INNOVATION NEVER STALLS

INNOVATION NEVER STALLS IN THIS INDUSTRY, IT CAN’T AFFORD TO BY ALLISON ROGERS I recently attended my first-ever SEMA Show, despite being a member of the aftermarket space for well over three years. While I was plenty warned about the sheer size and spectacle of the event, I was wowed nonetheless. I spent most of […]

THE SYNTHESIS OF OUR INDUSTRY

THE SYNTHESIS OF OUR INDUSTRY COMBINING TWO OR MORE DISTINCT ENTITIES—A.K.A., JUST WELD’ER UP Column by Stefano Liessi If I had $6.72 for every time I heard “my guy has been doing this for thirty years—this welding certification is a waste of time,” I would be independently wealthy. There are a lot of managers and […]

GUESSING GAMES

TODAY’S ESTIMATING PROCESSES—MORE STREAMLINED OR CONTINUOUSLY CUMBERSOME? No matter how long you’ve been in the industry, you’ve likely witnessed a bevy of different ways to process an estimate—whether it be via the pen-and-paper methods of yesteryear or finagling with the web- and cloud-based technology of today. We asked Collision Repair readers for their feedback on […]

STAY OR GO

KNOWING YOUR WORTH IS KEY IN EITHER SCENARIO Column by Nancy Rolland The pandemic has caused many business owners to reconsider their long-term goals of owning and operating their businesses. Shutdowns and personnel shortages have clearly been a drain on many, while severely impacting financial performance and their ability to effectively service customers. If you […]

IN FOR A SHOCK

ELECTRIC VEHICLES WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE WORK By Max Reid Talk of electric vehicles is abuzz lately— but what do collision centres really need to prepare for in the interim as EVs gain popularity? “It is really a very different process, not only in terms of writing an estimate for an electric vehicle but […]

MORE TECH, MORE TROUBLES

CUSTOMERS DON’T ‘GET’ VEHICLE TECH By Max Reid “It was found that rear seat reminder technology has a range of total problems spanning from 1.9 PP100 to 26.2 PP100, demonstrating that the tech can be developed with minimal owner complaints. On the other end of the spectrum, fingerprint reading technology has been identified as the […]

GET A GAME PLAN

GET A GAME PLAN OECONNECTION SEEKS TO ADDRESS INDUSTRY GAP WITH REPAIRLOGIC By Max Reid Running an auto body repair centre is busy work and every manager wants things to run smoother, but who has the time to make plans? Luckily, Nicky Woerner, director of the Richfield, Ohiobased OEConnection, has the skills and the experience […]

THE POWER OF ONE

THE AUTEL IA900 THE POWER OF ONE THE SEPTEMBER DEADLINE FOR AUTOMAKERS TO HAVE CITY-SPEED AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING (AEB) ON 95 PERCENT OF THEIR NEW VEHICLES IS LOOMING. TWELVE BRANDS—AUDI, BMW, FORD/LINCOLN, HONDA/ACURA, HYUNDAI/GENESIS, MAZDA, MERCEDES-BENZ, SUBARU, TESLA, TOYOTA/LEXUS, VOLKSWAGEN, AND VOLVO—HAVE ALREADY MET THAT VOLUNTARY GOAL. If the remaining eight brands meet the mark, […]

MIND THE GAP

DRIVEN BRANDS SEEKS TO INFORM INDUSTRY OF ADAS REQUIREMENTS Story, photos by Allison Rogers In early October, Driven Brands’ hosted an ADAS calibration and training event at its Canadian headquarters in Hamilton, Ontario, where Bill Davidge, CARSTAR’s director of innovation and technology, and Willy Williams, Uniban’s technical trainer, delivered an in-depth presentation and demonstration. Attendees […]

SPANESI, A FAMILY COLLISION REPAIR TRADITION

SPANESI, A FAMILYCOLLISION REPAIR TRADITION MORE THAN 50 YEARS OF PASSION AND INNOVATION The week before Orazio Spanesi’s 14th birthday, he was approached by a friend with exciting news—there was a job available. Orazio was enthusiastic because his family lived in the country, and they were impoverished. So, he rushed over to meet with the […]