted change. To an outside observer, it might look like the business has succeeded by doing its own thing while the world moved around it. In reality, the businesses that stand the test of time are the ones that are not only prepared to change, but actively seek out the opportunity.

That’s certainly been the case with Queensway Fix Auto in Prince George, British Columbia. Founded 27 years ago, the business has experienced numerous changes over its life.

One of the most significant changes took place when the current owner took over. Michelle Rolls has been the owner/operator of Queensway Fix Auto for the last six years. She purchased the facility from her mother, Mary, in 2003.

“I went to College of New Caledonia to study business,” says Rolls. “At the time I had no intention of being in the collision repair business, but the opportunity was too much to resist.”

With a business education and professional experience in office management, it’s not surprising that Michelle Rolls concerns herself a great deal with numbers.

“My background means that numbers are my strong suit, so I started in the front office,” says Rolls. “Over the last few years I’ve learned a lot about the technical aspects from the guys working here, and I’m still taking courses myself. There’s not a lot available, but I encourage everyone to go.”

Training can be hard to access in Prince George, a city of 74,000 in the centre of British Columbia. That’s one thing Michelle Rolls has been working to change. She has been the northern director of ARA’s Collision Repair Division for the last three years.

“I wanted to create more of a voice for the northern part of the province. It’s a different environment. We drive different vehicles, bigger vehicles, and there’s a lot of logging and off road. We’re not dealing with $2,500 fender benders. All winter long we’re dealing with $15,000 to $25,000 hits,” she says.

It’s a setting in which every single tech must be experienced at full-frame structural repair, and wait times for frame equipment can be significant. Smooth running can become a major challenge in those circumstances. Michelle Rolls takes it in stride.

“You need to have confidence in your skills,” she says. “And the more I get involved, the more I understand the industry as a whole.”

Michelle Rolls has reason to be confident. In 2007 she received the ARA Member of the Year Award.

“It was the biggest honour I’ve ever received, as it was given to me by my peers,” says Rolls. “The future is very exciting. The way we do business is changing every day. We have to work smarter, and I like the challenge.” CRM

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2:42 PM

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CSN CONFERENCE

By Darryl Simmons

CSN’s conference harnesses the energy of human potential.

A

gainst the backdrop of the most powerful wonder of the world, Collision Solutions Network’s annual conference was a power unto its own. More than 230 people gathered to meet and share ideas in a threeday conference featuring some of the top minds in the industry. Located at the Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the theme of the conference was Elements.

“From a philosophical perspective, the four elements are thought to represent the human psyche: fire is desire, earth stands for stability, air is free like thought, and water can flow like emotion,” said Flavio Battilana, chief operating officer for CSN. “It represents a perfect balance of every aspect needed for success.”

The conference kicked off with a welcome reception and dinner at the Great Falls Foyer & Ballroom of the Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview. After dinner, CSN members who excelled in customer service throughout the past year were recognized through an awards presentation given by CSN’s director of marketing, Lianne Perissinotti and Bev Groves, Atlantic business development manager. The winners of the CSN Dedication to Excellence Award were: Winner, Division A: High Street Auto Body ~ CSN Winner, Division B: City Automotive ~ CSN Winner, Division C: Golden Triangle Collision ~ CSN Winner, Division D: Jones’ Auto Body ~ CSN Winner, Division E: Sarkis Collision Center ~ CSN The conference provided one piece of very exciting news for the network. CSN has officially entered a new territory and extended operations into Alberta. The first shop to sign with CSN is Reflections Auto Body ~ CSN, located in Edmonton.

Larry French, National Director of Sales for CSN states, “We are thrilled to have expanded our services into the Alberta market and serve our insurance partners needs. We are proud to have Gary Laschuk, owner of Reflections Auto Body ~ CSN as our first member in Alberta.

We know Gary and his team will represent us well as we continue our western expansion.”

Chris Evans of State Farm and David Merrell of CSi Complete.

32 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Alex Sun of Mitchell International, Flavio Battilana of CSN, and Michel Gagnon of Mitchell International.

Events moved into high gear the next morning with the opening remarks delivered by Flavio Battilana. As he put it, “The four elements represent the four influential factors in our industry: the repairer, the insurer, the supplier and of course the customer. Our mutual goal can only be achieved when we all work together.”

The opening remarks also included another major announcement. CSN’s launch into windshield repair and replacement. “We are excited to offer additional in house services to our clients. CSN’s glass initiative will help promote our new retail locations which will allow us to better serve our clients.”

The first speaker of the day was Jim Huling of FranklinCovey, famous in the business world as one of the first to adopt the Four Disciplines of Execution: 1. Focus on the Wildly Important 2. Create a Compelling Scoreboard 3. Translate Lofty Goals into Specific Actions 4. Hold Each Other Accountable–All of the Time Alex Sun, president of Mitchell International, spoke on past, current and future trends within the Industry and the factors driving the current technology changes influencing the business of collision repair.

Reinforcing the Elements theme, Bernie Blickenstaff of Collision Management Services spoke on the Elements of the Collision Industry. He referenced Fire, Earth, Air, and Water to compare them with the issues collision repairers deal with each day.

“We each have our own fire that drives us toward success,” said Lorenzo D’Alessandro of 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN. “Bernie shared his experiences in the business to help each of us think about our relationships in more productive ways.”

For more information on CSN, please visit csninc.ca. CRM

CSN CONFERENCE

ABOVE, LEFT: Rob Pavan of Golden Triangle Collision ~ CSN and Joy Skinner of Industrial Park Collision ~ CSN. ABOVE, CENTRE: Gino Mascarin of Mascarin Collision Centre ~ CSN and Jack Kaakahdjian of Gore Mutual Insurance Company ABOVE, FAR RIGHT: Don and Regine Treschak of Treschak Enterprises.

ABOVE: Dave Georgio and Michael Carcone of Carcone’s Auto Recycling and Gloria Mann of Collision Repair magazine.

RIGHT: Nick and Silvana DiLuca of CARS Auto Collision ~ CSN with one of their granddaughters.

BELOW: Phil St. Pierre of LKQ/Keystone and Larry French of CSN.

Lean does not have to be hard.

We have been making Lean

From left: Mike George of AkzoNobel; Lorenzo D’Alessandro, 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN; and Amy Barker, Mercy Biado, and Roland Taube of AkzoNobel.

CSN would like to thank the sponsors who helped make the conference a success: Platinum

AkzoNobel BASF

Gold

Audatex, a Solera Company Carcone’s Auto Recycling Discount Car & Truck Rentals Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Mitchell International / MPX

Silver

3M St. Gobain Keystone/LKQ RS Finishing Summit Software Solutions

Bronze

CSi Complete Please Hold Canada Uniban Wurth Canada Automotive Business Consultants SelectPath Camfil Thorold Auto Parts & Recyclers Treschak Enterprises

A-B-C easy since 1990!

416.587.1748

www.a-b-c-inc.com november 2009 collision Repair 33

CSN stretches fr

CSN is DEDICATED TO EXCELLENCE across the country.

Now servicing Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, & Prince Edward Island.

rom W est t o

Eas

t.

CSNinc.ca

process

™

Fast Greens With Air-Dry Technology

Since switching to SherwinWilliams’ HP Process and the AWX waterborne basecoat system, we have finally realized the results we want. The HP process used with AWX is lean and green.

— Phil McNaul | Miller’s Collision Services Fort Erie, Ontario

Don’t putt around, it’s actually easy being green – just call 1-800-798-5872.

sherwin-automotive.com

On the golf course, fast greens are hard. In the collision shop, being fast – while being green – is hard, too. So how do you speed up production while doing the right thing when it comes to the environment? With the new HP Process™ from Sherwin-Williams, now you can.

Bill Gooder (Left) Paint Technician

Phil McNaul (Right) Collision Services Manager

The HP Process uses proprietary Air-Dry technology to remove the need for baking.

It achieves a fast cure time at ambient (70-75°F) room temperatures, allowing for same-day repairs. In fact, its HPC15 Clearcoat can achieve a 15-minute cure that can be sanded, polished and even delivered to the customer.

The HP Process not only benefits the environment by reducing a shop’s carbon footprint, but it impacts the bottom line by lowering energy costs and helping paint more cars, faster. The HP Process stands for higher productivity, higher performance, higher profits, a healthy planet – and especially a happy painter.

LAS VEGAS SHOW GUIDE

New Year, New Gear

The hottest new products from NACE and SEMA.

By Mike Davey

Inclusion in this section does not constitute an endorsement by Collision Repair magazine or its staff. Information presented is drawn from materials provided by the companies profiled. Please research any new equipment thoroughly before purchase.

E

very November Las Vegas, Nevada plays host to thousands of people representing every segment of the automotive aftermarket industry. They come to network and learn, but for many people the real action can be found on the exhibition floor.

Knowing about new equipment is vital. The faster you can get this information, the better off you will be. After all, if a manufacturer built a spray-gun that was twice as efficient, would you want to be the last kid on the block to get one? Probably not.

The Las Vegas shows are a great way to see what’s hot and new in the world of collision repair equipment and supplies. However, it is literally impossible for one person (or even a dedicated team) to see it all. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got you covered.

Collision Repair magazine has reached out to many of the top companies displaying in Las Vegas this year. Over the next few pages you’ll see a product-by-product breakdown of some of the things on the show floor, and some of the people behind them.

So what are you waiting for? Turn the page and get started! november 2009 collision Repair 37

Before You Dive into

water.

transtar no miX® Low voc Basecoat is solvent-based and complies with the most stringent automotive refinish regulations in north america. since our system is not water-based, there’s no need to buy new equipment, invest in additional waste removal systems or to expect longer cycle times…

But, avoiding the hassle of a waterborne shop conversion is not the only benefit. transtar no miX® Low voc Basecoat also saves time and money–its unique chemistry eliminates the need for a mixing bank and enables hiding in as little as two coats. with transtar no miX® Low voc, just shake and pour and stay profitable with a compliant solvent-based system!

For more information, please call 1.800.871.9307.

transtar is tHe autoBoDY soLutions companY.

Visit us at Booth #12325

2040 Heiserman Drive • BrigHton, mi 48114 • 1.800.824.2843 • www.tat-co.com

SHOW GUIDE: REPAIR

KAHUNA

Vision welder

Chief Automotive NACE #N2847

CAR-O-LINER NACE #N3567

According to Chief, more than 80 percent of cars the average collision repair facility sees are “light hits” with little or no structural damage. Yet many of these same vehicles end up on frame racks, tying up expensive equipment. Chief’s solution to this dilemma is Kahuna, an in-bay drive-over lift and collision repair system. Although compact, Kahuna features a 5,500 lb lift capacity with eight working heights and a pulling arm with 360-degree positioning and a proprietary vehicle anchoring system that doesn’t require wheel stands. Kahuna is part of Chief’s Design Based Repair Systems.

chiefautomotive.com 866-803-9176

Mike Cranfill

ACCELE-CURE

Garmat USA NACE #N8301

Accele-Cure is Garmat USA’s patented solution to the flashing of waterborne paints. This type of paint needs a higher velocity airflow to “accelerate” the drying process. Accele-Cure utilizes aluminum blade propeller fans, which are designed to focus more airflow at a faster velocity directly over the vehicle. By breaking the micro climate around the paint surface, the water is evaporated far quicker, thus accelerating the evaporation process. This ultimately results in a substantially quicker flash time. The company says testing has proven that Accele-Cure flashes paint far quicker for both waterborne and solvent type paints. Accele-Cure system draws air towards the centre of the booth and accelerates the air delivered from the plenum.

garmat.com 866-325-2886

Roger Turmel

The CAR-O-LINER VISION was designed to give shops factory weld reproduction ability that exceeds crash-test safety standards after the vehicle has been repaired. The spot welding system includes a number of automatic features, such as recognition of total sheet metal thickness via a PulseSonar-System, recognition of raw material type (normal/high strength) via Virtual Generator, and definition of weld diameter via total energy input. The subsequent welding process is based on the measurements taken without having to enter or adjust parameters in advance. Updateable for new OEM specs via USB.

car-o-liner.com 248.624.5900

Randy Profeta

Stud lever

Steck Manufacturing NACE #N2558 From Steck Manufacturing Company, the Stud Lever is designed to allow a technician to quickly grip studs/pull pins while controlling the dent pulling process as well as accuracy of the pull. Features include a strong reinforced nylon lever with pivoting base and self-locking stud capture mechanism, allowing the technician to quickly lock and lever studs while also compressing the crown area of the dent with the pivoting base. The adjustable pivot base on the Stud Lever allows onehanded operation and provides increased leverage, accuracy and reach for the pull and crown compression processes both vertical and horizontal, including vehicle roofs and lower rocker panels.

steckmfg.com 937-222-0062

John Brill

november 2009 collision Repair 39

SHOW GUIDE: REPAIR

GRiffon xl

Celette North America NACE #N3753 The new Griffon XL bench is featured in the Celette exhibit.

The XL is an extended ‘drive-on’ bench for use on commercial vehicles. The new model is 19’ long, and includes 51 crossmember positions. While it is longer than the Griffon 2800, the XL maintains an easy-to-use low loading angle. The drive-on ramps are removable. The Griffon XL has a lifting capacity of 9200 lbs, utilizing two independent internal lifts, and powerful 10-ton pulling capabilities from every position. The XL integrates with all current Celette fixtures, computerized measuring systems and accessories.

celette-na.com 630-396-6100

Matthias Larisch

uni-spotter 450

H&S Autoshot NACE #N1957

H&S Autoshot offers what they believe may be the best value stud welder starter kit for the progressive technician in the Uni-Spotter 4550. The unit features “Stud Ease” technology.

Exclusive to Uni-Spotter stud welders, “Stud Ease“ holds the stud in place no matter what direction the stud welder is pointed. The kit contains a stud welder, heavy duty “T” Handle slidehammer, stud welding tip and a 500 count package of Flexpert (2.2 mm) pulling studs. The transformer comes with a lifetime guarantee, and the company says the stud welder features a lightweight, high impact, flame retardant housing and a super sensitive trigger in the handle for one-handed operation. Also features built-in overload protection.

hsautoshot.com 888-677-3798

Minibench

Collision Equipment Group NACE #N3553 SEMA #12317

NACE booth #N2558

The long awaited new drive-on MiniBench from Spanesi will be featured at the Collision Equipment Group (CEG) booth.

The unit can be used as a lift, estimating tool, R&R Platform, and as a light to medium repair station. According to CEG, the unit is ideal for the shop that wants multiple installations.

The MiniBench can handle vehicles with or without pinchwelds, vans, and 4WD units. Various accessories are available, allowing a shop to equip the MiniBench to its particular needs.

The MiniBench has a lift capacity of 4,850 lbs., and a pulling capacity of 6 tons.

cegroup.com 888-777-4450

40 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

SHOW GUIDE: REFINISH

GLASURIT 90-Line

AWX

BASF SEMA #21442

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes NACE #N3791

Glasurit 90 Line is BASF’s waterborne automotive refinish technology available since 1992, long before stringent VOC regulations were introduced to the automotive refinish industry. Glasurit 90-Line waterborne basecoat system is used in the original production of ultra-luxury cars such as the Maybach, the Rolls Royce, and the Bentley, a testament to the confidence that these manufacturers have in Glasurit 90-Line waterborne paint. According to BASF, one of the more impressive attributes of Glasurit 90-Line is that it’s the only waterborne system in the auto refinish market with a shelf life equal to solventborne bases.

basfrefinish.com 248-304-5456

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes Corp. (SWAFC) has one of the single largest exhibition spaces at NACE, fulfilling the company’s promise to bring attendees the “Full Branch Experience.”

The SWAFC booth is an almost exact replica of one of its more than 200 automotive sales and service branches. The booth offers more than 10,000 SKUs of available automotive paint and associated products. This includes a greater selection of SWAFC-branded products such as ULTRA, AWX, and Planet Color. Other offerings on display include Express Scratch Repair and lean production systems like HP Process.

sherwin-automotive.com 905-890-4243 Bob Leibel

Brent Wallace

Assured Automotive

Cares

“

ENOUGH TO BE PROPERLY

&

TRAINED EQUIPPED NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO, BECAUSE WE WANT TO.

”

TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL IN TODAY’S INDUSTRY

Assured Automotive wishes to extend their congratulations to Audatex as they celebrate their 25th Anniversary in Canada.

As one of Assured’s Strategic Vendor Partners, Audatex and Assured have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship dating back some 20 years. With a multitude of milestones and industry “firsts”, including the collision repair industry’s first computerized estimating system. Assured honours Audatex for their commitment, dedication and contribution to the collision repair industry.

ASSU RED HONO RED

Tony Canadé, President of Assured Automotive (Left) and John Kotsopoulos, Managing Director for Audatex Canada (Right).

november 2009 collision Repair 41

SHOW GUIDE: REFINISH

Aqualution

Matrix System Automotive Finishes NACE #N3067 Aqualution Waterborne Basecoat (AWB) by Matrix System has been developed to provide a viable solution to the current challenges governing allowable VOC emissions. According to the company, AWB offers exceptional hiding, high efficiency, and reduced overspray with ease of application. It provides excellent colour matching capability, with more than 35,000 formulas and variants available. Coverage provided is up to 30 percent superior to the older solvent-based systems.

According to information provided by Matrix System Automotive Finishes, Aqualution Waterborne Basecoat can provide cost savings over competitive products. Features sixty-five specialized toners and pearls.

matrixsystem.com 248.668.8135

H20 Waterborne system

Pro-Spray Automotive Finishes NACE #N1867

Pro-Spray H2O Waterborne System is a fully compliant, stand alone, compact basecoat colour system designed for vehicle refinishing. It provides 70 shake and pour toners and over 54,000 up-to-date waterborne colour formulations. No special mix bank equipment is needed. The system includes a full line of low-VOC primers and clearcoats. According to the company, H20 Waterborne system gives both quick coverage and fast drying, while also providing superior metallic control. A statement from Pro-Spray says the toners have the highest pigment, metallic and pearl concentrations available today.

prosprayfinishes.com 330-830-6000 Gregg Hauk

42 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

No mix low-voc

Transtar Autobody Technologies SEMA #12325 Headquartered in Brighton, Michigan, Transtar manufactures automotive refinish and bodyshop repair products that meet the performance standards of its customers and conform to the regulations that protect the lives of industry professionals and the environment. Key product offerings include: primers, sealers, clearcoats, specialty coatings, seam sealers and adhesives, compounds and glazes, a full array of tools and accessories, and the recent addition of its No Mix low-VOC solvent-based basecoat. Transtar Autobody Technologies is ISO 9001:2000 certified and part of the Transtar Automotive Group.

tat-co.com 800-824-2843

Cheryl Selwood

Jetair AF-08 air dry fans

Pro-Tek Spray Equipment NACE N#2835

The Jetair AF-08 from Pro-Tek Spray Equipment was designed specifically for drying waterborne coatings. Available in both free standing and wall mounted versions, the unit features 1,200 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air displacement at full speed, while the fan uses only 4 - 8 CFM. Both versions offer numerous features, including a stainless steel outer shell to provide an easily cleaned and rust proof finish, improving length of service.

The fan blades are of stainless steel fan blades and the inner shell is of aluminum. This combination means there will be no sparks from static build-up.The stainless steel, oiless air motor insures no contamination in the booth.

pro-teksprayequipment.com 416-709-0387

SHOW GUIDE: REFINISH

SUPERNOVA

Anest Iwata SEMA #24581

When ANEST IWATA began designs on the SUPERNOVA, the company enlisted the help of world-renowned design firm Pininfarina, famous for their state-of-the-art automobile design.

ANEST IWATA refers to the SUPERNOVA as a premium gun that combines superior atomization control with production speed and ergonomics. There are two HVLP versions of the SUPERNOVA, the LS400 for clear coat and the LS400 for basecoat.

Both guns are available with either a 1.3mm or a 1.4mm nozzle size. The basecoat version is designated by the gold coloured air-cap. The SUPERNOVA will have its official North American release during the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas.

anestiwata.com 513-755-3100

TSUNAMi DELUXE COMPRESSOR/DRYER

Tsunami Compressed Air Solutions NACE #N2253

The Tsunami Deluxe Compressor-Dryer Systems is a complete compressor and dryer built into one unit that can make any shop ready for waterborne. It comes in four models; 7.5 hp, 10 hp, 15 hp, and 20 hp models, and will soon be available in a 30 hp model. Pictured above is the 10 hp vesion. The units come standard with many features including an SFD drying system, a cast iron pump featuring a five-year warranty, a Baldor industrial electrical motor with a two-year warranty, an oversized after cooler, an auto moisture minder tank drain, and high flow outlet regulator. Other standard features include a built-in bypass system, ASME powder coated tank, a NEMA four electrical box, isolation mounts for top plate, and a motor starter.

tsunami.us.com 800-782-5752

VORTEX SySTEM

Nova Verta NACE #N2940

Nova Verta USA offers the Vortex System. The company says it’s seeing outstanding results from this low cost upgrade to older booths of any make or model for waterborne paints.

The booth system consists of 2 towers with a very powerful air accelerator nozzle on each tower creating over 600 feet per minute from less than12 CFM at 40 PSI of compressed air. The towers are installed normally vertically (custom mounting also available), with one at each end of booth in opposite corners.

The system also includes a CFM monitoring gauge, air solenoid and automated timer control and can be installed in less than half a day. The system has no wearing parts or filtration and requires only occasional cleaning in five minutes or less.

novavertausa.com 800-668-2921

november 2009 collision Repair 43

SHOW GUIDE: SERVICES

Product Name CHECKMATE IMS

Company Car-Part NACE #N1853 and SEMA #11533 Information Partmate can be used to update Checkmate with a single click, while SmartVin provides the intercharge number for most parts directly from the VIN. Smart Interchange simplifies interchange while you look up parts and a built-in warranty calculator displays all warranty prices for each part. Custom reports can be created using Crystal Reports, Excel, and Access. Checkmate also offers over 100 customization options. Parts are graded automatically based on damage, condition, and/or miles on the road.

web Car-Part.com contact # 859-344-1925

Roger Schroder

ezpartorder Online software

Ezpartorder Online Software NACE #N2652

Ezpartorder.com is an online system that allows you to order parts online from your local suppliers. Among the many features offered; you can request multiple quotes, automatically extract parts list from any estimating system (or enter a list manually), and see your part ordering history. The company says you will spend less time on the phone, allowing you to spend more time on your customers. Adding a new supplier to your list is quick and easy. All data entered is owned and controlled by you.

514-633-6399

Jean Germain

44 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Product Name PRemium recycled parts

Team Company PRP NACE #N9000

Information The Premium Recycled Parts (PRP) program grew out of the realization that the philosophy of sharing resources could make a huge improvement in the way members could serve customers. The objective is to sell more parts by helping insurers and repairers reduce severity and cycle time in three ways: 1. Make it easier for customers to find and buy recycled parts.

2. Improve the quality and consistency of recycled parts and customer service.

3. Gather the necessary information for insurers, repairers, and recyclers to manage increased recycled parts use effectively.

web teamprp.com contact # 416-286-8686

David Gold

Mitchell repaircenter

Mitchell International NACE #N3087

According to the company, Mitchell RepairCenter is the only solution available that integrates business management, customer experience management, and repair management in a single location. RepairCenter was built from the collision repairer’s perspective and leverages Mitchell’s expertise in building shop performance management solutions to fit the way you do business. Mitchell International says that choosing from RepairCenter’s varied functionality areas allow you to manage your shop your way, providing a solution that is “right-sized” for your particular collision repair facility. Mitchell RepairCenter is focused specifically on improving profitability and growth within any size business.

mitchell.com 888-271-6176 ext. 5622

e th t t Da ou 3 83 5 ck in 3 he re N C tu oth Fu Bo

The future is here.

Audatex is the only North American provider today with smart graphics and an intelligent database to help drive your business.

We build proven solutions based on automotive expertise in more than 50 countries. Being smart starts with knowing what works. And then doing it. Come see us at NACE 2009. The future is here.

416.498.3777 | www.audatex.ca Š Audatex North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Intelligence. Built In.

TRAINING

Students at the PPG MVP Green Belt Training seminar held recently in Syracuse, New York. It’s an intensive four-day course for collision centre owners and managers on the practical applications of Lean Six Sigma techniques.

GreenBelt

the

By Mike Davey

S

Intensive training on process and performance.

trong collision repair facilities are a major key to success for automotive refinish companies. That’s why so many of them offer numerous training options that go far beyond paint. Intensive education on process performance and competitiveness are the order of the day for repairers eager to improve competitiveness and improve numbers.

A good example is PPG’s MVP Green Belt training, an exclusive and intensive learning event. The course is based on teaching collision centre owners and managers the practical applications of Lean Six Sigma techniques to boost quality, speed, cost performance, and overall competitiveness.

“Today’s performance challenge in our industry requires that collision-centre operators simultaneously improve quality, speed and cost,” says Jim Berkey, director, MVP Business Solutions Group. “We have seen the interest in applying the Lean Six Sigma approach to collision work grow exponentially over the last few years, and we’re fortunate to have been at the forefront in successfully training our shops and working with them through implementation challenges.”

MVP Green Belt Training was introduced in 2006. The program evolved from four years of extensive research and development by a team of Master Black Belt Lean Six Sigma experts and MVP collision centre consultants. To date, more than 650 owners and managers from across North America have experienced the program’s blend of ongoing education and execution support.

“The demand for Green Belt has been growing each year as collision centre owners and managers are feeling more and more pressure to improve their business and process performance,” said Rich Altieri, senior manager, MVP Business Solutions. “They’re recognizing that a strong competitive advantage today, and in the future, lies with those shops that can deliver and differentiate on process performance. That’s where Green Belt Training comes in.”

46 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

TRAINING Key Green Belt Training program elements include: • Success factors that enable organizations to thrive in rapidly changing environments.

• Simulation games to learn Lean Six Sigma fundamentals and what cycle time reduction means to the collision repair processes. Practical application of Lean Six Sigma principles through X-Ray Repair Planning and fundamentals such as 5S and Workplace Organization.

• Leadership and implementation modules that address the need for everyone in an organization to participate in building stronger processes and a process improvement culture.

• Shop tours and assignments to reinforce the understanding and confidence critical to successful implementation.

Josh Strong is the project manager for Concordia CARSTAR West in Ottawa, ON. He recently attended the program in Syracuse, New York.

“Green Belt training has taught me to map a practical approach to tackling my constraints in production while providing me with the first set of footprints to follow ‘one car at a time,’” he says. “Through the training, I have learned how to apply certain internal metrics to areas in which I need to focus on at my shop to gain control. The four days allowed me a great opportunity to network and share ideas with a variety of industry colleagues which I benefited from by seeing how other people manage and work in their shops.”

MVP Green Belt Training is only available to collision repair facilities using PPG Refinish products. For more information or to register for an upcoming session, contact your PPG territory manager or distributor, call MVP Business Solutions at 440-572-6149, or email MVPmailbox@ppg.com. CRM

LS400 basecoat

LS400 clearcoat

A NEW STAR IS BORN DESIGN MEETS PERFORMANCE

ANEST IWATA USA, Inc. www.anestiwata.com THE NORTH AMERICAN OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE SUPERNOVA WILL BE DURING THE 2009 SEMA SHOW NOVEMBER 3RD - 6TH

distributed by:ASET (AutomotiveSprayingEquipmentTechnologies) PPG’s Jim Berkey answers a question from a student during Green Belt training.

800-628-5449 november 2009 collision Repair 47

WHO’S DRIVING?

LeanLeader

You need to wrap your head around a paradox.

by

F Jay Perry

or the past year we have been dissecting the concept of lean manufacturing and seeing how we can apply it to collision repair. Now we come to the tricky part, that of leadership. Before that, though, let’s review what we have covered so far.

First, I have suggested that lean is really about learning how to do things faster, better and cheaper through making small, continuous improvements to the processes within our business.

I have encouraged you to look to the people that can identify what stands in the way of accomplishing those three things: the employees. Owners must share the responsibility with the employees to design methods that can make it happen and embrace a new mindset.

We looked at Value Stream Mapping as an exercise that will help us prioritize activities that add value to the customer and help identify activities that add costs

and defend continued use of them in our minds. The potential power in that information is that if we can break free of the entrenchment we can embrace an accepting thought process that allows us to expand our viewpoint and actually shift our paradigm when required.

This actually brings us to the subject of leadership. It can be the most difficult part of implementing lean processes.

Part of what makes lean leadership so difficult is that it is paradoxical. It is a case of two opposing viewpoints appearing to be true simultaneously.

Before we get into the paradox, let’s look at the one-way viewpoint that many still hold to. As long as there are people who do hold this one-way viewpoint, there will be great opportunities for those who adopt lean practices in the shop.

Leadership has always been traditionally approached in our industry by the axiom “The boss is always right, even when the boss is wrong.”

Leadership can be the most difficult part of implementing lean. to the processes. We can then design strategies that will enhance the value-adding activities and reduce or rework the costadding activities thus, moving closer to lean environment.

As I mentioned, in our consultancy the approach is that of steady pacing of small changes—each carefully measured for sustainability. That is what I recommend for you too.

Scheduling also plays a part in efficiencies. When we gain sufficient control over our scheduling we can cut two days from our cycle time.

We also talked about the “mindset” and the “hard wiring” in our brains. This highlighted how we learn to live by acting a certain way and that we support certain behaviors and entrench those thoughts 48 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

This takes us into the traditional pyramid shaped organization where the decision-making happens at the top and the layers below that peak carry out the orders and insure the broad base (technicians in this case) executes the edicts from on high. Top-down management is how it is referred to, and it’s been the dominant management style throughout most of recorded history.

In a lean environment, however, you will definitely find a flattening of the pyramid.

The decisions are actually made much lower in the hierarchy. In other words, decisions are typically made by people much closer to the actions in production.

However, there actually still is a pyramid from the perspective that the owner is still ultimately responsible for the

decisions that are made. Providing overall goals, mission, and vision is key to ensuring that decision-makers further down the totem pole stay true to core values.

Looked at another way, however, there is no pyramid at all, from the perspective that the decisions that give the company direction are made in a more unilateral fashion.

The production workers make decisions that affect how things flow within the shop. They get to this point by leadership exercising a consultative approach when it comes to looking for answers to the question, “How do we do this better, faster, and cheaper than we did it yesterday?”

So in this model there is no “top-down” direction of decision-making. That opens up the paradoxical situation I spoke of.

If the leader is not the one leading (thinking up answers or solutions and dictating actions of the workers) and the workers are, who is really the leader? The answer may surprise you, because the real leader is everyone.

Here is the kicker, though. It takes a leader to set this system in motion, because it won’t start up by itself.

Setting it in motion takes courage, trust and patience. Once actually set in motion, though, it becomes an almost unstoppable freight train to success.

I know that lean processes sound a little too easy the way I write about it. It is more difficult than it sounds because of two major reasons. First, leaders are not used to giving up decision-making and second, gollowers are not used to being responsible for successes.

Next issue tune in for more on how you can be the one that’s driving a new way into the future with a lean way of being. CRM

Jay Perry is the founder and owner of Automotive Business Consultants (ABC), a performance coaching company specializing in the automotive service industry. He can be reached via email at jayperry@a-b-c-inc.com.

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RealCost

Workplace accidents have hidden factors.

M

ost business owners, when asked to quantify the cost of a workplace accident, will respond with something like: “If one of the staff gets hurt on the job, it’s going to cost the company big-time – both in the way of a fine and by increasing our payments to the provincial workman’s compensation plan.”

That’s a good start, however, this does not entirely describe all the monetary costs that can be associated with a workplace accident. The real cost of an industrial accident involves many more cost factors than just premiums, fines, and lost productivity.

For example, let’s consider an accident involving a worker that will not be able to return to the job and one that calls for an investigation by provincial regulators, such as the Ministry of Labour.

The first cost is replacing the worker.

How much effort has been put into bringing this worker to the position that he or she occupied prior to the accident? Will you be able to replace them by simply running a newspaper ad for a few days?

We all know that good workers are few and far between. It takes a lot of time and effort to find them and keep them.

In addition to the costs associated with hiring a new technician, painter or other staff member, there is also the cost of providing any additional training that may be required to bring them up to speed. This training regimen could include WHMIS, I-CAR, equipment specific skills, and company specific policies. It could include other types of training as well, depending on the position.

Even after the new employee has had all the requisite training, is he or she as efficient as the injured worker that had many years of experience?

We must also consider the cost of accident investigation. While managers and employees are engaged in the important task of determining what happened and

by identifying the underlying root causes to prevent a reoccurrence, they are not actually involved in productive revenueproducing activities. You’re losing time from them as well as the injured worker.

The time taken by the office person responsible for dealing with the paperwork and following the progress of the compensation claim is yet another cost of accidents, and must be considered.

A serious workplace accident that has resulted in a critically injured worker will likely draw the attention of the authorities and might very well result in a legal prosecution.

In such a case, an employer’s first call would likely be to someone whose services, although indispensible, can be very expensive – a lawyer.

Those expensive costs become even higher when the lawyer actually has to represent you in court, rather than just researching or filing briefs. Other court costs might include paying expert wit-

Larry Crangle

to fabricate the design, and still more time for the installation of said design.

Also consider that the device has not been in use until this process has run its course. How much would it cost you in time and money if you had to sublet the process to another collision repair shop while all this was being corrected?

I could go on about the cost of consultants, implementing their recommendations and repairing damaged equipment, but hopefully I have made the point that the real cost of an accident is far more than just the cost of fines and premiums.

In fact, it is useful to think of icebergs when considering the real cost of an accident. Most of an iceberg is under water, lurking just out of sight.

When it comes to accidents, the fines and premium increases are what you “see” above the surface, but in reality, the majority of the iceberg is below the waterline.

The costs described so far represent the dollar cost of accidents and the financial

Think of icebergs when considering the real cost of an accident. nesses to testify on your behalf, or the cost of paying employees required to testifyinstead of doing their usual work.

Don’t forget your time in this little scenario either. The time of an owner or manager is extremely valuable and important to the business as a whole. A workplace accident will take from the time you could be coming up with new ideas or simply managing the collision centre.

Imagine a serious workplace accident involving a critical piece of equipment.

Afterwards you may get a ministry order not to use the device until a guard has been designed, fabricated, and installed on the device.

Our costs could involve an engineer to create a safe guard design; a machine shop

imperative for controlling them. However, no discussion of workplace accidents would be complete without pointing out the “true” cost of an accident.

First, take a moment to consider one of your workers as permanently disabled and the full effect on his or her life. Second, consider the effect on the family of that injured worker. Finally, take a moment to reflect on the effect on co-workers of witnessing a horrific event and understand that this is the moral imperative for controlling workplace hazards and eliminating accidents. crm Larry Crangle is a former collision repair facility owner now working as a health and safety trainer for the Occupation Safety Group. He can be reached via email at lcrangle@gmail.com.

november 2009 collision Repair 51

BY THE NUMBERS the Looking South for answers in the North.

By Vincent Romans

Marketplace 80,000

Figure 1

U.S. Collision Repair Market Size

65,000

Actual numbers of collision repair facilties operating in the United States have dropped significantly over the last three decades. This is due at least in part to the growth of the $20 million plus segment. There is reason to believe that this segment will continue to grow its share relatively faster than other segments of the collision repair market.

52,000

1980 The information in this article is drawn primarily from the collision repair marketplace in the United States. However, Canada’s industry can be considered a microcosm, as many of the issues and challenges are similar or identical.

T

he following represents the results of our third annual white paper on trends, market share and size of the collision repair industry relative to collision repairers that generate greater than $20 million annually in auto collision repair revenue. There are many collision repair businesses of significant size processing under $20 million annually throughout the United States today; however, our focus is on the $20 million and larger independent and dealership collision repair segments.

Our profile for $20 million multiple location collision repair organizations includes independent, dealership and insurance company owned and managed, with one or more locations in single, multiple or widely dispersed geographic markets. They are professionally managed operators providing performance based, brand recognized and competitively differentiated collision repair services focused on achieving top tier metric results, customer satisfaction, and quality repair. They tend to pursue multiple customer segments for collision repair business including property and casualty insurance, automotive dealer, accident management, rental car, and direct pay consumers within the United States.

We believe that the $20 million plus segment will continue to grow its share relatively faster than other segments of the collision repair market. This growth will be driven by the segment’s

52 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

1990

1996

45,000

43,000

41,500

2006

2007

2008

local and multi-market footprint, insurance company direct repair revenue, economies of scale, access to capital, and their integrated approach to consumer, insurance, and fleet brand recognition, reputation and performance. These organizations are identified in a variety of ways such as consolidators, multiple shop operators (MSOs), and networks; we continue to refer to them as multiple location operators, or MLOs. The $20 million collision repair profile used for this analysis excludes repair facilities that focus exclusively or primarily on expedited paint and cosmolition, small dent, glass repair only, mechanical only, and collision repair related primarily to auction vehicles. We do recognize that within this segment some companies are in various stages of strategic growth, transformation, and transition to business models approaching that of an insurance company DRP wholesale or a diversified customer segment platform which may cause us to include them in the future.

The various non-MLO networks that promote performance improvement, brand identification, personnel training and development, and technical improvement programs such as conversion franchise organizations, OEM certification, value added services, co-op buying and outsourced claims management and repair services are not included in our analysis. Some examples of these networks include FIX Auto, PPG’s CertifiedFirst and Claims Expert International (CEI). We do recognize that these networks provide important collision repair and claims management solutions and services for their members, providers and customers. As such, they will be profiled in an upcoming article on the various brick and mortar and virtual networks that they and others represent operating within

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BY THE NUMBERS the collision repair, property and casualty auto insurance, OEM, and other auto damage physical repair industries.

One traditional baseline data point for this analysis, especially for determining market share, has been the estimated number of collision repair operators in the United States. Based on our extensive research of published third-party industry sources, primary and secondary research, and industry experts, we continue to ascertain that there is no one certain number that is universally recognized or accepted as being the “correct” number of collision repairers in the U.S. today; rather, there continues to be a wide range of opinions and uncertainty around determining a meaningful and relevant collision repair market size. This is especially true in light of the current recession and macro-economic conditions which appear to be accelerating the loss of both dealership and independent collision repair operators.

1,000 5,000

31,500

30,000

2008

2020

Small

Medium

With the parameters outlined above, our estimated U.S. market size for the number of collision repairers through year end 2008 is 41,500. This estimate continues to reflect the long-term decline which began in the late 1980s. As seen in the chart below, the number of collision repair facilities in the U.S. has declined by almost 50 percent over the past 28 years.

We forecast the sustained contraction of collision repair operators in what is viewed by many as an over-capacity and still somewhat fragmented industry. This contraction will continue over the next five to 10 years with increased market share continuing to shift to the MLOs and other growth-oriented collision repairers who deliver consistent and sustained repair performance, have strong insurance and consumer brand recognition and reputation, and adapt quickly to market, consumer and insurance needs through innovative solutions and services. During that time, we believe that the industry will move toward a less fragmented and capacity normalized model.

Profiling $20 million multiple location operators based on revenue and number of production locations raises another area of consideration regarding how collision industry market size should be viewed or profiled. There is a growing sentiment, and somewhat of a quandary, within the collision repair and property

Large

Figure 2

40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0

and casualty insurance industries about what a normalized and relevant number of repairers operating within an environment of decreasing accident frequency, claims and number of repairable vehicles should be for the future. With that in mind, we have expanded our analysis of MLO production location market share to include three primary market definitions: • The traditional total number of collision repairer locations • Locations utilizing collision damage estimating software • Locations utilizing shop management software Our market share findings can be viewed as an equation with two parts. One half of the equation is the revenue derived from insurance and consumer auto repair claims expenditures. Insurance paid repairable claims expenditures have been relatively stable at around $28 billion over the last few years due to steadily increasing severity despite a recent downward trend in accidents and cars re-

The Romans Group forecasts the sustained contraction of collision repair operators. It is believed that this contraction will continue over the next five to ten years with increased market share continuing to shift to the MLOs and other growth-oriented collision repairers who deliver consistent and sustained repair performance, have strong insurance and consumer brand recognition and reputation, and adapt quickly to market, consumer and insurance needs through innovative solutions and services.

paired. Additionally, consumer paid claims have remained relatively flat over a longer period of time at approximately $2.5 billion. We estimate that the combined insurance and consumer paid claims for repairable vehicles for 2008 was approximately $30 billion.

For the second half of the equation, utilizing the traditional data point of the total number of collision repairers within the United States continues to have value. However, there is a belief by property and casualty insurance companies that those repairers who employ collision damage estimating and shop management software, and leverage other claims processing and management technology, will eventually be the collision repair providers they prefer and who will transact the majority of the repairable accidents. We will incorporate all three collision repair market size data points in our analysis of multiple location operator market share. Values for these market size data points are: • Traditional Collision Repair Market Size: 41,500 • Total Locations with a Minimum of One Collision Damage Estimating Software Installation*: 29,000 • Total Management Systems**: 9,000 * May be more than one installation per location. Includes both communicating and non-communicating systems. ** Assumes one per location. november 2009 collision Repair 55

BY THE NUMBERS

WAIT! THERE’S MORE! More information and analysis on the trends affecting your business can be found at romans-group.com. You can also listen to archives of the CREW webcast, the collision repair industry’s best educational and industry forum for those in the know.

Our research results focus on $20 million multiple location operator 2008 repair revenue, total collision repair locations, estimating and management software installations, and markets served nationally and regionally for both dealership and independent collision repairers. Based on the minimum of $20 million in revenue from vehicles processed and repaired annually, our findings concluded that in 2008 there were 54 independent and dealership collision repair $20 million MLOs processing $3.2 billion through 938 production locations.

We used our best efforts to identify non-production estimating and drop-off locations and base our market share on production locations only. While these $20 million MLOs represent 2.3 percent of the estimated 41,500 collision repair facilities nationally, they process 10.7 percent of the $30 billion in insurance and customer-pay collision repair revenue. In other words, MLO’s have 2.3 percent of the doors and 10.7 percent of the revenue.

The National Automobile Dealers Association, NADA, estimates that 7,204 dealers processed $7.3 billion in repair revenue in 2008; the balance of $22.7 billion is being processed by approximately 34,296 independent repairers. On average, the $20 million MLOs process $3.2 million per location, nearly five times more than the average annual revenue for non-MLO repairers of $669,383. There are many smaller independent and dealer non-MLO repairers that achieve greater than the industry average annual revenue, especially those who operate in the $10 to $20 million segment.

While this article is focused on independent and dealership multiple location operators, it is important to recognize the continued interest in other models with growing competitive, service offering and value proposition influence. There are two primary franchise models; one is a full-service collision repair model, while the other focuses on production paint and cosmollision.

56 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Within the full service collision repair market, CARSTAR and ABRA remain the primary franchisors. Both of these organizations continue to experience growth momentum, location conversion and development and competitive impact within their markets served and within the U.S. collision repair industry today.

Together they represent a total of 365 locations repairing approximately $700 million in vehicle revenue. This is an increase from 360 locations and $678 processed in 2007. We see continued interest on the part of collision repairers, especially in light of the recession, macro economic conditions and decreasing accident and claims frequency, to investigate and consider the benefits of a conversion franchise model organization.

The independent brand model, historically believed by many repairers to be the most desirable way to successfully maintain and grow their business, may now be seen by a growing number of providers as possibly more risky than being associated with a network franchise model. This is especially true in light of current macroeconomic, market, and competitive conditions.

Some repairers see the opportunity to adopt and integrate franchise member benefits as a potentially better way to sustain and grow their business through: • Leveraging the conversion franchise value proposition, brand association, and customer affiliation.

• Franchisee performance tools for business and customer analysis, benchmarking and peer ranking.

• Personnel, operational, and general business training.

• Standardized processes and procedures.

• Utilization and integration of a technology platform.

• DRP insurance relationships and business considerations not previously available due to franchisor multiple level marketing.

BY THE NUMBERS Another segment that we believe merits attention is the production paint and cosmollision repair franchise model. The most recognized nationally branded company in this space is Maaco, which was recently acquired by Driven Brands of Charlotte, North Carolina, a franchise holding company.

This model historically has been focused on cash-pay customers seeking primarily production paint and smaller repair options. As the consumer shifts to price and service options including more cash pay and deferred and partial collision repairs, this model is receiving increased interest from both consumer and wholesale buying segments.

Additionally, a number of Maaco franchisees have, as an extension of their service options, expanded their capabilities to offer insurance DRP-centric collision repairs. There is growing interest by insurance companies in how this model and repair process could be integrated into their claims process, consumer choice, and repair management value proposition.

Looking at these $20 million MLOs regionally, representation of locations is highest in the West at 25.4 percent. In 2007 the Southeast was the dominant region with a 25.8 percent share; it now represents 23.3 percent of the market. The lowest $20 million MLO representation continues to be in the Northeast at 6.2 percent, down 3.9 percentage points from their 2006 share of 10.1 percent.

Another way to view regional representation is to assess the geographic reach of the $20 million MLO organizations. Do they tend to contain themselves in a relatively small area or do they expand their influence across many states?

• Of the 54 $20 million MLO organizations, 29 do business in only one state. Of those 29, 21 are independents and eight are dealers.

• Within the top 10 rankings, only two independent and two dealer MLO organizations strategically position themselves in only one state.

• The west has the highest number of MLOs with at least one location in that region.

• Over half of the 54 MLO organizations have chosen to compete in the west.

The companies represented within the top ten MLO organizations have not changed since 2007 and have only lost one member, Group 1, since 2006. While their share of all collision repair locations has been relatively constant, revenue among this group has increased year over year in total as well as per location.

Within the top ten $20 million MLOs, five are independent and five are dealer groups. These ten organizations account for 48.5 percent of all $20 million MLO production locations and 53.7 percent of all $20 million MLO revenue. These top ten MLOs display trends similar to the total $20 million MLO group; higher revenue produced through fewer production locations.

Smaller and non-MLO repairers vary widely in claims processed per location. For independent $20 million MLOs, the average repair revenue per location significantly surpasses that of their smaller and non-MLO counterparts at $2.9 million versus $619,817. Dealer $20 million MLO performance also exceeds their smaller and non-MLO counterparts at a repairs-processed average of $3.8 million per location versus $863,875 per location for smaller and non-MLO dealer repairers; over four times more.

Comparing the top ten independent and dealer group $20 million MLOs, the independents have 68 percent more locations producing 16.7 percent more revenue than dealer repair organizations. However, the top 10 dealer repairers manage $3.8 million in average revenue per location versus $3.1 million per location for independent organizations.

Within the Top 10 Independent $20 million MLO group, the ranking has remained unchanged over the past two years. The total number of production locations has increased along with their representative share of all $20 million MLO locations at 43.1 percent.

This group’s share of all $20 million MLO revenue has increased by 5.1 percentage points over the past two years.

In 2008, 36 percent of dealerships operated collision repair facilities versus 37 percent in 2007 and 41 percent in 2006. Both the number of new car dealerships and the number of dealers operating collision repair facilities are declining. Many larger dealers are purchasing smaller, lower-volume dealers to increase their reach as manufacturers continue in their efforts to reduce or freeze their number of dealership points. Some larger dealerships have also ceased doing business altogether. Using NADA’s reported total of 20,010 dealers at the end of 2008, this represents an estimated, 7,204 dealers operating collision repair facilities, a decline of 17.1 percent from 2006 when there were 8,692 dealers operating collision repair facilities.

Looking at the dealership share of the collision repair marketplace, and according to NADA, revenue derived from collision repair work performed by dealerships declined significantly over the past year, down 23.2 percent, with body labour declining 32.8 percent and body parts down 3.5 percent. During the past 20 years, dealerships had seen their shop revenue steadily increase until around 2005 when sales dollars began to decline to what are now nearly 1998 levels.

We continue to believe that the collision repair industry will evolve and change at an accelerated pace over the next five years; more so than it did over the last ten. We expect that the evolving landscape will be the result of a number of industry specific and macro-economic conditions likely impacting an increase in acquisitions, collision repairers exiting the business, business failures, MLO consolidation, and new innovative partnerships and strategic alliances. Some of the prevailing conditions include: • Insurance companies working with a more limited number of single and multiple location operators.

• DRP utilization expected to increase over the next five years • Performance management results will drive utilization and influence to top-tier performers.

• DRPs and preferred provider programs are influencing larger repair volumes to emerging end-game winners.

• Insurance companies increased adoption of the multiple operator business model. CRM

Vincent Romans is the founding partner of The Romans Group LLC, a firm that provides experience-based consulting to assist management teams in achieving business goals and objectives by providing pragmatic, resultsoriented solutions. He has a broad base of diverse operating experience with a history of success across a broad spectrum of business, market and industry segments. For more information please visit romans-group.com. november 2009 collision Repair 57

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RECYCLING

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The Canadian program is solid and ongoing.

I

t seems as though everyone is talking about scrapping a vehicle these days. I think this is largely due to the hype that surrounded the American Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program, better known as “Cash for Clunkers.“ While the CARS program certainly demanded a lot of media attention and was a huge success in some respects, the Canadian program provides features and benefits that are at least equal to that of the American program, and may even be greater on a per capita basis.

Retire Your Ride is flourishing on a grand scale. To date the program has retired more than 15,000 older vehicles from Canada’s roads, and reduced smog forming emissions by over 800 tons.

Canada’s Retire Your Ride Program is an initiative of the Government of Canada, the Clean Air Foundation, and its partners. The program is designed primarily as a mechanism to encourage the removal of older higher polluting vehicles from our roads and making sure they are responsibly recycled.

The Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) is the national voice of the automotive recycling industry in Canada. The association has participated in development, and been instrumental in providing input for the Retire Your Ride Program.

Steve Fletcher is the managing director of ARC. He says, “Retire Your Ride is all about the environment, both retiring high polluting vehicles and encouraging responsible recycling of those vehicles.”

Personally, what I like most about the Canadian program is how it is set up for success and addresses all industry stakeholder concerns.

The driving public now has an incentive to scrap their 1995 or older model vehicle. As long as it is in running condition and has been registered and insured for the last six months, they can simply drop it off at an accredited auto recycler and receive a $300 “reward” for doing so.

by If that reward doesn’t appeal, there are other incentives available. These include transit passes, bicycles, memberships in car sharing programs, and discounts on new and used vehicles.

Professional automotive recyclers play a key role in the disposal of these vehicles, as we are the ones who make sure that every vehicle scrapped under the Retire Your Ride program is dealt with in an environmentally friendly manner.

The National Code of Practice was created for Environment Canada by ARC. Those of us that are registered in the program and have completed the training session on the National Code of Practice are helping to make the entire process seamless for all parties involved.

David Gold

In terms of a stimulus package, the Retire Your Ride program is fully supportive of seeing manufactures “top-up” the $300 incentive to encourage the driving public to purchase a newer, more fuel efficient car, truck, or van.

Chrysler, Hyundai and Ford are all official automotive partners of the Retire Your Ride Program. These three manufactures offer additional incentives over and above the $300 incentive that comes from the government. These incentives come out of the company’s coffers. They’re not tax payer money.

Owners and managers of collision repair centres can help advance this cause by helping to educate the public on the pro-environmental initiatives of this

AUTO RECYCLERS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE DISPOSAL OF THESE VEHICLES. The Clean Air Foundation has fostered many pro-environmental programs. The people that make up the organization that have shown that they truly understand the very nature of automotive recyclers. This is especially true regarding what we can bring to the table from a “Green” perspective.

With the vision of the Clean Air Foundation and the strong support from ARC and all call centres throughout the country we are sure to retire at least 50,000 vehicles per year until March 31, 2011.

As Steve Fletcher says, “the Retire Your Ride program is based around a three year stable funding arrangement that sees Federal money leveraging other stakeholder’s financial commitments.”

While the $300 incentive may not seem like a lot of money, it is truly enough to make a profound impact on many Canadians who can appreciate the severity of the situation from not only a financial perspective but also an environmental perspective.

program. It’s also a great opportunity to educate them on the environmental and economic benefits of the re-using of car components in general.

The benefits of automotive recycling in general, and in particular the re-use of high-quality OEM vehicle components, are very important for the preservation of our precious natural resources. Central to the entire Retire Your Ride program is recognition of this fact.

For this reason, I believe it is an appropriate vehicle retirement program and is one that should be supported. It promises good things for all stakeholders, as well as every person in Canada. CRM

David Gold is the co-owner of Standard Auto Wreckers, an auto recycling facility with locations in Toronto, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. He can be reached by telephone at 416-286-8686 or via email at david@standardautowreckers.com. november 2009 collision Repair 59

RECYCLING NEWS Ford, Chrysler, and Hyundai Commit to Retire Your Ride Three major car manufacturers have committed to partnerships with the Retire your Ride program. Ford, Chrysler, and Hyundai have each vowed to supplement the $300 incentive already promised to consumers who turn in their older, higher polluting vehicles for recycling.

Steve Kelleher, president and CEO, Hyundai Auto Canada announced Hyundai’s commitment in a special presentation at Hollywood North Auto Parts in Toronto, Ontario.

60 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

According to the Clean Air Foundation, on average, a 1995 model year or older car emits 19 times more smog-forming emissions than a 2004 or newer car. The government’s Retire Your Ride program offers $300, transit passes, discounts on bicycles and more to the owners of 1995 model year vehicles or older who turn in their clunkers to be permanently retired.

Ford Motor Company has announced that consumers turning in 15-year-old (or older) vehicles for recycling will get up to $3,000 toward the purchase of a new vehicle from the company. Anyone who participates in this government program and who buys a new Ford or Lincoln vehicle qualifies for the Ford Recycle Your Ride program of $1,000 toward the purchase of a new Ford car or compact truck, $2,000 toward the purchase of a new Ford crossover or sport utility vehicle and $3,000 toward the purchase of a new Ford truck or Lincoln vehicle.

“Having Ford as our newest incentive partner means offering Canadians another great

reward for choosing clean air and seeing their old car off the road,” said Fatima Dharsee, executive director of Clean Air Foundation.

Chrysler Canada has vowed to offer $500 to $1,500 over the incentives already available through Retire Your Ride.

“This is the responsible thing to do,” said Reid Bigland, president and CEO, Chrysler Canada. “The removal of these vehicles from the road is the right move for our country, our health, and our environment. In many instances the turned-in vehicles release 19 times more smog than a current model year vehicle. Chrysler Canada is proud to offer the most aggressive scrappage incentive in the Canadian industry.”

Hyundai’s “Clean Air Commitment” consists of a financial top-up of between $500-$1,000 to get the oldest, worst-polluting vehicles off the road and replace them with new, more fuelefficient models. This commitment is in addition to all government incentive programs. For more information please visit retireyourride.ca.

RECYCLING NEWS OARA Makes Major Donations to Hospitals Below: The cheque presentation at the Grand River Hospital Foundation. From left: Debbi Cockerill, GRH clinical manager for Children’s Services, Jim Kearns, GRH Foundation board member; Allison Yanke, community outreach coordinator for Peter Braid, MP Kitchener Waterloo; and Marta Generoux holding Sofi Generoux, and Trevor Generoux holding Cendryn Generoux.

The twins were former patients in the NICU. Trevor is on the Executive of the Board of the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association and is the co-owner of Parkway Auto Recyclers in Kitchener, Ontario.

The Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA) presented William Osler Health Centre Foundation with a cheque for $10,956 on Thursday, the first donation issued as part of it’s Celebration of Auto Recycling campaign. Members of the association have agreed to pay an extra $20 per vehicle they acquire through the Retire Your Ride vehicle recycling program, with those proceeds going to a wide variety of charities throughout the province.

Retire Your Ride is an initiative of The Government of Canada, Clean Air Foundation and its partners, designed to get high-polluting cars off the road. The program is committed to improving air quality by responsibly recycling vehicles and aims to retire at least 50,000 vehicles per year until March 31, 2011. OARA has been instrumental in establishing the auto recyclers Code of Practice being implemented to support the program by ARC. “I chose the Foundation because of its close ties with the community,” said Don Fraser, President of AADCO Auto Parts in Brampton. “AADCO has been doing business in the Brampton area since 1999 and working with a great association like OARA and a program like Retire Your Ride has given us the opportunity to give something back to the community.”

From left: Steve Fletcher of OARA; Colette Thomson, director of development and Anne Randell, president & CEO, of William Ostler Health Centre, and Don Fraser, president of AADCO Auto Parts in Brampton, Ontario.

CAR-MS/QRP Launches autosender Car Management Solutions/QRP Canada has announced the successful launch of its Autosender technology.

The company says the software will greatly streamline the process by which parts requests are delivered.

QRPCanada.com allows users to search for parts and receive live replies from members of the CAR-MS/ QRP Canada network.

“The Autosender is the next generation of the QRP system,” says Howard Berg of CAR-MS/QRP Canada. “Insurers with a video imaging desk set up to receive completed estimates for approval can simply open the estimate, and “print” it via the software.

That sends it through the QRP server, scrubs the proprietary information, and generates the request without the user having to do so manually.”

At that point, users simply wait for the responses in their private inbox and determine the specifics for that estimate. For more information or training, please contact Howard Berg at 647-448-7580 or email him at howard@car-ms.ca.

November 2009 collision Repair 61

RECYCLING NEWS Ontario Tire Industry Rolls Out recycling program Ontario’s new tire recycling program will bring new life to the millions of used tires that come off vehicles in the province every year by responsibly recycling them into useful products, creating investment and new green jobs, driving innovation. The program is being funded by the tire industry and managed by Ontario Tire Stewardship.

A network of Registered Collectors will

allow Ontarians to drop off up to four used tires, at no charge, to be collected and recycled. Tracking will help eliminate illegal dumping and ensure used tires are managed using best environmental practices.

“Ontario’s Used Tires Program marks the most ambitious used tire program in the country,” said Andrew Horsman, executive director of Ontario Tire Stewardship. “The

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Program will remove stockpiles, recycle tires into household, commercial and auto products, and create green jobs and economic benefits right here in our province.”

The Used Tires Program includes a threeyear plan to eliminate the approximately 2.8 million stockpiled tires in dumpsites across Ontario, as well as ensure that the approximately 11 million plus scrap tires generated annually are diverted from burning and land filling to other uses, such as rubber mats, playground products, hockey rinks and automotive parts, adding to the everyday life and economy of Ontario’s communities.

Until now, approximately 50 percent of Ontario’s used tires were trucked into the U.S. to be burned.

Responsible management of used tires will eliminate unauthorized disposal of scrap tires and promote reusing tires and recycling of scrap tires into green products.

The program is funded by tire brand owners and tire importers, not the taxpayer. Funding covers costs associated with collecting and recycling all scrap tires in Ontario, as well as research and development, and consumer education.

CARSTAR’s Dennis Concordia Gains New HR Designation

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62 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

CARSTAR Automotive Canada is pleased to announce that Dennis Concordia has been awarded the Senior Human Resources Professional (SHRP) designation by the Human Resources Professional Association of Canada. He is one of the first HR professionals in the nation to achieve this distinction.

The SHRP is a new, nationally recognized HR designation reserved for Senior HR Executives that have made a significant impact on their organization and the profession.

For the past three years, he has helped CARSTAR realign its Human Resources to fulfill the expectations of the company’s vision, mission and values. Through his experience, he has also been able to apply his skills in the company’s Strategic Planning and Lean Management Principles.

“We are excited and proud of Dennis’ achievement and his ability and desire to utilize his skills as an HR professional as it is critical to the organization both at the corporate level and at the franchisee level” said Sam Mercanti, President and CEO of CARSTAR Automotive Canada.

NEWS Maaco Launches New Banner Program Maaco has announced the launch of its new banner program. Maaco’s goal is to penetrate more markets, and afford more coverage for retail and fleet customers.

Many Canadian markets are smaller in population, car count and trading area than the required criteria to support a free standing Maaco shop. Maaco is looking for established shops with great reputations for quality and customer satisfaction and co-brand with them as a “banner” Maaco locations.

Shops receive volume purchasing, brand

awareness via advertising and PR, methods and procedures and business management.

Maaco will provide the training to bridge the facility from the current business model to the Maaco model.

Maaco’s client catalogue includes a number of fleets and lease companies.

This business would accrue to the banner shop. To back this program up, Maaco supplies the web based fleet management program, central billing and if needed the 1-800 accident reporting system.

AkzoNobel Introduces Self-Healing Clearcoat AkzoNobel has introduced Sikkens Autoclear LV Exclusive, a scratch resistant clearcoat. The company says it matches the performance of the OEM factory coatings.

Sikkens Autoclear LV Exclusive is high gloss clearcoat that is not only highly resistant to abrasion but also features self-healing properties when exposed to heat. The paint virtually heals itself when exposed to sunlight. It can be used for every type of repair from spot repairs to full oversprays.

Auto Makers Agree to NATA’s Information Solution Automakers have partnered with Canadian service and collision repair shops to enhance consumers’ ability to have vehicles serviced.

“We are pleased to enter into this voluntary national agreement with Canada’s automotive OEMs on behalf of Canada’s service and repair industry,” stated Dale Finch, National Automotive Trades Association’s executive VP. “This agreement ensures that all manufacturers will provide access to service and repair information which will increase competition in Canada’s service and repair industry for the benefit of consumers.”

The Canadian Automotive Service Information Standard (CASIS) will allow automotive repair facilities in Canada to access automotive manufacturers’ service and repair information.

The new standard will also provide access to vital tooling and training information for local repair facilities across the country. CASIS ensures that all automakers will have the information made available no later than May 2010.

“CASIS is a great industry solution for a longstanding industry challenge,” stated David Adams, president of the Association

of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada. “This Agreement will provide the flexibility needed to address concerns of local repair facilities and our customers.”

Mark Nantais, President of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association added, “After several months of cooperative dialogue between the service and repair industry and automakers, we are happy to be implementing CASIS. We are confident that consumers will be the big winners in this Agreement because Canadians will have more choice in where they take their vehicles for service and repair.”

november 2009 collision Repair 63

NEWS AIA Announces 2009 Scholarship Winners

Applying free Aquapel treatments proved to be a big hit with seniors at a recent event hosted at Dundas Valley Collision Centre (DVCC). From left: Janet Wills and Marcel Laperriere of Dundas Valley Collision Centre, Joseph Rocchi, Jennifer Walker of DVCC, and Marilyn Rocchi.

Dundas Valley Collision Centre Helps Seniors See Clearly Dundas Valley Collision Centre’s Free Aquapel Windshield Treatment for Seniors was a big hit with free treatments given to more than 24 vehicles. It took place as part of September Seniors Day in Dundas, Ontario.

Aquapel is a windshield treatment manufactured by PPG Coatings, who helped out by donating the materials needed.

The treatment helps repel rain from car glass and makes driving easier.

The Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA) has announced the 2009 winners of the Marion Roberts Memorial Scholarship. The award is an AIA member benefit for students pursuing a post-secondary education in any field of endeavour.

The recipients, the children of AIA member company employees, are selected based on academic achievement, leadership skills, and community involvement.

The Marion Roberts Memorial Scholarship applicants do not have to be pursuing a career in the aftermarket and can be pursuing any field of study, at any post-secondary level, at any Canadian college or university.

The Marion Roberts Memorial Scholarship was developed to provide assistance to children of employees of AIA member companies attending a post-secondary institution.

These employees are encouraged to ensure that their child applies for this scholarship.

Applications for 2010 will be available online at aiacanada.com. The deadline for applications will be July 15, 2010.

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NEWS Chief Launches Pilot Course in Structural Damage Analysis CARSTAR 401 in Mississauga, Ontario recently played host to a pilot training course offered by Chief Automotive Systems. The course, Structural Damage Analysis, is intended primarily for collision repair estimators and insurance appraisers.

The pilot course was attended by representatives of CARSTAR, Unifund, Allstate, TDMM, The Dominion, DGIG, RBC, and Aviva to evaluate the course and determine if it should be integrated into those organization’s existing training programs.

The course itself is not designed to teach estimate writing. Rather, it is intended to provide students a thorough understanding of damage analysis. There is also a focus on the procedures necessary for correcting structural misalignment.

Chief Automotive Systems recommends at least one year estimating experience before attending. Bill Davidge, an I-CAR instructor with many years experience, was one of those on hand for the course.

“The class was well formatted and was instructed by an extremely knowledgeable professional who was unbiased on the type of equipment used, but stressed the importance of proper measuring and re-alignment of unibody or full frame vehicles,” he said. “I would strongly suggest all industry people seek out the next class this company offers in their market if they are really interested in understanding collision theory and the need to restore vehicles to OEM specs.”

The correct code to use for obtaining ICAR credit for this course is CHEM-00003.

Richard Perry, training manager for Chief Automotive Systems.

Please visit chiefautomotive.com for more information on the new Structural Damage Analysis class.

Centre de Collision Laval Honoured at AkzoNobel Acoat selected Conference Several member shops were recognized for outstanding achievements at the 16th annual AkzoNobel Acoat selected Conference in Florida, including Centre de Collision Laval in Laval, Quebec. Centre de Collision Laval was recognized for significant sales growth over the last period.

The event brought together more than 90 businesses and 170 individuals for one of the longest running industry network-

Danny D’Addio: 1938 - 2009 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Annibale (Danny) D’Addio.

Danny pass away suddenly on September 6, 2009 at Hamilton General Hospital at the age of 71.

Danny was the proud owner of Maple Leaf Collision Centre ~ CSN and was a very dedicated cyclist and marathon runner.

He will be fondly remembered as the beloved husband of Rosalba, proud father of Frank (Grace), Joseph (Melissa) and David (Janet), and the loving grandfather of Daniel, Alyssa, Michael, Kyle, Ayranna, Ermas and Luca. He is survived by his brothers, sisters and cousin Pasquale Perrotta and family.

Memorial donations may be made to the ICU Department of Hamilton General Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children or the Tender Wishes Foundation.

ing and education programs within the collision repair industry.

Workshops for the event featured topics pertaining to the reduction of energy consumption, business recession proofing, diplomatic negotiating, and compensation methods in a Process Centered Environment. The Acoat selected Conference also included a panel discussion of automotive OEM experts

The

addressing recent issues affecting the collision industry.

The really big news from the conference came in the form of reports from participating attendees. Reports indicate that cumulative year-to-date sales for the group outperformed the market by greater than 12 percent. For more information on Acoat selected please visit carrefinishes.com.

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THE LAST WORD

GoodBye

Denis Bellemore was a friend to us all.

by

By Mike Davey

T

he industry has lost a great and noble friend. Denis Bellemore was a vice-president at UAP-NAPA Canada and was responsible for their Paint, Body, and Equipment division. But he was so much more.

Denis will be fondly remembered by many in the industry as a tireless worker on behalf of organizations such as the Automotive Industries Association (AIA), where he was a member of the Board of Directors and served for many years on the PBE Council.

“Denis brought charm, insight, and energy to the industry and will leave a lasting impression in the Canadian automotive aftermarket,” said Scott Smith of AIA Canada. “He will forever be remembered for his strong ethics, his engaging and warm personality, and his tireless efforts to succeed.”

Scott’s right. Denis will be remembered

Denis Bellemore: 1959 - 2009

fact that I have long since forgotten what the article itself was about.

My involvement with the automotive aftermarket and collision repair was very slight at that point. I had written a few articles on assignment, but that was all.

Like many neophyte journalists, I didn’t want to give away my ignorance.

But Denis could somehow tell that I didn’t quite have a handle yet on common

denis taught me some very important things that day. for those things. But there is still so very much more. He had many gifts to share with the world. The honesty and integrity he brought to all aspects of his life, his love for his three children and his obvious pride in them, these are just a few of the lessons Denis gave us.

Denis made everyone who came in contact with him feel important, that what they did with life made a real difference.

This was because, to Denis, people were important. No matter who they were.

There were many people who knew Denis better than I did. Not just family and friends, but colleagues too. But I’d still like to share this story with you.

I vividly recall the very first time I spoke to Denis. I had to call him in connection with an article I was writing. The event still sticks in my mind, despite the 66 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

terms. He patiently and with much good humour took the time to explain every single term he used.

Denis taught me some very important things that day. There’s nothing wrong with ignorance, as long as you’re taking steps to correct it. The best way to learn is to ask questions. People don’t think less of you because they know more. They think more highly of you for admitting you don’t know everything, and asking them to share their expertise. These are lessons that have stayed with me to this day. And I know that I’m not alone. CRM

Mike Davey is the editor of Collision Repair magazine. He can be reached at 905-528-8377 or via email at editor@collisionrepairmag.com.

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