GAME ON: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS COLLISION REPAIR

GAME ON:

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS COLLISION REPAIR

Technological advances pervade everything around us, and that theme carried over into several fast-paced presentations at the Collision Industry Conference’s (CIC) November 2 meeting, held in Las Vegas in conjunction with the 2021 SEMA Show.

Demonstrating how AI works in the collision repair space, CIC’s Future Disruptions Committee hosted experts from Claims Genius, CCC, Tractable and Mitchell International to share insights on “The Reality, Risks, Limitations and the Future,” facilitated by Committee Co-Chairs Frank Terlep and Jake Rodenroth.

“As long as the underlying data is good, your AI can be reliable and your risk will be taken care of,” said Raj Pofale (Claims Genius). “If the image quality is not good, the AI will not be good. There are also limitations to finding out what’s underneath the hood, so we need to look at these things very carefully when using AI, but AI is the future.”

AI is based on historical data, though, and Terlep questioned the benefits of AI with other new technologies, such as EVs, and how repair procedures can be incorporated into the process, as well as “everything else that makes up a safe and proper repair.”

Jimmy Spears (Tractable) believes the solution lies in solving the dilemma of build sheet data and helping to educate repairers to make the best judgments during the process. The goal of AI isn’t to replace people but “to assist humans with making better decisions faster which will reduce cycle time,” Dune Pagaduan (Mitchell International) stressed. “But we need feedback from repairers to improve the accuracy of AI.”

In addressing the challenges of various AI systems producing different results and data, Jason Verlen (CCC) pointed out, “That’s really not an AI problem. Well before the AI era, if we walked into three shops with a damaged vehicle, would we get the same estimate from all three? So, when you ask if our AI is accurate and matches what the human would do, I have to wonder which guy you want me to match. AI isn’t magic; we combine AI with build sheet data, business rules, associated actions, insurer guidelines, etc. to come up with an estimate that’s reasonable to the situation.”

During the next session, Estimating Committee Chair Danny Gredinberg stressed the importance of utilizing OEM repair procedures when writing an estimate:

“Any intervention or deviation from the standard puts the consumer at risk. If we deviate from the repair plan and put our personal opinion of how something should be fixed ahead of the OEM repair procedures, something catastrophic can happen, and we want to avoid that and reduce our liability as repairers.”

Discussing “The Nuts and Bolts of Electrification” during the Emerging Technologies Committee’s update, Dr. Mark L. Quarto (Quarto Technical Services) addressed the hazards associated with repairing high voltage safety systems, urging collision technicians to obtain training immediately as

CIC Parts and Committee Co-chair Aaron Schulenburg moderated a panel of experts on LIDAR and its imminent usage in vehicles that repairers will see in their shops.

FLOOR NOTES

“SEMA’s back! It’s a really good crowd, definitely better than what I expected. The major vendors are all here, and they have some really cool stuff going on outside.”

- Accudraft CEO Guido Pippa

“It’s been a really good SEMA. We’ve had a lot of great meetings, great engagement. We’re very pleased. It’s been a good week and great to see all the industry partners in person after a long 18 months.”

- BASF Marketing Services Manager Tina Nelles

“It’s been great to be out here to talk to customers, see fellow exhibitors, swap notes and learn new things!”

- Chesapeake Automotive Equipment Owner Pat O’Neill

the population of these vehicles is increasing exponentially.

Dave Hobbs (Delphi Technologies) walked repairers through some of the differences between EVs hybrid-electric vehicles, noting, “Knowing it’s a hybrid is your first step, and knowing the general operation of how they work is the next step.” The CIC Industry Relations Committee’s “OE Certifications and DRPs - Can a Repairer Manage Having Both?” offered perspectives from both OEM and insurance representatives, who debated whether both programs can cohabitate in the same shops and shared insights on the biggest challenges that repairers have when adhering to the different programs.

“I believe that OEs and insurers have more commonalities than differences because both groups want our customers to have a safe and proper repair,” Sandee Lindorfer (Allstate) insisted. “It’s critical that we work together when there’s conflict, but we can exist in the same facility.”

“Not following OEM procedures is simply unacceptable,” Benito Cid (Mercedes-Benz) contributed.

“If you’re not printing out the procedures and performing pre- and post-scans, you’re doing it wrong,” Devin Wilcox (Subaru America) agreed.

Aaron Schulenburg, Parts and Materials Committee co-chair, welcomed experts to share their thoughts on “LIDAR: What It Is, and How Materials Can Impact Effectiveness of Systems and Sensors,” emphasizing its imminence as several OEMs have recently announced the introduction of vehicles that include LIDAR technology. ”It’s going to be central to the future of autonomous and automated driving systems. It’s commonly being accepted by OEMs for future vehicle types as they try to extend the range of autonomy that they have,” Cibby Pulikkaseril (Baraja) explained. “LIDAR is the laser eyes for driverless cars; however, for ADAS vehicles which are typically driven with cameras and radar, we’re seeing the increasing adoption of LIDAR as another redundant method of sensing that gives the car a greater sense of what’s around it.”

Since LIDAR is seen as a way to enhance vehicle safety, the industry is examining how to design cars around each of the benefits and limitations of this technology. One of LIDAR’s shortcomings is its ability to detect darker colored vehicles.

“Dark materials absorb the laser light, so you either get an undefined distance, or you just don’t see the object at all,” Daniel Ferris, PhD (BASF) acknowledged. “When we look at white paint, it scatters light, but the materials in black paint are so good at absorbing the light that it causes the LIDAR to have issues.”

Although existing paints may require color matching recalibration due to detectability problems, LIDAR sensitivity continues to improve, and enhancements around this technology are expected as demand increases.

Given all of the changes that constantly bombard the industry, Schulenburg observed, “I can’t think of a time that’s been more challenging for collision repairers.” H&D

Ashlee Spannagel (Southeastern Community College) and Justin Clubb (Deery Collision Center; Burlington, IA) shared their thoughts on the value of educators and repairers working together to solve the tech shortage in “Help Me Help You.”

Executive Director’s Thoughts

This glimpse into the presentations at CIC was really a handful of the entire day of valuable and informative guests and panel discussions. It was great to be in a room with the best of the best in our industry, and to hear the depth of intellect shared about current and future industry issues. Being an association person, and not a “shop person”, I still got so much insight into vehicle technology and shop-insurer-OEM relationships. It was truly

inspiring!. -Jordan Hendler

“The crowd has been incredible, and the show has been very, very good for us. It’s a good sign that the industry is alive and ready to get going.”

- Pro Spot International President Ron Olsson

“The quality of attendees has been high, and it’s great to see their interest in what we’re doing.”

- Reliable Automotive Equipment Sales Director Mike Kirchoff

“We’re already looking forward to next year!”

- USI Sales Manager Simone Mazzon