Collision Repair 13#5, October 2014

OE INFO: INSIDE I-CAR’S TECH SUPPORT PORTAL

MAXIMUM FLOW

Supreme Collision Bolton redesigns for speed.

DETERMINED TO SUCCEED

Highlights from the 2014 CARSTAR Conference.

F150 EDUCATION Rolling out training for the game changing pick-up.

RAPID

Advance

Investing in equipment and training pays off for Pat Quinney and Quickfalls Collision in Kindersley, Saskatchewan.

CRM SIVE: EXCLU TIVE EXECU VISION

Volume 13, Number 5

PLUS

David Adams of GAC on the Canadian market, AYCE graduates Class of 2014, and aluminum vs. steel repair. l

October 2014

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CONTENTS

On The cover 35 invest in the future Pat and Raylene Quinney have built for the future at Quickfalls Collision Centre.

Volume 13 Issue 5, October 2014

features 26 Surveys and Polls Readers on new equipment purchases and adjunct profit centres.

38 executive vision David Adams of Global Automakers of Canada on the growth of the specialist.

42 CCIF at NACE Canada’s forum makes a brief stop in Detroit for a global view.

46 OE Summit The inside scoop on SEMA’s most anticipated panels.

49 process profile Supreme Collision Bolton is redesigned for maximum flow.

52

55 aluminum vs. steel What you can do, what you can’t do, and what you must never do.

CARSTAR shows ‘Determination‘ at 2014 Conference.

63 Report on training I-CAR’s new tech support portal, training for the 2015 F150, and small damage repair.

NEWS 08 COLLISION REPAIR 69 Towing & Recovery

40

Pulling out the stops for Canada Night at NACE 2014!

OE INFO: INSIDE I-CAR’S TECH SUPPORT PORTAL

MAXIMUM FLOW

Supreme Collision Bolton redesigns for speed.

DETERMINED TO SUCCEED

59

73 RECYCLING Reduce your cycle time and grow your bottom line.

On the Cover: Pat Quinney of Quickfalls Collision Centre.

Photography by Lisa klASSEN.

Highlights from the 2014 CARSTAR Conference.

F150 EDUCATION Rolling out training for the game changing pick-up.

RAPID

Advance

Investing in equipment and training pays off for Pat Quinney and Quickfalls Collision in Kindersley, Saskatchewan.

PLUS

David Adams of GAC on the Canadian market, AYCE graduates Class of 2014, and aluminum vs. steel repair.

YOUR ONLINE SOURCE

Canada’s collision repair information resource.

New articles and top news stories daily.

Visit www.collisionrepairmag.com.

COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

HAVE YOUR SAY. We welcome your comments on anything you see in Collision Repair magazine. Send your feedback to editor@collisionrepairmag.com.

departments 06 Publisher’s page by Darryl Simmons Sprint into fall.

28 Point Blank by Sam Piercey Got milked?

30 Prairie view by Tom Bissonnette In transition.

32 Who’s driving? by Jay Perry Tuning up.

84 Recycling by David Gold International level.

86 Last word by Mike Davey Fast future.

october 2014 collision Repair 05

publisher’s page

seasonchangE Look to the past and plan for the future.

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

By Darryl Simmons

W

e’ll be well into autumn by the time you read this, so you probably won’t have any trouble getting into a fall frame of mind. Given the summer just past, you probably could have gotten into a fall frame of mind back in August.

Fall is a time for reflection, and for change. The lazy days of summer are gone, and the busy winter season isn’t upon us yet. Take a few minutes and look back at where you’ve been, and take even more time and look at where you’re going.

You’ve got to have a plan for the future, but you need to be able to change it to suit current circumstances.

In short, be proactive about where you and your business are going. It’s up to you

With that said, the education you get doesn’t have to be in a formal classroom setting. Get in touch with each of your suppliers and ask, “What’s new?” You’ll find out what they’ve got to offer, and you might be able to arrange a demo if anything sounds really interesting.

Don’t stop the conversation when they’re done telling you about their stuff, though. Take a few minutes and go a little further. Ask them what’s new in the industr y and what’s going on.

Your suppliers talk to a lot of shops, attend a lot of trade shows, and generally just keep their ears to the ground.

I’d be amazed if they didn’t have something interesting to share with you. We started off discussing fall weather, and the spot-on impersonation of it that

change course if you don’t Like where you’re headed. to change course if you don’t like where you’re headed. It’s also up to you to recognize the challenges up ahead and alter your plans to suit them. That doesn’t mean abandoning your course, but it might mean altering it a little.

To my mind, the fall is one of the best times to start something new. The calendar may say that the year begins in the depths of winter, but we all know in our bones that the new year really starts when the kids head back to school.

Why not follow their example? There’s a wealth of formal training available on just about every conceivable aspect of the business. You may not be working directly on the floor much (or at all) but there are plenty of courses you can take that will help you turn a good job into a great job.

Our training portal, trainingmatters.ca, can help you find the best training to fit your current needs.

August gave us this year. It seems like weird weather might be the new normal.

In other words, we might all have to learn to live with constant change.

I think a lot of people might have trouble adapting, but I know collision repairers will weather the storm. We’ve been dealing with more or less constant change for at least the last 15 years. For us, change is normal, so we’re well positioned to adapt.

This fall, make sure you’re taking the right steps to stay well positioned. Glance to the past, keep your eyes fixed on the future, and be ready to change your plans. CRM

06 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR MIKE DAVEY editor@collisionrepairmag.com ART DIRECTOR DANIELA LUBERTO daniela@collisionrepairmag.com Assistant eDITOR MELISSA HAYES melissa@mediamatters.ca VP Industry Relations & Advertising GLORIA MANN (647) 998-5677 advertising@collisionrepairmag.com director of sales & Marketing ellen Smith (416) 312-7446 ellen@mediamatters.ca Marketing Assistant WILL JACQUES will@mediamatters.ca COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS TOM BISSONNETTE, sHAWN cOLLINS, VENESSA DI VITO, lES gOMBAS, DAVID GOLD, Leanne jefferies, JAY PERRY, SAM PIERCEY, nINA wEDGE

SUBSCRIPTION One-year $29.95 / Two-year $55.95 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 with out 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.

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

CMCA AUDITED

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

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People on the move Car-O-Liner has hired Dan Trahey as Manager of Technical Training.

In his new role, Trahey will support the CarO-Liner Academy training initiatives by developing technical education programs, technical writing, as well as supporting t h e c o m p a n y ’s Dan distributor and cusTrahey. tomer network through technical presentations within the North American automotive aftermarket.

Prior to joining Car-O-Liner, Trahey was the Auto Body, Automotive Restoration & Welding Program Director for Baker College in Flint, Michigan for five years. During this tenure, his responsibilities included curriculum creation, development of budgets as well as management of the programs overall.

Trahey has experience in the automotive industry as an auto body technician, an insurance appraiser, as well as managing a dealership collision repair facility. He is ASE Certified as a Master Collision/Refinish Technician, Estimator, and in Steering & Suspension and Brakes.

“I am very excited to have Dan join the Car-O-Liner team,” says Jeff Kern, President of Car-O-Liner. “Dan brings a significant amount of technical and training expertise to greatly benefit the many diverse groups

T ’ N DO !

T U O

here in North America and within our Global Academy structure which will be a huge asset for our company.”

Steve Leal, President of Fix Auto Canada, has announced the promotion of Tony DeSantis to Vice President of Sales.

DeSantis has over 20 years of experience in sales within the insurance property and casualty market. Prior to joining Fix Auto, he held various positions with one of Canada’s leading automotive rental organizations.

In addition to managing their insurance call centre, DeSantis Tony secured and DeSantis. oversaw the re lationship with their top insurance accounts. Prior to that, he held various roles with one of North America’s largest fleet management companies.

DeSantis joined Fix Auto in October 2009 as a Senior Account Executive, and has progressed to various roles within the sales department. He attended Ryerson University and holds a Degree in Business Management.

His mandate will be to oversee and coordinate the Canadian sales team to further maximize and develop opportunities for growth.

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news

economical’s neglia on sustainability at AkzoNobel NAPG Rocco Neglia, Vice President of Claims for Economical Insurance, was a guest presenter on sustainability at AkzoNobel’s 2014 North American Performance Group Meeting at the Ritz Carlton in Washington, DC. AkzoNobel invited Economical to speak at a special press event in recognition of a shared vision of sustainability and sustainable business practices with the collision repair industry.

“Economical represents a visionary voice and is an early adopter within the North American collision repair market on sustainability,” says Doug Holmberg, AkzoNobel’s North American Director of Vehicle Refinishes. “Economical partnered with us to help identify collision repair facilities that share our commitment to continuous improvement in their business practices.”

Economical has audited more than 300 of its designated repair facilities using AkzoNobel’s sustainability assessment tool.

“Partnering with AkzoNobel has enriched the criteria we use to identify, evaluate and select preferred vendors that are taking steps to making investments in becoming more efficient, more profitable and having a real solid plan towards sustainability,” says Neglia. “From a profit standpoint, when a collision repair shop is able to identify and strip out waste in their workflow and practices, which improves efficiency and profitability, they ultimately become more competitive. From an insurance perspective, when a shop is more efficient and is able to reduce their repair cycle times, claim costs are reduced.

“Our partnership has also helped us improve our efficiencies internally as we apply AkzoNobel’s concepts of process-centered environments to our claims handling process. We have harmonized our workflows with the activities of the collision repair shops, which has reduced our involvement in the repair process, allowing us to deploy our resources more efficiently and effectively.”

Rocco Neglia of Economical Insurance at AkzoNobel’s North American Performance Group Meeting.

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US Anti-Trust Suits Consolidated The U.S.-based Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has granted the request to consolidate five separate lawsuits put forward against insurance companies. The suits claim the insurers conspired to suppress labour rates, a violation of Section 1 of the U.S.’ Sherman Antitrust Act—a federal law prohibiting business activities deemed to be anti-competitive, requiring government investigation.

october 2014 collision Repair 09

‘Humble but Hungry’ CARSTAR eyes continued expansion in Western Canada It was just 20 years ago that Sam Mercanti launched CARSTAR Automotive in Canada. With business partner Larry Jefferies and the backing of five collision repair centres in the Hamilton area, Sam had a vision of someday reaching 200 CARSTAR locations in Canada.

With over 100 stores in Ontario, 20 in Atlantic Canada and over 50 in Quebec, CARSTAR forecasts a significant area of growth in the West.

Today, with 207 locations and 15 more ready to launch by this years’ end, CARSTAR is in the midst of a leadership transition that will pave the way for CARSTAR’s continued growth in Canada, exceeding Sam’s dreams.

“In the last 12 months we have added stores from the gateway to the West in Winnipeg, to British Columbia’s lower mainland. Of course, we have been knocking on doors, but our phones are ringing a lot too,” says Macaluso. “We have the strongest brand in the country, which supports our development process and a proven franchise system, where our partners are our best ambassadors.”

Adopting the mantra ‘humble, but hungry’, CARSTAR’s Chief Operating Officer Michael Macaluso best describes their success as ‘mission accomplished, but not vision accomplished’ as the early goals of CARSTAR have been met, but with many achievements yet to be realized.

Perhaps the best endorsement for CARSTAR can be seen in the success of the Multi CARSTAR Store Owner (MCSO) group. Made up of 35 franchise partners, the MCSO group is responsible for over $150 million in annual sales across 80 stores throughout Canada, with many of those in the West.

“Our proven market optimization and new market growth strategies have allowed us to capitalize on opportunities throughout the country”, says Macaluso.

In Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the public insurance model presents both challenges and opportunities for CARSTAR. Since store owners cannot depend on directed work through different insurance partners’ Direct Referral Programs (DRP), as is the case in private insurance sectors of Canada, the strength of the CARSTAR brand, business systems and focus on profitability have been the keys to CARSTAR’s success in these retail-centric markets.

“ I would recommend CARSTAR to any forwardthinking owners who want to take their business to the next level.“ Ryan Isherwood CARSTAR Duncan (Isherwood)

Just this spring, long-time CARSTAR franchise partners Dan Jonsson and Skye Grexton opened their fourth and fifth CARSTAR locations in Winnipeg. “We have enjoyed positive sustainable growth for several years across our three stores,” says Jonsson. “When the opportunity to open two additional CARSTAR locations and to increase our footprint in Winnipeg came up, we jumped at the chance.

We have a terrific local team, a strong brand and great support from CARSTAR head office, so we feel like we’re in a great position to succeed.”

in the West In Saskatchewan, Joe Schmidt and his wife Cheryl Cotton-Schmidt operate two very successful CARSTAR locations in Saskatoon and have been with CARSTAR for over 16 years.

Spurred by strong potash and agricultural sectors, the economy in Saskatchewan continues to grow, leading to increased population and provincial GDP growth expected to exceed 3 percent in 2015. Saskatchewan is therefore an increasingly attractive market, with publicized changes within Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) rewarding increased accountability at the store level with greater opportunity.

“ When the opportunity to open two additional CARSTAR locations and to increase our footprint in Winnipeg came up, we jumped at the chance. We have a terrific local team, a strong brand and great support from CARSTAR head office, so we feel like we’re in a great position to succeed.”

With confidence in a sustainable and growing economy, CARSTAR is exploring opportunities to establish a greater presence in Saskatchewan; namely in Regina and rural markets and are actively looking for potential franchise partners.

Dan Jonsson and Skye Grexton Multi-CARSTAR Store Owners, Winnipeg, Manitoba

With the success of CARSTAR locations in Alberta, CARSTAR continues to add stores through Multi Store Owner (MSO) acquisitions and traditional store conversions.

CARSTAR has added three locations in Alberta this year, with six more set to open in the next six months. With continued branding, better-than-industry KPIs and committed franchise partners, the CARSTAR network in Alberta is quickly becoming the benchmark of success for the rest of the country.

“Although we have been growing in B.C.,” concludes Macaluso, “we’re not there yet. We invite anyone to contact us if they want to explore the opportunity to join a terrific organization.”

The success of the CARSTAR network in Alberta is starting to spread in British Columbia, as CARSTAR continues to add locations in this public insurance market.

With recent additions in Courtenay, Duncan, 100 Mile House and Chilliwack, CARSTAR has been able to demonstrate value to its franchise partners and has boosted their brand presence through recent television, online, and radio advertising campaigns.

If you want to explore the opportunity to join CARSTAR, contact our franchise coordinator Lisa Davis at ldavis@carstar.ca or at 1-800-665-2264.

CARSTAR is undergoing a system wide re-branding of all locations; designed by an internationally renowned retail branding agency.

news

Bloomberg: AkzoNobel may be potential buyer for Axalta AkzoNobel may be a potential buyer for Axalta Coating Systems, according to a report on Bloomberg.com. The report cites “people familiar with the matter” who have asked not to be identified as the plan is private.

Axalta was purchased by Carlyle Group in February 2013. The Bloomberg report says Carlyle Group is open to bids, coinciding with a planned initial public offering (IPO)

for Axalta. According to the Bloomberg report, the unnamed source indicates that AkzoNobel has not indicated whether it is interested in purchasing Axalta.

AkzoNobel spokeswoman Diana Abrahams was quoted by the news agency as saying: “We do know about the business and we’ve heard of the IPO, but that’s all there is to say.”

AkzoNobel is already heavily involved in the automotive coatings business on a global level. The source cited in the Bloomberg article indicated AkzoNobel and Sherwin-Williams are seen as the best fits for potential purchasers of Axalta.

Axalta reported revenues of $4.3 billion in 2013. The company filed for an IPO in August 2014.

Boyd Group Q2 sales rise driven by acquisition, same store growth Second quarter sales at Boyd Group have increased by 48.2 percent over the same period in 2013. In dollars, sales increased by $202.8 million from $136.9 million. Boyd Group recently reported its financial results for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2014. The Fund’s second quarter 2014 financial statements and MD&A have been filed on SEDAR. In total, adjusted net earnings for the company increased to $8.5 million, compared with $3.8 million for the same period in 2013.

Acquisitions account for part of the increase, with same-store sales showing an increase of 7.3 percent. Significant acquisitions impacting the results include Boyd Group acquisitions of Collision Revision’s 25 facilities in Illinois, Indiana and Florida and Collex Collision Experts’ 16 collision repair centres in Michigan and Florida. The company also acquired Netcost, a third party administrator that offers first notice of loss, glass, and related services.

“The second quarter of 2014 was a continuation of the positive results we achieved in the first quarter,” says Brock Bulbuck, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Boyd Group. “This was the result of contributions from new acquisitions, the start of the strong selling season for glass combined with the carryover from the positive effects of the severe weather conditions we experienced at the beginning of the year. For the second half of the year we anticipate market conditions to return to historical norms.”

Sales in Canada were $40.5 million, an increase of $1.5 million or 3.9 percent, over the same period in 2013. The increase was driven by $2.1 million sales from a new location and same-store sales increases of $0.1 million or 0.3 percent, offset by $0.7 million decrease in sales due to the closure of one underperforming glass facility.

12 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

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AYCE graduates class of 2014

Introducing...

CROMAX MOSAICTM

®

AYCE 2014 Student of the Year Derek Avery accepts his award from special guest and mayoral hopeful, John Tory.

The months of hard work and dedication paid off for this year’s AYCE auto body collision class as they took centre stage during the program’s 2014 graduation ceremony at the Radisson Hotel’s Toronto East location.

“This year, for us to have an 85 percent success rate, is definitely a testament to the dedication you’ve brought to this program and the dedication that I know you’re going to bring forth to this trade,” says Marc Tremblay, co-ordinator of AYCE Employment Services’ Pre-Apprenticeship Training for Auto Body Collision and Damage Repair program, addressing the graduating class. “You’re definitely going to give AYCE and Tropicana Community Services a proud name.”

Beginning with a welcoming address from AYCE Director Nimo Abdulkadir, the event then gave program supporters, such as Audatex and I-CAR Canada, a chance to praise AYCE and the importance of staying ahead of the curve as evolving technologies require additional training. Keeping with this trend of change, Tremblay and Audatex were pleased to announce the inclusion of estimate writing to the course’s curriculum, which will be available for past and future students.

Former students Lorne Jackson and Mohammed Baruwa served as examples of the program’s evolution and success as they took turns at the mic to offer words of encouragement to this year’s graduating class.

“Always put in 110 percent, the sky is the limit for you guys,” says Jackson, who completed the program in 2012. “There are great techs out there, follow one, find one, and hold on to that tech, because they are going to teach you everything you need to know.”

As the evening drew to a close, mayoral hopeful John Tory was on hand to announce AYCE’s 2014 student of the year.

“I just wanted you to know how much in admiration I am of Tropicana and of AYCE, and in particular of the students who were in the program who are all standing here now with their certificates as evidence of the fact that they’ve finished the program successfully and will go off now to take their place in doing whatever kind of work they want to do with these skills in hand,” says Tory.

A new basecoat line for automotive body shops doing collision work that is designed to provide dependable colour match and a durable OEM quality repair.

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For additional information about this new technology please call your preferred Axalta distributor or the Axalta Customer Care Centre at 1-800-668-6945. www.cromax.ca

AN AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS BRAND The Cromax logo and Cromax® MosaicTM are trademarks or registered trademarks of Axalta Coating Systems LLC or its affiliates, used under license by Axalta Coating Systems Canada Company. © 2014 Axalta Coating Systems Canada Company. All rights reserved.

news

Empire Collision celebrates 5 decades

By Melissa Hayes

When Empire Collision South opened its doors to the public the evening of August 21, it let in a wealth of history and city pride as hundreds gathered to mark the auto collision repair shop’s 50 year milestone.

Empire Collision has come a long way since its inception in 1964.

Half a century later, the business has expanded to two locations—Empire Collision South and Empire Collision West—under the guidance of Bill Johnson, brought on as General Manager in 2007 by owners Ken Smoley and Janet Howard.

“We’re born and raised Edmontonians, and I have been in business with Janet’s husband, John, for 35 years. We bought Empire Auto Body about 15 years ago from the founder’s son,” Smoley says, adding that while the ownership may have changed, the original heart and dedication to serving the public has not. “The founder’s tagline was ‘We take pride,’ and we’ve made a point to carry that on.”

Empire Collision has also embraced a strong sense of community, making a point to give back regularly through charity work.

Partnered with The Kids Kottage Foundation, the shop has recently raffled off both a 1964 Mustang as well as the most current model, to help ring in five decades.

The raffle for the 2014 Mustang is limited to 5,000 tickets and is expected to raise $100,000 for the children’s charity. Attendees also had the chance to rub elbows with local celebrities, including two Edmonton Oil King Memorial Cup winners, as well as representatives from the Edmonton Eskimos. Empire Collision also unveiled a gift to

Empire Collision South’s 12 ft. by 120 ft. mural depicts 50 years of Edmonton history.

the city: a 12 ft. by 120 ft. mural depicting Edmonton over the last 50 years, crafted by artist Kris Friesen.

The mural depicts numerous milestones from Edmonton’s history and helps to communicate Empire’s desire to celebrate the hometown that’s housed the facility for so many years—a sentiment companies like BASF and distributor Carlson Body Shop Supply are happy to be involved with.

“We are really proud to be partners with the Empire Collision team, and look forward to helping them grow even further,” says BASF’s Mark Livingston, adding that the seven-year partnership has allowed the paint provider to play an integral role in the evolution of the shop’s day-to-day operations and long-term planning. “This anniversary is a huge accomplishment within the industry and within BASF.” For more information on the Empire Collision Group, please visit empirecollision.com.

Assured Automotive

Cares

enough to be properly

TRAINED & EQUIPPED NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO, BUT BECAUSE WE WANT TO

Assured Honoured Assured Automotive honours Marc Julien for his commitment to the collision repair industry. Marc Julien is responsible for all facets of Technical Training and for Employee Development at Assured. Marc is a Certified I-CAR Instructor and has been heavily involved with I-CAR Canada for over 12 years. In his role at Assured, Marc is an integral part of Assured’s Operations Team and is responsible for managing our Damage Analysis Process Improvement and I-CAR Training Initiatives. Continuous Improvement is at the core of Assured’s Corporate Culture. At Assured we believe that our staff is the key to our success; to this end we would like to thank Marc for his contribution and dedication to Assured Automotive.

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“ t r a i n iinngt oi sd aeys’ ss ei nn dt iuaslt r y 16 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

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news

Chase Auto Body Supplies brings Collision Repair Expo to Winnipeg

By Lorraine Pelley

Chase Auto Body Supplies recently hosted a Collision Repair Expo at Canad Inns Polo Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“We wanted to give an opportunity to the collision centres to get up-to-date information that would benefit their own business, in an enjoyable and interactive atmosphere,” says Dan Bernier, Sales Manager for Chase Auto Body Supplies Winnipeg.

The Expo featured over 40 exhibitors, and key topics included aluminum repair, cycle time reduction, tools and equipment, training opportunities, health and safety information and the newest technologies.

“There hasn’t been anything like this in Manitoba before, and our industry partners were genuinely excited to be part of this,” says Lisa Krishka, Operations Manager, Chase Auto Body Supplies Winnipeg.

During the afternoon, attendees were invited to attend three professional development seminars: Manitoba Workplace & Health Regulations in the Automotive Sector, Do I Really Need to Use Social Media to Market My Business and Creating a Team of Self-Motivated and Productive Employees.

In the evening, guests were entertained by the charisma and stories of keynote speaker Laurie Mustard. A long-time media personality, Mustard is also an avid classic car enthusiast and collector. Food and beverages were served throughout the day and draws were made for fabulous prizes.

Part of the crowd at the Collision Repair Expo, which featured over 40 exhibitors and a number of education seminars.

“We’ve had so many compliments from the people that attended that it completely exceeded what they were expecting. Everybody learned something that would immediately help them at their shop,” says Krishka.

“Everyone at Chase works hard every day to be a strategic business partner for our customers,” says Bernier. “Shops expect and need more than a product supplier that just drops off boxes of stuff, and Chase is proud to be more than that ... inventory management, technical training, and business support are all part of what we do for our customers.”

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18 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

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news

teeing up for a good cause Summer’s over, but we still have the memories. More than that, a number of charities across Canada are now richer, thanks to numerous golf tournaments held by the industry over the last few months. Check out the next couple of pages for the round-up, and head over to collisionrepairmag.com for a complete report and hundreds of photos. You’ll probably spot someone you know!

David Smith of AkzoNobel, Gloria Mann of Collision Repair magazine, and Michel Gagnon of Mitchell take a moment to reconnect at the 20th annual CARSTAR Charity Golf Classic, which took place at the Beverly Golf & Country Club. About 150 stakeholders came out to help, with all proceeds supporting Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s efforts.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car recently held its 19th annual golf tournament in support of the Women In Insurance Cancer Crusade (WICC).

Enterprise employees and industry supporters turned out in large numbers for the annual charity golf tournament.

Once the final ball was driven far across the fairway, Enterprise’s annual golf tournament raised $35,000 in support of WICC.

Jenny Trokic of CSN Collision Centres (centre, in blue) presents a cheque to representatives of Make-A-Wish Canada. CSN Collision Centres held its 8th Annual Golf Tournament on at Piper’s Heath Golf Club in Milton, Ont. All proceeds from the tournament go to Make-AWish​Canada​. By the end of the day, CSN ​Collision Centres was able to present the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a cheque for $10,000.

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20 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

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news

hitting the links for charity More of the photos of summer! It looks like members of the auto claims economy are always willing to step up and swing a golf club in the name of a good cause. You can head on over over to collisionrepairmag.com for complete reports and tons of photos from each tournament. Not only will you probably see someone you know, you’ll notice some charitable souls more than once!

Paul Nestorowich of Discount, Tony Canade of Assured Automotive, and Randy Banks of Allstate at the Assured Automotive 9th annual Charity Golf Tourmanent at Glen Abbey Golf Club. The tournament was in support of the Michael “Pinball” Clemons Foundation.

Paul and Adam Prochilo of Prochilo Brothers Collision Centres start the day off right at the Discount Car & Truck Rentals annual charity golf tournament at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. The tournament raised funds in support of the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund, which campaigns to place Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in schools, hockey arenas, and other public places.

Stu Klein of Fix Auto, Kim Roberts of Fix Auto Barrie, and Andy Neufeld of Fix Auto. Fix Auto hosted its Seventh Annual Masters Tournament at The Club at Bond Head, raising $10,000 for MADD Canada in the process.

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22 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

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Torch passed to new ownership at CARSTAR Hamilton Midtown After 33 years in business and thousands of repaired vehicles, Bruce and Cathy Killinger will be handing over the keys to their CARSTAR Hamilton Midtown and CARSTAR Express Midtown West locations to new owners.

Bruce and Cathy have worked together since they first opened the doors in 1981.

They feel that the time is right for selling their business, and have confidence in the team that will take over ownership.

Another husband and wife team; Rick and Wendy Yates, who between them possess over 50 years of experience in the automotive/insurance/operations and customer service industries, will be taking the reins at both locations. As Rick Yates puts it, “we want to grow this terrific business as Bruce and Cathy have over the last 30 years and to continue with their tradition of excellence.”

Rick was previously a senior member at TD Insurance and most recently CARSTAR’s Director of Franchise Development. Wendy brings extensive experience in marketing, logistics, and product delivery.

“Both Cathy and I see a lot of ourselves in Rick and Wendy,” says Bruce. “They are both ambitious and dedicated, and most importantly their values align with ours. This has been a family run business for over 30 years, and Rick and Wendy will continue it as such. We really couldn’t have left our business in better hands.”

CARSTAR Hamilton Midtown was the second independent centre to join CARSTAR in 1995, shortly after Sam Mercanti brought the CARSTAR banner to Canada.

“We always respected Sam, even when we were in direct competition with him,” says Cathy, “He was always a gentleman and a visionary in our business.”

In the immediate future, both Bruce and Cathy will continue to work with Rick and Wendy to bring them up to speed.

“Bruce and Cathy have built a fantastic business with a terrific team over the last thirty years,” says Rick. “Like them we are looking for a new challenge. We have both left established careers to pursue this dream and with the support of CARSTAR we are sure we can continue to be a successful member of the CARSTAR family.”

On their time with CARSTAR, Bruce says, “I want to thank CARSTAR for supporting us every step of the way since 1995. I can honestly say that joining CARSTAR was the best business decision we ever made.”

Bruce and Cathy Killinger (left) are selling their CARSTAR locations to Wendy and Rick Yates (right). CARSTAR Hamilton Midtown was the second independent facility to join CARSTAR after the banner came to Canada.

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october 2014 collision Repair 25

facts & figures

Survey Says ...

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26 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Readers on new spraybooths, adjunct profit centres, and women in the collision repair industry.

I

s your spraybooth in need of an update? Nearly half of the respondents to an online sur vey we conducted recently indicated that their shop has updated its spraybooth at some point in the last five years. This includes both those who answered “in the last five years” (17 p ercent) and “ in t he last ye ar” (29 percent).

This is interesting, as it seems to indicate that the collision industry has been on a bit of a spraybooth buying kick in the last year. As illustrated in the accompanying graph, the sheer numbers of respondents who purchased a booth in the last year are nearly equivalent to those who purchased a new booth in the last 10 years (30 percent).

We also recently asked about frequency of training. We’re pleased to report that roughly one third of respondents or a member of their staff had attended a training session at least once a month, and a further one third indicated that they or a member of their staff attended training at least twice a year.

Many collision repair centres are currently considering adjunct businesses or profit centres to supplement income derived from traditional collision repair.

A recent survey on the topic showed that “paintless dent repair” captured the most interest (33 percent), with “films and wraps” and “body mods and/ or custom paint” trailing in second (21 percent each).

“Rust proofing” and “auto glass” were at the bottom of the list (13 percent and 12 percent respectively). This may seem counterintuitive, but note that the question was “which adjunct business interests you the most” and not “which adjunct business do you think is the

facts & figures

When was the last time you updated your spraybooth?

6% 18%

29%

How often do you or a member of your staff attend training?

16% 34% 17%

In the last year.

In the last five years.

30%

17%

At least once a month.

33%

In the last 10 years.

At least twice a year.

In the last 20 years.

At least once a year.

No idea.

Less than once a year.

Which adjunct business interests you the most?

12% 13%

33%

Are any women employed in your facility (including yourself)?

4.5% 18.2%

Paintless dent repair.

Films and wraps.

77.3%

21%

Body mods and/or custom paint.

21%

Yes, in the office.

Rust proofing.

Yes, in both the shop and office.

Auto glass.

No.

most viable?” A future survey will dig into this.

Participants in this survey could have also chosen oil changes, performance mods, or audio and electronics. However, no respondents picked those answers so they’re not shown on the graph.

Both oil changes and performance mods are generally considered to lie on the mechanical side of the automotive business, and audio and electronics is a specialist concern. That does not mean those adjuncts should not be given due consideration, as benefits may outweigh the extra training and investment.

Oil changes, for example, are relatively simple to perform and are a frequently accessed service. Get customers into your shop for an oil change on a regular basis,

Many collision repair centres are currently considering adjunct businesses or profit centres to supplement income derived from traditional collision repair.

and you just might be able to talk them into fixing that unsightly door ding.

There have always been women working in the collision repair field, most frequently in office positions, but often as technicians or painters as well.

A recent survey supports this view, with a massive number of respondents (77 percent) indicating that women were working in the facility’s office in some capacity. Nearly one-fifth of respondents (18 percent) indicated that women were working in the facility in both the shop and office. We do not have access to statistics tracking this, but we suspect that this is an increase from even 10 years ago. Just five percent of respondents indicated that there were no women working in the facility. CRM october 2014 collision Repair 27

point blank with piercey

gotmilked?

Take a look into the past. Now get mad.

OEM Approved: The Importance of Approved Fixtures

It’s impossible to underestimate the importance of manufacturer approved fixture benches when it comes to repairing structural damage of modern, technologically advanced automobiles.

“If you perform a structural repair on a BMW or several of the other premium brands using anything but manufacturer approved fixtures, you could potentially be breaking the vehicle,” says Chris Castagna of BMW Group Canada.

BMW and other high-end manufacturers often use a blend of material types throughout the vehicle’s structure. This approach is also making its way into mass-market automobiles.

It seems likely that we’ll see more of this technique in the future.

The use of blended materials means a single area of the vehicle may include cast aluminum, high strength steel, ultra-high strength steel, thermoplastics and other materials. These all have unique characteristics, and they all react differently in a collision.

“Say you’ve got a damaged B pillar. That damage might range across nine different types of material, and they may be joined together in different ways. Just that one component may use laser welds, spot welds, rivets, and adhesives.”

If you put that damage on a non-approved frame machine, you may not be properly securing the pull. All the metals are being pulled in the same direction at the same time, but the way they react is wildly different.

OEM approved fixture systems secure the vehicle properly. Essentially they recreate the original pick-up points used in the factory, returning the car to its original condition.

Non-approved methods may compromise safety to a threatening degree. For example, an improperly repaired frame rail may not react properly under the impact of a subsequent collision, possibly compromising the vehicle’s advanced safety systems. Considering the risks, improper repairs must be avoided at all costs.

The only safe way to repair vehicles is by OEM trained technicians using OEM approved equipment, following OEM approved procedures and the proper remuneration for the facilities that perform them.

This message brought to you by BMW.

By Sam Piercey

I

came across an estimate from 1989 in the bottom of a drawer the other day. The first thing that jumped out at me was that we were getting $50 an hour on body, and $20 an hour on paint materials. It blew my mind how little has changed in 25 years.

Today we get approximately $57 an hour for paint and body hours, and $28 to $32 on paint materials, if I average

wage! Minimum wage in Ontario in 1989 was $5 an hour. In 2014 it’s $11 an hour. That’s more than double!

We also weren’t giving away discounts, we weren’t being told where to buy our parts, estimates weren’t uploaded, and paint times weren’t capped.

On top of everything else, there’s simply more paperwork and we’ve needed to hire more office staff to deal with it.

Paint materials, dry good taxes, rent, employee wages ... it goes on. it out. Keep in mind that this is the average, we’ve got some insurance partners who pay us a few dollars per hour more than that.

Now look at all the increased costs we’ve seen in the last 25 years. Paint materials, dry good taxes, rent, employee wages, shop equipment, training, heat, power, maintenance, and it goes on.

Hell, just take a look at the minimum

Maybe it sounds like I just don’t like change, but that’s not my point. I don’t like seeing a viable industry sucked dry.

Say what you will, I don’t think that this sort of thing is sustainable.

If you keep giving away everything, then you’re doomed. Keep giving it away, and you’ll find that you don’t have an exit strategy and the business is basically worth nothing. CRM

T BODY & PAINT CPI** Material Rate 1988

71.2

20

50

2013

122.8

28

57

Diff vs. 1988

51.6

8

7

% Change vs. 1988

42%

29%

12%

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an indicator of changes in consumer prices experienced by Canadians. It is obtained by comparing, over time, the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services purchased by consumers. Since the basket contains goods and services of unchanging or equivalent quantity and quality, the index reflects only pure price change. .

Labour

*CPI (Consumer Price index as per Statistics Canada) Sam Piercey is the co-owner of Budds’ Collision Services in Oakville, Ont. He is a long-time Coyote member and sits on many boards and committees. Sam can be reached at sam@ buddscollision.com.

prairie view

INtransition The right moves help put your retirement plans in motion.

By Tom Bissonnette

I

f, like me, you’re at that stage of life where you’re starting to consider transitioning into some form of retirement, let me help shed some light on the process by drawing from my own experiences over these last few years.

As September comes to a close, my business is wrapping up its second full year of open book management. We’ve essentially opened our financials to all employees. So, at the start of the fiscal year, we put together a budget, determine how much profit is fair for the business to make, and then secure plans to share anything extra with our employees.

How well has this worked? The answer is in the results. Our employees are paid a straight time wage, and last year, after hitting our targets, we were able

leading business development organizations, so I can continue my involvement with people working in the industry.

Moving forward, my goal is to be completely absent from the shop’s day-to-day operations within the next two years, while continuing to bring in revenue from the business and rental of the commercial property.

So, the question is, especially if you’re of a certain age, have you started to plan the succession of your business?

Putting things into motion doesn’t mean you have to retire right away, but you do need to consider having a safety net in place before you find yourself in a life-threatening situation. For example,

for the sake of your family . . . start making plans for your eventual exit. to pay out over $80,000 in bonuses. This year, we plan to hit our targets again, and aim to pay $60,000 in bonuses. This of course, is all in addition to providing our workers with a very competitive baseline wage, a shop with an air-conditioned production area, as well as access to state of the art equipment.

To really drive the point home, thanks to this process, our employee turnover is nil.

In addition, I have also put together a 5-year succession plan, which is now in its third year. During the first year, I worked with my accountant to prepare for the sale of 30 percent of my business shares to my employees.

The second year, I sold the shares and welcomed five of my key employees into the realm of ownership. This past year, with the exception of working in the parts department as my regular parts person is on maternity leave, I have all but backed off from day-to-day business duties, and have been moving towards assuming more of a mentorship role.

This coming year, I plan to fade even further into the background, therefore giving my new, young staff more opportunities to be seen as the face of Parr Auto Body. I have also taken a director’s position on the board of one of Saskatoon’s 30 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

one of my friends recently suffered a major heart attack, and if he survives it, his life will certainly not be the same as it was before—just some food for thought.

For the sake of your family and their financial future, you need to start making plans for your eventual exit from the business. All of the articles I have read on the topic suggest to start the planning process at least five years in advance of when you might plan to retire.

The good news is that there is help out there; you don’t need to figure it out on your own. Mike Bryan, the former administrator of the CCIF, offers a consulting practice where he works closely with owners to evaluate their business and put a plan in place that will work for both you and your family.

He can be reached at mike@brycorp.ca or by phone at 1-905-726-9027. CRM

Tom Bissonnette is the owner/operator of Parr Auto Body, a collision repair facility located in Saskatoon, Sask. He can be reached at tom@parrautobody.com.

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who’s driving?

Tuningup Continuous improvement relies on maintenance.

By Jay Perry

A

n entire year has passed since we started examining the aspects involved in creating a smooth-running business. I hope that you have found some value in what has been discussed, have taken the time to test drive a few of the ideas and made some overall improvements to your own business as a result. Remember, ideas without execution are just ideas — which, on their own, bring about no benefit. To recap, the six topics covered thus far are: 1. Perception of the education of staff as an investment versus a cost, 2. Daily communication through Morning

Try it. Pretend that everything you hear is the honest truth. If you force yourself to believe what’s being spoken, you are more alert, open to suggestion and flexible in your thinking.

Obviously, everything said is not fact, but by imagining this is so, if only temporarily, will allow you to glean any potential nuggets of insight that may be there.

Next up is Feasibility, which involves looking at any options that have opened up and weighing them against the reality of the current situation.

For example, someone might suggest a different layout from the production shop’s original design. The challenge would be the associated costs

You cannot expect instant success . . . without some degree of finessing.

Meetings and “Walk-Around” sessions, 3. Mapping vehicles and full disassemblies for successful diagnostics and speedy repairs, 4. Storage of parts and customer vehicles, 5. Proper documentation of damages and parts orders and, 6. Estimating practices that produce a better result.

In this installment, I would like to shift the focus and look at what goes into keeping a business welloiled. In other words, the maintenance. If you recall, in Part 2, we touched on the “3 Cs” approach to parts: Complete, Clear and Concise. I’d now like to introduce what I call the “3 Fs:” Feedback, Feasibility and Finessing.

Seeking, or providing feedback is a simple concept.

You either ask for an opinion, or you offer one. Usually, the challenge is being the one on the receiving end. Oftentimes, our brains won’t stop defending the status quo long enough to recognize the value of the feedback we’re given.

Ego is another obstacle that comes into play. We tend to dismiss what we consider to be lowly sources, failing to see any wisdom in what’s being said. The trick is to listen and play a little game while doing so.

32 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

involved with the redesign. When something is desirable, but not immediately feasible, create a list and an associated budget to thereby make those targets a reality in the future.

The final F is for Finessing, which entails the tweaking or adjustment of your process in order to amplify the results. Take an overhauled engine—you know it will require finessing to run at optimum output. In the same way, you cannot expect instant success from any of the six points covered in this year-long series without some degree of finessing.

My experience with multi-store owners has proven time and time again that they must accommodate idiosyncrasies within their various locations. They take the underlying principle or procedure and tweak it for each spot. That’s finessing.

Only by implementing these 3 Fs into your business will you make continuous improvement a way of life and be the one who’s driving. 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 e-mail at jayperry@a-b-c-inc.com.

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34 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

PROFILES OF SUCCESS

Fast

Track For Pat Quinney and Quickfalls Collision Centre, the road to the future is paved with investment and engagement with the industry.

By Mike Davey

P

at Quinney is the future of collision repair. Quinney, and those like him. The owner/ operator of Quickfalls Collision Centre in Kindersley, Saskatchewan is just 38 years old, but already has over 20 years experience in the business.

He started in 1992, working for Giles Midtown Auto Body in Elrose, Saskatchewan, on a high school apprenticeship.

That first job may have been a significant factor in Quinney’s trajectory since. Lloyd Giles, Midtown’s owner, was and still is heavily involved with the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR), the province’s trade association.

“He served a couple of presidencies with SAAR, so early on I saw the importance of being involved, and how it helped him keep ahead of the curve,” says Quinney.

Quinney also worked for Tom Bissonnette at Parr Auto Body for a year.

Bissonnette is well-known to readers of Collision Repair magazine as the writer of his regular column in our pages, as a former chair of the Canadian Collision In-

dustry Forum, and through his work with SAAR. In other words, like Giles, he’s a shop owner who isn’t afraid to get involved and engage with the industry at large.

Early influences count for a lot. Quinney became an active member of the association when he became a shop owner with the purchase of Quickfalls Collision Centre in May of 2006, and went on to chair the technical committee. He has since occupied a VP position with the association, and currently sits as its President.

“I feel like we’ve done a lot for the industry in this province because we have a strong association,” says Quinney. “If you have concerns, you need to get involved with your association and voice them. It’s hard to change anything as individuals, but in a group you’re stronger.”

Automotive insurance in Saskatchewan is purchased through Saskatchewan General Insurance (SGI). Quinney’s facility is located close to the Alberta border, so he sees some private insurance work, but for his facility and most others in Saskatchewan, the vast majority of the work goes through SGI. It’s possible to make a case for or against

public auto insurance, but one thing it can provide is the ability to negotiate with just one entity. In May of 2013, SAAR and SGI negotiated a 10 percent increase from the then current hourly labour rate of $69.63.

This further increased to $76.59 per hour on Jan. 1, 2014. The rate will increase an additional 10 percent in 2015 and 2016, topping out at $92.68 per hour in the final year of the agreement.

That’s a big change in just a few short years, but the collision repair industry is used to change. Quinney himself is an example of a change we’re going to see more frequently.

“I’m young compared to the average shop owner, but the landscape is going to change in a hurry. There are a lot of owners looking to get out,” says Quinney.

“There was a facility in town that did about the same volumes as we do, but the owner could no longer staff it, so our workload essentially doubled overnight. I think we all know there’s going to be more of that.”

Attracting qualified staff has been an ongoing concern in the collision repair industry for decades. Quinney believes that october 2014 collision Repair 35

PROFILES OF SUCCESS

“I’m young compared to the average shop owner, but the landscape is going to change in a hurry.”

– Pat Quinney

Back row, from left: Michael DeCou, Kim Rudniski, Ken Barrows, Pat Quinney, Raylene Quinney, Codey Richardson, Nick Algner, and Clint Gregor. Front row, from left: Scott Close, Kris Anderson, and Joey Knorr. Not pictured are Brian Hahn and Stefen Seel.

Customer care is always a high priority at Quickfalls Collision Centre.

the new agreement with SGI will help repairers rectify that.

“We’re going to be able to work on that more in our province, due to the rate increases we negotiated with SGI,” says Quinney. “In 2006, our door rate was about $56 an hour. Very soon we’ll be at nearly $93 an hour.”

The old saying is that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Quinney notes that SGI has certain expectations in return.

“I think SGI has every right to expect certain things,” says Quinney. “The money will come in, and we must use it to upgrade our facilities and pay our staff better. As shop owners, we have a responsibility to provide good service. SGI is allowing us to do that by recognizing our need to invest.”

Quickfalls Collision Centre is well poised for the future. After Quinney and his wife Raylene purchased the facility in 2006 and moved to Kindersley, they embarked on a program of equipment and facility upgrades that has continued to this day.

“We upgraded very aggressively at first, but we learned along the way that it’s best to pace yourself a bit,” says Quinney.

The business has grown considerably in the last eight years. In the beginning, the staff consisted of Quinney, Raylene, and one painter. A previous employee of the facility who had been laid off was brought back on within a few months. Today the facility employs 14 people. Last year it did approximately $2.2 million in business.

Rapid growth can present its own challenges. Quinney gives a lot of the credit to helping weather this storm to his wife and partner, Raylene.

“Raylene does the bookkeeping and works reception sometimes,” says Quinney. “Given the size of our business now, the bookkeeping by itself is a big undertaking. The success of our business owes a lot to her. She was the one who gave me the confidence to do this.”

In addition to sales growth, Quickfalls Collision Centre expanded physically in

36 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

2009, adding about 3,000 sq. ft. to the facility’s total footprint and renovating the facility’s offices at the same time.

The addition houses a subsidiary business, a NAPA Autopro franchise. Quinney says the decision to offer automotive service and repair was based on increasing customer touch time.

“Customers we used to see every few years, we now see every few months. It helps to keep them interested in our business,” says Quinney.

Quinney believes the ability to try new things and adapt to changing conditions is vital to collision repairers who want to stay in operation.

“You’re going to have very strong sales to survive the next few years, but it’s worthwhile,” he says. “The rapid changes in vehicle technology are very exciting.

This is the sort of thing that keeps us from getting into a rut.”

It may be exciting, but it seems likely that not all collision repair facilities will be able to participate in a changing marketplace.

“Some shops haven’t invested and they’re not going to. I can’t apologize because they’re getting pushed out. In a lot of cases, they made a decision not to participate and be a progressive shop owner,” says Quinney.

“I see great things moving forward, for those who are willing to participate and embrace the change that is happening.”

For more information on Quickfalls Collision Centre, please visit quickfalls.ca. CRM

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EXECUTIVE VISION

The

Growth of the Specialist

By Mike Davey

David Adams of Global Automakers of Canada on vehicle technology, certification programs, and opportunities in electronics.

E

xecutive Vision focuses on discussions with key players in the auto claims economy and the auto industry, their views on the present industry and their vision for the future. In this issue, our guest is David Adams, President of Global Automakers of Canada (GAC). The GAC represents the interests of members engaged in the manufacturing, importation, distribution, and servicing of light duty vehicles.

Collision Repair magazine: The collision repair industry has a number of challenges. In your opinion, what are the three most critical issues from the viewpoint of the OEs? D a v i d A d a m s : As vehicles become more complex and comprised of more diverse materials and electronics, vehicle manufacturers are fundamentally concerned about having well trained technicians to be able to perform the collision repair properly in addition to ensuring that the technician undertaking the repair is utilizing the manufacturer’s current repair standard. All of this needs to be done in conjunction with having the right equipment available to properly repair the vehicle.

T he s e t h re e issu e s —wel l -t r ai ne d staff, OEM repair standards, proper equipment—are critical to ensuring the vehicle is repaired to pre-accident condition. Proper restoration to preaccident condition is key to preserving the value of the consumer’s investment in their vehicle, and more importantly to ensuring the vehicle is safe.

CRM: Taking just one of the critical issues outlined above, what is the best way for a shop to deal with it?

DA: If we look at equipment, I would suggest that the days are gone—or soon will be—when a shop is able to repair every make and model. New materials and complex materials combined together in the vehicle usually mean the investment in specialized equipment to be able to repair certain vehicle makes and models. Likewise with the myriad of sensors and lasers on many vehicles today, these need to be calibrated to very precise tolerance levels when the vehicle is repaired in order to ensure that electronic systems like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, pre-collision avoidance/preparation systems, etc., continue to function as designed when the vehicle was originally assembled. So, a shop probably needs to determine what type of collision repair business it wants to be in and orient its investment around that determination.

CRM: We’ve seen an increase in the number of collision repair certification

38 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

programs offered by OEs. Some of these p r o g r a m s a r e i n C a n a d a c u r r e n t l y, while some operate only in the US or in other markets. Do you think we will see manufacturer certification programs from outside Canada make their way here?

DA: For the reasons I’ve noted, I think you will see more and more vehicle manufacturers looking to establish a certification program in some shape or form as a means of ensuring that the vehicle has been properly repaired utilizing manufacturers repair standards and appropriate equipment. How quickly those programs will come to fruition in Canada remains to be seen, but I would suggest it is not a matter of if more certification programs will come to Canada, but when.

CRM: What would you say is the benefit of these programs from the viewpoint of the OE? What is the benefit to the shop?

DA: In terms of looking at the customer as a customer for life, ensuring a vehicle is properly repaired according to the manufacturer’s specification ensures both customer satisfaction while maintaining

EXECUTIVE VISION

the value of their investment. The customer then continues to have a very positive experience with the vehicle despite it having been in a collision.

A certified repair also provides the manufacturer with the assurance that the vehicle has been properly and safely repaired and is therefore a known quantity should that vehicle become part of a dealers’ certified pre-owned vehicle sales program when it is traded in on a new model.

For the certified shop, I think one of the advantages would be the knowledge that there is a manufacturer that has certified your operations and has a vested interest both for the manufacturer and the consumer you share, to try and do everything possible to ensure that all of its accident damaged vehicles are repaired at the certified shop.

“

The days are gone—or soon will be—when a shop is able to repair every make and model.

electronic systems would seem to be an area of growth that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.

CRM: Thinking solely of how it’s going to change the business, what’s the biggest change we can expect in the next few years?

DA: I go back to vehicle technology. This is perhaps obvious on one hand, such as new materials and electronics being integrated into the vehicle to reduce weight to assist manufacturers in meeting greenhouse gas emissions regulations and consumer expectations.

The less obvious aspect to technology is the advent of the automated or driverless vehicle. One of the key purposes for developing automated vehicles is to avoid collisions and the cost associated with the injuries and fatalities to the occupants arising from collisions.

While the widespread adoption of this technology may be 20 to 30 years down the road, it will obviously have a fundamental impact on the collision repair industry.

CRM

David Adams, President of Global Automakers of Canada

CRM: In your view, what are the most important steps for a shop to take to secure longevity?

DA: Staying updated on the changing trends within the industry would be pivotal and, as indicated, taking the time to figure out what space you want to occupy in the collision repair industry. It is not likely that you will continue to be able to be all things to all people.

Taking the time to figure out your target market will be important, whether that is a particular brand or a particular type of repair.

CRM: What do you think will be an area of growth for collision repair facilities?

DA: As more and more vehicles become equipped with electronics for lane departure, adaptive cruise control, rear view camera, collision avoidance, etc., facilities that have the equipment to deal with complex october 2014 collision Repair 39

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Industry celebrity Gloria Mann takes a few minutes with Chip Foose.

NACE roars into the Motor City.

By Darryl Simmons

Jerome De Lapeyre, National Sales Manager of Bodyshopmall.com and Harry Dhanjal of BASF.

Dana Alexander of CSN-Dana’s Collision Center, Michel Guerette of AkzoNobel, and Darryl Simmons of Collision Repair magazine.

features, including a larger show floor, a rebranded MSO Symposium as well as manufacturer-specific classes and a strong focus on aluminum repairs.

Sessions included presentations delivered

by Ford on its new 2015 F-150 model with Aluminum Repair Information, as well as details on its National Body Shop Program.

Staying on topic, Car-O-Liner led an indepth analysis on the differences between aluminum and steel structural repairs.

Chief Automotive Technologies also presented its insights on the aluminum trends that have been dominating industry discussion throughout 2014. In addition, 3M separated the facts from the myths on aluminum repairs, while Pro Spot detailed the specifics of aluminum welding for collision repair professionals.

The first-ever CCIF hosted outside Canada was one of the main attractions for the large contingent of Canadians who attended. Please see page 42 for the report.

Also bringing Canadians together was a Canada Night reception hosted by Collision Repair magazine on the show floor, where exhibitors and attendees raised a glass or two in honour of Canada.

I-CAR offered NACE delegates more courses than ever before, including classes specific to aluminum exterior panel repair and replacement, and 2015 Ford F-150 structural repair. In the past, the MSO symposium aimed to include the largest gathering of multi-shop operators in the collision repair industry. This year’s revamped MSO forum brought together a broader spectrum of collision professionals

Jeff Moore of TD, Michael Macaluso and Yves Robichaud of CARSTAR, and Dario Ricciutelli of TD.

T

Demoing the Matrix Wand. A chance to see new equipment in action is a major draw for NACE.

Bigger

Venessa Di Vito, Axalta; Luc Coutu. Commonwell Mutual; Bill Davidge, CARSTAR; Bernice Di Vito, Autobahn CARSTAR.

here must have been some Motor City magic breathing a whole new life into the industry’s crown jewel show. The air crackled with excitement at this year’s NACE. From show-floor buzz to forward-looking CCIF presentations, from cutting-edge training to extraordinary social events, this was, according to exhibitors and attendees, the best collision repair exposition in recent memory.

Partnering with numerous other associations and events, the National Autobody Conference and Exposition (NACE) clearly showed there was still plenty of support and benefits for an industry-specific event separate from SEMA in Las Vegas.

The 2014 NACE Expo kicked off July 30, offering a diverse collection of new

40 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Shellie Andrews of CSN-Dana’s Collision Center and Ellen Smith of Collision Repair magazine.

Kevin Gibb of Ritchie Collision and Roger Turmel of Autoquip.

Bastien Dias Da Costa and Jennifer Lenk of Celette, Jason Bartenen of I-CAR, and Roland Taube of LKQ.

The show floor was buzzing with excitement for Canada Night at the Collision Repair magazine booth.

Derrick Ryan of Garland Autobody.

William Monteith, CSN-Zenetec Collision; Ken Friesen, CSN-Concours Collision; Jeff Murphy, PPG; Chris Peterson, CSN-Concours.

& Better! under the newly christened banner, Collision Repair Executive Symposium (CRES).

The day consisted of education and networking opportunities, making the event more inclusive, bringing together as many industry leaders as possible.

But the stars of the show were the numerous exhibits jam-packed with the latest and best in collision repair equipment that ran in conjunction with the training seminars in the nearby hall.

“This is definitely the best NACE show in a long time,” says Dana Alexander of CSN - Dana’s Collision in Fredericton, NB. “It was a great lineup of education seminars and plenty of new items on the show floor. I especially enjoyed the show app that let me find booths and keep track of events. Great job!”

Don Morton, of the newly-expanded Don-Mor CARSTAR in London, ON, praised the show organizers on their insights and attention to detail for attendees.

“Having just expanded my location, I needed new equipment. Now we will be prepared for aluminum repairs by year-end,” says Morton. “I was impressed with the selection of manufacturers able to equip us.

The layout of the show made it easy to find specific booths and the proximity to the education events was convenient.”

Exhibitors were also pleased with the turnout of serious buyers looking for new equipment.

“We are very pleased with the workflow, the educational seminars and the venue,” says Jeff Kern, President of Car-O-Liner. “I especially enjoyed the CRES symposium.

Many of our key accounts are here and we are happy to have the opportunity to spend quality time together with them.”

Car-O-Liner took advantage of the venue and timing to host more than a hundred guests and welcome them to the show at a special event on the opening evening.

Kurt Lammon from Urethane Supply Company was also very excited about the show and deemed it an overwhelming success.

“NACE is back! We are happy to be here and are happy with the turnout of shops and distributors,” he says.

According to John Brill from Steck Manufacturing, the show offered something for everyone which added a new sense of excitement.

“It’s great to see all the training and education on aluminum. Life is back at the show.” CRM october 2014 collision Repair 41

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Future Trends David Lingham provides a look ahead at the CCIF Special Event at NACE.

By Leanne Jefferies

I

nternational expert speakers shared insight into the major collision and insurance trends around the globe at the first CCIF Special Event at NACE. When AIA Canada took over operations of CCIF in January, one of my goals was to bring more value to CCIF attendees, and make it possible to see how other countries are dealing with similar challenges.

NACE provided the right location and opportunity to expand what we do at CCIF. Two speakers brought an international flavour to the proceedings: Vincent Romans of The Romans Group and David Lingham of the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS).

Lingham is the Conference Director for IBIS and Director of Oris Business Impact.

He is also one of the world’s top experts on international collision repair business trends. His experience includes work in the UK, South Africa, Italy, America, Australia, Poland, Middle East, Russia, Canada, Holland, Denmark, and France.

His CCIF presentation explored the top trends in vehicles, technology and business relationships.

The Future

Linghams’s presentation looked at what he termed “future technology” that is here to stay. A big shift has been the introduction of mid-sized executive vehicles constructed of aluminum and carbon fibre, that have electric and/or hybrid fuel systems, contain a huge amount of computer technology, and offer “supercar” performance that used to be typical only of high-end luxury cars. He wonders whether we will need IT technicians at some point in the future.

Telematics is a hot topic around the world at the moment. Lingham sees this technology being adopted in varying levels across the globe, and notes that universally, the next generation of drivers is willing to make the trade off in privacy in

return for lower insurance rates. At home in the UK, Lingham says his own car is connected to the OE. In the case of an accident, reporting the incident and dispatch of emergency personnel is automated. Another interesting development is the plan to add dashboard cameras that will continuously film what is happening while the car is driving. Telematics will have a major impact on the repair industry in the future, as the different stakeholders work to incorporate the technology and find the best ways to use it.

There has been a shift in the relationship between OE manufacturers and insurers.

Lingham commented on the sustained interest from OEs in working with insurers.

They want more information about the collision repair business, and want to determine future costs of repairs. As such, many have developed paint and body programs across the globe, and we are seeing this expand in Canada as well.

He also spoke directly to the relationship between collision repair facilities and OE dealers. He emphasized that creating these relationships is growing in importance, as the dealers can provide an excellent opportunity for repair volumes. His advice was to approach new opportunities by speaking the same language and having a shared objective: help the dealer build his brand, and look after the customer well.

“Don’t limit your contact to one person in the dealership,” he says. “Infiltrate the organization. Get to know everyone so if one day the staff turns over, you are not starting from scratch.” And he suggests that being a strong second choice in the market is a good idea. If and when things change you will be in the right place to win the business.

Strong Position

“Canadian companies are very good at keeping informed,” says Lingham. “Read, listen, look at what’s going on around the world. I’ve never seen as much change as I

42 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Leanne Jefferies.

have in the past nine months, ever. Canada is in a very strong position. I encourage you to continue to learn, and appreciate what’s going on around the world.”

I believe this as well. We are in a good place. The collision industry in Canada is really coming together and starting to communicate and collaborate to improve our future. CCIF is a key part of this, providing the national forum, and the action arm (AIA Canada) to gather great ideas and do something about them.

The CCIF Special event at NACE will return again next year in Detroit in late July, in addition to the regular meetings scheduled in Toronto, Halifax and Calgary. Be sure to register and attend. Join the conversation and be part of a better future! CRM Next Issue: Vincent Romans One of the speakers at the CCIF Special Event, Romans shared the latest research on the state of the industry from The Romans Group. Romans also moderated a panel discussion with Michael Macaluso, COO of CARSTAR Canada, Tony Canade, President and COO of Assured Automotive, and Stephen Applebaum, Principle with Insurance Claims Solutions.

Watch for a special exclusive article from Vincent Romans in the next issue, where he recaps some of his research for us. Don’t miss it!

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• Expand loyalty and referrals from customers.

To learn more today, visit www.mitchell.com/digitalmarketing or give us a call at 1.866.990.9279

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Integrated Advantage

Distinctive Collection Collision Centre relies on Mitchell to keep production flowing.

J

esse Clif ford may be relatively young, but he’s spent his entire professional life working in the collision repair industry. He started as a detailer, spent four years of formal education at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and has worked in shops in both Canada and Australia.

Currently, Clifford is the manager of Distinctive Collection Collision Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Part of the Dilawri Group of Companies, the facility focuses on high-end vehicle repairs, with roughly 80 percent of repair volume consisting of BMWs, Aston Martins, and other luxury brands.

“We’ve got six dealerships feeding us work, and we have to maintain those expectations of quality,” says Clifford. “We’re also expected to maintain the same repair times. It’s a tremendous amount of pressure, but at the same time it’s better than being slow. It’s a good position to be in.”

The Distinctive Collection Collision Centre recently served as the host facility for the Calgary stop on the Mitchell Road Show.

The stop served as an opportunity to demonstrate new customer engagement tools from Mitchell’s newest product, Digital Marketing. That the platform offers full integration with RepairCenter goes without saying, but it can also function as a standalone system if the facility requests.

“It’s a communication tool for customers, follow-ups on estimates, experience surveys, and other customer communication items,” says Clifford. “We’re kind of a different shop in regards to how we source work, but I can definitely see value in this for many shops when it comes to seeking work and trying to fill gaps in the production schedule.”

Jordy Flahr, Brad Comis, Tom Edwards, Curtis Kuyten, Trevor Urquhart, Brian Hayes, Matt Hynd, Rob Buzanko, Sara McCaffrey, Cory Herrington, Cam Locke, Jesse Clifford, Jason Smith.

The facility was already using Mitchell’s Shop Manager software when Clifford started there in 2011, and he was there when the collision centre moved to using Mitchell RepairCenter.

“We were going on the impression that it was essentially Shop Manager on steroids,” says Clifford. “But from day one, we noticed that it offered a lot more, especially in terms of integration.”

RepairCenter is extremely flexible, offering users numerous options when it comes managing the facility.

“Just about any thing you can name, it tracks it for you,” says Clifford. “We use it for invoicing insurance, saving and emailing photos, keeping track of parts, sublets, paint and other materials, and the list goes on. We also use it for tracking monthly numbers from gross profit to sales in each profit centre. We even use it to generate customer print-outs, and it integrates with BASF’s dashboard.”

Mitchell’s RepairCenter offers seamless integration with both Mitchell ’s

other products, and with numerous third party applications available through the Mitchell ToolStore.

“Support has always been good,” says Clifford. “Any time we would call or email Mitchell when we were using Shop Manager, they were always right there and ready to resolve the issue, whether it was because we needed frame dimensions or other information. But now those functions are integrated directly with RepairCenter, so we don’t even need to do that. It’s all there.”

Clifford notes that the integration with other Mitchell products, specifically FastPhoto, is a definite advantage.

“We do a full walkaround of the vehicle, and every single photo goes into RepairCenter,” says Clifford. “Documentation, dates, pictures … we have them all in one spot.”

Mitchell’s next stops on the Road Show tour were Montreal and Toronto. Check out the next page for a report on Toronto, and look for news on the Montreal stop in the next edition of Collision Quebec!

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Information Access

Mitchell puts the right knowledge at your fingertips.

T

he Mitchell Road Show came to Toronto in September, making stops at two very different collision repair facilities: CARSTAR Ajax and Markham Road Collision Centre, part of Formula Honda.

Alex Papalazarou is the co-owner of CARSTAR Ajax and CARSTAR Pickering. He started in the business as a tech and a painter, opening his own shop in 1988. He joined CARSTAR in 2003.

Papalazarou’s facilities use Mitchell’s RepairCenter, TechAdvisor, and Mitchell Estimating (UltraMate).

“We track everything through RepairCenter,” says Papalazarou. “It tracks when estimates move to work orders, tracks the parts, and manages the entire repair process. We keep track of all of our KPIs through RepairCenter.”

Keeping an eye on your key per formance indicators is necessary for properly guiding your facility both in the present and into the f u ture, bu t te c hnic ians working on the shop floor need information they can use immediately.

“My people love TechAdvisor,” says Papalazarou. “It’s easy to find the information you need, whether that’s a wiring dia gr am o r h ow to remove the d o o r handle from a par ticular V W. We find TechAdvisor easy to use and it provides complete information.”

Manuel Paul is the manager of Formula Honda’s collision centre, Markham Road Collision. He’s been with the company since 2005, and started in the business in 1983.

Paul says they recently switched over to RepairCenter from the dealership’s internal management system.

“For me, it’s changed things completely,”

Mourad Kayyali, Imran Jamaldin, Alex Papalazarou, Anna Karageorgos, Andre Siniakov, Miguel Cruz, Frank Scovino.

Manuel Paul, Percell Thompson, Nitesh Poonan, Jeffery Cole, Paul St. Pierre, Jason Chen, Joe Capano, Neville Robb, Leeann Fowler, Waine Bruno, Edwin Wong, Teddy Ali. (Not appearing in photo, Nial Boatswain, General Manager.)

says Paul. “The dealership system was fine, but RepairCenter is a dedicated system for running a collision repair facility. There are components that deal with how to run a shop, and the way it should work.”

The biggest challenge Paul says he has found with RepairCenter is in the culture change.

“If you force someone into doing something, you’re always going to have some rejection,” he says. “If it ’s introduced

Mitchell RepairCenter

™

gradually, they understand it and buy into it, then they’ll accept wholeheartedly. It may take some time, but they do see the advantages, because there are huge benefits in it.”

Of course, switching to a different system means they’re no longer in sync with the rest of the dealership. Or does it?

“RepairCenter has an interface that will talk to the dealer system,” says Paul. “It really helps with parts.”

INDUSTRY EVENT

A

The SEMA New Products Showcase is the fastest and most efficient way to see thousands of new industry products.

Future focus The 2014 SEMA Show shines a light on changing industry technologies with the debut of OE-driven summit.

By Melissa Hayes

s the SEMA Show enters its 47th year, it holds a lot in store for the thousands of industry members heading to the event.

The annual auto trade show is scheduled to run November 4 to 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and will host a variety of educational seminars, product demonstrations, and networking opportunities.

Attendees can wander the 35,000 sq. ft. space featuring over 2,500 up-and-coming gadgets and gear on display at the New Products Showcase. Close to 200 exhibitors offer even more to see in the North Hall’s Collision Repair and Refinish section, where products like the Autocap North America’s Locking Wheel Nut Key Bag, B-TEC System’s customizable spray gun washer, and KNIPEX Tools’ new series of angled pliers and cutters can be found. The area will also hold live product demos by Miller Electric Manufacturing and Eastwood Company.

For industry stakeholders looking to brush up on their skills, whether technical or business-minded, The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) will once again offer their Repairer Driven Education Series (RDE). New to the roster this year is the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, held on November 5, designed to bring show goers and innovators together to address the ever-evolving industry as it relates to the collision repair community.

“It’s a full day agenda focused on where vehicle structural design and repairability

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intersect,” says SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. “There will be discussions on how repairability plays a role in the research and development of vehicle creation, and how that design is in turn going to impact not just the collision repairers, but also equipment manufacturers and material producers and all those involved in this process—and how this is all driving change in the marketplace.”

Schulenburg says that the inaugural event was born out of feedback the society received from members, who expressed interest in attending a topical discussion on emerging industry-wide issues and trends.

“There really is no topic more pertinent then the rapidly changing face of the technology in the automotive world and collision repair world,” he says. “And, what a perfect topic to pull together the collision repair focus at the SEMA show.”

The summit is scheduled to feature representatives from across the globe, including OEMs—such as Ford, GM, BMW, Toyota, Mercedes, Audi, and Tesla—as well as equipment suppliers, shop owners, engineers as well as other inter-industry professionals.

The selected panelists will participate in a variety of discussions, bringing forth individual insights on issues facing the industry as it moves into the future.

The Steel Market Development Institute and the Aluminum Association Transportation Group will also be on hand to add to the perspectives of their respective industries via prepared presentations.

Jason Bartanen, Director of Technical Industry Relations at I-CAR, will be moderating one of the OEM panel discussions. He says I-CAR didn’t hesitate to jump on board.

“I think it’s great that we’re putting the repairer community in touch with the vehicle manufacturers designing these vehicles, and that they’re listening to feed-

back from the industry on things that we’re looking for from a repairer standpoint, and building vehicles with repairability in mind,” Bartanen says.

He adds that today’s vehicles are not what they were five or 10 years ago, and that technicians need to stay ahead of the curve—a sentiment shared by Spanesi Americas’ Managing Director, Timothy Morgan, a speaker at the event.

“There really is no topic more pertinent then the rapidly changing face of the technology in the automotive world and collision repair world.”

– Aaron Schulenburg

“I’m out in shops on a daily, weekly basis, working with customers to improve processes and awareness of repairs and proper procedures,” Morgan says. “Every day I see where there are shortfalls, and that’s why I think summits like this are very important.”

Andy MacDonald, Tesla Body Repair Program Manager, another event panelist, says that to address such issues, there needs to be a stronger focus on equipping techs with the right information.

“I would say skill levels need to increase, there needs to be improved training, and

better understanding of the processes involved,” MacDonald says.

Summit participant Chief Automotive Technologies Product Manager, Richard Perry, echoes MacDonald’s concerns surrounding the need for a more informed industry overall, and that the summit itself will aid in this aim.

“One of the biggest issues is education— educating the industry on new products, how the vehicles need to be repaired, and the procedures required to do so,” he says.

“And this is a good way of getting that information out there.”

Pro Spot CEO Ron Olsson will also be in attendance during one of the panel discussions, and agrees that the summit’s major topic will lie in how tomorrow’s vehicles demand a much more aligned repairer community.

“It’s different now, it’s not the way we used to repair,” he says. “So we’ve got to get involved with the body shop and the technicians, and the owner needs to focus on equipment and the procedures of repairing the cars.”

Per Madsen, Director of Car-O-Liner Asia Pacific Region, says he’s looking forward to taking part in the inaugural event, and feels that the summit’s focus is paramount to the industry across the board.

“These discussions are extremely critical for the market, touching on an area significant to all participants in the repair chain,” he says.

With all the positive feedback from both participants and registered attendees pouring in, Schulenburg says he’s confident that the event will be a success, and will have a place for years to come.

“Technology isn’t stopping any time soon, so we really anticipate that this is a conversation that can carry forward, perhaps as a perpetual event,” he says. “It’s one of those timeless discussions that will always be relevant to our industry.” CRM

october 2014 collision Repair 47

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PROCESS PROFILE Pitch Board at Staff gathers around the tion in Bolton.

Supreme Collision’s loca e every two These meetings take plac tion flowing. duc hours and help keep pro

Pull,

Not Push

I

ts 8 a.m. at Supreme Collision’s location in Bolton, Ont., and the production staff is gathered around a large whiteboard at the front of the shop. They’re having a “pitch” meeting, determining exactly what will be accomplished over the next two hours and who will take responsibility for which activity. They’ll meet again two hours later, and they’ll continue holding pitch meetings every two hours until the end of the day.

This may seem unusual, but it’s a central feature of the new process implemented by Supreme Collision for maintaining high quality while operating at peak efficiency.

The pitch board and frequent meetings are central to the new process, but they aren’t where it begins. Everything starts right at the front with the initial customer contact.

“Once we get them into the shop, that’s where we start to educate the customer and sell our process,” says Marty Reddick of Supreme Collision. “It’s not a traditional sale, though. The customer is given a shop

By Mike Davey

tour where we can showcase the shop and explain our processes.”

It seems simple in hindsight: start the process with turning a potential customer into a confirmed client. However, while many facilities are deeply concerned with an efficient process, the discussions surrounding it tend to treat securing the repair order as a given. It might be time for a re-think.

Once the car is in the door, it’s time for the repair part of the process to begin. The production floor of Supreme Collision Bolton has been redesigned for continuous flow on a continual loop system. Cars enter at one end, and proceed from station to station until complete.

Figuring out which task happens at each station is relatively simple, even for an outsider. Clearly visible signs hang over each area to indicate its function. Other signs indicate how far a vehicle is from prepping when it’s at a particular station.

“It’s a pull and not push system,” says Chris Reddick of Supreme Collision.

Supreme Collision’s new model turns tradition on its head.

“Scheduling is not just good customer service; it keeps everything running smoothly and keeps the work consistent.”

Consistency and quality are important goals for the new process. Part of ensuring they’re adhered to falls on the shoulders of Kevin Pacheco, the facility’s General Manager.

“Every vehicle is verified at every stage for quality,” says Pacheco. We catch any mistakes and are able to identify any issues before the vehicle moves to the next stage.

The full process consists of 11 discrete steps. First is confirming that the facility will be working on the repair. Next, an estimate is prepared. The estimate also includes a full repair plan and has its own steps.

First, the car is washed and etailed. Next, all damage is circled and noted. All of the vehicle’s options are checked, and the car is turned on to see if there are any warning lights showing. Once that is complete, it’s time for repair planning to begin.

Creating the repair plan starts with photos and visual mapping, and then moves october 2014 collision Repair 49

PROCESS PROFILE Compressor

Mixing Room

POLISH

’s ollision

C upreme ing at S has been th ry e v E n locatio ximum flow.

Bolton ma ed for design

Compressor

EYE WASH Bo le

PAINT First Aid Kit

EXIT

MEDIUM/HEAVY PREP.

FAST LANE PREP.

The pitch board and frequent meetings are central to the new process.

Material Safety Data Sheets

Equipment Room

Parts Cart

Parts Cart MEDIUM/HEAVY

Parts Cart

Parts Cart

BODY

FAST LANE BODY

Kevin ris Reddick and Marty Reddick, Ch g facility at Supreme inin tra the in o Pachec ies behind The wall of stick as for Collision Bolton. ly hundreds of ide ral lite of s ist ns ers. them co ted by staff memb ibu ntr co g nin run smooth

onto disassembly to verify all damage. At that point, everything is verified with the customer or insurance company.

The next step is to acquire and verify parts. All needed parts are mirror matched for 100% accuracy. Once ever ything needed is in place, the vehicle moves on to the next station.

A vehicle with excessive damage will be moved into our Frame Build down station where the major damage is repaired and built down so we can then slot the vehicle into our continual process loop. From there the vehicle proceeds to the filler stage. Only about 8 percent of the facility’s collision repairs have excessive damage and need to utilize the Frame Build down station.

From there, the car moves on to prep.

This is a staged process, with a number of techs performing various tasks as the car is pulled down the line. After prep is complete, the car moves on to paint. Or to be more accurate, it doesn’t.

“We paint work orders, not cars,” says

Parts Cart

Marty. “Parts off refinishing allows us to maximize our booth cycles and allows us move more vehicles. We only put a vehicle in our booth if we absolutely have to because it is a roof or a quarter panel. When parts are off the vehicle and in the booth being refinished we can be detailing the vehicle to maximize our cycle time.

The pitch board helps enormously in running an efficient paint department. Since the painter knows what he’ll be painting in the next two hours, he can pre-mix what he needs and will use immediately.

After painting, the parts are denibbed and the vehicle is reassembled. After a final detail, it’s delivered to the customer.

This description sounds simple, but it doesn’t reveal the system’s true strengths.

To look into those, we have to stop thinking in terms of bays, and start thinking in terms of dedicated stations.

Each station in the process has its own colour coded squares and accompanying signs indicating its stage. Red squares in-

50 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Parts Cart

dicate unpredictability. The Frame Build down square is red, for example. It can be difficult to predict the length of repair with pinpoint accuracy in some cases, so the system takes that into account.

“It’s about maximum utilization of resources,” says Chris. “The goal is no empty squares. When you operate in a continuous loop every vehicle has to move every 2 hours.

Each square has its own material cart, with everything necessary to complete repairs and meet the two hour period. Not only do techs have everything they need close to hand, but they don’t have to use any of their time looking for items in between jobs.

Communication is key throughout the process with customers, business partners and internally among team members.

“The process is very efficient, and most of all, predictable,” says Chris. “If the pitch board indicates that the car will be ready in six hours, then it will be ready in six hours. We make sure to pass this

PROCESS PROFILE

EXIT

EXIT

ty

X-RAY REPAIR PLANNING

X-RAY REPAIR PLANNING

Parts Cart

Parts Cart

Car Rental Office

HEAVY METAL

EXIT

MEDIUM METAL

Parts Cart

BODY

FINAL QUALITY INSPECTION

FAST LANE

Parts Cart

EXIT

Parts Cart

Parts Cart

Parts Cart

Parts Cart

EYE WASH Sta on Parts Receiving& Mirror Matching Area

First Aid Kit

Electrical Room

EXIT

Hub

information along. It helps everyone involved in the process know that they’re being taken care of.”

The production area functions with machine-like precision. While it was a change from the way things had been done previously, Marty says getting staff buy-in wasn’t as hard as you might expect.

“The staff was involved in designing the process from the ground up,” he says. “We make decisions as a team. The people who live it every day have to have a voice.”

Team members are encouraged to give input during pitch meetings to help keep repairs flowing smoothly. The end result is not only more efficiency in repair, but less stress for the production staff. It turns out making the repair process predictable and benefits everyone involved.

Kevin notes that part of the reason the process works so well is because everyone is cross-trained.

“We have a training path for everything, and training is built right into our stan-

The production are a is designed on a continuous loop. One goal is to make sure the re are no empty spaces in the production line .

dard operating procedures,” says Marty.

“We have an apprentice in right now, and he’s being trained on all sorts of operations.

The usual model is one journeyperson to mentor one apprentice. Here, Matt is being mentored by multiple techs in a controlled environment. He’s expanding his skill set at an incredible pace.”

Marty says the new process isn’t just about efficiency or maximization of resources. It’s a lasting and positive change in the way the facility conducts business.

“I would say the most important thing is that we’re no longer people dependent,” he says. “We’re process dependent, and those are always dependable and consistent.” CRM october 2014 collision Repair 51

INDUSTRY EVENT

Determined to Succeed

CARSTAR goes the distance at 2014 Industry Conference.

By Mike Davey

Yves Robichaud, Directeur Régional - Québec for CARSTAR Automotive Canada on stage at the CARSTAR Conference. He is accompanied by Patrick St-Louis from CARSTAR St-Hyacinthe, Sébastien Leclerc from CARSTAR Québec, Normand Marcoux from CARSTAR Marcoux Lévis, Michaël Autin from CARSTAR Val-Belair, and Jean-François Montminy from CARSTAR Beauport.

A

great idea counts for a lot, but it takes determination to see it through. The theme of “Détermination” ran throughout the annual CARSTAR Industry Conference, which took place at the Hilton Hotel in Quebec City, Quebec. The conference ran August 13 to 15, 2014.

This event marked CARSTAR’s most successful Industry Conference to date, attended by over 600 industry stakeholders, including representatives of CARSTAR’s partners from insurance and the vendor community. “ This conference was our largest ever, and I think the theme of ‘Détermination’ really helped to draw our franchise partners,” says Michael Macaluso, COO of CARSTAR Automotive Canada. “We’re determined to capitalize on change, and people really took to the idea of using change as a springboard to transform the business.”

The choice of destination itself reflects CARSTAR’s significant growth in Quebec over the past year. The network currently stands at 215 locations across Canada, with over 25 percent of those locations being in Quebec.

The CARSTAR Industry Conference started on Wednesday August 13 with CARSTAR’s Grand Promenade for Cystic Fibrosis, with representatives of CARSTAR’s corporate team, stores, and partners walking 4 km in support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

The Grand Promenade route wrapped around the National Historic and World Heritage site of “la Citadelle de Québec” and the Plains of Abraham. The event raised over $7,000 for Cystic Fibrosis, despite extremely heavy rain.

The official Opening Ceremonies took place at 4:00 p.m., with opening remarks

by Matt Bell, CARSTAR Automotive Canada’s Director of Human Resources.

Macaluso and Sam Mercanti, President & CEO, were next to take the stage, with the discussion focusing on the strategic plans for the CARSTAR network.

“We’re very excited about the future,” says Macaluso. “We understand the changes that are impacting the industry, and we’re completely focused on growth within Canada. We see tremendous opportunity in the business, and we’ve laid the framework for the next 10 years of growth. This is a very exciting time for our franchise partners and for us.”

52 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

David Usher served as the keynote address for the first day, speaking on core creativity.

Best known as the frontman for the band Moist, Usher is also the founder of Cloudid Creativity Labs.

The first day of the conference closed with a reception dubbed “Carnaval de CARSTAR,” taking place at Espace Dalhousie – Le Terminal.

The second day opened with an update from David Byers, CEO of CARSTAR US, who informed attendees on the accomplishments of the CARSTAR brand south of the border. Chris Moore followed with “Capitalizing on the Changing Face of Marketing.” Moore is National Marketing Manager for CARSTAR Automotive Canada. Bell again took the stage, this time to deliver remarks on sustainability, before surrendering the podium to Shawn McDonald, CARSTAR’s National Director Insurance, who spoke on insurance relations and the OEM. Sean Carey of SGC Management Consultants was the final speaker during the Thursday morning session, and his presentation on the connected car and its effect on the claims process kept the crowd focused and engaged.

INDUSTRY EVENT Rick Yates recently made a move within the CARSTAR family. Previously employed at CARSTAR’s corporate headquarters, he is now the owner of CARSTAR Midtown in Hamilton, Ontario.

Tony Mammone of RBC Insurance and Colson Cole of CARSTAR.

Matt Bell of CARSTAR was one of the primary speakers at the first day of the conference.

Michael Macaluso, COO of CARSTAR, and Sam Mercanti, CEO and President, on stage during the first day of the conference.

Leanne Jefferies of I-CAR and the CCIF Skills Program with Gloria Mann, VP of Industry Relations for Collision Repair magazine.

Danielle Boucher and Vince Matozzo of CARSTAR Automotive Canada.

The remainder of the morning was devoted to breakout sessions with various insurance partners. Immediately following, the CARSTAR Business Partner and Technical Expo opened its doors, showcasing offerings from many of CARSTAR’s key vendors.

The final day of the conference kicked off the following morning with Dr. Nick Bontis, who spoke on “Leadershifting our Determination.” It would be an understatement to say that attendees were receptive to Dr. Bontis’s presentation. The presentation so energized the crowd that they were left with little recourse but to rise for a standing ovation.

Rounding out the formal presentations were Colson Cole, National Director Operations for CARSTAR, on “Managing Your Score for Success,” followed by a panel discussion with insurance partners. More insurance breakout sessions followed after a short break.

More breakout sessions followed lunch, led by CARSTAR’s operations specialists, refinish partners, and CARSTAR’s National Technical Manager, Bill Davidge.

The CARSTAR Industry Conference concluded with the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

Larry Jefferies, Executive VP with CARSTAR and current Chairman of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum.

Entire families with children attend the CARSTAR Industry Conference, and there’s always something to keep them occupied.

The recipients of the 2014 CARSTAR Awards include: • CARSTAR’s Customer Experience Award – CARSTAR Elmira (Rudow’s), CARSTAR Fergus (Giles) and CARSTAR St. Catharines.

• Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s Top Fundraisers – CARSTAR Mississauga 401, CARSTAR Woodbridge Appraisal Centre, CARSTAR North Bay, CARSTAR Edmonton West, CARSTAR Calgary Okotoks, CARSTAR Ancaster, CARSTAR St. Catharines, CARSTAR Markham, CARSTAR Red Deer and CARSTAR Kitchener King Street.

• CARSTAR’s White Knight Award – Mark Kharfan & Brian Grover from CARSTAR Kharfan Group in Alberta, France Choinière from CARSTAR Arsenualt Granby and George & Donna Fischtner from CARSTAR St. Thomas.

• CARSTAR’s Distinguished Service Award– Sam Saccoia from CARSTAR Toronto Dovercourt (Nick’s), Mississauga Hawkestone, Express Toronto Eastern Avenue and Express Mississauga Dundas.

• Matthew Ohrnstein Lifetime Achievement Award – Chris Stathonokis from CARSTAR Calgary CMD and Sam Mercanti from CARSTAR Automotive Canada.

• CARSTAR’s 2014 President’s Club Award – CARSTAR Lethbridge, CARSTAR Uxbridge, CARSTAR Beauceville, CARSTAR Miramichi, CARSTAR Chelmsford, Sudbury Regent and South, and CARSTAR Kharfan Group from Alberta.

Awards were also given to stores celebrating their fifth year, tenth year and fifteenth year in business.

The next CARSTAR Industry Conference will take place in Orlando, Florida, specifically at Disney World. This also marks the 20th anniversary of CARSTAR Automotive Canada.

“This will be our first time holding our conference outside of Canada, but it’s always been a very family-centric organization, so Disney fits the bill,” says Macaluso.

“More importantly, Disney World is truly the global epicentre of top-notch customer service. This will help us build right into our ongoing determination to serve customers the very best way we can.” CRM october 2014 collision Repair 53

Profitable Small JobS. don’t say It. spray It. Improving your bottom line isn’t just a lot of talk. It’s SprayMax®.

SprayMax is the simple, profitable way to tackle those small damage repair jobs. Try it, and you’ll be surprised. Because SprayMax delivers OEM-quality finishes without the hassle, waste and expense of conventional spraying. SprayMax is available in a complete system of 1K and 2K products. So if you want professional spray gun results, just say the word – SprayMax.

Actual photo of 2K clear in use

To request a SprayMax demo visit usa.spraymax.com or call 800.321.0672.

SprayMax is distributed in North America by U.S. Chemical & Plastics – A Quest Automotive Brand.

The Aerosol that Acts Like a Spray Gun. 800.321.0672 I usa.spraymax.com

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MATERIALS

Get an Advantage Over the Competition Business owners are always looking for Aluminum dent pulling systems must allow the technician to keep pulling pressure applied while the damaged area is heated and massaged back into shape. Photo courtesy of I-CAR.

an advantage over the competition.

“For a business, membership in the Ontario College of Trades (the College) demonstrates to the public that you employ individuals who are trained and certified, with the right experience required to do a job,” says College Registrar and CEO David Tsubouchi.

The College is the industry-driven regulatory body that protects the public interest by regulating and promoting the skilled trades.

Membership allows your business the opportunity to contribute to the development of modernized training and curriculum standards for Ontario’s apprenticeship programs.

In other words, as a member, you can have a say in what apprentices across the province learn — and your apprentices will be able to hit the ground running.

Differences between materials impact the repair process and the results.

search function on its website that not only

By Shawn Collins, Les Gombas, and Nina Wedge of 3M Canada

allow them to post jobs and find apprentices

H

ave you heard about the 2015 Aluminum F-150?

O f c o u r s e y ou h av e .

Aluminum is the topic du jour and the hype is only escalating.

When new technologies or big changes come along in the collision repair industry, hysteria and shady sales pitches are sure to follow.

Aluminum has been used for vehicle construction for decades but this resurgence will have some significant impacts.

The most significant will be the new equipment cost.

From hand tools to welders and riveters, many big ticket tools will be required to repair the F-150 or any other aluminum vehicle. There will be some lower cost alternatives in some cases.

The College will also soon be offering a lists business members by trade but also will who are looking for work.

Ford will not require a permanent aluminum clean room but will recommend at the least a curtained off area. Please follow Ford’s recommendations.

Some special tools and equipment will be necessary but most products and materials that are used for steel can be used for aluminum. There may be differences such as abrasive grade adjustments but 3M’s position, with very few exceptions, is that all materials currently used for steel can be used for aluminum as long as they are used in accordance with directions for use. It is also important that tools and materials used for steel are kept separate to avoid contamination.

The same seam sealers, body fillers, undercoats and abrasives can be used on both substrates. Just knowing that drastic material changes will not be necessary Continued on page 56.

A consumer or a business can currently search the public register to confirm the qualifications of an individual in a compulsory trade. For example, if someone in Oshawa wants a motorcycle fixed, or someone in North Bay wants a basement re-wired, they can check to confirm the individual is certified to do the job.

Join the 200 businesses across Ontario that have already signed up to be members of the College, and help distinguish your business from the rest.

info@collegeoftrades.ca 1.855.299.0028 collegeoftrades.ca

MATERIALS Continued from page 55.

should alleviate a great deal of anxiety. The difference lies not in the products and materials, but in the repair process itself.

The physical properties of aluminum are different than that of steel. Steel has a memory when bent or deformed and has a tendency to go back to its original shape during the repair process. With steel, heat can aid in the reforming process but may not be recommended on many of today’s high strength steels.

Conversely, aluminum has a tendency to remain in its current shape or remain deformed when damaged. The grain structure of aluminum differs from that of steel because it is much less inclined to re-align during the repair process, and unlike steel, aluminum should always be heated during straightening.

This can make repairs difficult and require different equipment and more finesse and patience. If the aluminum is accidentally stretched while repairing, the panel is no longer repairable. Aluminum dent pulling systems should allow the technician to keep pulling pressure applied while the damaged area is heated and massaged back into shape. The equipment is very different and more expensive but the materials are still the same in most cases.

Most premium body fillers and glazes contain high-quality adhesion promoters and are approved for use on aluminum when directions and Standard Operating Procedures are observed.

These premium fillers can be used on bare aluminum or over epoxy primer as some OEs require.

When sanding, follow the grade recommendations of the OE, which will generally recommend a finer grade when working on aluminum vs. steel and never coarser than grade 80.

Special aluminum compatible abrasives are not necessary, but never use the same sheet of sandpaper on aluminum if it was previously used on steel. The abrasives are the same but it is a good idea to segregate them in separate cabinets according to metal substrate.

Many technicians think that because aluminum doesn’t rust, corrosion protection is less important or even unnecessary. Sealing repaired joints tightly during repairs is very important to prevent oxidation and corrosion from occurring.

Applying protective coatings like anti-chip coatings and undercoating is also necessary to protect the aluminum body.

Stone chips can start the corrosion process on aluminum by allowing oxidation to creep under the paint film and cause blisters known as filiform corrosion. After

Most products and materials that are used for steel repair can also be used for aluminum repair. heating or using dent pulling equipment on aluminum, a cavity wax must be used to re-seal the surface of the aluminum on the back side. The back sides of any welded joints also need to be coated with a cavity wax. The corrosion protection process is very similar to that of steel, and the products that can be used are the same. No specially formulated seam sealers, rustproofing or anti-chip coatings are required.

The same products can be used if the directions for use are followed.

Some materials are equally effective when it comes to aluminum panel bonding and steel panel bonding, although the process is slightly different for each. For example, 3M Panel Bonding Adhesive is compatible and OE approved for both aluminum and steel. 3M Panel Bonding Adhesive

Need to

Know

56 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

has been used to bond aluminum panels for nearly 20 years and is specifically recommended by Ford for the repairs to the 2015 Aluminum F-150. In the case of 3M, panel bonding adhesives undergo extensive testing to be specified by an OE, so there is no question about its ability to bond aluminum parts successfully.

Aluminum has been used for vehicle construction for decades but this resurgence will have some significant impact, the most significant of which will be the new equipment cost. From hand tools to welders and riveters, there will be many big ticket tools that will be required to repair the F-150 or any other aluminum vehicle.

With aluminum and other different substrates soon to arrive, you’re going to have to handle the car with hygiene in mind.

Even with a curtained work area it’s likely steel particles will make their way to the aluminum. Clean the panels immediately before applying any coatings or fillers.

The use of self-generated vacuum tools can keep particles to a minimum while keeping the equipment spend down. Evaluate needs and determine what can be done with existing equipment.

It remains to be seen how the adjustment to mainstream aluminum repairs will go for collision repair shops. Many shops have made similar adjustments in the past and are well prepared to make this change without much difficulty. The advent of waterborne paints had an impact on the paint shop whereas the aluminum change will impact the metal shop and leave the paint shop, for the most part, unscathed. There may be small adjustments in the paint shop but nothing major.

The other good news is that the allied materials needed for aluminum will also change very little, though some marketing campaigns may say otherwise. You will not have to deal with wholesale changes or many additional part numbers for materials, which frees you up to spend your time sorting out the equipment needs and obtaining training for the technicians. CRM

Tackling aluminum repairs in your shop? Here are key things you need to know: • You will need some special tools, but many standard tools and products will work.

• Separate tools and work areas to avoid contamination.

• The science of the substrate drives the process.

• Always follow the Standard Operating Procedures!

• Corrosion protection is critical.

• Use this opportunity to review shop hygiene.

• Now is the time to train your technicians for tomorrow’s repairs.

• Always follow OE recommendations.

paint

people

performance

At Your Service Visit our new Toronto location!

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Phone: 905.662.3973

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Phone: 204.943.4531

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Fax: 204.942.0631

Fax: 250.758.2417

Fax: 250.590.7143

PROFIT BOOSTER

John D’Ambrosio at United Motor Collision in St. Catharines, Ontario, blueprints a vehicle during the repair planning procedure with Venessa Di Vito, Strategic Account Manager, Axalta.

Keys to

By Venessa Di Vito

Productivity

COMMUNICATION Effective communication can be a key factor in strengthening the processes that drive cycle time improvements. Ideas to consider include having daily production meetings, monthly staff meetings, and an information board.

You may find that visual processes such as providing a “live” production board and work orders support alignment of communication.

Listening to employees’ ideas and concerns can demonstrate your commitment to the business.

Strong communications should also help to promote your team’s alignment with the vision of the business.

Reduce your cycle time and grow your bottom line?

C

ycle time is often one of the most important metrics that shops use to measure performance. Improving cycle time can mean that a lot of processes are working more smoothly in your facility. We believe these improvements can help to positively impact your bottom line with increased revenue and profit. Let’s look at three key areas that impact cycle time and ideas that can help improve the cycle time in your shop.

Overall Productivity

The first is shop productivity, where we look at factors that affect productivity and flow across departments and roles. This overall view of the shop is a great place to start, as it provides you a holistic view of your operation. Below are the key items that you can review at your shop level: Scheduling: Scheduling should be done based on job class, repair hours and employee efficiencies. All factors must be considered to promote steady Monday through Friday workflow.

Repair Planning: 100 percent Tear Down and Blueprinting.

Creating and documenting repair planning procedures should provide solutions to many areas of waste within a collision facility.

These common documents have the potential to quickly improve the communication among the team members. Making this effort may also reduce your supplement ratio, and improve your cycle time and touch time by helping to ensure that the repair process is organized. This organization should help enhance your shop’s

ability to establish or maintain an excellent reputation in the eyes of customers and insurance companies.

Parts: Consistently having the right parts at the right times can help lead to improved cycle times.

It is important that the damaged parts are torn down and the correct parts are ordered at the right price the first time. Once the parts are received, it is good practice to do the mirror matching procedure to verify that it is the correct piece. We believe this is a foundational piece of the process, which should help to solidify cycle time performance in your shop.

Quality: Creating consistent quality assurance processes should help eliminate waste, errors, and help ensure a smooth repair process throughout the facility. Below are key areas that could affect quality.

Job Descriptions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): These are great tools to clearly indicate to your team members what their daily, weekly, or monthly responsibilities are. Ensuring that their expectations are met should be part of the managing process by the owner or manager.

Training: Many business owners view training as an expense rather than an investment, but have you ever considered that your employees are the ones that drive production, interface with customers, and manage your business every day? We believe your employees are your principal business assets. Invest in them thoughtfully and strategically.

Re-Work: Current shop management systems today are offered to shops for tracking critical operational information. For example, october 2014 collision Repair 59

PROFIT BOOSTER

Axalta’s ProfitNet is a software program designed to measure and manage all aspects of the collision repair business. With a clear view of your operation from your management software, issues should be apparent so that your team can find solutions.

Culture: Building a positive culture can create a solid foundation where your people want to work. Showing appreciation, recognition and rewarding your employees can be proof that you truly value them. Having an open door policy and making time for each of them with open and positive business-focused dialogue can have a positive impact on your team. A positive culture can result in these benefits: engaged employees, and team members who are strengthened by the business and help to create an environment where employees will want to come to work every day.

Your customers trust you for their car repairs and

you can trust Allstate for your auto and home insurance needs.

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+

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insurance includes unique features such as: Claim Forgiveness - your rates won’t go up because of a claim*.

Disappearing Deductible - your deductible decreases every consecutive term you go without a claim until it disappears.**

To find a local agent visit: www.allstate.ca/local *Rates will not be increased or surcharged if insured submits no more than one claim every five years. **Claim Forgiveness does not protect your Disappearing Deductible. Terms and conditions apply. Trademark owned by Allstate Insurance Company used under licence by Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. ©2014 Allstate Insurance Company of Canada 2584E 08/14

Congratulations to Centennial College’s 2014

Skills Canada National winners Ryan Green Gold Medal Winner in Heavy Duty Equipment Technician

Paint Department

Within the shop, the paint department can often turn into a bottleneck. Below is a checklist of questions to consider to help you to optimize your cycle time.

55 When the painter’s sole focus is painting the vehicles, are your prep technicians getting the next vehicle ready for paint?

55 Are the technicians placing the plastic car cover on five minutes before the next booth cycle?

55 Are the technicians using the car cover exterior method when getting the vehicle ready for paint?

55 Does your painter have all of the necessary materials ready prior to beginning a job?

55 When the vehicle is between flash times, does the painter get the next steps ready? (i.e., preparing clear, spray out card for next vehicle).

55 When the vehicle is painted, are your reassembly technicians removing the tape and plastic in the reassembly department?

55 Are you painting the majority of your parts off the vehicles and utilizing the size of the booth as much as possible?

Although there are several different processes that could also play a part in a booth’s efficiencies, the questions listed above are common areas where some shops could use some continuous improvement. We believe if these questions are appropriately addressed, this could help provide an improvement in workflow, key performance indicators, culture, and in the quality of the repairs.

Paint Booth Steven Le-Magueresse Silver Medal Winner in Collision Repair

Daniel Kidd Silver Medal Winner in Automotive Painting

Jump start your career at our School of Transportation, one of Canada’s largest transportation training facilities. centennialcollege.ca/transportation See where experience takes you.

60 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

The paint booth is often among a shop’s biggest assests. Your paint booth should run approximately six to seven cycles per production day. Without a dependable booth, repairs may not be completely performed for your customers. This potential negative impact makes it critical that your booths are well maintained. We believe that performing ongoing maintenance and meeting high cleanliness standards for the booths can lead to enhanced longevity and efficiency.

Shop productivity, paint department productivity and paint booth productivity are three key areas to review in your shop.

Know your current metrics so that you will be able to measure your shop’s improvements in Venessa Di Vito is the Strategic cycle time, revAccount Manager, Central Canada for Axalta Coating Systems. She enue and profit as can be reached at venessa.divito@ you implement axaltacs.com. changes. CRM

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK. AND HOOD. Genuine Ford Collision Parts are a great choice for your customers, because they’re designed to meet demanding Ford proprietary engineering specifications. That means easy installation, a precise fit and long-lasting reliability. That also means your customers will experience like-new performance and get back on the road sooner. What’s more, Ford sheet metal is protected by a lifetime warranty backed by the Ford Protection Plan.* So, for quality parts and more satisfied customers, choose Genuine Ford parts, available only at your local Ford Store.

* Ford Protection Plan (“FPP”) is only available for purchasers of Ford replacement sheet metal for non-commercial cars and light trucks. FPP provides coverage (part and labour only) beyond the expiry of the standard Parts Warranty. If an FPP-eligible Ford sheet metal fails due to a defect in material that causes rust through, it will be replaced at no charge as long as the original purchaser of the part owns the vehicle on which the part was installed. See your local Ford Store for complete coverage details and limitations. ©2014 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

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OEM-Powered

S uppor t I-CAR’s Repairability Technical Support Portal offers techs a warehouse of industry information.

By Melissa Hayes

W

hen a customer handsover the keys, they’re also placing trust in the facility’s capability to deliver proper and safe repairs. Yet techs are only as good as the information available to them. That’s where the I-CAR Repairability Technical Support (RTS) Portal steps in.

From the time of its inception over three decades ago, I-CAR has been the primary method in delivering repair information and training, and OEs understand just how crucial it can be for collision repairers to have access to complete, up-to-date, and vehicle-specific information.

“The OEs have started to recognize that the collision repair industry is important to them for a couple of reasons. It has a role to play in the customer retention, and it’s certainly a part sales avenue for them,” says I-CAR Executive Director Andrew Shepherd. “As a result, they’ve really beefed up their approach to the industry, and a part of that is looking for a much more robust use of I-CAR to distribute their repair information. The end result is the repairability portal.”

Over a year in the making, the RTS Portal is fully accessible to Canadians via I-CAR. com and acts as a repository for OE repair procedures, news and how-to guides, providing a warehouse of data for techs.

Jason Bartanen, Director of Industr y Technical Andrew Shepherd, Executive Director of I-CAR Canada.

Relations at I-CAR, says the user-friendly and mobile enabled portal is designed to better incorporate OE information through accessibility and encouragement of inter-industry dialogue to cultivate repair discussions.

“. . . It’s really been built by the industry for the industry with the information that they’re looking for, in pursuit of complete, safe and quality repairs.”

– Jason Bartanen

Jason Bartanen, Director of Industry Technical Relations at I-CAR.

“Within the portal we have information the vehicle manufacturers want us to distribute,” he says, adding that users can search by OEM, vehicle make, model, year or even specific part to retrieve the information that they need, when they need it.

Bartanen says the RTS Portal broadly includes the OE pages themselves, in addition to partial parts replacement searches, uniform procedures for collision repair (UPCRs), the I-CAR collision repair news, as well as the Ask I-CAR feature, which

allows technicians to contact dedicated full-time staff, whether directly through the portal or by phone.

“Until now there really hasn’t been a way for collision repairers to escalate their inquiry right to the vehicle manufacturer,” he says. “Now they’re one person away from reaching a vehicle manufacturer, so if they’ve got a question, they can contact us and we’ll contact the OEM directly and get an answer, if we don’t already have the answer.”

Those answers will in turn be added to the portal to keep the Ask I-CAR database updated with the newest industry information as it comes down the line.

Thanks to industry feedback throughout the portal’s development, Bartanen says the RTS Portal has been well received since its late June 2014 launch.

“I think that’s been one of the reasons for the popularity so far is just that it’s really been built by the industry for the industry with the information that they’re looking for, in pursuit of complete, safe and quality repairs,” he says, adding that I-CAR will continue to welcome and utilize feedback to improve the portal.

One such improvement both Shepherd and Bartanen would look to see is the inclusion of more multimedia content.

“What I think it will move toward is more use of video and animation contributed by the manufacturers and more of a sense of real time information,” says Shepherd.

Positive feedback notwithstanding, for Shepherd, the RTS initiative will only become more successful in linking techs to OEMs. “It’s certainly a massive step forward, but I really think this is the beginning of the beginning.” CRM october 2014 collision Repair 63

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Ford Forward The OEM and I-CAR are keeping ahead of the curve with F-150 aluminum training.

By Melissa Hayes

T

he industry is changing, with respect to how cars are made and in turn how they’re repaired. One of the driving forces behind this shift is the aluminum-bodied 2015 Ford F150.

Before the F150 hits sales floors, collision repair technicians need to know the ins and outs of how to safely repair vehicles back to OEM specifications, and shop owners need to take the necessary steps to ensure their businesses are ready for new aluminum standards.

Andrew Shepherd, Executive Director of I-CAR—the training facilitator called on by Ford to provide F150 specific courses—says that while this level of preparation is not unusual for limited luxury vehicles, this is the first example of a mass-market vehicle and a manufacturer taking this approach. And with good reason.

“The F150 is one of the most popular single vehicles by sales in Canada, and Ford has spent the last year and a half developing the training programs and specifications.

It’s been, by a long mile, the most popular

I-CAR course this year,” he says.

Paul Massie, Ford’s Collision Product Marketing Manager, says the OEM saw an opportunity with I-CAR to properly equip the industry ahead of the F150’s release later this year.

“We know that customers may have accidents at any time,” says Massie, adding that the decision was made very early in the process that I-CAR would facilitate the vehicle’s training program.

Ford had originally planned to have over 1,500 independent and dealer shops enrolled in the training course, a benchmark Ford and I-CAR have already surpassed.

“We feel very comfortable that through the efforts with I-CAR and Assured Performance, having worked on our recognition program for independents, that we’ll have the 1,500 body shops ready to support our customers’ needs,” he says. “We’re anticipating that a customer shouldn’t have to drive any further than they would for a collision repair today.”

I-CAR course instructor Sid Petrisor can affirm the positive reception of the 2015 Ford F150 Structural Repair course as well as its essentiality in the collision repairer community.

“The demand from the industry, as well as all of the stakeholders in the collision re-

64 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

The F150’s aluminum body construction is leading the way for other OEMs.

pair industry, is huge. Our classes are always filled to capacity,” says the Saskatchewanbased Petrisor. “This is not unique to our marketplaces, from what we’ve been seeing across the board, and as I chat with some of our other instructors within the U.S. as well as the other Canadian marketplaces, this class is very well received and attended.”

Bennett Dunlop Ford Body Shop Manager Bryan Leier, who studied under Petrisor for I-CAR’s 8-hour aluminum training program, says learning about the specific requirements of Ford to repair their vehicles is paramount to his business moving forward.

“It’s all new to me because I don’t work on aluminum vehicles. This is the first one that’s actually been mass-produced that I’m going to have an opportunity to repair,” he says. “From my aspect as a body shop manager, I’m looking at what do I need for equipment, what do I need for training so that I’m not caught not having the capability of repairing one of the more popular vehicles.”

Leier says he thinks Ford has opened a door that may lead to the production of more aluminum vehicles in the future. He adds that Ford’s dedication to preparing the industry with aluminum training procedures required by techs is critical. He

presented by

says it’s integral for shops to understand why proper training is required.

“You need to know how to do it, it’s not something that you can just blindly stumble your way through, that’s not going to work,” Leier says. “I think with Ford having gone through I-CAR for the training, it really opens people’s eyes up as to what they need to do to gear up for the repair process.”

He says the training itself was in-depth and well done, and adds that if technicians follow the procedures, aluminum repairs won’t prove much of a challenge.

With the F150’s release date later this year fast approaching, Leier says he’s looking forward to not only getting to put the knowledge he gained from I-CAR’s aluminum training to the test, but more importantly, he’ll finally have the chance to get his hands on the model.

“I’m pretty excited about actually seeing one of the new F150s and having a look at it, and getting to actually repair it,” he says.

“I think it’s turning a new page in the auto industry and it’s pretty exciting.”

Petrisor says that while the training is in some portion generic and applicable to

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other aluminum bodied vehicles, as has been the case with past I-CAR aluminum courses, the training for Ford’s F150 is largely vehicle specific.

“Ford’s future trucks are going to be built of military grade aluminum. They’ve gone to all this work and expense to tool up and change their process, and it’s kind of a pinnacle point for them in changing that direction,” he says. “Will some of the other vehicle makers follow suit? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I would say that this is paving the way for manufacturers to make other aluminum intense vehicles.”

Shepherd says as more manufacturers utilize aluminum in vehicle construction, it will be that much more important for industry stakeholders to seek out and receive proper training.

“I think this course is a great example of the industry stepping forward very aggressively to grab the future,” he says. “I think people are starting to understand that in the past, the shops might have seen training as something that’s nice to have, but as the industry moves into really a high tech future, technician’s skills are going to be the most important component of shop success.” CRM

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Small

S tuff

Control is the key when repairing small damage.

Patience and a light touch are absolute necessities.

Don’t sweat it! Make money instead.

By Mike Davey

S

mall damage can be the bane of your existence, or it can provide an opportunity to upsell the customer and bring in more work.

Part of the challenge lies in mastering the right techniques, and ensuring staff are using the right processes and equipment to effectively and efficiently make these types of repairs.

CARSTAR Automotive Canada recently hosted a hands-on course for painters and apprentice painters on the techniques and tools needed to perform very controlled high quality repairs. The course took place at the CARSTAR Vision Park training facility in Hamilton, Ontario.

The training itself was conducted by AkzoNobel, but it was open to all interested parties. CARSTAR also plans to host

similar training events with other paint vendors in the future.

“The focus was on the process, along with the necessary equipment, and not any particular products,” says Bill Davidge, CARSTAR’s National Technical Advisor.

The nature of t he cours e limite d “hands-on” students to six, but other staff were welcomed and encouraged to attend. While the actual training itself was for painters and apprentices expected to perform these types of repair, there was a benefit for other staff members as well.

“We had quite a few managers and estimators attend the most recent course,” says Davidge. “Knowing the processes used, and knowing what they can and can’t do, helps them to upsell to customers requesting that type of repair.”

66 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Tony Koebel and Bill Davidge of CARSTAR, and Mark MacIntyre of Treschak Enterprises.

The advantages are obvious, for both the motorist and the facility. A relatively minor repair that’s not covered by insurance may cost the customer hundreds of dollars.

Given the price point, many people simply choose to live with unsightly blemishes and small dents. However, the right techniques can bring the price down enough to make it attractive.

“The customer drives away happy, and the facility has more dollars than it would have if they didn’t offer the service,” says Davidge.

For more information, please visit carstar.ca. CRM

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Industry comes together for 16th Annual Tow and Trade Show

By Melissa Hayes

Bill Yates of Stellar Roadside during the roll-over recovery competition. Yates placed third, also netting a first in the back-up challenge, and a third place spot in the truck beauty contest.

Crowds of towing professionals gathered this September to take part in The Provincial Tow Association of Ontario’s (PTAO) Annual Tow and Trade Show.

Marking its 16th year, the event ran September 11 to 13, and was once again held at the Hamilton CarePort Centre.

The show’s first two days offered attendees a chance to receive hands-on training provided by Wreckmaster, covering levels 4-5.

Show goers were given the opportunity to further brush up on in-

Bob Eckenrode and Mike Haney of Beacon Software. The PTAO’s annual Tow Show features numerous exhibitors, in addition to seminars, training, meetings, and truck and driver competitions.

dustry skills via an additional, separate Friday session focused on TSLA and lien searches.

Day two also saw the kick off of the Trade Show–which ran September 12 and 13–with vendors opening their booths and inviting the public to preview the latest towing and recovery equipment, trucks and industry gadgets.

Two notable member meetings were held throughout the day, organized by the PTAO and the Ontario Recovery Group (ORG) respectively, touching on industry-specific topics, including the challenges of Bill 15.

Friday drew to a close with an organized reception with cash bar, followed by a light show competition, challenging hopefuls to compare the effectiveness of their truck’s emergency and regular running lights.

The show’s third day hosted continued member discussions covering provincial regulations and insurance issues, as well as the Tow Truck Display–featuring some of the province’s finest vehicles–along with various beauty and driver competitions.

Children were kept busy with scheduled family-friendly activities, including a kids rollover and hired caricaturist on hand.

Attendees helped cap off the event with a prepared evening reception and Awards Banquet, followed by the ORG pancake breakfast served Sunday morning. october 2014 collision Repair 69

For the second year, PTAO’s 2014 Tow and Trade Show was open to the public, with attendance fees required for specific events. Donations were accepted to Hamilton’s McMaster Children’s Hospital. For more information on the PTAO and the Annual Tow and Trade Show, please visit PTAO.org.

Left: From Gervais Towing, part of the antique tow truck display. Behind: You’ve come a long way, baby! A modern flatbed recovery vehicle, again from Gervaise Towing, one of the entries from the Beauty Contest.

Ontario Liberals revive auto insurance and towing bills Despite falling off the radar following the call of the June election, the Ontario Liberals plan to revive two bills focusing on reducing auto insurance rates while implementing consumer protections for the towing industry.

Originally unveiled in the spring, the Ontario Liberals introduced the bills to help reduce auto insurance rates and provide consumers with enhanced rights when dealing with tow truck operators.

Bill 189, which will likely now be passed given the government’s majority status, outlines the following guidelines for tow truck operations.

Once passed into law, towers must: • Have permission from a consumer or someone acting on behalf of the consumer before charging for towing and storage services.

• Publicly post prices and other information, like the operator’s name and contact information.

• Accept credit card payments from consumers.

• Provide an itemized invoice listing the services provided and the total cost.

“We are strengthening consumer protection for drivers involved in traffic collisions or in need of roadside assistance. Drivers should have the confidence that the tow truck operator helping them is reputable and will treat them fairly,” Liberal Minister of Consumer Services Tracy MacCharles stated in an April 2014 government release.

For further reading, please read “Ontario introduces towing and vehicle storage legislation” and “IBAO calls for reintroduction of tow legislation with Liberal majority” on TowProMag.com.

Joy and Ken Watling of Lightning Equipment Sales, headquartered in Burlington, Ontario.

A few entries from the Beauty Pageant.

‘Superhero’ tower on patrol in Alberta A Cochrane tower has been pegged as a “superhero” by the RCMP for the actions he undertook during an incident on September 8. It began just like any other early morning job when Big Hill Towing operator Brody Leimer was setting up to tow a stalled SUV along the TransCanada Highway, near the Morley Reserve.

The 23-year-old was sitting in the partially rigged vehicle when an impaired Aaron Omeasoo-Stephens, 20, climbed into the driver’s seat of the tow truck and hit the gas. What followed was a scene worthy of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. With both vehicles flying down the highway at 65 kilometres per hour, Leimer climbed out from the SUV, made the leap from its hood to his truck before entering through the passenger door and into the cab.

Leimer then hit the brakes and forcibly removed Omeasoo-Stephens from the vehicle. The suspect was later arrested and charged with impaired driving, operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level above .08, two counts of theft exceeding $5,000 and driving without a licence.

For advertising inquiries, please contact Mike Davey at 905-370-0101 or advertising@collisionrepairmag.com.

70 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Contents Recycling News.....................73- 83 Tundra Take-Back, tire records, and much, much more.

Recycler’s View...........................84

by David Gold

Tundra Take-Back brings vehicle recycling to Canada’s North

By Mike Davey Until recently, vehicle disposal in Canada’s North consisted of simply dumping the vehicle at a site like this one, outside of Arviat. Tundra Take-Back, a project led by Summerhill Impact, is changing the picture through the efforts of numerous partners and volunteers.

Canada’s auto recyclers are stepping up to take part in an ambitious new project: Tundra Take-Back. While automotive recycling is a strong presence in most of Canada, the Northern territories present

From right: Janet Taylor of Summerhill Impact, Tyler Markham, manager of the Padlei Co-op in Arviat, and Amos, a staff member at the Co-Op. Partnering with other organizations and members of the community is an integral part of the Tundra Take-Back program.

numerous challenges to effectively recycling vehicles.

There are difficulties with transportation, but there is also little to no infrastructure.

The Tundra Take-Back program draws on the experience of professional auto recyclers to help ensure that end-of-life vehicles currently languishing are disposed of properly.

The pilot project is being administered through Summerhill Impact, a not-for profit organization focused on creating and delivering environmental initiatives with partners in the government and business sectors. Summerhill Impact has partnered with the Auto Recyclers of Canada (ARC) and numerous other organizations to help bring the project to fruition.

The pilot project focuses on the communities of Arviat and Gjoa Haven, possibly rolling out to other c ommun i t i e s i n f u t u re . Su m m e r h i l l Impact has developed a practical

Pierre Robitaille appointed to ARC Board of Directors Pierre Robitaille from Duvernay Recycleur in Laval, Quebec, has been apppointed to the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) Board of Directors. Robitaille is also the President of Association des recycleurs de pièces d’autos et de camions (ARPAC) Other members of the ARC Board include: Automotive Recyclers Association of Atlantic Canada (ARAAC): Ed MacDonald (Past Chairman), Maritime Auto Parts; Derek Covey, Covey’s Auto Recyclers Association des recycleurs de piéces d’autos et de camions (ARPAC): Pierre Robitaille, Duvernay recycleur; Patrick Veilleux, Sherbrooke piéces autos usagès Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA): Wally Dingman (Chair), Caughill Auto Wreckers; Mary Poirier (Secretary), Valley Automotive Automotive Recyclers Association of Manitoba (ARM): Emile Hogue, Aimes Auto Parts; George Shea, Direct Auto Saskatchewan Auto Recyclers Association (SARA): Cheryl Hoimyr (Treasurer), SGI Salvage; Jack Smith, Topline Salvage Alberta Automotive Recyclers & Dismantlers Association (AARDA): Steven Cox, Allwest Auto Parts; Ian Hope, AARDA Automotive Retailers Association (B-CAR Division): Jim Lebrun, Comox Valley Auto Recyclers; Neil James, Ralph’s Auto Supply (BC) A R C M a n a g i n g D i re c t o r : S t e v e Fletcher ARC provides a forum for the addressing of Canada-wide concerns.

For more information, please visit autorecyclers.ca.

Continued on page 74.

october 2014 collision Repair 73

Tundra Take-Back ... continued from page 73.

A bus at the end of its life sits in the snow near the community of Arviat, Nunavut. High costs and a lack of available infrastructure are two of the challenges when it comes to recycling vehicles in Canada’s North.

guide to ELV recycling in the North through extensive consultation with industry stakeholders.

“The guide builds on previous codes of practice and recovery manuals developed by industry leaders and tailors content to the

Northern context,” says Heather Farquharson, Managing Director of Summerhill Impact. “This guide will be the cornerstone for training local community members in Arviat and Gjoa Haven, who will learn recycling skills and be hired to support our depollution efforts.”

The next stage of the process was to physically examine the vehicles in need of recycling and to build community engagement. To this end, Steve Fletcher of ARC, Janet Taylor and Jennifer Court from Summerhill Impact, and Bob Downey from Gerdau Ameristeel traveled to the community of Arviat.

“We were meeting with a lot of the local officials and other sponsors and partners,” says Fletcher. “We’ve been in discussion with them before, but it’s important to have the face-to-face meetings and gain a better understanding of what they want to accomplish.”

Fletcher says it was also important to physically examine the location near the community where metals are dumped. While a preliminary examination was conducted in May, the melting snow had revealed far more of the landscape and the discarded vehicles.

“It’s an evolving project,” says Fletcher. “Looking at it, I thought ‘part of this will be more complex than we ever thought,’ but a lot of people came forward and said they were committed to helping.”

Part of the reason for this trip was to build community engagement.

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The trip happened to coincide with Nunavut Day, a celebration of Nunavut gaining official status as a Canadian territory.

“We were in the parade for Nunavut Day, carrying our banner and handing out candy,” says Fletcher. “We also took part in the celebration that night at the community centre. We brought along a piñata shaped like a car that turned out to be quite popular.”

Janet Taylor of Summerhill Impact says one part of the celebration at the community centre brought home that the Tundra Take-Back program is generating a positive reaction in the community.

“We made an announcement, translated into Inuktitut, about the program and why we were there,” says Taylor. “What was really interesting to me was that, despite being a very busy room, everyone went quiet.

There were actual cheers when the announcement was finished.”

Members of the team were also invited to serve as judges for several Nunavut Day competitions. Steve Fletcher was one of the judges for the traditional dress competition, while Taylor and the others served as judges for Nunavut Day cakes. The trip lasted a few days longer than originally intended, as weather conditions prevented flights from landing for several days. The time wasn’t wasted, though, as the team not only spent more time engaging with the community, but also gaining valuable insights about conditions in Nunavut.

ARC’s Steve Fletcher, along with Summerhill Impact’s Janet Taylor and Jennifer Court, ventured into the heart of Nunavut to help the territory’s recycling program.

“The people who live there have the attitude that you can’t do anything about what may happen, so you have to be adaptable,” says Fletcher.

These are words to live by for a program like Tundra Take-Back.

While the program can leverage the strength and expertise of

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Tundra Take-Back ... continued from page 75.

recycling professionals from other areas, it must be suited to conditions as they are.

The extra days in Nunavut also resulted in a few animal encounters, including a run in with a polar bear and the sighting of a pod of beluga whales entering Hudson’s Bay. “We saw a polar bear near the metals dump,” says Fletcher. “We were told to expect that, so it wasn’t a shock. But one of the locals asked me ‘did you see the bigger one?’ We had not so it made us a little nervous.”

For Taylor, the animal sightings helped to reinforce the importance of the mission.

“Being able to visit both Arviat and Gjoa Haven, you can sometimes see pollutants from these vehicles trickling into the ground,” she says.

“Look just beyond, you can see the tundra, pristine and beautiful, and just beyond that, the Arctic Ocean. It really brings home how important it is that we protect one of Canada’s most iconic places.”

The project has now moved onto the depollution stage, and more volunteers from the recycling industry have recently completed trips to Nunavut. Ed Wiersma of Allwest Auto Parts in Edmonton, Sarah Brophy of Lake City Services in Sylvan Lake, and Claudio Russo of Carcone’s Auto Recycling in Toronto traveled to Nunavut, accompa-

76 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Practical education on the proper way to depollute vehicles is an essential part of the Tundra Take-Back program.

nied by Jennifer Court of Summerhill Impact. Court organized the training sessions, located needed equipment, taught in the classroom session, and took care of administration. Wiersma and Russo are both experienced dismantlers, and both taught in the classroom and served as guides for the practical task of disassembling vehicles in a safe and ecologically responsible manner.

“We gave four local Inuit people, younger guys, classroom training on how to depollute vehicles,” says Wiersma.

After the theory was taken care of, they jumped right into the practical side.

“We went to the site, and started looking at where to start,” says Wiersma. “We had to clean up an area so we make a pad and put up stands to depollute the vehicles.”

The scrap pile at Arviat doesn’t consist solely of vehicles. The team had to spend a lot of time digging vehicles out before they could begin work.

“We started going through everything,” says Wiersma. “With tires and batteries, we would dig them out of the scrap and bring them to the roadside for pick up. When it comes to the vehicles, it’s mostly trucks. We dug them out, showed the guys where the fluids were located, how to locate and get rid of the mercury switches, and so forth. It’s not just about recycling the vehicles.

It’s about establishing a process.”

Sarah Brophy visited the community of Gjoa Haven, with much the same goal: train local people in proper depollution and help get the process underway.

“I think it was a success,” says Brophy. “It was windy and cold, but the hamlet had a crew assembled, and the site was set up and ready for us. We spent the morning of the first day on classroom training, and the afternoon working on a practice vehicle.”

The team hit the field the next day, depolluting vehicles at the scrap pile outside of Gjoa Haven.

The Tundra Take-Back pilot project in Nunavut will result in the development of a community-led model for ongoing waste management in Canada’s North. The materials removed will head south before the winter freeze begins, heading to their final destination in Quebec. Once there, the depolluted metal will be recycled and secondary items and pollutants will be dealt with properly.

Watch for a complete report on Tundra Take-Back in the next issue of Canadian Auto Recyclers magazine!

Serving the Automotive Industry for Over 45 Years Car-Part.com launches next generation of Car-Part Pro eCommerce marketplace Car-Part.com has launched a new version of its Car-Part Pro Marketplace for the collision and mechanical repair industries.

EMS Pro, Car-Part.com’s EMS-based integration with the three estimating systems, provides one-click access to Car-Part Pro’s parts distribution network.

“Car-Part EMS Pro, in my mind, is a necessity for all damage appraisers and estimators. It seamlessly opens the search link with all required information ready to check availability and price. I have noticed that I am checking recycled parts even when I initially didn’t intend to. This makes the repair planning process quicker and more accurate,” says Garnet Young, President of Young’s Auto Body.

Online part ordering on Car-Part Pro is now available for repairers via the “Order Part” button, which provides one-click ordering from over 1,000 eCommerce-enabled part providers, a natural complement to Car-Part Pro’s realtime delivery and part availability information.

“Car-Part Pro has awesome speed at locating any kind of part. It really allows you to determine a fair price for what you are buying. We make Car-Part Pro our first choice in parts locating,” says Harry Moppert, President of Moppert Brothers.

Car-Part.com has also recently worked closely with OEConnection, the parts eCommerce technology provider for original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) distribution networks, to integrate its services with Car-Part Pro. This integration enhances the part choices available to repairers using Car-Part Pro by providing them with the ability to order parts from their favorite OEM dealerships while maintaining a streamlined workflow. Similarly, repairers using CollisionLink can maintain their workflow when pricing and sourcing recycled parts.

“Integrating our solutions furthers our goal of improving the way the industry buys parts” said Jeff Schroder, CEO of Car-Part.com.

Car-Part Pro is also now available as a mobile application. The Car-Part Pro mobile app simplifies locating and ordering parts for repairers and re-inspectors by using a VIN barcode scanner to identify the correct interchange part numbers. The Car-Part Pro native mobile app is compatible with Apple, Android, Amazon, and BlackBerry devices.

Car-Part Pro is offered to repairers at no cost and is available for insurers and independent appraisers. Learn more about Car-Part Pro or sign up at CarPartPro.com.

Switch Out video contest launched Summerhill Impact has launched two new Switch Out videos, available in English and French. To celebrate the release, Switch Out is launching a brand new contest in 2014. From now until November 30, participants are invited to submit video footage of their dismantling team removing mercury switches.

Every entry that meets the contest rules will be featured in the Canadian Auto Recyclers e-zine and uploaded to the Switch Out Facebook page. The participant that submits the best video will also win a great prize. Please visit switchout.ca/contest for more details.

The contest is open to any registered Switch Out participant and it’s easy to

enter. Just record your team removing a mercury-containing convenience light switch or ABS sensor from a vehicle and edit your footage if needed.

Submit by uploading to a videosharing site (Youtube, Vimeo, etc.) or your own website and email a link to switchout@summerhill.com. Please do not email video files. You may also email a CD, DVD or USB flash drive to: Alan Sovran Summerhill Impact 30 Commercial Road, Toronto, ON M4G 1Z4 All videos must be received by November 30, 2014 to qualify for the grand prize.

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ARAAC supports IWK Family Rooms Newborn infants need support from their parents, and the support becomes even more vital when the infants are in need of intensive care. Recyclers have stepped up to help ensure infants and parents at IWK Health Centre in Halifax will receive support.

A recent donation of $10,000 from the Automotive Recyclers Association of Atlantic Canada (ARAAC), and a previous donation for $20,000, are earmarked for the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the IWK for the care and well-being of both infants and their parents. The cheque was presented by Dalbert and Tabitha Livingstone from Island Auto Supply and Ed MacDonald from Maritime Auto Parts on behalf of ARAAC. The association has been accumulating funds from the vehicle retirement programs that operate in Atlantic Canada through the Automotive Recyclers of Canada association. In total, ARAAC Members have given over $110,000 to community organizations as diverse as MADD, Special Olympics, and food banks.

“Our donation is going towards more family rooms at IWK. Of the 64 babies in pre-natal care during our visit, there are just six rooms available for parents to stay overnight. Some parents

On hand for the donation were, from left, Dalbert Livingstone of Island Auto Supply, Diana Fergusen, Tabitha Livingstone of Island Auto Supply, Ed MacDonald of Maritime Auto Parts, and Brenda Toner-Murchsion of the IWK Health Centre Foundation.

sleep in chairs by their children, hallways, wherever they can. No parent wants to leave their child in these conditions. It’s proven that children whose parents are there for feeding, skin contact, reading, etc., recover better and faster. It is humbling to represent our members and see our dollars so well placed,” says Dalbert Livingstone, President of ARAAC. The donation was accepted on behalf of the IWK by Brenda Toner-Murchison from the IWK Health Centre Foundation and Registered Nurse Diana Fergusen.

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A&L Auto Recyclers named top collector for latest Tire Take Back Days

Representatives from The Sunshine Foundation, Ontario Tire Stewardship, and Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association celebrate at A&L Recyclers in Comber, Ontario. The 2014 Tire Take Back event raised over $90,000 for The Sunshine Foundation.

Photo by Trevor Booth.

In May, used tires were collected from garages and yards across Ontario and transformed into something truly extraordinary for children within The Sunshine Foundation of Canada’s network.

Between May 26 and May 31, 2014, Ontario residents from across the province dropped off 46,898 tires as part of the fifth annual Tire Take Back event organized by Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) and the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA).

This year’s event raised more than $90,000 for The Sunshine Foundation of Canada.The Sunshine Foundation is the only national Canadian charity to provide individual dreams to children with severe physical disabilities (such as spina bifida or cerebral palsy) as well as life-threatening illnesses. The Sunshine Foundation was the first organization to bring DreamLifts to Canadian children. Sunshine’s one-day, whirlwind DreamLift adventures transport approximately 80 children by plane to an exciting destination such as a Disney theme park.

Earlier this year, OTS celebrated the exciting milestone of sixty million tires recycled in Ontario. This six-day extravaganza further illustrates how Ontarians are helping to keep tires out of landfills. Sixty registered tire collectors from Thunder Bay to London donated tire collection allowances while OARA contributed an additional $25,000 to further enhance the final collection tally.

“We’re thrilled that Ontarians continue to show such en80 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

thusiasm around the Tire Take Back program,” says Andrew Horsman, Executive Director, Ontario Tire Stewardship. “As tire recycling awareness grows, Ontarians have become very engaged in terms of driving sustainability in the province. Everyone plays a role in keeping tires out of landfills, and recycling tires means they can be turned into new high quality recycled tire products for gardens, playgrounds, and patios.”

This year, A&L Auto Recyclers in Comber, Ontario collected more than 13,000 used tires, receiving the prize for highest number of tires collected out of all participating OARA member locations. As a result, A&L will receive $15,000 toward sustainable recycled tire products to be used to revitalize a community space in partnership with the Town of Lakeshore.

“We’re very proud of our 60 participating OARA members for their commitment to helping The Sunshine Foundation of Canada,” said Steve Fletcher, Executive Director of OARA. “Tire Take Back helps a child fulfill lifelong dreams, encourages Ontarians to recycle their tires, and enables a community to create a greener space. These are the reasons so many of our members are eager to participate year over year. We’re looking forward to seeing how the Community Challenge prize of $15,000 will be put to use in the Comber community.”

The official cheque presentation ceremony for The Sunshine Foundation of Canada took place on July 31, 2014 at A&L Auto Recyclers in Comber.

Rock City Auto Supplies collects nearly 9,000 tires Local residents came out in force for this year’s Tire Take Back Days event. Between May 26 and May 31, 2014, Sudbury residents dropped off 8,879 tires at Rock City Auto Supplies as part of the annual Tire Take Back event organized by Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) and the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA).

These tires generated a donation of $23,581 for The Sunshine Foundation of Canada, enabling children with life threatening illnesses and severe disabilities to embark on adventures of a lifetime. Over the past three years, Sudbury has generated a donation of $64,527 based on 24,665 tires – that is a lot of tires. To put that in perspective, if the tires were stacked one on top of the other, they would surpass the equivalent of 13.3 Sudbury Superstacks.

“We are proud to be able to support the Sunshine Foundation, and very grateful to the community, our staff and our tire hauler for all the great work they do. We couldn’t do it without them,” says Ron Cayer from Rock City Auto Supplies.

Sarah Lashbrook, President of the Sunshine Foundation’s Greater Sudbury Chapter is in awe of Sudbury’s support of these events.

“The funds this program raised during Tire Take Back will allow us to fulfill many, many individual dreams including ones for kids from right

here in Sudbury,” she says. “The impact of the work they do in one week during Tire Take Back, lasts for years. Every tire they collected, every donation they make impacts a child’s life. So, we wanted to thank them again. Thank you to them for contributing so much every year, for having such an impact on our community, and for impacting the lives of hundreds of children and families.”

“We’re thrilled that Ontarians continue to show such enthusiasm around the Tire Take Back program,” says Andrew Horsman, Executive Director, Ontario Tire Stewardship.

“Rock City has consistently generated big numbers during the Tire Take Back event and raised a lot of money for The Sunshine Foundation of Canada,” says Steve Fletcher, Executive Director of OARA. “That’s why we are up here today celebrating their outstanding results.

Tire Take Back helps a child fulfill lifelong dreams, encourages Ontarians to recycle their tires, and enables a community to create a greener space. These are the reasons so many of our members are eager to participate year over year.”

An official plaque presentation ceremony from The Sunshine Foundation of Canada to Rock City Auto Supplies took place at the facility in Sudbury.

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ARA announces highlights of upcoming convention The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) has released some details regarding the organization’s upcoming 71st Annual

Convention and Exposition. ARA’s 71st Annual Convention and Exposition will take place October 22 to 25, 2014 at the Gaylord

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82 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

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Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

“The ARA Convention is a one-stop shop.

Recyclers will get more information over the course of three days than they could in years,” says ARA Meeting Planner Kim Glasscock. “We work hard to minimize the time out of the office. This year, we’ve integrated the committee meetings into the schedule rather than have those meetings the day before.”

Also new this year is the opportunity to tour Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee manufacturing plant to see where the all-electric Nissan LEAF and other top Nissan models are manufactured.

“The convention helps to keep [recyclers] cutting-edge, competitive and efficient,” says Glasscock. “We encourage them to bring their staff; we offer reduced pricing for additional attendees. That way, they can attend more educational sessions, gaining the most information that they can.”

In choosing seminar topics and speakers, ARA leaders prioritized providing attendees with a good mix of topics and focused on seven key areas: business management, future technology, operations, profitability, salesmanship, sustainability, and a global perspective.

Other highlights planned for this year include 12 hours of Exposition with nearly 100 exhibitors, a networking breakfast for the Ladies of the Automotive Recyclers Association, and the Annual Awards Dinner and Presidential Gavel Passing. To register and for more information, visit the 2014 Annual Convention and Exposition website at araexpo.org/2014 or call 571-208-0428.

Japan hosts 2014 International Roundtable The eighth annual International Roundtable on Auto Recycling (IRT) once again gave auto recyclers around the world a chance to come together to discuss improving the auto recycling industry on a global level.

Held in Kushiro, Japan, the convention ran from October 1 to 4, and played host to a number of events and opportunities for professional automotive recyclers to exchange ideas, network and participate in scheduled discussions.

Kicking off with a welcoming reception held at the Kushiro Prince Hotel on day one, attendees also took part in a factory tour, provided BBQ Lunch, Kushior Moor National Park Tour and the JARA 10th Anniversary Reception the following day. The event’s third day featured country reports, where a number of auto recy-

cling representatives from a variety of nations will provide updates on industry progress and future plans within their home countries.

We spoke with Steve Fletcher of Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) in advance of the event, and he says he would like to focus on the country’s steps forward, including the adoption and utilization of The Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code (CAREC)—the national code of practice for automotive recyclers.

“We’re into our third, fourth year of audits, and it’s generally a positive story of improvement among members,” he says. “There’s a number of different licensing initiatives across Canada, and they’ve utilized CAREC as a jumping off point for what the standards are all about.”

Fletcher also planned to touch on ARC’s Gold Seal Customer Assurance Program, as well as the granting initiative Grants in Gear, and their recent Tundra Take-Back project in Nunavut.

IRT’s final day gave attendees another opportunity to swap ideas with continued roundtable discussions.

“I learn a lot about what’s going on around the world. Other jurisdictions are sometimes way ahead of us in the use of technology to de-pollute vehicles, or they’re way ahead of us in terms of the regulations that they’ve encountered,” he says. “You can read about it all you want, but until you’re face-to-face socially and formally, you can’t ask the questions and see why things happen or don’t happen the way they do. It just makes our efforts back in Canada that much more grounded.”

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highlevel We can advance together when we work together.

By David Gold

E

very industry needs an association that works to protect its membership’s best interests and to ensure that there is a united voice. For auto recyclers in Ontario, that’s the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA). For Canada, it’s the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC). Internationally, it’s the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA). The ARA has offered the opportunity for the advancement of its members since 1943 and the value it brings to its immediate affiliates is crucial to maintaining a strong and vibrant industry.

The ARA can bring together and influence all parties important to our industry from government, to key vendors to our businesses, and to the general public in our communities that we live. ARA officers, currently led by our President Ed MacDonald in Truro, Nova Scotia, as well as a host of other executive members and staff, are committed to the cause and genuinely work hard on executing their strategic plan. My appointment to the ARA Execu-

tive Committee in 2014 is one that makes me very proud and excited. First and foremost, it’s an opportuity to learn and entrench myself in the existing plans that ARA has developed but also the ability to have input on the future plans and goals which I believe to be important for ARA moving forward.

Most members of an association who take a leap of faith and get involved in the executive committees and other roles on a volunteer basis do so because they care about their industry, their fellow associates and of course, their businesses and their future.

These individuals are engaged and are willing to give up their personal time for the bigger picture and contribute as necessary. It’s not an easy road for sure and there are many variables to consider.

However, one thing is clear. The business climate has become more challenging and an association that can be there for its members is one that must be fully embraced.

At this time I am fortunate to be in the position to take on an executive role with ARA effective

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84 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

recycling i

October 2014 which will continue in varying degrees for the next five years and will culminate in being the President of the ARA. Strong support from management and staff at my company, it affords me the opportunity to be a part of something that is so important for our industry’s future. Throughout the years however I have been involved and chaired committees for ARA and was also a regional Director in the past which has helped me form a foundation of appreciation for everyone involved in ARA and its activities.

There are many issues that are important to auto recyclers and often these issues are directly aligned with repairer’s concerns. Repairers go through many of the same issues that auto recyclers go through and at the top of the list is the continual advancement of technology. Computer systems are an integral part of all vehicles more so now than ever before and this trend will only escalate going forward. Just as the repairing of vehicles has become a highly technical process requiring computer diagnostic tools, the dismantling of vehicles has also become more complicated where we require specialized tools and information to safely remove the parts for reuse. Manufacturers are the gatekeepers of the advanced information necessary for us to identify and promote the reuse of parts.

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With all the talk about the “Right to Repair” for independent service stations and garages, and to some extent for collision repairers, I believe this serves as a spring-board for auto recyclers to initiate conversation regarding a “Right To Reuse” Act. This act would parallel what the mechanical and collision repairers have fought so hard for to be able to stay in business and compete.

How can automotive recyclers properly and safely dismantle vehicles without information from the manufacturers? This makes no sense and something has got to be done about it. The ARA has identified this in their strategic plans and this initiative has to be supported, as the ARA states, “Data provides the backbone to a sustainable business model for professional automotive recyclers.” I believe an initiative as basic as the sharing of OE data that is for the greater good of the environment and the public at large is worth supporting and standing up for.

This can be best accomplished by supporting our association from a membership standpoint and getting involved when possible.comed. CRM David Gold is the co-owner of Standard Auto Wreckers, an auto recycler with locations in Toronto, Ottawa and Niagara Falls, New York. He can be reached by phone at 416-286-8686 or via e-mail at david@standardautowreckers.com.

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last word

fastfuture Data, the science of prediction, and you.

By Mike Davey

Y

ou may have already heard of predictive analytics. Anthony Giagnocovo of Audatex recently gave a presentation on it at the latest meeting of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF) in Montreal that created a lot of buzz among attendees. But what is it?

At its core, predictive analytics encompasses a number of different techniques to make predictions about future events.

The idea is that by analyzing current and historical factors, you can make more accurate predictions about the future.

One way to look at it is as a method of trading in gut instincts for science, or at least as close to science as trying to predict the future ever can be.

Predictive analytics has been very much a part of the collision repair industry for

credit history, loan applications, and other financial data to determine if you (or your business) are a good risk.

We’ve discussed the future, as that’s often what we’re most concerned with predicting. However, predictive analytics can also be used to “predict” the past or current events.

So-called “big data” lies at the heart of predictive analytics. If you don’t have “enough” data, your predictions will not be accurate. How much is enough?

That’s a good question, and it really depends on what question you’re trying to answer, and just how accurate you need your answer to be.

However, the amount of data we need is often more than it would appear at first glance. Do you want to answer a question about the future of your colli-

the amount of data we need is often more than it would appear. many years, but normally on the insurance side, in the realm of actuarial science.

Insurers look at past driving behaviours, number of claims, etc., and use that to build models of the way the future will be. Their methods are generally successful, as evidenced by the fact that a lot of insurance companies are still in business. They’ve managed to predict future claims well enough to collect enough premiums to pay out on claims and cover their operating expenses. The private insurers must also bring in enough to show a profit for their shareholders.

There are many other businesses that use predictive analytics, with the most well known application likely being credit scoring. This is something most entrepreneurs have direct experience with. Your credit score (or the equivalent for your business) is determined by examining

sion repair facility? Then you need data about your collision repair facility. You also likely need data regarding your competitors and other conditions in your market, and that’s really just a start on how deep you can go.

As an industry, some of our partners are way ahead of us when it comes to this, and we can certainly learn from them.

We can’t do more than scratch the surface of this topic here. However, I’ll leave you with a few words that you can use to start researching: analytical customer relationship management. That’s just what it sounds like, and it’s a powerful tool. CRM

86 collision Repair collisionrepairmag.com

Mike Davey is the editor of Collision Repair magazine. He can be reached at 905-3700101 or via email at editor@ collisionrepairmag.com.

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