BUSINESS NEWS
BUSINESS NEWS
Dave Luehr, founder of Elite Bodyshop solutions.
Tony Canade, president of Assured Automotive.
ASSURED AUTOMOTIVE EXPANDS The Boyd Group has announced the purchase of a new Assured Automotive location in Hawkesbury, Ontario. The acquisition, which was made on November 30, is for a location previously operated as Machildon Autobody, situated approximately one hour from both Ottawa and Montreal. “We are very excited to add this location, which has served the Hawkesbury market well for many years,” said Tony Canade, president of Assured Automotive. “We look forward to becoming part of the Hawkesbury community and the opportunity to provide the friendly service and quality repairs that Assured is known for.”
Beyond the retraining initiative, the merger will also be followed by significant investments in repair equipment. The transaction is expected to close in early 2019, under the supervision of Caliber CEO Steve Grimshaw, who will lead the combined company.
NEW ONLINE BODYSHOP TRAINING Dave Luehr, collision repair industry expert and founder of Elite Body Shop Solutions, now offers Operations Monthly Live, a live webcast designed to provide interactive monthly training and support to help collision repairers reach their operational goals. The first free session was on January 8, 2019. The training is offered through Elite Body Shop Academy. Luehr’s Elite Body Shop Academy was created in 2018 to provide collision shop personnel modern operational, leadership, and general bodyshop education in an easy-to-access online video format. Participants were able to sign up for free at the academy to access their own private content accounts.
PPG’S NEW PURCHASE
Paints and coatings giant PPG have agreed to a deal to acquire family-owned German firm Hemmelrath. The announcement came in early January, and the acquisition - for an undisclosed amount – is expected to be completed in the next six months. Coatings manufacturer Hemmelrath, which employs more than 450 people, supplies automotive plants around the world. Seven million vehicles are coated with its products every year. PPG chairman and CEO Michael McGarry said the acquisition is “another step forward” in his company’s strategic growth plan.
President and CEO of Caliber Collision Steve Grimshaw.
(Left to right) Owners of Dilawri Group of Companies Tony, Kap and Ajay Dilawri.
DILAWRI PURCHASES LUXURY DEALERSHIPS Canada’s largest automotive group, Dilawri Group of Companies, has taken ownership of six Mercedes-Benz locations in Vancouver. The locations, which previously formed Mercedes-Benz Canada’s Vancouver Retail Group, were divested as part of an ongoing worldwide assessment of Mercedes-Benz Cars sales and after-sales networks. Prior to the ownerships of these locations, Mercedes-Benz Canada had one of the highest shares of corporately-owned retail locations of all markets around the world. Dilawri Group of Companies currently operates 72 franchised dealerships with more than 4,000 employees nationwide.
ABRA-CALIBER MERGER DETAILS REVEALED The full details of Caliber Collision’s merger with ABRA Auto Body Repair of America have been announced by Caliber. “With more than 1,000 stores in 37 states and the District of Columbia, we look forward to providing customers and insurance clients with the flexibility and convenience that come with the broadest geographic coverage in the United States and a full suite of services,” said president and CEO of Caliber Collision, Steve Grimshaw. Caliber is not looking to close down any existing facilities, though Caliber has announced plans to initiate a new, overarching business plan involving the retraining of staff. “Recognizing the critical importance of top talent to our success, we will be retraining all teammates in the field at both Caliber and ABRA centers,” Grimshaw said.
28 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM
PRACTICAR ADDS TO THE BUSINESS PractiCar Car and Truck Rentals is helping collision repair facilities around Canada become a one-stop-shop for all their consumer’s needs. The Calgary-based company, which has more than 35 locations across Canada, provides repair businesses with a license to rent vehicles to their customers. “PractiCar partners with established collision repair businesses to help them provide car rental services to their customers,” said Joseph Donaldson, manager at PractiCar. Established in 1976, PractiCar has become a leader in car rental solutions, both for the end consumer and operating proprietor. An existing collision repair business working with PractiCar can add a new income stream, and convenience to its customers, without having to undergo a physical renovation or add staff.