Collision Repair 22#6

INSURERS GET GRADED: Repairers issue 2023 report cards >>

Volume 22, Number 6, 2023

MOJAVE MOSAIC Snapshots from the 2023 SEMA Show

MINOTTI’S MOTIVATION Constant improvement—that’s what MSO Robert Minotti lives by

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR NATIONAL EV REPAIR TOUR FIX NETWORK HOSTS GLOBAL PARTNERS | CSN UNPLUGS IN MUSKOKA www.collisionrepairmag.com Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40841632 l $7.99 CAD l 86 John Street, Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

VOLUME 22, ISSUE 6, 2023

FEATURES

24 ON THE COVER Robert Minotti may not have originally planned to end up in the automotive industry, but today, he works hard to keep up with the learning curve so that he can stay on top of his game when it comes to collision repair—all while maintaining a thoughtful and open-minded view of the industry.

INSURERS GET GRADED: Repairers issue 2023 report cards >>

Volume 22, Number 6, 2023

MOJAVE MOSAIC Snapshots from the 2023 SEMA Show

MINOTTI’S MOTIVATION Constant improvement—that’s what MSO Robert Minotti lives by

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR NATIONAL EV REPAIR TOUR FIX NETWORK HOSTS GLOBAL PARTNERS | CSN UNPLUGS IN MUSKOKA

AUTO GLOBAL CONFERENCE 38 FixFIXNetwork held its first event with all of its global partners since the pandemic.

CONFERENCE 2023 48 CSN CSN hosted industry partners and guests for a magical, Muskoka-filled weekend.

www.collisionrepairmag.com Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40841632 l $7.99 CAD l 86 John Street, Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2

DEPARTMENTS ON THE MOVE 08 PEOPLE Familiar faces, new roles!

14 NEWS-IN-BRIEF Bite-sized updates from across the industry NEWS 71 REGIONAL Local news from coast to coast

42 EV Tour Roundup (Collision Repair brought EV awareness in a multi-city tour supported by Fix Network.)

COLUMNS PAGE 06 PUBLISHER’S

By Darryl Simmons PONDERINGS 60 PACIFIC

By Wade Bartok and Connor Jameson RULES 62 GROUND

By Meghan McEwen DRIVING 65 WHO’S

By Jay Perry GET TECHNICAL 66 LET’S

By Stefano Liessi WORD 82 LAST

By Allison Rogers

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! We welcome your comments on anything you see in Collision Repair magazine. Send your feedback to editor@collisionrepairmag.com.

56 The annual feature you’ve all been waiting for—repairers give insurers the grades in this year’s annual Insurer Report Card.

YOUR ONLINE SOURCE Canada’s collision repair information resource.

Scan the QR code to check out our Media Kit. For more info visit collisionrepairmag.com.

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

5

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

PROGRESS, PROMISE AND PROSPERITY With a commitment to training and embracing safe repairs, Canada’s collision repair industry is poised for a great new year!

By DARRYL SIMMONS

A

s we make our way through the holiday season, it’s the perfect time to take a breather and reflect on the year that was and the one quickly approaching. This period is filled with both rewarding milestones and challenging bends in the road, like a stocking that holds both treasured gifts and playful surprises.

The most notable achievement this year has been the widespread acceptance and enthusiasm for training and education. This paradigm shift towards continuous learning has been akin to embracing a new gear in our operational mindset.

It’s not just about acquiring new skills; it’s about cultivating a culture of excellence and adaptability that keeps pace with automotive advancements.

6

COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Orest Tkaczuk | orest@mediamatters.ca EDITOR Allison Rogers | allison@mediamatters.ca ART DIRECTOR Yvonne Maschke | yvonne@mediamatters.ca

workforce and staying at the forefront of industry trends. They are tangible manifestations of our dedication to not just keeping up, but leading the charge in automotive repair education.

The Canadian Council of Collision Repairers’ (CCCR) meeting in Las Vegas further exemplified our industry’s collaborative spirit. Bringing together more than 25 shopowners and managers, the meeting was a productive convergence, that set the strategic course for the upcoming year and reinforced the group’s goals, mission statement and values.

The mission of the CCCR is to advocate for the highest standards of safety in collision repair across Canada. Through advocacy, education,

Into the new year, the theme echoing through our industry should be ‘a safe repair is the only repair.’

These past years have seen the rising prominence of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

The significant increase in vehicles equipped with these sophisticated systems has brought a new dimension to the world of collision repair.

This underscores the absolute necessity of adhering to proper repair procedures, particularly post-repair calibrations and scanning. These processes are no longer optional, but essential steps to ensure the safety and functionality of repaired vehicles.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have also taken a front seat this year, marking a significant shift in the repair landscape. Collision Repair magazine’s EV Repair Tour, supported by Fix Network, highlighted this evolution, showcasing our industry’s readiness to tackle the complexities of these high-tech vehicles.

Amidst these developments, the opening of Fix Network’s third training centre and 3M’s Skills Development Center deserve a special mention.

These institutions are not just physical spaces; they represent our commitment to upskilling the

PUBLISHER Darryl Simmons publisher@collisionrepairmag.com

and collaboration, the CCCR aims to elevate the industry’s commitment to safe repairs, safeguarding the well-being of customers and workers alike.

As we shift into the new year, the theme echoing through our industry should be: ‘a safe repair is the only repair.’ Championed by the CCCR, this mantra is more than a motto; it’s a commitment to upholding the highest standards of safety and quality in every repair we undertake.

In closing, as we embrace the festive season and look towards a new year brimming with potential, I extend heartfelt holiday greetings to our entire collision repair community. May your season be joyous, and the coming year filled with prosperity, safety, and continued success in all our endeavours.

Happy Holidays, and here’s to a prosperous New Year!

ASSISTANT EDITOR Sarah Perkins | sarah@mediamatters.ca VP OF INDUSTRY RELATIONS & ADVERTISING Gloria Mann 647.998.5677 | gd.mann@rogers.com DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SOLUTIONS Ellen Smith 416.312.7446 | ellen@mediamatters.ca INDUSTRY RELATIONS ASSISTANT Wanja Mann 647.998.5677 wanjamann1@gmail.com DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Cassie Doyle | cassie@mediamatters.ca MARKETING COORDINATOR William Simmons | william@mediamatters.ca CONTRIBUTORS Wade Bartok, Connor Jameson, Stefano Liessi, Meghan McEwen, Jay Perry SUBSCRIPTION Single edition $7.99 One-year $39.95 ( 6 issues) Collision Repair™ magazine is published bimonthly, and is dedicated to serving the business interests of the collision repair industry. It is published by Media Matters Inc. Material in Collision Repair™ magazine may not be reproduced in any form without written consent from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statements made by its advertisers or independent columnists. All facts, opinions and statements appearing in this publication have been compiled and included with the permission, though not necessarily the endorsement, of the editor, or of independent columnist contributors, and are in no way to be construed as those of the publisher, or as endorsements of them.

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NEWS

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE FLAVIO BATTILANA | AKZONOBEL Flavio Battilana, who many in the collision industry know as an integral member of CSN Collision Centres’ corporate team for more than 15 years, has joined AkzoNobel in a new role as a key account manager. In his previous role at CSN, Battilana played a pivotal role in the company’s significant growth and positioning as a trusted name in the collision repair industry.

GEORGE VARAGIC | SATA CANADA George Varagic has been named the new general manager of SATA Canada following the company’s thorough search. Varagic has extensive senior management experience and served in a role in the Canadian industry for three years prior to joining SATA Canada. Joern Stoever, who has served as interim GM for SATA Canada since September 2022, will remain part of the SATA Canada team to ease a seamless transition.

JEB AARTS | FINCH COLLISION CENTRE Jeb Aarts is now the general manager of Finch Collision Centre in London, Ontario. Previously, Aarts worked as a business development specialist in Ontario with BASF Canada. In his new role, Aarts will be responsible for and oversee the day-to-day operations and growth of Finch Collision Centre, part of the Finch Auto Group, which manages seven car dealerships in the London area.

Aarts was previously the collision centre manager for Finch Auto Group from 2011 to 2015.

GARY LIN | AUTOCANADA COLLISION CENTRES AutoCanada Collision Centres has announced the addition of Gary Lin. Lin will be serving as the director of strategies and initiatives for the collision centres platform. Lin joins AutoCanada Collision Centres with over 25 years of technical and management experience in the automotive industry. Prior to joining AutoCanada, Lin developed and managed the Certified Collision Repair Centres (CCRC) program at BMW Group Canada where he doubled the number of CCRCs across the country.

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VIDEO

STRIDE AND GLORY Consolidated Collision Services brings Full Stride event to network partners across Canada

Jason Arnott, Chris Chinn, Charles Aubry and Craig Kirby of the CCS Corporate team.

C

onsolidated Collision Services (CCS) hosted its cross-Canada Full Stride tour this fall, which featured a series of performance and profitability-centred meetings in Calgary, Alberta; Toronto, Ontario, and Quebec City, Quebec.

Speakers on the Full Stride tour circuit included CCS corporate team members Mike Beier, Tom Langton, and Sandy Ligouri, who provided business and strategy updates. Guest speakers included Stu Klein from AIA Canada discussed his organization’s ongoing efforts in the collision space, Victor Andrisani from the Canadian Welding Bureau informed attendees about the Canadian Collision Repair Academy, while Christina Christopher and Grant Northcut from Aviva Insurance presented on CCS’ performance and opportunities in their respective regions.

Focusing on performance, the CCS operations team consisting of Jason Arnott, Chris Chinn, Charles Aubry and Craig Kirby presented their ‘Platinum Rules’ for collision

centres to achieve success and profits in today’s market.

The events also included an estimating workshop by Stefano Liessi—where he likened an efficient estimating process to a classic, well-followed pasta recipe crafted by an Italian nonna—was raved about by attendees in Calgary and Toronto.

The Full Stride Toronto event, which was CCS’ largest with over 80 attendees, was held onsite at the brand new Great Canadian Casino Resort, treating guests to a surf ‘n’ turf style meal at the opening President’s Dinner and a night of live horse racing and tour of the paddocks at Woodbine Racetrack to wrap up the festivities.

“The level of participation was beyond our expectations,” said the CCS team following the Full Stride tour. “Events like this are necessary to educate and involve all players in the industry, and to bring CCS’ winning message to our locations across the country.”

Check out our photos from all three Full Stride events!

“Stefano did an amazing job of explaining how to complete an accurate damage assessment that was a repair plan for the job. This was the best training I have seen on estimating and repair planning.”

— Tom Bissonnette, director of the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers

What you join matters, who you join matters MORE. Since 2013, CCS has been the network of choice for Canada’s most progressive new car dealer collision centres. For dealers, by dealers, our tailor-made solutions will help grow your business by retaining more customers and putting you on the map with our national insurance partners.

For the road ahead and the road less traveled, CCS will be there for you. If you are a new car dealer anywhere in Canada, find out more by booking your test drive of CCS today.

Over 85 locations. One mission. To be the best.

For more information visit us at www.ccsdealers.com Contact us at info@ccsdealers.com

Consolidated Collision Services © 2021 Consolidated Collision Services. All rights reserved. The CCS Logo is a registered trademark of Consolidated Dealers Co-Operative Inc.

COLLISION CENTRE OF THE YEAR

CCS’ Collision Centre of the Year is Mercedes-Benz Oakville Collision, managed by Michael St. Germain

Mercedes-Benz Oakville Collision Centre.

Michael St. Germain accepts the Collision Centre of the Year award from Mike Beier, general manager of CCS.

Kyle Thrasher, collision centre team lead, and Michael St. Germain, general manager, Mercedes-Benz Oakville Collision Centre.

“Michael and the team at Mercedes-Benz Oakville are one of the shining stars of our network,” said Mike Beier, general manager of CCS. “They do everything in-house and consistently deliver some of the best customer service and repair outcomes that you will see anywhere. This is our biggest award, and once again we have a truly deserving winner”.

The collision centre, with its sprawling square footage, operating room level of cleanliness and dedicated team, operates under a mantra of constant improvement. When he first stepped into the role, Michael says he took on an, “out with the old, in with the new” mantra, building relationships and processes that have seen them triple their production and become the go-to location in Oakville for certified Mercedes-Benz repairs, representing over 95 percent of their business.

One trait that makes Mercedes-Benz Oakville Collision Centre so unique is the average age of its team, which sits decades below industry-wide standards.

“We recognize that it’s rare to see a team as young as ours,” says Kyle Thrasher, team lead at Mercedes-Benz Oakville Collision Centre. “I mean, I’m 31 years old and I’m one of the oldest ones here!”

“We’ve created a culture where our team likes coming to work every day,” said Michael St. Germain, “We have fun, and strive to make the entire team feel and understand that they are integral to our continued success.”

Join Collision Repair magazine in congratulating Michael and the Mercedes-Benz Oakville Collision Centre team on this incredible achievement!

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INDUSTRY NEWS

REV UP YOUR COLLISION REPAIR SKILLS

A FOND FAREWELL Collision Repair magazine would like to wish Keith Tuttosi, longtime national director for Napa Auto Parts, a happy retirement. Tuttosi—who has had a 36-year career across UAP, NAPA and CMAX—has been offered fond farewells by friends and coworkers following his retirement announcement on LinkedIn. Such comments include wellwishers saying that Tuttosi “will be sorely missed;” others highlight his “integrity in all dealings as a business partner” and some say Tuttosi has “been an amazing ambassador for NAPA and our industry.”

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Collision Repair magazine would like to wish Keith Tuttosi, longtime national director for Napa Auto Parts, a happy retirement pictured here with colleague Eric Leveille.

MOTOR METHODS The federal Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, has recently announced new penalties for companies who violate the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Under the new regulations, penalties will range up to $4,000 for an individual violating the act, and up to $200,000 for a company. Penalties would apply per violation, meaning that they could be stacked for multiple violations. For severe violations affecting multiple vehicles, Transport Canada could issue severe penalties such as those affecting multiple vehicles, tires, child restraint systems and types of equipment used in the restraint of disabled persons. According to the announcement, a number of factors will be used to determine the size of the penalty given. These include the determined harm or risk raised by the violation or the degree of negligence involved. Past reports from Transport Canada indicate that financial penalties and the risk of these penalties are a proven and effective deterrent in maintaining automotive safety.

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The Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, has recently announced new penalties for companies who violate the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

INDUSTRY NEWS

ACHIEVING EV AWARENESS The Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Education Foundation revised its accreditation standards in late September for its 2022-2023 truck and collision repair training program outlines.

In 2022 and 2023, technical revision committees from different levels of education and expertise within the automotive industry, recognized the growing number of high-voltage systems and EV adoption, and began to add related tasks, tools and equipment to featured standards included in this program.

The foundation has also published a list of training resources that automotive educational programs can use when planning updates to the curriculums and training equipment needed when addressing EV technologies. With the future plan of reviewing standards again in 2024, Mike Coley, president of the ASE Education Foundation highlighted the ASE’s desire to add recommendations regarding tasks, tools and equipment similar to the ones developed for medium/heavy duty truck and collision repair.

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WORKING WELDING WESTWARD I-CAR Canada has a new partnership with the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB Group) to help increase welding training opportunities across Canada. Through this partnership, CWB will lend the use of its training facilities in Milton, Ontario, and Nisku, Alberta, while I-CAR Canada will offer its nationwide training instructors for in-class learning. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that welding training from I-CAR Canada will be accessible to all Canadians in a timely manner, even those residing in rural areas. In order to do this, CWB training instructors will be travelling across the country to train technicians in-shop.

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Contact your distributor or Call (800) 465-8575 arslanauto.com accuvision-3D.com ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

15

BUSINESS NEWS

SELECTING UPGRADES

BILL 29 BOWLS AHEAD

Uni-Select has announced the acquisition of Auto Parts Central and Central Canada Industries in a move aimed at expanding the company’s footprint in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The network currently consists of 14 locations across Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and a workforce of 170 employees across all locations. “We are truly honoured to carry forward the Maunula Family’s legacy, driven by our commitment to delivering excellence in both products and service to support the growth and performance of our customers,” said Emilie Gaudet, President and Chief Operating Officer of Uni-Select Inc. Wayne Maunula, the owner and president of Auto Parts Central and Central Canada Industries, extended his appreciation to Uni-Select’s leadership.

The National Assembly announced on October 3, 2023 the unanimous adoption of Bill 29 aimed at protecting consumers against planned obsolescence. As soon as the legislation is signed into law, it will be prohibited in Quebec to sell goods whose normal operating life has been deliberately limited. Under the proposed law, an item from the appointed goods list may be repaired free of charge by the maker if it malfunctions during the period covered. Similarly, spare parts, repair services and information necessary for the maintenance and repair of an item must be available for a reasonable period of time to the consumer. Consumers will also be able to do business with the repairer of their choice.

OEM NEWS

GETTING TECHNICAL

SERVING UP SOLID STATE

asTech, has announced asTech Insights, a generative-AI product designed to enhance OEM compatible scans. According to Repairify’s media release: “through the power of AI, asTech Insights uses the results from an asTech OEM-Compatible pre-scan to automatically generate custom collision repair recommendations that are specific to the vehicle and identified DTC codes. All within seconds after completing the pre-scan.” The media release finished with the assertion that “for shops, asTech Insights will be like having a certified technician at their side wherever and whenever they need them. Within seconds, they’ll get collision specific repair recommendations to enable them to complete the repair correctly.

Combined with asTech OEM-Compatible scans, shops will be able to perform an OEM-quality scan and generate a complete repair plan in under seven minutes.”

Toyota continues to be abuzz with EV updates. Toyota provided a press release for its plans for upcoming battery development, including a specified roadmap for the future production of solidstate batteries. According to Toyota’s updated battery release, the automaker has five next-generation battery designs, including both liquid and solid state electrolytes. The automaker has been continuing its research into battery production with Panasonic and expects the batteries to be “ready for commercial use” by 2027 or 2028. In the past, Toyota has said that affordability, not range, would be its priority for upcoming EVs. However, this turn in battery production marks a turnaround in mindset. The automaker plans for 1.7 million of their future 3.5 million EVs (to be sold by 2030), to be made with their new battery models.

MOLDING MYCELIUM The Kia EV3, or at least a concept version of the incoming electric small car, has interiors made of mushrooms, hemp, corn and sugarcane. These grown materials are part of what Kia is calling its “10 must-have sustainable items” in its cabin construction. In reference to the use of mushrooms, Kia notes that “it can be grown in any shape you want using a mold.”

One goal that the OEM sees as a priority is to make its cars feel “closer to nature.” Kia says these natural fibres can also be used to help reduce vehicle weight and to add a natural tone to vehicle interiors. While it may be difficult to achieve customer approval for some of these natural manufacturing materials in the near future, future adoption may be possible because “fashion can change,” according to Jochen Paesen, Vice President of Interior Design at Kia.

16

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The Kia EV3, or at least a concept version of the incoming electric small car, has interiors made of mushrooms, hemp, corn and sugarcane.

“OH FFF....Fix Auto!”

The first words that should come to mind after an accident.

Do you want to join our successful car care network?

Contact Amin Youssef at ayoussef@fixnetwork.com | +1 365-355-5363 or visit the “Join the Network” page at fixauto.com to find out more.

Evolving to Meet Aftermarket Care EvolvingCar to Meet Needs of Today Aftermarket and Tomorrow

Sylva Presid

Car Care Needs of Today and “We work hard to support our network (stra INTRODUCING day-to-day operations; Sylvain Seguin, preside Tomorrow provide a total value chain that supports our f

THE LARGEST FIX AUTO COLLISION IN THE WORLD

tomer demands but also helps us plan a road that require responsive and long-term busines

FIX Network Canada is growing FIX Network Canada is continually growing – the number of shops, our team and, of course, our expertise. With more than 500 shops in Canada dedicated to providing collision, meFix Network World has gotten even bigger. chanical and glass repair coast-to-coast, we are The company is celebrating the opening of also proud of our global network expansion in Sylvain Sequin, President Fix Network Canada 17 facilities in Saudi Arabia, in partnership with Europe, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and the Gulf Motor Company (GMC), a part of United US markets.

Inside Fix Network’s rapid expansion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

For o cente inters busin the fl is imp the n

Powe Huma Similar to many industries, 2023 is shaping up “We work hard to support our strategic partners partners in their day-to-day were giona to be a year still defined by recovery as supply From planning through realization, Fix Network’s operations; Sylvain Seguin, president Fix Network Canada, said. “We provide chain restrictions relieve themselves and other City; H expansion to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took a total value chain that supports our franchisees’ responsiveness to customer AB. A post-pandemic stabilization continues. Amidst just over two years. According to the team demands but also helps us plan a roadmap to address emerging trends that suppl ongoing change, FIX Network Canada’s collibehind operations in the Kingdom, the goal these sionbusiness aftermarket care service is well positioned require responsive and long-term planning.” for 2024 is to position Fix Auto Collision and netwo to embrace the advantages of keeping pace Fix Network Service as the number-one collision key tr with the changing requirements from our inrepair and service choice for clients and insurers dustry partners including insurance providers, whilst simultaneously launching the NOVUS fixnetwork.com OEMs, and of course, customers.

Motors Group (UMG).

Glass brand.

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Fix Network first launched its operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in January 2023 and has since established 17 locations, including the largest Fix Auto Collision in the world at a staggering 6,359 square metres (68,447 sq. ft.). According to estimates from the team in Riyadh, the facility’s capacity is a whopping 880 vehicles per month, with plans for growth via multiple shifts as the business expands.

“GMC has the experience and operational know-how in the Middle East market to expand Fix Network in KSA with certified staff and technicians servicing customers based on global standards of Fix Network. This partnership between two highly professional businesses will deliver a new customer centric experience and ensure they become retained customers for life.”

— Craig Hardie, COO, Gulf Motor Company

Steve Leal, president and CEO, Fix Network World.

Fast Facts •

Fix Network World established its first facilities in KSA in January 2023

•

As of December 2023, there are 17 locations up and running—7 collision and 10 service

•

The planned capacity for Fix Auto Collision KSA’s largest facility is 880 vehicles per month with a view to further increase the facility’s output by adding multiple shifts

•

Fix Auto KSA has a growing list of OEM certifications, including approvals from Kia and Chinese automaker Jetour

A grand opening event for Fix Network KSA was held on November 7, 2023, in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“The 2030 Vision aims to improve the social development of Saudi Arabia by offering enhanced cultural and entertainment opportunities. With a shift towards a knowledge-based economy, particularly in service sectors, Saudi Arabia is striving to enhance customer service as a means of gaining competitiveness and attracting more tourists and investors. To meet this goal, we have partnered with Fix Network to provide automotive customer service that aligns with global standards.“ — Abdullah Amro, head of Operations, Gulf Motor Company

Left to right: Nick Spiers, director of strategic initiatives, Fix Network World; Graham Purvis, group aftersales director, United Motors Group; Hassan M. Al-Shamrani, group CEO of Gulf Motor Company; Steve Leal, president and CEO, Fix Network World; Craig Hardie, group COO, United Motors Group; Harry Dhanjal, global VP of OEM relations and strategic market development, Fix Network World, and Abdullah Amro, head of operations, Gulf Motor Company.

Equipment at the Fix Auto Collision and Service facilities includes Spanesi aluminum bays, chassis benches and paint booths; GYS welding equipment and Total Energies lubricants and oils. OEM certifications include Kia for collision and Jetour for both collision and service, with plans to expand the manufacturer certifications in the future.

“Our partnership with GMC has been excellent, along with all the positive changes occurring in Saudi Arabia, the timing for Fix Network to expand into the GCC market couldn’t have come at a better time. We are excited about the future of our partnership with GMC.” — Harry Dhanjal, global vice president OEM relations and strategic market development, Fix Network

Fix Auto Collision and Fix Auto Service have invested significantly in training its workforce and adopting the latest automotive repair technologies, including a dedicated training centre at its Fix Auto Collision Faisaliah (Exit 18) – Riyadh facility.

fixnetwork.com

Addressing the labour crunch is not unique to our industry and is ready present. Across our business, we focus heavily on the employee experience and that is especially true at the frontline. The technicians of today will hopefully be our shop owners and FIX Network leaders of tomorrow, helping to move the business forward in meeting market trends and demands. We are focused on the total employee experience, from recruitment to training and retention.

The electrification of the fleet is a transformative shift in the automotive industry, presenting both challenges and opportunities for aftermarket auto repair brands within the Fix Network. ain Seguin, As electric vehicles (EVs) become increasingly dent FIX Network Canada is preparing shops for the future NOVUS prevalent, our network is committed to stay-

Clear Vision for the EV Revolution and Beyond Why is an ADAS Calibration Necessary?

(RMHC) raised m gional m port the gral to f “It is in show up ent cha are a g and a p and nei

In the c part of t tage. Th operatio

“The customer is to expecting a unique customer ADAS calibration is required on 100% of new vehicles on Saudi the market due experience during his/her ategic partners?) partners in their changing government safety standards. Calibration is necessary to ensure vehicle ownership journey. as GMC, are proud to be with a global brand like ent FIX NetworkAdvanced Canada, said.

“We Systems (ADAS) operateWe, Driver Assistance safely to manufacturer’s Fix Network which strives for customer excellence. ranchisees’ responsiveness cusstandards after ato customer’s windshield replacementThe or Saudi collision repair. vision is towards an unparalleled future, a dmap to address emerging trends digital and connected age, and our services are also for: ss planning.” We train our technicians to carry out programming and calibration headed in the same direction.”

Blind Spot Monitor

Adaptive Cruise Control

— Hassan M. Al-Shamrani, Group CEO of Gulf Motor Company

Lane Departure Camera 360 Degree Camera Technology

our FIX Auto and ProColor Collision repair Pre Collision System ers, there are two key evolving realities that Plus Many More sect, for which we are undergoing detailed ing at the forefront(Fix of this Fix Network Autotechnological Collision and revoFix Auto ports ou Offers: ness readiness planning – electrification ofWhat NOVUS lution. to-day Our sponsorship Service) locations of in the KSACollision include: Repair fleet and human capital requirements. It in deliv Magazine EV Repair Tour underscores our dedperative that our technicians be trained in Through ication to providing the necessary training and • for Fix our Auto repair Collisioncenters Faisaliahto(Exit 18) and newest processes. events l resources adapt • Fix Auto Collision Thuqba sights t thrive in the EV era. This tour not only showcasering our franchise network Fix Auto Collision Madinah Northbut also ness -es our •commitment to sustainability Selling Proposition Mobile Service: TAG Network: Dedicated Technologies: an resources and changing technology tracting highlights our determination to remain leaders •FullyFix Auto CollisionDevelopment Asfan Equiped of Support Team: Proprietary Tools (SP): Network Access & top of mind during our 2023 Evolution reteams t in the •collision repair industry. adTraining for Insurance Mobile Unit Insurance Claim Training, Operations, & Resins Fix Auto Collision Khamis Although Mushait Conversation dressing workforce needsRevenue - Claim Marketing al meetings held in Mt. Tremblant; Quebec -- we str as well as the evolv• Fix Auto Collision Management Al Nakheel Halifax, NS; Mississauga, ON; and Calgary, level an ing technology in our industry • Fix Auto Collision Jizanis crucial, equally Attended by nearly 450 of our franchisees, as important is our networks impact on • Fix Auto Service Nahda liers, vendors, and other strategic partners, the communities where we work and live.

For more franchise NOVUS Glass, • with Fix Auto Service Al Mursalat To find “Our expansion in information theupdates, Kingdom ofon Saudi Arabia opportunities e meetings provided business contact Zakari Krieger at zkrieger@fi xnetwork.com reflects our global commitment to delivering • Fix Auto Service Al Wizarat suppor orking opportunities and insights about Our strategic partners come together in a big the highest standards of automotive repair and tion on • Fix Auto Service Al Badi’ah rends affecting our industry. way to support one of our national charitable customer service. We are proud to be part of the Canad • the FixRonald Auto Service ThuqbaHouse Charities partners, McDonald KSA automotive industry through our partnership • Fix Auto Service Al Rakkah ADVERTORIAL with GMC and look forward to continuing our growth, • Fix Auto Service Madinah North innovation and leadership in this dynamic market.”

• Fix Auto Service Khamis Mushait — Steve Leal, president and CEO, • Fix Auto Service Al Bawadi m ADVERTORIAL 2023-09-29 10:58 AM Fix Network World • Fix Auto Service As Salamah

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DEALING IN DIGITAL

PRIORITY PRINTING

Ford has entered into an agreement with Reviver to add the digital RPlate to its official accessory category. The RPlate, a digital license plate, was initially introduced through a 2018 pilot program in California, but will now be available through a limited rollout at 300 Ford dealerships in Arizona, California and Michigan. The plates are now also legal in all 50 states as well as in Canada and Mexico. Reviver highlights multiple benefits of owning a digital license plate such as potential customization features as well as a “Renewal” option that will allow drivers to automatically update the display of the year and month their registration is valid. The digital license plates will function up to -40 Celsius before experiencing technical difficulties with display features. At the moment, RPlates are only available when rear-mounted. Districts that require front plates will still require traditional screw-in until further ratifications are made in future.

Recently, the Task Force group, composed of experts from various fields related to 3D printing, OEMs, additive materials, recycling and engineering released an assessment report on the benefits, challenges and future directions of 3D printing in the automotive industry. According to the report, the Task Force group’s “efforts have been focused on engaging with industry stakeholders, conducting research on 3D printing applications, and identifying key areas for improvement.” The use of 3D printing could be used to address the need for smaller, discontinued or out-of-stock parts by allowing a manufacturer to have ready-made pieces. Other critical advantages would include an ability to reduce cycle times and to “salvage parts that were once discarded due to missing or damaged plastic components.” However, 3D printing does not come without its challenges. The report specifically identifies the risk of “an influx of substandard, unregulated parts from unverified or unlicensed sources attempting to capitalize” on new tech. The risk of using poor-quality materials creates potential widespread concerns across the industry.

The use of 3D printing could be used to address the need for smaller, discontinued or out-of-stock parts by allowing a manufacturer to have ready-made pieces.

The RPlate, a digital license plate, was initially introduced through a 2018 pilot program in California, but will now be available through a limited rollout at 300 Ford dealerships in Arizona, California and Michigan.

EV NEWS

BATTERY BAN

BATTERY BATTLE

In September 2023, a Toronto real estate company banned the use of EVs on their properties continuing an ongoing debate about the future safety of lithium-ion batteries. The ban is in response to the perceived risk of fire hazards that the lithium-ion batteries in EVs could pose. While lithium-ion batteries are frequently used in consumer electronics, the batteries in EVs are often more prone to damage due to potential collision risks. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, renters at the affected buildings may be able to push back against the ban as it could infringe on their right to the “reasonable enjoyment” of the premises. Individuals who rely on electric vehicles due to health or mobility issues may also be able to challenge the ban as infringing on their human rights.

A recent study made by Visual Capitalist using data from Benchmark Materials shows calculations for the replacement costs of different battery types in six existing and upcoming EVs. According to the study, many upcoming EVs that fall into SUV and pickup truck categories also have heavy batteries for extended driving range, and this means that they have higher costs. Comparatively, the study shows that lithium iron phosphate batteries and other lithiumbased batteries are most cost effective. For example, the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E has an approximate cost of $9,400 CAD, which is still 16 percent of the vehicle’s total pricing, but a much cheaper overall price tag. Despite these high costs, the good news is that EV high-voltage batteries typically have a long life-cycle. Some EV batteries can even last over 400,000 km.

INCORPORATING INCONVENIENCE In a recently released patent filed by Toyota, the automaker has revealed its intention to design EVs with the capacity to stall in order to capture a “real” driving experience. Toyota has longsince declared its desire to simulate a manual transmission in its fully electric vehicles with a shifter and clutch pedal. In addition to the manual transmission, the patent also states that Toyota’s Evs will have a simulated tachometer and “idle speed.” If a driver drops below this “idle speed,” the EVs inverter will instantly set the electric motor’s torque to zero simulating a stalling sensation with the vehicle receiving no more tractive power. Moreover, the entire “MT” mode can be shut off in favour of regular EV driving if desired, and the car will sense if it’s in a situation where stalling would be potentially dangerous (such as on a hill with traffic).

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COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Despite potentially high costs, the good news is that EV high-voltage batteries typically have a long life-cycle. Some EV batteries can even last over 400,000 km.

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INSURANCE NEWS

CATACLYSMIC CASH-OUTS Initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) indicate that the past few months of summer storms in Alberta and the Prairies have generated over $300 million in insured losses. When calculating these losses, estimates were generated from damages incurred from hail, wind and rain damage. The total $300 million plus does not take into account damages incurred due to the recent wildfires. According to Catastrophe Indices and CatIQ, of the total insured losses, over 90 million (30 percent) went toward replacing or repairing storm-damaged vehicles in Alberta. Since 2020, insured losses to vehicles in Alberta from severe weather events totals more than $500 million. The IBC notes that with extreme weather patterns becoming more frequent, so too will increased insured losses due to storms.

Initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) indicate that the past few months of summer storms in Alberta and the Prairies have generated over $300 million in insured losses.

INSURANCE RATES FEEL THE HEAT According to a recent report made by the Insurance Bureau of Canada, this summer’s wildfires in the Okanagan and Shuswap areas of British Columbia have resulted in over $720 million in insured losses. This data–taken from initial estimates made by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ)–represents the most costly insured event ever recorded in British Columbia and the tenth costliest in Canada’s history. Between the two districts, the Okanagan area fires, which ran from August 15 to September 21, 2023, equate to approximately $240 million in insured damages; the Shuswap area fires, which ran from August 18 to September 25, 2023, equate to over $480 million in insured damages. “This year’s wildfire season has broken all records in terms of the amount of land burned and damage caused to homes and businesses in B.C.,” said Aaron Sutherland, Vice-President, Pacific and Western, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). “Canada’s insurers are here to help their customers rebuild following this devastating loss,” added Sutherland.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!

RE-ROOTING TRAFFIC Early October, Ontario Provincial police responded to reports of a commercial motor vehicle that had rolled over on the 400-series highway just south of Aurora, Ontario. The commercial transport truck spilled thousands of celery stalks onto the road, obstructing traffic. No injuries were reported and officers on scene directed the clean-up of the celery. Drivers heading to or past Aurora may not have made it to work on time due to road delays, but they certainly had ample opportunity to get their greens.

Drivers heading to or past Aurora may not have made it to work on time due to road delays, but they certainly had ample opportunity to get their greens.

PET-AL TO THE METAL Police in Slovakia fined a driver after a speed camera appeared to show a dog behind the wheel. The vehicle in question was traveling 11 km over the speed limit in Šterusy, a village in Western Slovakia. A 31-year-old man, who was actually driving the vehicle, claimed that his dog had suddenly leapt onto his lap, according to police reports. However, officers said that there had been no sudden movements in the car to indicate the dog had suddenly jumped into the driver’s seat, and so they fined the driver for violating traffic regulations. The amount of the fine was not stated by police.

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A 31-year-old man, who was actually driving the vehicle, claimed that his dog had suddenly leapt onto his lap, according to police reports.

Sylvain Simard and Jean-Sébastien Simard CARSTAR Chicoutimi Sud and Nord

GENERATIONAL SUPPORT We’re happy to be part of the brand because we feel the family spirit, which we also like our employees to feel.

We can do our work with passion, while feeling heard and supported by the CARSTAR team.

Contact Collin Welsh to learn more about joining the CARSTAR family at

cwelsh@carstar.ca

ON THE COVER

DRIVING FORWARD

Robert Minotti Has Built a Career on Embracing Change

By SARAH PERKINS

R

obert Minotti did not originally plan to end up in the automotive industry.

Now the President of Fix Auto Rexdale, Minotti originally boasted dreams of becoming an architect. In high school, he set his sights on graduating early in order to go to college for design but was waylaid by a summer job at a bodyshop that set him onto a much different course of action—although he didn’t know it at the time.

Minotti told Collision Repair magazine how the summer inbetween high school and post-secondary, his uncle got him a job with a family friend’s bodyshop where he was very quickly signed onto an apprenticeship.

“I didn’t initially like it,” Minotti said. “I didn’t want to fix cars because I thought that it was too dirty, but I also didn’t want to abandon

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what I’d started. I wanted to see it through.”

Minotti did more than just see the apprenticeship through. Rather than leaving to become an architect like he had initially planned, he instead split his time between getting his journeyman’s license and business classes at Ryerson University.

Even with this dedication, Minotti was not entirely won over by the idea of hands-on collision work. Instead, Robert decided to get into insurance and estimation work.

“I was conscious of different shops reputations at the time,” said Minotti, “I wanted to find something that would be a good fit.”

This fit came in the form of a partnership with Grand Touring Collision Services, which Minotti owned for over twenty years before recently selling.

COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

After leaving Grand Touring Collision Services behind, Minotti continued to explore different levels of the industry including teaching at automotive trade shows on the side.

When he began to grow bored of his ongoing projects Minotti once again answered the call of opportunity and allowed it to take him someplace new.

In 2016, Robert’s eldest son suggested opening their first family-owned business with Fix Auto Rexdale.

This suggestion was quickly followed by the growth of other businesses such as Collision Repair Experts Mississauga opening in 2019 and Collision Repair Experts Ajax opening in 2021.

Now, both of Minotti’s sons are in the business, one working as a painter while

ON THE COVER

TD Auto Care Ajax (Collision Experts Ajax) is the latest addition to the Minotti shop portfolio.

“If you have a plan and people you can trust, and you set up systems that work for you, then you’ll have a winning combination.”

— Robert minoTti, President, fix auTo rexdale

the other helps to manage the Mississauga store.

Robert says that, like him, both of his sons growing up initially “sought greener pastures” in other careers, but they eventually came back to help their father and, as Minotti puts it, “have become leaders in their own right.”

Just as Minotti supports open-mindness to new things, so too does he see the value in an intergenerational business model.

“Both my sons and I have generational mindsets, and this allows us to approach problems with different ways of thinking,” said Robert.

“My sons are definitely more tech savvy.

I think it’s a good thing to have the older generations work with the new because it fosters a space of intergenerational learning.”

For Minotti, success in the automotive industry is about consistent effort. It is knowing that “you can’t come out of school thinking you know everything. You have to keep learning and keep working on your craft.”

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR 25

ON THE COVER

“As you grow older, you risk getting stuck in your ways, and this is something that I’ve always tried to avoid.”

— Robert minoTti, President, fix auTo rexdale

When it comes to working with family, Minotti also offered Collision Repair this advice: “You have to separate family from business so that relationship dynamics don’t cross and in a business environment, you have to treat your family like equals.”

When asked what he sees as the biggest challenge he’s faced so far in his diverse automotive career, Minotti highlighted the very thing that has helped him get to where he is: change.

In recent years, Minotti finds challenges in the increasing advancement of new technology, but, he sees this as an opportunity.

“You learn about something you’ve never heard of before,” he said, in reference to incorporating new tech into the workspace.

“You have to learn about new things and grow with them or else you risk falling behind.”

“As you grow older, you risk getting stuck in your ways. This is something that I’ve always tried to avoid.”

When asked by Collision Repair what plans he has for the future, he noted that in 2022, his business began offering calibration services. Today he sees the field as offering a lot of possibilities.

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Robert Minotti and his son Mike Minotti.

With increasing changes in the automotive field, Minotti stays open to embracing new technologies.

As such, for Minotti, the future is far from being set in stone. Just as following opportunities has allowed him to grow his business and knowledge, so too do his future plans include taking moments as they come.

“You can’t come out of school thinking you know everything,” Minotti said. “You have to keep learning and keep working on your craft.”

With hopes of acquiring more shops in the future as well as expanding the calibration services and glass services of his businesses, for Minotti, the pathway to growth is one of embracing whatever the future brings.

COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

“If you have a plan and people you can trust, and you set up systems that work for you, then you’ll have a winning combination.”

While Minotti may not have originally planned on getting into the automotive industry, since he started down the path that fateful summer as a teenager, he has consistently worked on putting his best foot forward so as to walk down a road for success.

While the path may not have always been clear, for Minotti, “you shouldn’t be afraid of failure and following through with ideas. If you see an opportunity, then think it through and act on it.”

EVENTS

SEMA SELFIES Industry week is back in full force

T

he lights of Las Vegas were alight again this year for the annual SEMA Show—and they may have shone even brighter than in years past, if you ask those who were on the floor this year.

If you weren’t sure, now you can be—the SEMA Show is back in full force. You won’t want to miss this automotive extravaganza next year.

But if you did miss out on attending the festivities in Vegas this year, we have all the scrapbook you need right here, between the very next pages. Check it out—see if you can spot some friends!

Gloria Mann, Media Matters; Constantino Uliano, Spanesi Americas; Wanja Mann, Media Matters.

Darryl Simmons, publisher of Collision Repair mag, hangs with the AkzoNobel Sikkens crew and Dave Kindig.

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The Carcone crew: Justin, Matthew and Michael of Carcone’s Auto Recycling.

EVENTS

We couldn’t stop dedicated shopowners from congregating at our booth for meaningful conversations!

Recognize anyone?! The Minotti family— their business is this issue’s cover story!

Norm Angrove, PPG; Darryl Simmons, Media Matters; Koos Reneiking, Lift Auto Group; Mike Gilliland, AutoHouse Technologies.

The Trust Auto Collision crew from Oakville, Ontario.

The Mercanti crew.

“Our team was overwhelmed by the sheer number of shopowners and industry reps that stopped by our booth at this year’s SEMA Show. We can’t thank the industry enough for your unwavering support!”

— Darryl Simmons, publisher, Collision Repair magazine William Simmons, Media Matters; Daryll O’Keefe, Fix Network Canada; Allison Rogers, Media Matters.

John Harvey, CrashBay; Scott Wideman, Volkswagen Group Canada; Bing Wong, Collision Builders.

David Black, Color Compass.

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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EVENTS

CAUGHT ON

Gary Boucher and Norm Lindsay, CARSTAR Collingwood.

Anthony Lewis, Steve Lewis Autobody; Donald Glasgow, MacDonald Nissan.

Colson Cole, Uni-Select; Don Teevens, Consolidated Dealers.

Dave Swenson, Allen Palechek and Ken Grieve of Color Compass.

Greg Turmel, Wallaceburg Collision.

Shamsher Singh Gaidhu, Town Autobody.

Former Bodyworx cover star Hannah Kasiri of Lucky 13 Paint Shop poses with her cover.

Ryan Beattie and Sam Brittain, Caruk & Associates.

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CAMERA

COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Cover star Joe Saputo of CARSTAR Ancaster and Saputo Capital Collision does some light reading…and signs some copies for fans.

Paul Prochilo, Simplicity Car Care; Kelvin Campbell, Chapman Auto Body Group; Allison Rogers, Media Matters.

Brad Green and Bill Davidson, Raydar Collision Group.

EVENTS

Connor Jameson, CSN Elite, CSN Elite Xpress and OKTire North Shore; Chad Melchert, BASF; Stu Klein, AIA Canada.

The SPS Specialty Tools crew with Gloria Mann of Media Matters.

Ed Bannister, Garmat; Wanja Mann, Media Matters.

The Indasa gang strikes a pose after a successful product info event.

Our editor Allison Rogers with Avery Shoaf and Mike Hall of Rust Valley Restorers.

Watch out for these DeVilBiss ladies—they’ve got the guns!

The SEMA Show floor is a great place to make new friends.

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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NEW PRODUCTS

NEW PRODUCT PATROL

HOT PICKS SELECTED BY OUR EDITOR, A SEMA SHOW JUDGE

O

ne of the most captivating parts of the annual SEMA Show is witnessing all the spectacular new products being unveiled to our industry. This year, Collision Repair magazine editor, Allison Rogers was selected as one of the expert journalists behind the Global Media Awards program at SEMA. A panel of 20+ esteemed automotive journalists from across the globe were tasked with selecting the products they believe will have the most impact on their home markets.

Check out Allison’s choices—and honourable mentions—here.

Allison’s Picks KECO GLUE PULL REPAIR+ SYSTEM

BY KECO BODY REPAIR KECO’s GPR+ System adds to your L2E Glue Pull Repair Collision System to create an all-around repair system that can correct just about any damage, according to KECO. With the added tools in the GPR+ System, technicians will be able to glue pull and push to paint with ease. This system is intended to complement glue pull repair and allow technicians to make the most efficient repairs possible.

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Experts in glue-pull repair (GPR) maintain a clear opinion that glue and cold-pull repairs are the future of our industry. Remember that US $41,000 Rivian claim from a few months back? The vehicle was said to require an entire bedside replacement. That job was fixed in two days by a dent repair expert using KECO glue products and techniques. While experts are humming and hawing over whether the results are up to spec, what is not up for debate is the fact that this Rivian looks about 99 percent better.

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2024 NEW PRODUCTS

SEMA PRODUCT SHOWCASE FOR COPILOT MANAGEMENT SUITE: REMOTE, MOBILE AND CALIBRATION

BY OPUS IVS This management system offers remote, mobile, and calibration center services ordering directly from the DriveSafe diagnostic tool. Remote services access OE software through Expert Mode. The program also enables mobile van dispatching with schedule and routing; calibration centre scheduling and integrates ADAS MAP information and scan results.

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The CoPilot Management Suite takes OPUS IVS’s remote and mobile diagnostic and calibration solutions into one fold, streamlining the operations of remote providers, automotive service providers and ADAS calibration centres. As the popularity of ADAS calibration centres continues to rise across the Canadian industry, the CoPilot Management Suite offers any third-party calibration centre or otherwise a wealth of customizable tools, along with extensive integration for scheduling, dispatching, communications, invoicing and more.

ASTECH RULES ENGINE BY REPAIRIFY The patented and proprietary asTech Rules Engine provides shops with the ability to select an aftermarket diagnostic scan that will read all of a vehicle’s OEM modules correctly, equivalent to that of an authentic OEM tool. With the Rules Engine enabled, asTech customers can be confident with the accuracy and cost of the recommended scan type.

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asTech, a Repairify company, has been using its Rules Engine platform to reveal a plethora of data in the collision repair industry. Recently, the asTech engineers behind Rules Engine conducted thousands of tests scanning vehicles in the North American car parc using aftermarket OEM scan tools. In several cases, aftermarket scan tools failed to throw critical codes that only OEM-branded scan tools picked up. In one instance, an aftermarket scan tool missed a procedure calling for an entire airbag module replacement—a critical, life-saving operation, in some cases. With Rules Engine at a technician’s side, any shortcomings involved with using an aftermarket scan tool are noted by the program. So, in the event an aftermarket scan tool is used and a DTC is missed, Rules Engine will notify you that something is missing. It has your back—and your business’s best interest in mind.

GLASURIT 100LINE EXTREME BY BASF Glasurit’s 100 Line Extreme basecoat/clearcoat finishing is a wet-on-wet process with clear. The 100Line Extreme line has exceptionally good hiding power and high efficiency, says BASF, and is designed to help painters achieve perfect results—even in extreme temperatures and low humidity with waterborne basecoats.

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Did you know that BASF tested the Glasurit 100 Line in Canada? We were one of the first markets to receive the product— thanks to our extreme climate. Well, they’ve made 100 Line even more Extreme with this new iteration. BASF says the Glasurit 100Line Extreme is designed specifically for extreme temperatures in low humidity. Alberta—we’re looking to you.

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NEW PRODUCTS

SEMA PRODUCT SHOWCASE FOR TOLECUTTER BY EAGLE ABRASIVES Eagle Abrasives says its new Tolecutter can revolutionize your touch-up sanding process and reduce finishing time by 50 percent or more. Lightweight and easy to use, Tolecutter is a pneumatic sander for removing dust nibs, runs, and other imperfections from clearcoat.

Only the corner of Tolecut sheets contacts the surface, resulting in precise sanding and a small repair area for faster polishing.

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A mosquito lands in your freshly done clearcoat. A stray speck of dust meanders its way onto a prime coat of paint. We’ve all been there. Thanks to the handy Tolecutter from Eagle Abrasives, denibbing and removing imperfections can be ultra-precise. The handy Tolecutter head is designed to touch as little surface area as possible, making it easier to nab those ultra-tiny spots and make sure your finish is crystal clear for the customer.

3M SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTER INSTRUCTOR-LED TRAINING SERIES BY 3M AUTOMOTIVE AFTERMARKET To address the industry labour shortage and repair complexity issues, 3M built a state-of-the-art technician training facility. Instructors focus on hands-on, process-based education, which upskills techs, earns I-CAR Industry Training Alliance credit and helps deliver quality repairs while maximizing productivity and profitability.

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Collision Repair recently had the opportunity to visit the 3M Skills Development Center in St. Paul, Minnesota—which absolutely offers training applicable to Canadian technicians and industry members. The facility is set to accommodate more than 100 in-person, instructor-led training courses annually, equipping 1,000+ technicians with critical skills in body repair, paint prep and refinishing every year. The facility prioritizes hands-on learning and 70 percent of the grounds are dedicated to hands-on lessons with tools and equipment. Further, the 3M Skills Development Center houses one of the largest available paint booths on the market—a 35-foot GFS XL paint booth with three-stage filtration—which can accommodate 16 painters at a time, says 3M.

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2024

2024 NEW PRODUCTS

SEMA PRODUCT SHOWCASE FOR GOLIATH TEST WELD STAND

TRU-CURE PORTABLE INFRARED UNIT

BY GOLIATH CARTS

BY DEVILBISS

The Goliath Carts Test Weld Stand is purpose-designed to hold test coupons used for Destructive Weld Testing on OEM vehicles. Designed to support all weld positions and types, the stand is made from aluminum and can hold the weld gun tip, welding pliers, metal thickness gauge, a wet-dry bucket and whiteboard.

The new Trisk | DeVilbiss Tru-Cure Infrared Unit is a battery-powered, easyto-direct curing solution for automotive refinishing, designed to provide an even cure for most automotive refinishing materials. Since the unit is portable, the low-cost system requires no installation allowing quick start-up. Four models are available to suit any application.

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If you tuned in to our October webinar, WHAT THE WELD?! with Spanesi lead trainer Jeramy Holloway, you’d know how important test welds are.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been told your welder is 1000 percent automatic—you always need a test weld. The alternative is…not great. This Goliath Carts Test Weld Stand was created after the company collaborated with a focus group of about 10 shops from a Mike Anderson focus group. The stand can be bolted down—a mobile version can be moved from car to car—and holds both a wet and dry box for hot coupons post-weld. It also has a whiteboard for info storage, a cubby for the weld gun tip and an articulating coupon holder.

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We get it—some shops are tight for space right now. That’s where portable UV drying units are king. This unit comes in four sizes: a 2-lamp or 3-lamp small footprint, or a 2-lamp/3lamp large footprint, depending on your shop’s needs. Further, this unit employs what DeVilBiss calls a “unique dimpled sheet reflector” that is said to generate an even curing intensity and ensure the fastest possible curing time.

T H G I L T O P S T C PRODU For more information on how to be featured online in the monthly Buyer’s Guide Product Spotlight visit buyersguide.collisionrepairmag.com ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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NEW PRODUCTS

SEMA PRODUCT SHOWCASE FOR

2024

SATAJET X 5500 UNIVERSE

BY SATA The SATAjet X 5500 universe’s striking QR design is not just decorative. A proud owner of this special edition can access the SATA universe using one of the codes. An online world full of exclusive content, contests and benefits. Buy the SATAjet X 5500 universe at your participating dealer. Scan code. Register. Become part of something big—according to SATA execs themselves, now is the time to reap the grandest of benefits from the universe program.

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If you haven’t taken advantage of SATA’s new Universe rewards platform, you’re seriously missing out. According to interim GM of SATA Canada Joern Stoever, now is the perfect time to get your hands on a SATAjet x 5500 universe and reap all the benefits the Universe virtual platform has to offer. Stoever suggests people get registered before the platform fills up and their chances of winning exciting products decrease. There are giveaways, free products and more—you could even win a trip to next year’s SEMA, just by signing up. Plus, you get a new SATAjet x 5500…what are you waiting for?!

SATA QUICK MATERIAL REGULATOR (QMR)

BY SATA Where application processes require frequently recurring adjustments between reduced and fully open material flow rates, the SATA QMR is the solution to save time and money. This material flow regulation device allows to preset the required reduced material flow rate which can be activated quickly in a reproducible fashion at the push of a button.

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Everybody wants to be lean nowadays—it’s another way to save money. Save a little paint here; avoid overmixing there…it’s a good strategy. SATA has made it easier for painters, now, with its new Quality Material Regulator (QMR) attachment. Refinishers can preset a reduced material discharge quantity that can be called up at the literal push of a button. You’re not stuck to those parameters, though—the QMR can be switched back to full material flow with a simple click.

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2024

NEW PRODUCTS

SEMA PRODUCT SHOWCASE FOR

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E-SERIES PRO X BY INDASA INDASA’s new PRO X range of electrical power tools is made for professionals, by experts. Complete with the PRO XSander, which comes in 150mm diameter and both 3mm orbit and 5mm orbit; the PRO XPolisher, which comes in 125mm diameter and 15mm random orbit; and the portable SMART REPAIR KIT with a lightweight 12-volt battery, the PRO X line is designed to comply with state-of-the-art vehicle technology and construction.

GUNI X SERIES BY GUNIWHEEL LLC The GUNI X Series is a new iteration of Guniwheels’ free-rolling universal wheel, which can be fixed to a radial wheel in 20 seconds. No tools are required and the tool has interchangeable hubs section—4,5,6 and 8—and ATV/UTV PCD bolt pattern. It can be used on locked-up brakes, gears, hubs, axles and wheels. Guniwheel says its GUNI X Series is perfect for EV vehicles, hybrid vehicles and locked-up electric gears. It comes with a lifetime warranty.

AUTO SCRIBBLER BY KENT AUTOMOTIVE These water-based paint markers by Kent Automotive are designed for today’s modern cars and automotive finishes. Kent says they are guaranteed not to harm when used on rubber, alloys, headlight lenses, plastic bumpers, metal panels and glass, and are even weather resistant to snow and rain. They use non-toxic, water-based ink, and are formulated and designed specifically for automotive use. Available in seven colours.

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ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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FIX NETWORK’S FLORIDIAN FIESTA EVENTS

Global partners gather for first post-pandemic conference

Fix Quebec franchisees lit up the dance floor at the glittering Gala.

Master of Ceremonies David Lingham and Alexandra Zalec, Fix Network World’s VP of Marketing.

Story, photos by ALLISON ROGERS

T

his past October, Fix Network held its first event with all of its global partners since the pandemic. Delegates from the network gathered in Orlando, Florida for three days of catching up—and there was a lot to cover.

Fix Network’s roots are Canadian—CEO Steve Leal started the company with a shop in Cambridge, Ontario. At events like the Shaping the Future themed Global Conference, it’s incredibly impressive to see how the company has grown to spread its values across the world.

Collision Repair magazine was honoured to be part of the global reunion—check out some of our highlights from the event.

George Salsa, Fix Auto MSO, gives a thumbs up to his party crew.

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EVENTS

Attendees were treated to an extra-special surprise announcement—that Fix Network World is now an official partner of the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake.

“We signed a multi-year deal,” said Fix Network World President and CEO Steve Leal. “We’re in this for the long haul.”

“Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake will open up a new world for Fix Network, giving exposure on a global stage with an international audience of more than 1.5 billion viewers,” the company wrote in an accompanying press release.

“The partnership will also allow the Fix Network to access the team’s expertise in areas such as aerodynamics, materials science and data analytics, helping to apply the Formula 1 know-how to Fix’s global network,” added Fix Network World.

Leal added that Fix will attend F1 events globally and even invite key partners.

Nick Spiers, Sylvain Seguin and Harry Dhanjal of Fix Network World, with Darryl Simmons, publisher of Collision Repair magazine.

The Fix team with editor Allison Rogers at the event’s opening night Floridian Fiesta.

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EVENTS

The Labone family, of Fix Auto Gatineau.

The ProColor USA mascot—Butterscotch, but he prefers Butters.

The best dressed family at the closing evening’s Gala.

Another highlight from the event was an update on Fix Network’s operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The company first began its partnership with Gulf Motor Company, part of the United Motors Group, in January 2023 and has since opened 17 locations—including the largest Fix Auto in the world. See this issue’s fold-out gatefold for more information on this massive new endeavour, and a glimpse inside the sprawling new facility.

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Because it Matters

People choose who fixes their family’s car based on trust.

We have earned that trust with over 50+ years of being on the cutting-edge of automobile technology.

TRUST

Technical Excellence

Transparency

FAMILY

Scan the QR code for information on franchise opportunies

EVENTS

ELECTRIC NATION EV Repair Tour, supported by Fix Network, brings electrified collision insight across Canada

By ALLISON ROGERS

C

ollision Repair magazine recently took its EV Repair Tour, supported by Fix Network, across Canada, where hundreds of the industry’s professionals turned up to show their dedication to vehicle electrification and the complex repairs that accompany such a move.

Each event featured a different panel of speakers, with content specifically catered to each collision repair market.

Stops included Toronto, Ontario; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Calgary, Alberta; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

We’ve collected a scrapbook of highlights from the cross-country tour—and all the video footage is available on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@collisionrepair or scan the QR code.

Joseph Chung, Call2Recycle; Frank Phillips, Rivian; Daryll O’Keefe, Fix Network; Gloria Mann, Media Matters; Zakari Krieger, Fix Network; David Giles, Powered EV Consulting.

Collision Repair magazine would like to thank our generous sponsors for their support of this event—it could not have been done without you or the dedication of our great industry.

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EVENTS

Joseph Chung of Call2Recycle, which fields battery recovery, reuse and end-of-life processes across Canada, echoed Giles’ sentiments, adding that it’s not all “doom and gloom” when it comes to rechargeable battery safety and recovery “if you take precautions.”

TORONTO Policy can change everything—just look to New Zealand for proof of how electric vehicles can completely alter the aftermarket.

A featured speaker at Collision Repair magazine’s EV Repair Tour, supported by Fix Network, Martyn Johns, NAPA/UAP’s national director of emerging technologies, delivered a wake-up call presentation, where he called on collision repair centres to start preparing for vehicle electrification immediately.

During his discussion, Johns noted the New Zealand government’s “overnight” decision to introduce a $8,000 subsidy for hybrid or electric vehicles less than four years old. Used electric vehicles were accepted under the change, prompting a massive wave of imports from the Chinese EV market.

“In the last 18 months, 40 percent of the vehicles sold in New Zealand’s market were used hybrid or electric vehicles, about three years old, imported from China.”

“Their aftermarket got demolished in about 12 months. Not one technician—nobody—was ready.”

There are a host of challenges that come with a spontaneous shift to electrification.

Alan McClelland–who has spent more than 20 years as an educator in the college system in both British Columbia and Ontario, as well as over a decade in corporate automotive training–outlined two main issues in his conversation on readying for the “tipping point” of change in the automotive industry over the coming years: the increased specificity of training and the need for overall industry collaboration.

McClelland noted that “technology is driving change and so training needs to be as well.”

“More specialized tech [also] makes it harder to attract people to the industry,” and this difficulty is complemented by an increasing shortage of high school students

entering automotive trades as the Canadian population continues to decline.

On this note, McClelland also noted that everyone in the automotive industry can play an important role in developing the curriculums they want to see since the “industry has a large part in where that goes” and should be vocal when curriculums are being updated.

Even still, the chances of an automotive technician servicing or repairing a high-voltage battery in a modern vehicle today are very, very low, electric vehicle expert David Giles told the Toronto crowd.

“The elephant in the room with electric vehicles is the high-voltage systems. Everybody is fearful of those words,” said Giles, who has worked with high-voltage technologies since 2004 and currently serves as president of Powered EV Consulting.

“I’ll tell you right now—the likelihood of you fixing a high voltage battery in a modern vehicle, today, is very, very low.”

He continued, adding that one of the reasons you won’t have your hands on batteries anytime soon is because battery technology today is “very good.”

“Battery rebuilding is very limited today.

[EV] batteries have eight-year warranties; if you’re looking for worn-out batteries so you can offer services to rebuild them…well, it’s going to be a long time.”

Joseph Chung of Call2Recycle, which fields battery recovery, reuse and end-oflife processes across Canada, echoed Giles’ sentiments, adding that it’s not all “doom and gloom” when it comes to rechargeable battery safety and recovery “if you take precautions.”

From an environmental standpoint, Chung discussed the long-term importance of creating a “circular economy” of resources, since the lithium and precious metals found in rechargeable batteries are so often finite and recovering them can help to establish a continuous cycle of battery production.

Martyn Johns, NAPA/UAP’s national director of emerging technologies, delivered a wake-up call presentation, where he called on collision repair centres to start preparing for vehicle electrification immediately.

TORONTO KEY TAKEAWAYS: Things can change overnight. You may not have an EV in your shop today—but you might tomorrow, depending on the government’s spur-of-the-moment mandates (i.e. EV incentives). Even still, you probably won’t see an EV battery in your shop, unless it’s a super-severe collision.

They’re built deep into the framework of the car and built to outlast the vehicle themselves, in some cases. That’s why it’s so important we develop a circular economy.

Alan McClelland, Dean, School of Transportation Centennial College, noted that “technology is driving change and so training needs to be as well” when it comes to EV preparedness.

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EVENTS

SASKATOON The EV Repair Tour stopped in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in early September as part of the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) Fall event. In a halfhour presentation to an audience of mostly independent shopowners from across the province, Kim Kos, general manager of Kavia Auto Body, and Scott Kucharyshen, program director for Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Auto Body program, delivered their insights on EV repair in Saskatchewan, from money-making opportunities to future-proofed training efforts.

Kavia Auto Body has been Tesla-certified since 2019, Kos told the crowd. Today, in

2023, ten percent of the facility’s claims are Tesla vehicles; the average claim is $30,000.

Kavia Auto Body has never written a Tesla off, said Kos. At the Sask Polytech bodyshop, Kucharyshen is eager to get his students a Tesla to work on. He’s pursued training opportunities with the OEM, he said, including a partnership, but no agreements have been successful. Kucharyshen remains committed to providing EV training opportunities to the young technicians of Saskatchewan and is working with other OEMs to create training programs at the college. Nonetheless, Kucharyshen maintains a goal of becoming the first-ever Tesla-certified college bodyshop.

Kim Kos, general manager of Kavia Auto Body, presents at the EV Repair Tour, supported by Fix Network, stop in Saskatoon, as part of the SAAR Fall conference.

SASKATOON KEY TAKEAWAYS: There are EVs in Saskatchewan, and there is money to be made in repairing EVs in the Prairies. Teslas aren’t written off as much as you think—at least not at Kavia, which follows OEM procedures to a tee. Don’t count the province out of the EV game just because some naysayers have range anxiety. Scott Kucharyshen and his team are ensuring that Saskatchewan’s repairers remain ahead of the curve in all technologies.

Collision Repair magazine recently took its EV Repair Tour, supported by Fix Network, across Canada, where hundreds of the industry’s professionals turned up to show their dedication to vehicle electrification and the complex repairs that accompany such a move.

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Harv Britton of Harv’s Towing and Autobody took to the stage as an impromptu third speaker to discuss his experience towing electric vehicles, which is a huge safety concern for the industry, he said.

EVENTS

David Giles–EV education product specialist and curriculum developer for Consulab

CALGARY KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Far right; Cecile Bukmeier, chair of the Northern Alberta Insitute of Technology (NAIT) autobody program, emphasized that “technicians are “not just panel beaters and painters anymore,” and there’s an increasing skills overlap required in the industry as vehicles become more sophisticated.

CALGARY

Shout-out to BASF Canada for sponsoring our breakfast and lunch options!

Wanja Mann, Collision Repair mag’s industry relations assistant, taking care of business at the registration booth.

Electric vehicles do not pose a threat to the collision repair industry–they present a wealth of opportunity.

That’s what EV expert David Giles–EV education product specialist and curriculum developer for Consulab and the president of Powered EV training and consulting–told audiences at the Calgary, Alta., stop on Collision Repair magazine’s EV Repair Tour, supported by Fix Network.

While lots of shops may currently be turning away electric vehicles because they do not know how to work on them, Giles asserted that this needs to change and having an awareness of the necessary tools, service information and training is the first step.

For Ben Hart, auto body technician instructor at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), the fear-mongering surrounding the adoption of electric vehicles can be easily mitigated through one simple strategy—research.

Hart further outlined how the collision repair industry mainly deals with repairing the bodies and structures of vehicles, and this is something that both electric and ICE vehicles share.

Just like an EV vehicle with damage to its

Electric vehicles aren’t that different, or new. Treat them similarly—but never the same. A licensed repairer will be able to fix them effectively and safely—so long as you follow the OEM procedures at all times, always. We all need to work together as an industry to ensure these vehicles are repaired to pre-accident condition in safe, proper ways, with individuals with the proper credentials and understanding.

battery, Hart noted how “if an ICE vehicle came in with a fuel leak, a collision repair centre would work to isolate it from other vehicles and be aware of potential fire risks.”

Hart further noted how the industry often gets so caught up in the “stress” of high-voltage systems that it forgets that every vehicle has a 12-volt battery.

He added that not staying up-to-date on OEM information “isn’t an option,” and checking in with OEM data “isn’t something that (collision repair centres) do once in a while.”

Cecile Bukmeier, chair of the Northern Alberta Insitute of Technology (NAIT) autobody program, emphasized that “technicians are “not just panel beaters and painters anymore,” and there’s an increasing skills overlap required in the industry as vehicles become more sophisticated. “[Automotive educators] are only responsible for 20 percent of a student’s training,” she said. With most learning acquired by the industry, it is thus the industry’s responsibility to speak up on curriculums when able.

For Laura Whittle of Certified Collision Care/Assured Performance Network, “it is important to lean on each other in the industry,” and to rely on different industry members’ specializations to continue moving forward.

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EVENTS

VANCOUVER

A Vancouver panel consisting of Wade Bartok and Connor Jameson of CSN Elite, CSN Elite Xpress and OkTire North Shore; Scott Waddle of Precision Auto Service and Josh Charlton of Pro Auto Recyclers concluded that EVs are a hefty project to take on, but the rewards can be grand if your business remains committed.

Steve Elder and Jim Berladyn, two instructors with the EV Service program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) focussed on safety during their talk at the Vancouver EV Repair tour stop.

VANCOUVER KEY TAKEAWAYS: As a collision repair shop looking to take on EVs, there are headaches, but the rewards can be grand. Stay safe, acquire the proper equipment and training from trusted local partners, and you can reap significant rewards in the areas of profit, staff retention and more.

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There are a lot of safety precautions required when a collision repair shop sees an electric vehicle. And, on that note, there are bits and bobs of safety tools you’ll be required to keep around your shop, from high-voltage gloves and safety suits to insulated footwear and hand tools; battery lifts, insultations testers…the list goes on.

Steve Elder and Jim Berladyn, two instructors with the EV Service program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) focused on safety during their talk at the Vancouver EV Repair tour stop. They delivered stories of EV fires—which can ignite hours, even days post-collision—and the long, long list of precautionary safety measures a shop should be trained in before they put their hands in the EV market.

A Vancouver panel consisting of Wade Bartok and Connor Jameson of CSN Elite, CSN Elite Xpress and OkTire North Shore; Scott Waddle of Precision Auto Service and Josh Charlton of Pro Auto Recyclers concluded that EVs are a hefty project to take on, but the rewards can be grand if your business remains committed.

There are plenty of things to consider when taking EVs into your shop. Working with insurers and making coherent claims on these new technologies can be a daunting task. After all, there are a lot of different procedural considerations on EVs—and not in the high-voltage areas you may be thinking. Many Tesla repairs require three-stage refinishing—add that to the bill—among other line items. They add up on the estimate but, if you ask the automaker, they are required. Shopowners remain perplexed by this problem and await progress amid ongoing conversations.

Another consideration that few shops may expect is pushback from all your employees.

Despite all the talk that engaged, excited employees will want to dive head-first into EV learning, CSN Elite’s own team saw some pretty significant pushback across the board. Thanks to Bartok and Jameson’s leadership, progress was made when one tech joined the electric mindset, followed by another, and another, and so on. It’s all about dedication, perseverance and a passion for proper repairs.

Despite all of this, when asked if there is money in EVs, Bartok had but one word.

“Yes.”

EVENTS

MEETINGS IN MUSKOKA CSN unplugs for annual conference

C

Mark Huisman, BASF; David Black, Color Compass; Craig Jalbert, 3M.

The Uniparts O.E.M. crew.

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SN encouraged licensees, insurance partners, industry vendors, OEMs and other conference go-ers to unplug from the daily frenzy at this year’s annual event.

Held at the stunning Deerhurst Resort in Ontario’s Muskoka region with an “Unplugged” theme, the location encouraged disconnection from the daily frenzy and helped attendees dive into workshops, speaker sessions, and the great outdoors. CSN kept attendees busy with a full schedule of programming, speakers and stellar nighttime events. Day one featured collision-specific programming with an OEM panel led by Leanne Jefferies of Assured Performance Network, in addition to HR content from CSN’s in-house team. An evening trade show closed the evening.

Day two started bright and early with keynote speaker presentations, which filled the day through to the evening’s highly anticipated Gala event. On Saturday, attendees split into groups; some headed up to the trees for a thrilling high ropes course, while others took to the greens to tee off.

The event closed out with a live performance from Wild Shot Honey. CSN was able to raise more than $25,000 for Make-a-Wish Canada during the course of the event.

Check out our event scrapbook!

EVENTS

The CSN Keizer’s crew & co. in their Friday night finest.

Brian Chiu, Nissan Canada; Leanne Jeffries, Assured Performance Network; Nicky Woerner, OEConnection; Paul Castaneda, Nissan Canada.

Jay Haward, CSN; Richard and Becky Bellavance, CSN St. Clair.

Kelly Roberts, BETAG; Victor Andrisani, CWB Group; Art Ewing, BETAG; Lindsay Lougheed, CWB Group.

AWARD WINNERS SHOP OF THE YEAR: CSN DUNDAS VALLEY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: CSN BROCKVILLE

Connor Jameson, CSN Elite, and Paul Carrobourg, PPG.

Gloria Mann, Media Matters; Lorenzo D’Alessandro, CSN 427 Group; Kari Barton, BodyshopConnect.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS • CSN KEIZER’S • CSN MARTIN • CSN VERSATILE • CSN PHIL’S • CSN DUNDAS VALLEY • CSN KUSTOM • CSN REFLECTIONS • CSN NORTHLINE • CSN ELITE

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EVENTS

AS PART OF THE CSN “UNPLUGGED” EVENT, Several attendees headed to the greens to tee-OFF at The Deerhurst Resort Golf Course

Golf Day!

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LESS IS MORE.

®

At CSN, we charge a flat monthly fee, not a percentage of your sales.

That way, you can keep more of your hard-earned money to grow your business.

Insist on CSN csncollision.com

SHOP PROFILE

A MATTER OF PRECISION AND PASSION

For the Douglas family, collision repair is a community affair

By SARAH PERKINS

N

Dennis and Bennett Douglas with Mike Crow.

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avigating the intricate world of automotive care requires more than just tools and expertise; it demands a commitment to excellence and a passion for precision. For CSN Harold’s, passion and precision first began when Harold Fjellstrom started the business in 1973.

Fast forward to today and the Douglas family—who have been in the collision repair industry since 1974, and first began their automotive repair journey with CSN Fort Saskatchewan— have now acquired CSN Harold’s to carry on the legacy first started by Harold Fjellstrom and their own family-oriented business that is almost 50 years strong.

Owners, and father-son team, Dennis and Bennett Douglas first acquired CSN Harold’s earlier in the year, noting that they felt the time was right to expand on the strong foundations that they had already put in place. In a continuation of the community and family-based spirit the two strive to offer in their own businesses, CSN Harold’s was acquired from family friends, the Dupuis family, and represents an amicable transition for a business dedicated to community service.

SHOP PROFILE

An affiliated automotive shop for suspension, calibration, and other repairs requiring specialist technicians, CSN Harold’s sees the value in knowledge and detail to create a diverse range of services while also preparing for the shifts and changes of tomorrow.

According to BenneTt, as an automotive shop, CSN Harold’s is “a one-stop-shop or group of shops,” and as a result, when it comes to abilities and training, the Douglas family tries their best to be prepared for anything.

“Being a small multi-shop operator, we have technicians specialized in every type of vehicle and calibration,” Bennett Douglas told Collision Repair.

“The timing made a lot of sense—they were ready to leave the business and we were ready to expand,” said Bennett.

According to Bennett, as an automotive shop, CSN Harold’s is “a one-stop-shop or group of shops,” and as a result, when it comes to abilities and training, the Douglas family tries their best to be prepared for anything.

“Being a small multi-shop operator, we have technicians specialized in every type of vehicle and calibration. We also have an automotive shop in our group of companies that addresses suspension, calibrations, and all automotive repairs when a specialist automotive technician is required,” Bennett told Collision Repair mag.

In line with an atmosphere of community spirit and the desire to provide what is needed

to the community around them, Dennis and Bennett Douglas further outlined the importance of participating in local community initiatives as a business.

Specifically, CSN Harold’s regularly participates in raising money and resources for food banks, Families First Society, and the Make-A-Wish foundation through local organizing events.

During their 45th anniversary in 2019, the Douglas family also invited the community to come celebrate by hosting a BBQ and car show.

Passionate to the community and precise in their services, the father and son duo further described to Collision Repair mag how CSN Harold’s “has OEM certified technicians, topnotch equipment, and 99+ years of combined experience in collision repair.”

An affiliated automotive shop for suspension, calibration, and other repairs requiring specialist technicians, CSN Harold’s sees the value in knowledge and detail to create a diverse range of services while also preparing for the shifts and changes of tomorrow.

CSN Harold’s general manager, Mike Crow, is excited to welcome customers to the shop and to continue building a welcoming and productive atmosphere.

As such, in the heart of wrenches, roaring engines and a legacy of repairs, CSN Harold’s stands as more than just a repair centre; it is a testament to expertise, family dedications and a commitment to keeping vehicles running smoothly by supporting a community that the Douglas family is more than pleased to be a part of.

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TRAINING

SCHOOL IS IN SESSION 3M offers hands-on training at new Skills Development Center

By SARAH PERKINS

A

ccording to industry research, 34 percent of automotive shop owners believe that finding qualified technicians is the single biggest challenge they face. Comparatively, TechForce projects a shortage of over 100,000 collision technicians by 2026.

Luckily, for collision repairers across North America, school is in session at 3M’s new Skills Development Center (SDC).

This October, Collision Repair magazine had the privilege of being the exclusive Canadian media at the grand opening in St. Paul, Minnesota.

This state-of-the-art facility is set to become a hub for professional repairer and educator training, addressing the industry-wide need for advanced training as well as the on-going North American technician shortage.

Dedicated to educating and upskilling technicians across all levels of experience on the most updated automotive collision repair and refinishing processes through intensive hands-on training, the SDC complements the 54

company’s suite of online training programs available through the 3M Collision Repair Academy.

“The new 3M Skills Development Center represents our commitment to advancing the collision repair industry,” said Dave Gunderson, President of the 3M Automotive After-

100 training sessions annually and provide hands-on education to over 1,000 technicians and assorted industry professionals.

Attendees will be able to range from seasoned experts looking to enhance their comprehensive understanding of the latest OEM specs and repair standard operating

THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY IS SET TO BECOME A HUB FOR PROFESSIONAL REPAIRER AND EDUCATOR TRAINING, ADDRESSING THE INDUSTRY-WIDE NEED FOR ADVANCED TRAINING AS WELL AS THE ON-GOING NORTH AMERICAN TECHNICIAN SHORTAGE. market Division. “We’re thrilled to provide collision repair staff with access to real-world experts and the latest training processes to enhance their skills and knowledge.”

3M officially opened its doors to the 15,000-square-foot centre in early October.

The centre will be able to accommodate over

COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

procedures, to students looking to explore careers in collision repair and attending vocational training for the first time.

“With a worldwide shortage of qualified technicians and increasingly complex vehicles being manufactured, 3M opened the SDC to bring awareness to the employment

TRAINING

From left to right: Stacce Royce, 3M VP of R&D; Penny Wise, president of 3M Canada; Victoria Eggleston, global operations manager for 3M. Dave Gunderson, president, 3M Automotive Aftermarket with Darryl Simmons, publisher of Collision Repair mag.

opportunities available in the industry, help instructors and technicians keep up with the latest technologies, and ensure they are trained to repair vehicles properly,” said 3M Canada President, Penny Wise.

A key design theme to the centre is a focus on flexibility. A modular layout allows for the Skills Development Centre to be readjusted to adopt the needs of the students and partners in attendance.

Moreover, a hands-on work environment represents 70 percent of the building’s overall square footage with workshop stations and 24 drops for electrical and air service.

These features are further accompanied by a 35-foot GFS XL paint booth with three stage filtration—one of the largest automotive paint booths available on the market, capable of accommodating 16 painters simultaneously.

The facility also features a dedicated welding space with a dozen Pro Spot welding stations individually equipped with fume extraction hoods.

“The training philosophy [of the SDC] revolves around the ‘science of why,’ ensuring trainees understand the rationale behind repair techniques. By emphasizing OEM recommendations as the foundation

for these techniques, the SDC reinforces industry standards,” said Victoria Eggleston, 3M’s global operations manager.

In light of the swiftly evolving landscape of vehicle technology, the impending shortage of technicians and the growing demand for standardized training, Eggleston underscores the pivotal role the SDC plays in bridging this crucial gap in the industry.

Leading instruction at the SDC is a dedicated and passionate staff of seasoned collision repair veterans with more than 85 years of combined industry experience.

According to Craig Jalbert, 3M Canada division leader of the Automotive Aftermarket Division, “It has become increasingly evident our industry is lacking technician recruitment and retention. 3M took notice, and to help grapple this growing issue we invested in this innovative facility to focus on the development of current and future collision repair technicians.”

While the North American automotive technician shortage may not be solved overnight, institutions like the Skills Development Centre are helping to ensure that the future of the industry can work towards getting a passing grade.

POP QUIZ 1. HOW MANY TRAINING SESSIONS CAN THE SDC ACCOMMODATE ANNUALLY? A. 20 B. 100 C. 5 D. 1000 2. TRUE OR FALSE: The SDC is prepared to accommodate both expert and beginner repairers? (Circle the correct answer) TRUE

FALSE

3. P ICK THE MOST CORRECT STATEMENT. A. The SDC is 15,000-square-feet and includes both paint and welding equipment.

B. The SDC is 14,000-square-feet and offers more than a dozen welding stations.

C. The SDC is 15,000-square-feet and more than 60 percent of the space is dedicated to hands-on training.

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INSURER REPORT CARD

DISCONNECTION There’s static in the air, suggests this year’s Insurer Report Card readings

By ALLISON ROGERS

H

uman nature: the eternal struggle to get along. We're a diverse bunch with conflicting interests, biases, and an uncanny ability to argue over anything. And, when it comes to the ever-complex relationship between insurers and repairers, it can feel like we all have a PhD in disagreement.

Each year, Collision Repair magazine asks its readership to submit their unfiltered opinions about what it’s like working alongside Canada’s top insurers. We at the magazine take those results and average out the grades in three categories—timeliness of payment, dispute management and bodyshop relations—to make a final overall grade.

When it comes to paying bills on time, the Cooperators come out on top in 2023 with an A+, the top score in the category. SGI and ICBC tied for second, both scoring A grades, while Desjardins claimed third with an A-.

Economical took the lowest grade; a D-, which happens to be the company’s highest grade in this year’s survey.

For dispute management, the Cooperators once again claimed first-place, keeping true to their name, with an A grade. SGI ranked second with an A-grade; AllState, third, with A-.

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Both SGI and Cooperators tied first place in bodyshop relations, each marking an A-.

Wawanesa, CAA, Onlia, Allstate and MPI all tied for second with B- grades; ICBC was third with C+.

When all grades are averaged out, the Cooperators and SGI are once again tied for highest grade—cue the deja vu to last

connection to the ever-persisting skills shortage; ongoing dispute management pitfalls and overall industry control were once again themes noted in comments submitted by our readership. Though, this year, these comments were particularly filled with fervour.

So, as you ponder this year’s anticipated

When all grades are averaged out, the Cooperators and SGI are once again tied for highest grade.

year’s report card. Allstate claims second as a newcomer to the survey (it’s our fault; an oversight last year!). In third, a trio: ICBC, Aviva and CAA. The comments received in this year’s report were not unlike previous reports, in terms of theme. Door rates and their

COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

feature, ask yourself: do you have a PhD in disagreement, and can you channel that futile energy elsewhere, for the sake of a better industry? The future will tell; and the insurer report card will be here to gauge our progress.

Check out the full grades, plus the industry’s comments, on the following pages.

INSURER REPORT CARD

GRADES: INSURER

PAYMENT TIMELINESS

DISPUTE MANAGEMENT

BODYSHOP RELATIONS

OVERALL GRADE

GRADE CHANGE

2022 GRADE

C+

B+

C+

B



C+

A+

A

A-

A

=

A

A-

C

D

C+



D+

D-

F

F

F

=

F

C-

D-

C-

D



D+

B-

C+

C-

C

=

C

B-

C

B-

B-



A-

B+

B

B-

B

=

B

B-

B-

D+

C

—

—

B-

B

B-

B-

—

—

B

A-

B-

B+

—

—

B

B-

B-

B-



B

A

A

A-

A

=

A

A

C

C+

B-



C

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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INSURER REPORT CARD

We asked the industry for their honest comments* on the graded insurers. Here’s what they said.

“Obviously I am from Saskatchewan. SGI has been working very hard to solve pain points and eliminate friction with bodyshops. It is an ongoing process but with regular dialogue we keep making progress. It should be known that in return SGI has initiated the Safe & Quality Auto Repair certification program that insists on shops meeting OEM repair standards while having the proper equipment and training in order to do this. This was an expensive and time consuming adjustment that shops had to deal with.”

“Insurance companies have been allowed to suppress door rates and control everything about the repair process to the point now where it is next to impossible to find good techs because young people can make more money as an apprentice in other trades than licensed techs in our trade. The current model is not sustainable.”

“There has been noticeable improvement with some companies—Economical and Aviva—and noticeable deterioration with others—Intact and TD.”

“There is no possible way to be a DRP and follow luxury OEM repair procedures and be paid a fair and reasonable labour rate in the current marketplace.”

“Companies that take 120 days of badgering to pay their bills—congratulations, you are OFF my list of whom I will deal with.”

Insurers keep our door rates low regardless if you’re on the DRP program or not. We are one of the lowest paid trades which is unfortunately creating a decline in interest.

Schools are closing due to lack of funds and interest. This trade is an art and takes years to perfect.

Employees should be paid well.”

*Note: Collision Repair magazine has edited some submitted opinions for clarity and length.

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“There’s a horrible disconnect between the insurer and collision reality.”

INSURER REPORT CARD

“The only way our industry can take control of our future is to start charging the insured directly at the time of pick up and having them argue with their insurance company over rates, part type etc.”

“Some insurance companies still hold onto the old mindset of repairing things. This practice is not just harmful for customer and body shops, but the whole industry—including insurance companies.”

Rates, rates, rates. ICBC needs to raise rates so we can be competitive and profitable in what was once an amazing industry. As an owner-operator, I am tired of lip service—the data is there. If we want to entice and keep tradespeople, it’s through the pocketbook.”

“Economical needs to be a lot more communicative and accessible for the day to day. The way they handle their accounts payable is not working well, yet it has certainly improved. However, shops should be able to call a department and collect payments easily without having to fill out templates and beating around the bush to get paid for the work they’ve done. Same thing with TD—they want us to call each individual adjuster.

It’s very time consuming. They also need to have a department to handle these calls.”

The insured want and deserved a first-class repair. Insurance companies want to cut rate repairs. Please let us breathe by letting us charge market rates.

“As our economy changes, our door rates need to change with it. It’s not 2001.”

“When will private insurance companies stop acting like bullies and actually start treating shops like partners? SGI has set the bar high, but the private insurers aspire to stay low.”

“Insurance providers no longer want to work with body shops but prefer to have body shops work for them. The rate system is completely archaic as we are maybe 50 percent of what other skilled trades in automotive are paid, receive no compensation for tooling or training and aren’t even paid for what is required to repair the vehicles. Dispute resolution with them is a waste of time.”

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PACIFIC PONDERINGS

AS A COLLECTIVE INDUSTRY Where we’ve been and where we’re going, from the perspective of shop operators Column by WADE BARTOK, CONNOR JAMESON

V

ehicles have been arriving at collision centres since the dawn of car crashes.

Damage is rarely the same; it takes a wide range of skills to achieve a successful repair.

This has created a highly resourceful industry.

Back-and-forth on the “proper repair process” and varied skill levels across the industry has created a distrust between our industry and the motoring public. Customers shop around and fail to understand why there may be a price variation from shop to shop. Inconsistent estimates and different processes resulted in quality issues; and they were prevalent. Some shops or technicians may want to replace a panel and some may want to replace it. The result? The shops with the higher prices were considered poor operators.

Our industry knows how to adapt to widespread changes at an increasing pace. A major change in vehicle construction occurred with the introduction of unibody construction and, right after, came pollster putty and base clear paint. Soon, the change became frantic with direct repair programs, plastic components, waterborne paint, fuel economy concerns, ADAS, liability concerns over proper repair process, OEM procedures, massive unfunded equipment and re-training commitment, and now electric vehicles (EV).

During this time, our industry was stuck in the middle of a triangle relationship trying to please the insurers who want to pay as little as possible and the customer who wants their second largest investment to be repaired to pre-accident condition. The motivation for each party was often at odds, and often little regard was shown to what was required to safely repair the vehicle.

In roughly 2010, a new partner entered the triangle. Original Equipment Manufactures 60

(OEMs) realized not all collision repairs are being performed safely. Re-leasing or re-selling these vehicles became liability concerns for these large corporations. To mitigate these liability challenges, OEMs have spent significant time and energy producing engineered repair processes for the collision industry to follow. If these steps are followed correctly, it eliminates a lot of the variation in the estimating process—now called repair planning—we used to see. For example, no technician should splice a used A pillar section if the OEM procedure does not allow for it. There is now only one way to

industry. This is of particular concern in rural areas where the volume of repairs makes the necessary investment to remain in the industry an economic decision the business owner must face alone. In urban centres, the increasing value of real estate is pushing many shops out of business. Consumers are facing long wait times to have their vehicles repaired today and the financial pressures on the collision industry will only make these wait times longer.

From outside the industry, collision repair is a mature industry. The number of shops across the country is decreasing; consolidators are

THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE INCREASED SOPHISTICATION AND REQUIRED INPUTS TO DO OUR JOBS, I AM SIMPLY RAISING AWARENESS THAT THE SPEED RAMP OF CHANGES IN OUR INDUSTRY HAS BEEN EXPONENTIAL IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. repair a vehicle—the OEM recommended way.

The $42.5 million claim against John Eagle Collision sent shock waves across the collision industry and many, but not all the players involved, took note: everything has changed, and the change is scary. If you didn’t know it before, you now knew that the lens of public safety must take be involved with every repair.

Despite all the changes in repair process and the massive capital investment in training and equipment, the collision industry is typically compensated one half—50 percent—of the rates billed by the mechanical industry. No explanation has been given as to how or why this discrepancy is allowed to be executed on the collision industry.

Operating, capital and human resource costs have far exceeded the increase compensation rate resulting in reduced capacity in the collision

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buying up the remaining shops to capitalize off scale, and there is no evidence of a need for an increase of service providers in the future, due to mass uptake of ADAS technology from manufacturers which in turn, is decreasing the volume of claims.

When advanced driver safety systems were being installed as a feature in mass produced vehicles in 2012, the collision industry seemed to be entering the “sunset industry” phase. On the contrary, the collision industry is in demand more than ever. The increase in vehicle technology and the complexity of today’s vehicles have increased the hours required, the parts required, and technical skill set required to repair modern vehicles.

For those inside the industry, we would feel more comfortable describing ourselves as a tech start up. We’ve seen the stats, and it’s old

PACIFIC PONDERINGS

THE COLLISION INDUSTRY IS IN DEMAND MORE THAN EVER. news: vehicles today contain between 70-100 different electronic control units. A Boeing 787 Dreamliner has 14 million lines of code running through it, a modern car has over 100 million. These are highly specialized vehicles with overlapping systems requiring constant retooling and retraining to repair safely—and if you’re lucky, maybe even efficiently.

This is not a complaint about the increased sophistication and required inputs to do our jobs, simply raising awareness that the speed ramp of changes in our industry has been exponential in the blink of an eye.

Changing perspective now—from looking at new tech being crammed into a new car, to the car itself as a piece of tech with new iterations coming out every year—let’s consider the following.

Construction, connectedness, features/ abilities, energy systems (BEV, PHEV, HEV) hydrogen, etc. the next industries where automation is readily available, cheaper, and more efficient (port workers – longshoremen) are going on strike and putting in agreements to BLOCK automation while also negotiating raises.

They are getting paid more to do less, automation in collision is a long way off due to the complexity and unpredictability of it, and we are getting paid less (accounting for inflation) to do more.

Vehicles, along with the technology in them, are changing daily. New models and brands are on the road before technical schools can develop training courses to repair them, and it is taking a grassroots effort from the shops and industry associations to put the tools and programs in place to ensure that vehicles are repaired properly, and our technicians are kept safe while doing so.

The number of software programs in place to support our operations is growing at much the same rate. Some are a cost of doing business and some are a cost incurred to provide a better product to the end consumer, but they all come with a monthly fee that erodes the bottom line.

• Connected cars • Tech companies developing vehicles (Apple, Google) • ADAS • Fees to access OEM repair procedure data to repair the vehicle correctly • Fees for scan tools

WADE BARTOK is the owner and operator

of CSN Elite, CSN Elite Xpress and OKTire North Shore. Bartok serves as the Vice Chair of the Collision Repair Division on the Automotive Retailers Association (ARA) Board of Directors.

He can be reached at wade@elitebodyshop.ca.

• Online booking management systems fees • Fees for data storage (higher quality photos take more space) Recently, some parts of the industry began to receive compensation for repair planning, and this includes documenting damage, researching the most recent repair operations, the required parts (reusable, non-reusable, etc.), coordinating the repair plan with the technician to ensure repair procedures are understood (digesting anywhere between 10-100 pages of procedures) and finally exporting a work order. Feels a little labour intensive for $50, if you ask me.

CONNOR JAMESON is the operations

manager for CSN Elite, CSN Elite Xpress and OKTire North Shore. He can be reached at connor@elitebodyshop.ca.

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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GROUND RULES

KEEPING IT CLEAN

Customer friendly means staying clutter free

Column by MEGHAN MCEWEN

C

leanliness is next to godliness, the age Ensure clean company uniforms, including old saying goes, and it’s true. Customers matching coveralls available for all the techniwalking into your office don’t want to cians, clean paint suits for painters and matching glance through the window and see a dirty, dusty, uniforms for the front-end staff. Coveralls and grimy shop. That will never instill confidence other PPE clothing may be designed to get in the quality of your repair job. (It may not be dirty, but the image of dirty, dusty coverings related either but that isn’t the point). This is the and workwear can leave the wrong impression service industry after all. You are providing your towards an otherwise excellent repair. Keep clientele with a service, pure and simple. They your coveralls and paint suits clean! This will cannot repair and paint give your shop a clean, their vehicle themselves, polished look.

CUSTOMERS WALKING therefore you (and your Lastly, but definitely INTO YOUR OFFICE entire team, from tech the most important, when DON’T WANT TO GLANCE to admin) have due you are delivering a freshTHROUGH THE WINDOW diligence to handle the ly repaired vehicle and client and their vehicle AND SEE A DIRTY, DUSTY, returning it to the cuswith care. These are some tomer, make sure it is fully GRIMY SHOP. simple methods to raise detailed, including exteyour shop’s image: rior wash & interior detail, in order to remove Keep the shop and office space clean and any dust, dirt or grease from the repair process. free of clutter.

Detail is arguably the most overlooked aspect Incorporate the 5S standards into everyday of the repair process. It is ultimately, however, activities in your shop. This way you and your the most critical step. A clean, pristine vehicle team will have an easier time getting through is going to spark confidence in your customer, the work day when every piece of material and potential return-business, positive, “word of equipment has a home. mouth” and favorable online reviews.

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MEGHAN MCEWEN

is a dual-trade automotive technician and motorsports enthusiast in Vancouver, British Columbia. She can be reached at bullitt1516@gmail.com.

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WHO’S DRIVING

DEVELOPMENT = GROWTH Jay’s tips and tricks for learning leadership Column by JAY PERRY

I

n our work with developing great leaders, we find there are certain core competences that are required for leadership. The challenge to most of us is that we haven’t had any formal training or even exposure to how to build these things within ourselves.

If we have been lucky, we have had some very good role models. There is still a gap that must be addressed as everyone is unique and no matter how good one person’s style or approach is, it is not likely to fit us.

We must develop ourselves, and research shows the best way to do that is with a coach that has a base in being able to adapt leadership principles to personal styles and abilities. In our practice as coaches, we have seen hundreds of examples of leaders expressing their individuality and having great success in applying the principles of leadership.

Some of the fundamentals that we need are keeping emotions in check. Face the fact and embrace the reality that we are all emotional beings. Therefore, emotions cannot be shut down or shunted aside but rather they must be utilized to our advantage through a greater understanding of how they are constructed, where they originate and how they can actually serve us in role as a leader.

Another key is understanding our own triggers—things that are likely to throw us off our game. These are tricky little devils and take professional guidance to identify, understand their initiation and ways to keep control while honouring the human side of our structure. No easy feat, but it

can be done as we have seen hundreds of times. Awareness of the triggers and skills in managing them expedite our abilities to lead teams.

These are often very like what I have written in past issues about blind spots—it’s like the space immediately behind your head which you cannot see firsthand. You need someone that has the perspective that allows for them to view these spots.

I have recommended that you tap into those available around you, colleagues, leaders, teammates, outside resources, etc., so you can uncover these blind spots and take charge of your results. If you do not uncover them, you are going to fall as prey to them over and over again.

An example is one of my clients that has a super-sensitivity to criticism. By working together on this issue which held him back for years, he has been able to burst beyond the constraints it imposed upon him and break away to new heights of performance because he developed awareness of predisposed attitudes that stopped him from listening and made him defensive. He now embraces things that he couldn’t face before and reaps the benefits of accomplishing things previously out of reach.

There a lot of things that go into leadership such as values, principles, techniques, people-skills and more, and none of them are more important than what has been mentioned within this article. If you want to be the one who’s driving, you must make a commitment to become the best version of yourself.

WE MUST DEVELOP OURSELVES, AND RESEARCH SHOWS THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS WITH A COACH THAT HAS A BASE IN BEING ABLE TO ADAPT LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES TO PERSONAL STYLES AND ABILITIES.

JAY PERRY

is the founder of Ally Business Coaching, a process improvement and leadership development firm, and co-author of the book Success Manifesto with Brian Tracy. Jay is also an education partner with California Coast University in Santa Ana, California.

He can be reached at jayperryally@gmail.com.

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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LET’S GET TECHNICAL

LOOKS GOOD FROM AFAR—BUT IT’S FAR FROM GOOD When it comes to collision centres, don’t let looks be deceiving

Column by STEFANO LIESSI

L

ooks aren’t everything, but appearances are a vital part of your statement as a business.

When we enter a dining facility, we don’t want to see cluttered tables with evidence of the prior patrons. I’m not interested in seeing what the people before me had for lunch.

Another area of contention would be the facilities: a dirty ‘loo’ is very uninviting in a restaurant. However, is appearance everything? Some may say judging a book by its cover is misleading, but I believe this statement

66

is accurate. You have only one first impression as a business, so you should make it a good one.

Our industry has advanced dramatically, from offices with minivan seats and occasionally groomed resident greeting dogs surrounded by very loved chew toys, to an era with coffee makers, comfortable couches, televisions, plants, trees, and play areas for small children. Once graced with old pictures of foreign cars and tropical paradises, the walls have been dressed in promise posters of uncompromised customer

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service and plaques identifying the certifications that unequivocally state, ‘we are the facility of choice to repair your car right.’

To the average consumer, this impression and the correct vocabulary and inflection from your front-end staff will help determine if this is the place to leave their vehicle. But is it? Amongst all the proclamations from the various networks and independents, are they the place? What is truly happening behind the scenes? Sure, the facility has passed an audit and met some

LET’S GET TECHNICAL

minimum training requirements, but are they to pre-loss OEM spec condition according to implementing all the proper protocols? I hear it the OE that has granted you this designation continuously: “we follow all OEM procedures; of ‘certified’ to do so. The first impression the we are certified.” Yet, countless times, I go into customer experienced upon entering that places and ask questions or witness firsthand that beautiful office told them that this is what the techs are not provided with the information you would do. At some point, we have all put or have some but feel pressured to fast-track it to our trust in a business to do the right thing on get the vehicle out. KPIs are falling behind, and our behalf as a customer. This is no different. it’s got to go. Making blanket statements never The certifications serve several purposworks out in the favour of everyone involved; es: they help bring work to your door, they it goes both ways; someprovide reassurance to one preaches, “we are the the customer, they give MAKING BLANKET No. 1 choice,” and on the comfort to the payee, STATEMENTS NEVER other hand, someone is they provide the underWORKS OUT IN THE saying, “none of them do standing that there is a FAVOUR OF EVERYONE as they say.” Now, I wish documented way you INVOLVED. I could make a blanket are trusted to repair this statement that the ones vehicle, and they make a who fall short are an anomaly, but I cannot. great first impression. Taking this investment I admire shop owners with a great deal of in OE certifications and diligently using their respect. The outlay of financial commitment to support will help your bottom line by focusing running your shop is incredible, yet the focus on quality instead of quantity. In my opinion, on proper processes and commitment is less and you are entitled to my opinion, the front than proportionate for many. The plaques on can set up the impression, but the back is where the wall are a sign of great accomplishment; the magic happens. Don’t let the impression be keeping the commitment should contain a good from afar and far from good; ensure it is great sense of pride. Slow down and look at excellent for everyone. what is involved with meeting these plaques’ As this is the last publication for 2023, I requirements. You didn’t damage the vehicle; you wish everyone a wonderful holiday season didn’t design, engineer, or build the vehicle—and and a ‘wicked awesome’ 2024. All my best to you are solely accountable for putting it back everyone.

STEFANO LIESSI

As a Red Seal technician, refinisher, and the founder of Canadian Collision Specialist, Stefano enhances his 40 years of experience with 15 years of I-CAR instruction, a post-secondary degree and Skills Alberta training students to bring home 11 medals while as a high school teacher for 6 years. This experience brings you training that encompasses all learning styles.

Having experienced the corporate side of the industry through insurance, and management, Stefanos’ focus is getting it right the first time with proper repairs performed equitably for all involved.

Stefano can be reached at: sliessi@canadiancollisionspecialist.com or www.canadiancollisionspecialist.com

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

67

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

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The TECNA Automatic Smart Inverter Resistance Spot Welder Models 3664P and 3680 from Arslan Automotive can recognize types and thicknesses of metals and set all parameters automatically. The tool features a water-cooled transformer gun to help optimize your productivity and increase duty cycle. Plus, a support arm with balancer helps for safe and comfortable operation. A new touch screen with intuitive graphic design lets you choose between Automatic Smart+, Quick and Full modes, while an ergonomic, compact and stable cart allows for easy transportation throughout the facility. Also is, Wi-Fi, enabled for factory updates and diagnostics.

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68

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The GPR+ System is designed for shops and technicians currently utilizing the L2E GPR System. The GPR+ System adds on to your L2E to extend the repair system to correct damage further up the Repair Continuum.

With the combination of glue tabs and push rods, technicians will be able to glue pull and push to paint with ease. This system is intended to complement glue pull repair and allow technicians to make more challenging repairs possible with the utmost efficiency.

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Guniwheel LKQ CANADA www.hunter.com

Hunter Engineering Collision Alignment System Alignment and ADAS callibration collide through streamlined alignment measurements with the Hunter’s Collision Alignment System. Featuring collision blueprints, full diagnostic scans, ADAS callibration support and documented results, the Hunter’s Collision Alignment System automatically guides the technician through a workflow of five essential diagnostic measurements before work begins. These specific measurements eliminate extra days of cycle time when problems are discovered too late, such as a damaged subframe or lower control arms, shifted axles, or bent spindles.

Use your existing frame or collision repair rack and save time and expenses by keeping all services in-house.

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

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Guniwheel The Guniwheel Universal Tire and Wheel Mounting System from LKQ Canada, described as working like a spare tire, is the first universal, vehicle The Guniwheel Universal Tire and Wheel Mounting System from LKQ and trailer mounting system. The Guniwheel weighs just 30 pounds and Canada, described as working like a spare tire, is the first universal, vehicle is able to fit into most four and five hole lug patterns—easily transported and trailer mounting system. The Guniwheel weighs just 30 pounds and and used anywhere. at hole the top mind, the Guniwheel was is able to fit into mostWith foursafety and five lugof patterns—easily transported designed to make moving vehicles off of lifts faster and safer.

According and used anywhere. With safety at the top of mind, the Guniwheel was to LKQ, the replacement can hold loads up to pounds and designed to tire make moving vehicles off of lifts of faster and1290 safer.

According can be safely driven up to 8km/h. to LKQ, the tire replacement can hold loads of up to 1290 pounds and can be safely driven up to 8km/h.

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ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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BRITISH COLUMBIA | REGIONAL NEWS

GIVING THANKS

FEELING CRUSHED

On October 1, August Luxury Motorcars held an event to raise funds for the Okanagan Fire Relief Fund in response to the British Columbia wildfires.

Owner of August Luxury Motorcars, Matt August said through the Dream Rally and other events, he’s gotten to know many local firefighters and RCMP officers, and this event was a way for him to give back to first line responders and the community.

“My whole family was evacuated,” August said. “The store was almost evacuated, the road just behind us was the evacuated area. It kind of hit home for everybody, all of our staff and everybody here volunteering their time were affected or just love helping support our RCMP and our fire department.”

The charity car show featured millions of dollars worth of vehicles, including sports cars, boats and trucks.

Coldstream Helicopters was in attendance with one of its aircrafts.

They also brought a bambi bucket–a key tool in fighting fire by air.

“A lot of people see the helicopters flying with these buckets, they look very small from the ground, and when you see it in real life and you stand beside it, it is absolutely massive,” August said.

No fundraiser goal was set for the event, but entry was a minimum of $10 per person or $30 for a family of four. Overall, the event saw a few hundred people in attendance.

“I was born and raised in this city,” August said. “This city means the world to me, our community means the world to me. For them to put in all that extra time and effort into making sure more people didn’t lose their homes and kept everyone safe… It’s amazing what they did.”

On November 11, a cinderblock wall of a condo under construction in downtown Langley City, B.C. collapsed onto a nearby car dealership.

According to accounts on social media from people who heard the crash, the wall collapsed sometime around 1:30 a.m. and came as the result of a wind storm that hit the lower mainland and also knocked out power to thousands of homes.

The site was for a six-storey mixed-use condo building and when it collapsed, it fell onto the property of the King of Cars dealership, crushing at least one pickup truck and causing yet to be confirmed damages.

According to Tessa Hiebert, project coordinator for the condo site, the wall that came down wasn’t structural but was a fire wall meant to protect the lot from surrounding properties in emergencies.

Hiebert said the site abided by B.C. building codes and that structural specifications were set.

“In the coming weeks, we’ll be working with engineering and our masonry contractor to establish what happened, and to build back better,” she said.

The charity car show featured millions of dollars worth of vehicles, including sports cars, boats and trucks.

According to accounts on social media from people who heard the crash, the wall collapsed sometime around 1:30 a.m. and came as the result of a wind storm that hit the lower mainland.

EXPLORING THE OPEN ROAD OpenRoad Auto Group, British Columbia’s largest automotive dealer group, has launched a new campaign that aims to create a “hub” where car shoppers can learn more about electric vehicles.

The “Electrified” campaign, launched in conjunction with Zero Emissions Day in September, will include details about chargers, EV rebates, video reviews, an overview of the EV models available in the current market, as well as access to OpenRoad’s EV inventory.

Users will be able to find the included information by checking the “Electrified” tab on OpenRoad’s dealer websites.

OpenRoad dealerships currently have 76 EV specific chargers stationed at 20 of its rental centres. OpenRoad cited Statistics Canada data showing that during the first quarter, new zero-emission vehicles made up 8.6 percent of all new motor vehicles registered. This is up from 7.7 percent during the same period of 2022.

“The demand for electric vehicles continues to grow, and as OpenRoad is the largest EV retailer in B.C., we wanted to provide prospective buyers, current clients, and the whole community a place to visit, where they can learn all about EVs,” OpenRoad CEO Christian Chia said in a news release. “We are proud to have invested more than $2 million in EV-focused infrastructure over the years at many of our retail centers, with many more chargers planned.”

ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

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REGIONAL NEWS | ALBERTA

PROCOLOR PROGRESS On November 8, Fix Network Canada welcomed ProColor Collision Calgary 32nd Ave NE, a family owned and operated collision repair facility to its network of ProColor Collision facilities around the country.

Beginning in a 3,600 square-foot shop eight years ago, the business has now expanded to a state-of-the-art facility spanning 15,000 square feet equipped with the latest industry technology.

Richard and Amber Chiddle, the owners of ProColor Collision Calgary 32nd Ave NE, stated that they embarked on their journey with a vision to provide top-quality collision repair services to their local area using a business model that “has always been rooted in family values.”

“With hard work and determination, we managed to grow our business and establish ourselves as a reliable and quality shop within our community,” shared Richard Chiddle.

The addition of Richard’s brother, Steve and his wife, Lisa, contributed to the shop’s continued success. Over the years, they nurtured their business relationships and built a stellar reputation, resulting in a remarkable quadrupling of sales.

In 2018, the Chiddle family expanded their operations by adding two more shops. While they continued to grow, they also recognized the importance of consolidating their efforts and expertise. As a result, they made the strategic decision to bring all their focus and family under one roof at their NE location.

As a family-run business, ProColor Collision Calgary 32nd Ave NE prides itself on personal service and a genuine passion for its customers. “We are part of all day-to-day operations. We get to meet our customers firsthand and show our passion for customer service,” said Amber Chiddle.

The collision repair centre is also a certified repair facility for most OEM brands, including Toyota, Ford, Kia, Nissan, Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Genesis and more. The facility features two paint booths and repair and calibration equipment.

Beginning in a 3,600 square-foot shop eight years ago, the business has now expanded to a state-of-the-art facility spanning 15,000 square feet equipped with the latest industry technology.

LAUNCHING LEARNING On December 8, Fix Network Canada proudly announced the inauguration of its third training centre in Calgary, Alberta.

Recognizing the automotive industry’s need for continuous learning and development as well as the need for skilled technicians in the automotive repair industry, Fix Network Canada originally launched its first training centre in Milton, Ontario in 2019, and then added another 6,000 square foot centre in Blainville, Quebec in 2020.

With the addition of this third training centre, the company aims to continue providing technicians the support of industry leaders in collision repair, auto glass repair and replacement and automotive mechanical repair.

“The automotive aftermarket industry is undergoing rapid changes as customer expectations evolve and vehicles become more technologically advanced,” said Sylvain Seguin, president of Fix Network Canada.

The Calgary facility includes industry leading equipment such as a Car-O-Liner frame machine, Hunter wheel alignment systems, GFS spray booths, ADAS equipment and more.

With two classrooms, welding facilities, and a focus on maintaining a clean, high-tech environment, the training centre is designed to provide a comprehensive learning experience.

Fix Network Canada will offer courses in nearly every segment of automotive repair at the new facility including estimating, repair planning, parts procurement, ADAS training, plastic welding and adhesive repair, and 3D measuring.

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SASKATCHEWAN | REGIONAL NEWS

BOOT CAMP IN SESSION The Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) is at it again with their ever-continuing generosity. The organization recently donated $3,300 to Sask Polytechnic to support Auto Body Skills Boot Camps in Regina and Saskatoon. The initiative aims to provide aspiring students with hands-on experience and valuable skills in the field of autobody repair, encouraging them to pursue a career in this industry.

The Autobody Skills Boot Camps are open to students in grades 10, 11, and 12 who have a keen interest in making auto body repair their profession. Each program can accommodate up to 12 students, ensuring personalized attention and guidance throughout the training sessions.

In Regina, the Autobody Career Connection is offered in partnership with the Regina District Industry Education Council. Similar to the Saskatoon program, participants have the opportunity to learn and practice various skills, such as constructing, filling, prepping, priming, painting, as well as electrical and sheet metal work.

The boot camps aren’t the only SAAR-backed training opportunities, though. The organization will also donate $20,000 to the Distance Learning Corporation of Saskatchewan to initiate a high school work education program throughout the province. This money will go to compensate teachers supervising this program which was previously concealed due to budget cuts.

The boot camps aren’t the only SAAR-backed training opportunities, though. The organization will also donate $20,000 to the Distance Learning Corporation of Saskatchewan to initiate a high school work education program throughout the province. ai1673372384116_Carcones_COLL_AR_HalfPage_7125x475_FIN copy.pdf

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ISSUE 22#6 | COLLISION REPAIR

73

REGIONAL NEWS | MANITOBA

WINNING IN WINNIPEG The Automotive Trades Association (ATA) of Manitoba held its Trade Show and Collision Olympics at the Canadinns Polo Park in Winnipeg, where collision vendors, shops and students spent the day exploring the exhibition floor, interacting with industry-leading vendors and even going as spectators to the event’s collision repair competition.

Both high school and collision centre level participants had the chance to compete in the Olympics, with medal presentations in the afternoon and a celebratory dinner to close out the event.

Both high school and collision centre level participants had the chance to compete in the Olympics, with medal presentations in the afternoon and a celebratory dinner to close out the event.

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16/10/2023 14:31

ONTARIO | REGIONAL NEWS

CONNECTING DOWNTOWN In a recent press release made by CSN Collision network, CSN announced that it was excited to welcome CSN RSK Downtown to its network—a Teslacertified and CCC-certified auto body shop in Hamilton, Ontario.

CSN RSK Downtown was originally founded by Sim Kalsi in 2010 while he was an undergraduate; “I grew up in the automotive industry. That fuelled my passion for working with cars, the craftsmanship and quality of tasks such as painting and repairing vehicles to their OEM specifications.”

At its inception, the shop was located in a 3,000 sq. ft. facility. Since then, due to the shop’s success driven by its core values of integrity and quality, CSN RSK Downtown has expanded into its current 11,000 sq. ft. location.

Jasmin Sidhu and Sim Kalsi, owners of CSN RSK Downtown, are delighted to be part of CSN Collision, “We’ve wanted to become part of the CSN Network for a few years and finally joined in 2023. We were drawn in by the similarity of philosophy and the sense of community that CSN provides.

It’s the right branding for us, CSN places us on a national stage. Not only do they continue to build our brand alongside network partners, but also create the best shared spaces for the inventive, creative, and driven minds of the collision industry. There are so many incredible success stories and with a diverse network standing behind you to provide support, it only amplifies our goal of rapidly expanding across the market.”

According to the press release, CSN RSK Downtown stated that it prides itself on its presence within the local Hamilton community, “We’re excited to break into an industry that’s often generational. We’re coming in with new ideas and concepts, combined with top end equipment and OEM certifications, to provide a luxury experience with the highest standards of craftsmanship in collision repair. Fostering a strong community is at the heart of our business and working collectively towards the common goal of building the downtown core helps us all thrive,” said Sidhu and Kalsi.

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REGIONAL NEWS | ONTARIO

ACING IT In a social media press release, Consolidated Dealers Co-Op revealed the details of the ACE conference’s successful final day–the event having run from October 18 to the 19, with opening networking activities having taken place on the 17th.

The event, which was held at the Fallsview Casino Resort and Convention centre in Niagara Falls, Ont., featured products and innovative technologies targeted to new-car dealerships, as well as presentations and panels directed to the automotive industry at large.

Key highlights from the three-day event included presentations from Lee Jeyes, head of innovation at Walmart Canada; an ACE “Hotstove” session with NHL legend Haley Wickenheiser, and sports journalist and host Rod Black; as well as discussions on incorporating artificial intelligence into business practices, after-sales retention and training, and the importance of addressing mental health in the workplace.

The final day of the event included breakfast and networking opportunities as well as discussions on “Leading Change, Creating a Culture of Engaged Teams,” with Neil Thornton, president and corporate strategist of Thornton Group.

Other panels during the day featured discussion on data usage in the automotive industry from economics to tracking scans and estimates.

The purpose of the event was to highlight the ACE mission which aims to provide education, inspiration and insights to fuel the success and drive of business, while also creating meaningful and purposeful connections with industry partners who will support accelerations towards future goals.

JILL OF ALL TRADES Centennial College hosted its second Jill of All Trades event on October 24 to help inspire young women in high school to consider careers in the skilled trades and technologies following graduation.

The full-day event took place at Centennial’s Ashtonbee campus in Scarborough.

More than 100 students from school boards across the GTA attended the event.

Students were able to participate in a variety of workshops designed to give them a chance to try out different aspects of the skilled trades.

“Jill of All Trades is an important opportunity to inspire young women about the possibility of trades as a career path they can take,” said Michelle Solomon, outreach coordinator, Women in Non-Traditional Careers, Centennial College. “Trying out the skilled trades excites and empowers students to explore the options that are available in industries like construction and transportation.”

The College’s auto body workshop included activities such as using a plasma cutter to cut a design into a piece of sheet metal.

A heavy-duty equipment workshop included activities like taking off and installing one of the over four feet tall wheels on a Caterpillar Loader.

“Through first-hand experience, students learn just how rewarding the skilled trades can be,” said Alan McClelland, Dean, School of Transportation, Centennial College. “Centennial College operates one of the largest transportation technology schools in Canada, so it’s a natural site for a skilled-trades orientation like Jill of All Trades.”

The Jill of All Trades event was originally founded by Conestoga College and has been running since 2014.

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ONTARIO | REGIONAL NEWS

ADVANCING AVIVA Aviva AutoCare Centre, powered by CARSTAR, recently hosted a grand opening event to reintroduce themselves to the community as a trusted partner in collision repair for Aviva Canada customers who have experienced an accident.

CARSTAR Mississauga North originally opened its doors in 2021 and has now partnered with Aviva Canada with the goal of offering time-efficient and quality repair to Aviva auto insurance customers.

This location marks Aviva Canada’s second Auto Care Centre in the GTA following the opening of their inaugural centre in early June.

Aviva AutoCare Centre, powered by CARSTAR, is still located at its original location of 5340 Maingate Drive, Mississauga, Ont., just off the 401 Highway. The 10,000 square foot facility is staffed with an industrious team of knowledgeable and friendly faces that include customer service representatives, technicians, painters, and their leaders, Alzal Moledina and Nahid Daya.

“The opening of our second AutoCare Centre allows us to offer a quick, convenient, and high-quality auto repair experience for more of our customers in the GTA,” says Rosallie Papa-Reid, VP National Claims at Aviva Canada.

“We’re excited to partner with CARSTAR, a trusted business in the community, to help reduce the stress on our customers in their time of need.”

The official grand opening took place on Friday, October 13 with members from the community and corporate representatives in attendance. Attendees were treated to light refreshments and lunch, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony.

This location marks Aviva Canada’s second Auto Care Centre in the GTA following the opening of their inaugural centre in early June.

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REGIONAL NEWS | QUEBEC

VIOLATING VOLATILES A Quebec-based bodywork products distributor, Plastique Royal Inc., has been fined for selling automotive refinishing products with a volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration beyond the maximum, then violating the ensuing environmental protection compliance order.

Plastique Royal Inc. was fined $600,000 on November 6 after the company officials pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and one count of violating the VOC Concentration Limits for Automotive Refinishing Products Regulations.

These charges stem from an initial April 2019 inspection by ECCC enforcement officers at the company’s facility in Laval, QC. When the department’s inspection officers followed up on the environmental protection compliance order and compared the new data with the analysis of results of previously sampled products, it was determined that the company had continued to sell the products banned under the order.

The fines issued to Plastique Royal Inc. will soon be directed to Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.

Plastique Royal Inc. was fined $600,000 on November 6 after the company officials pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and one count of violating the VOC Concentration Limits for Automotive Refinishing Products Regulations.

ADVANCING SAINT-EUSTACHE Fix Auto is pleased to announce the addition of Fix Auto Saint-Eustache to its growing network of collision repair centres in Quebec.

Daniel Roy—who has worked in the automotive industry since 1981—founded his first service point in Les Cèdres in 1992 with his wife Linda, and has now expanded services to the current location in Saint-Eustache.

Over the years, the business has seen significant growth. The company has gone through several expansions and reorganizations, with the most recent in 2023 marking the 20th anniversary of the ProColor Collision Saint-Eustache facility and its adoption into the Fix Network brand.

The collision repair facility is equipped with state-of-the-art operational features, including a spot welder, pulse aluminum welder, aluminum riveter, nitrogen plastic welder, the latest generation scan 2023, large ADAS calibration coverage and a 3D Car-O-Liner measurement system. The team at Fix Auto Saint-Eustache is also certified in the EV Skills Program from CPA-LL, which provides structured training and recognized certification in the maintenance and repair of electric and hybrid vehicles throughout Quebec.

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ATLANTIC | REGIONAL NEWS

INSPECTING INSPECTIONS The Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) government has recently announced that it will be reviewing the required frequency of motor vehicle inspections.

Currently, vehicles in P.E.I. need to be inspected every year.

However, Ernie Hudson, the province’s minister of transportation, feels that there are many things to consider during the review of potential changes and that annual inspections may not be necessary.

“I think the other thing we have to look at is insurance rates” and any impact MVI frequency would have on them, said Hudson.

Earlier in November, Green Party MLA Peter Bevan-Baker asked the government why safety inspections are done yearly and suggested that P.E.I. shift to what other provinces are doing because the practice is causing financial stress to drivers.

In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, for instance, inspections are done every two years, and some provinces only do inspections at the time vehicles are sold from owner to owner.

Several automotive shops in P.E.I. originally spoke with CBC News and said that annual inspections are about keeping older cars safe for the road.

“A car that passes inspection with no issues this year, there can be many issues that go wrong within a year: brake work, bodywork, many things,” said Ernie Stanley, who manages Coast Tire in Charlottetown.

While some P.E.I. drivers feel that annual inspections are a cash grab, Doug Burke, a service advisor at Wendell Taylor’s Garage in Stratford, P.E.I., said it’s more about safety than making money.

The review of the need for annual inspections should be complete by mid-December, Hudson said.

Currently, vehicles in P.E.I. need to be inspected every year. However, Ernie Hudson, the province’s minister of transportation, feels that there are many things to consider during the review of potential changes and that annual inspections may not be necessary.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

CANADIAN COUNCIL OF COLLISION REPAIRERS

STATUS REPORT

An update from the Canadian Council of Collision Repairers

T

he Canadian Council of Collision Repairers (CCCR) is ready to head into 2024 as a united front. This past November, more than 25 collision repair shop owners, operators and managers stopped by the Collision Repair magazine SEMA Booth for our first informal meet-and-greet. CCCR members spent the next hour networking and discussing key industry issues.

MISSION STATEMENT CCCR was founded on the belief that collaboration among collision repair shops can drive meaningful progress and innovation in the industry. Its goal is to advocate for repairers, offering a significant platform, influential representation, and a widespread network of dedicated owners and managers. This network is deeply committed to enhancing the profession and fostering a community where knowledge and resources are shared for the collective benefit.

The mission of the CCCR is to advocate for the highest standard set in collision repair across Canada. The group is dedicated to ensuring that every repair is conducted in accordance with manufacturers guidelines, using proper equipment by trained professionals. Through advocacy, education, and collaboration, the CCCR aims to elevate the industry’s commitment to safe repairs, safeguarding the well-being of customers and workers alike.

The mission of the CCCR is to advocate for the highest standard set in collision repair across Canada. The group is dedicated to ensuring that every repair is conducted in accordance with manufacturers guidelines, using proper equipment by trained professionals.

VISION STATEMENT The vision of the CCCR is to establish the Canadian collision repair industry as a benchmark for safety and excellence in Canada. We envision a future where every collision repair facility in Canada adheres to stringent safety standards, equipped with the latest technology and staffed by skilled technicians trained in safe repair practices. We aspire to lead the industry towards a zero-compromise approach to performing safe and proper repairs.

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More than 25 shop owners, operators and decision-makers showed up to the Collision Repair booth at SEMA for an informal CCCR meet and greet.

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

CORE VALUES

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PROPOSED ROLES/DUTIES:

• S afety First: Prioritize safety in every aspect of collision repair.

• Integrity in Practice: Uphold the highest standards of workmanship and ethics.

•A ccountability: Ensure that all members are accountable for adhering to safety guidelines.

• Continuous Learning: Emphasize ongoing training and certification in safe repair practices.

• Industry Leadership: Lead by example in promoting and implementing safety standards.

• Collaboration for Safety: Work with industry partners, regulatory bodies, and educational institutions to promote safe repair practices.

GOALS—with an emphasis on safety • Develop and Disseminate Safe Repair Guidelines: Create comprehensive guidelines for safe repairs and ensure they are widely available and understood by all industry players.

• Training and Certification Programs: Implement training programs focused on safe repair practices and equipment usage, leading to recognized certifications for technicians and repair shops.

• Regulatory Advocacy: Work with government bodies to advocate for regulations that mandate safe repair practices and penalize non-compliance.

•S afety Audits and Compliance Checks: Establish a system of regular audits to ensure adherence to safety standards within the industry.

• Public Awareness Campaigns: Launch public awareness campaigns to educate consumers about the importance of safe repairs and how to identify compliant repair shops.

Chair / Chairpersons • Lead strategic direction and oversee all council activities.

• Represent CCCR in external meetings and conferences.

• Facilitate decision-making processes and conflict resolution.

Vice Chair • Support Chairman in all duties and act as Chairman in their absence.

• Coordinate with sub-committees to ensure alignment with CCCR’s goals.

• Lead specific projects or initiatives as assigned by the Chairman.

Secretary • Maintain accurate records of all meetings and correspondence.

• Handle all administrative tasks including room bookings and distributing meeting agendas.

• Manage communication within the committee and with external parties.

SUB-COMMITTEES The CCCR will incorporate various subcommittees designed to handle specific areas and work between meetings.

Time Study Subcommittee • Conduct comprehensive time studies.

• Analyze and report on labor efficiency and process optimization.

Material Subcommittee • Research and analyze materials used in collision repair.

• Provide recommendations on cost-effective and quality materials.

Guest Speaker Recruiter Subcommittee • Identify and invite industry experts as guest speakers.

• Coordinate logistics for guest speaker sessions.

For more information visit www.collisonrepaircouncil.ca or email info@collisionrepaircouncil.ca.

COLLISION CENTRES: LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. CANADIAN COUNCIL OF COLLISION REPAIRERS

JOIN TODAY!

Get connected at collisionrepaircouncil.ca

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81

LAST WORD

YOU’VE GOT THIS Support is the cure for imposter syndrome ADVERTISER INDEX

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A

t the time of writing this, my last industry event was my annual trip to Las Vegas for industry week, where most of my time is spent on the SEMA Show floor. My feet are still numb. It’s been almost a month.

This year marked my second in-person SEMA—though I’ve been with the magazine since 2019—and things were certainly different than last year. For one, there were more people. As a super-fast walker, it was hard to find a path I could traverse at my 15 km/h striding pace without running into: a) someone I know; b) an intriguing event at a random booth; or c) a clog in the crowd, caused by a hoard of slow walkers. You can never blame them, though. There’s just so much to stop and see at the SEMA Show.

circulating around the industry or have seen in my email, news articles or elsewhere over my near five years in the industry.

One of the first times I was “recognized” was in the Las Vegas airport after SEMA 2022. I had my headphones on; nails tip-tapping away on my keyboard.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, pointed at their computer screen (with our website in their browser) and flashed me a thumbs up. A year and a bit later, I’m friends with that individual—I’m not quite delusional enough to believe I have fans—and the work they do is top-of-the-line in the industry.

This is all to say that, until I started attending events, I really wasn’t sure if I had the hang of this. I grew up in a family of clas-

CCS......................... 10,11,12,13

I’m not quite delusional enough to believe I have fans.

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The second difference was a tad more personal. This year, I was asked to be part of the Global Media Awards program; an honour bestowed upon me by SEMA Show Media Relations Manager Juan Torres. I’ll be honest: when I received the email, my first thought was, “You’ve got the wrong gal.” A classic symptom of imposter syndrome.

It was a brief thought. After almost five years of daily reporting on the industry; hundreds of events attended and hands shaken; and dozens of lifelong friendships formed, I have a decent understanding of how things work around here. But there’s always more to learn. That’s why I’m still here.

It’s always a bit surreal to meet new people that know who I am just by looking at me, especially when they are names I’ve heard

sic car lovers—Mopar gang—but never had real experience with bodyshops, business or even cars in general, aside from knowing how to drive one. It wasn’t until I saw the support of the industry and got props from people I myself admire that I gained the confidence I have today.

All of this rambling is just to say thanks, really. Thank you for welcoming me into this industry with open arms.

Those that know me are well aware of my go-to response when asked how I got into this industry in the first place. My middle name is quite literally Mercedes. I may not have known I’d end up in automotive, but someone in my family did.

Here’s to another year of success and good times. All the best!

Rust Check........................... 27 Simplicity Car Care.............. 07 Speedy Auto Service............41 Spraypaint Canada......... 63,69 Spanesi Americas................ 69 Thorold Auto Parts............... 77

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COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Allison Rogers is the editor of Collision Repair magazine.

She can be reached at allison@mediamatters.ca.

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