AASP Leaders Connect, Collaborate and Collect Info at National Board Meeting

At the end of April, state affiliate leaders of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP) gathered at the I-CAR Chicago Technical Center (CTC) in Vernon Hills, Illinois for a full day of learning, sharing and interacting during the national association’s first meeting of 2023.

AASP/MA Executive Director Lucky Papageorg made the trip out to connect with fellow members of AASP National, tour I-CAR’s newly unveiled CTC and to share the goals and efforts of the Alliance here in the Commonwealth with colleagues from around the country including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina and Illinois.

Papageorg proudly reported the tremendous support legislators have given to the Alliance’s legislative efforts to pass a labor reimbursement bill that will be based on the consumer price index and a bill that would reform the ADALB by moving it from the crippling hands of the Division of Insurance to the Division of Occupational Licensure.

Papageorg reflected on recent successes which include the Alliance’s “breaking free in 23” efforts, such as revving its members to institute a copay.

“It’s the future. Shops are going to have to utilize copays if they expect to thrive, not just survive,” suggested Papageorg. “If the insurance industry isn’t going to pay, the vehicle owner is going to have to step it up.”

Conversation went back and forth around the room as Papageorg and other leaders shared their experiences within their own membership groups along with information and education related to ADAS, Right to Appraisal, storage and administration fees and the liability repairers face if cars are not fixed to OEM standards.

During her report, AASP National Administrator Judell Anderson shared the recent success of the AASP-supported Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG), supplied by its administrator Danny Gredinberg. Highlights included the DEG’s newly refurbished website and the significant corrections made to the estimating systems as a result of the DEG’s efforts. She applauded the DEG for its large impact on body shops all across the country that will benefit from those corrections.

“I don’t think you can point to anything else that has the impact the DEG has,” Anderson praised, adding that if more repair professionals took the time to submit inquiries, it would be even greater.

Meeting at the I-CAR training center allowed affiliate leaders the opportunity to walk through the new facility courtesy of a tour led by Bud Center, director of technical products and curriculum.

Center relayed the specific design requirements that were needed for the facility, especially for its ADAS calibration training area. I-CAR worked closely with the contractor to make sure the floor was completely level and flat as per requirements of many manufacturers when it comes to their ADAS calibrations.

“A self-leveling product had to be poured, a little at a time, and then 3D lasers were put all over the floor to make sure it stayed level,” Center explained. In fact, the contractor they worked with admitted he had never been asked to produce a completely flat and level surface previously.

Lighting is another key factor in ADAS calibrations. The lighting in the room is designed to be dimmed, so it can be adjusted to match daylight. According to Center, there are many situations that require lighting to match outdoor lighting, and without it, it can take a lot longer to perform and set dynamic calibrations.

by Alana Quartuccio

As AASP members stopped to look at the equipment, tools and vehicles used in EV training, Center reviewed the five-day process that starts with understanding the basics of electricity through the teaching and building of low voltage electrical circuits which emulate the high voltage systems in vehicles. Once the trainees have developed an understanding about the different concerns and dangers involved in high voltage vehicles, they will be able to test and diagnose so they know what to expect when working on a live vehicle. Once thorough understanding is reached, trainees can work on a live vehicle with the proper PPE.

“We have people come through here say ‘my head hurts trying to take it all in all this information and understand it all,’” Center said of the intense program, adding that people will comment that EVs are not yet widely seen, but “it only takes one vehicle to kill somebody,” he noted, implying that a safe repair is as much about keeping your techs safe during the repair as it is about returning a safe car to the customer .

An overview led by I-CAR’s Mike Mertes, learning innovation and technology manager, and Jeff Peevy, vice president of technician products programs and services on how “cutting edge” innovations, such as AI, can be possibly utilized in training evolved into an eye-opening discussion on how technology advancements could be used as a recruitment tool as the group considered the future of collision repair.

I-CAR is in the early stages of developing a virtual repair planning game that, once mastered, would put that person in a more advantageous position over the average person entering

For the past two years, Americans have seen some of the highest rates of inflation they’ve ever witnessed, creating a feeling of dread among small business owners from coast to coast. But for auto body shops, these fears may be in vain since the public’s need to hang onto their cars longer has actually resulted in more work for many facilities. Although no industry is fully recession-proof,

Iscollision repair may be more resistant to these economic dilemmas than other fields. By embracing the opportunities that exist – and collecting fair and adequate compensation for the difficult work you perform – your business may be in better shape than you realize, and industry leaders provide some valuable insights to explain why inflation might actually benefit your body shop.