FenderBender - October 2022

TRACKING SUCCESS

The Bottom Line Former accountant Jim Dubrowsky Jr. is one of the owners keeping a close eye on the numbers making his business tick.

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The

NECESSARY NUMBERS

BY TODD KORTEMEIER

FenderBender© (Print: ISSN 1937-7150), is a registered trademark. FenderBender is published monthly by Endeavor Business Media, LLC 2022, 1233 Janesville Avenue, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Subscription rates per year: $72.00 (payable in US funds). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. We make portions of our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that may be important to your work. If you do not want

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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Jordan Beshears Steve’s Auto Body Sheryl Driggers Universal Collision Greg Lobsiger Loren’s Body Shop

John Magowan Ernie’s Auto Body

Stan Medina Certified Collision Works

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For high-quality reprints or e-prints of articles in this issue call 651.846.9488 or email reprints@fenderbender.com. Opinions expressed in FenderBender are not necessarily those of Endeavor Business Media, and Endeavor Business Media does not accept responsibility for advertising content.

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“The opportunity to read about ways to improve your business from credible owners and manufacturers is priceless.”

—Stan Medina, Owner, Certified Collision Works, Corpus Christi, Texas

CIF FUNDRAISING GALA PRESENTS CHECK TO BRYAN MILLER

IN JULY, FENDERBENDER BROUGHT YOU the story of Bryan Miller, a technician and painter from Ohio who was severely burned in a body shop fire the previous fall. To aid in his ongoing road to recovery, the Collision Industry Foundation presented Miller with a gift at its annual fundraising gala in Pittsburgh on July 20, the organization announced in a press release.

Miller and his fiancé Kassi were in attendance at the gala to personally receive a check for $15,000 from CIF Trustee Jim Ocampo of Axalta Coatings System. About 40 percent of the monetary total was donated to the “Bryan Miller” campaign, and CIF rounded that up to $15,000.

Though Miller’s recovery continues, CIF President Michael Quinn said via the press release that, “This is only the beginning of the industry support. CIF as an organization is dedicated to providing support and relief to collision repair professionals going through times of crisis.”

Visit FenderBender.com/news for daily updates from around the collision repair industry.

GAUGING SUCCESS IN THE AGE OF INFORMATION

In this issue we dive into some numbers at the center of a changing industry

THE EPOCH OF humanity to which we’ve been assigned is the Information Age. It’s not as shiny as the Bronze Age or as illumi nating as the Age of Enlightenment but it’s arguably even more impactful and all-en compassing. Information is simply every where, on demand and available in as much detail as you like. There’s an insidious side to data collection to be discussed another time, but there’s no question data can help us. An entire suite of “smart” devices has been built around helping you meet your fitness goals, optimize your sleep patterns or organize your busy days.

Whatever it is you’re trying to improve, there’s a way to track your performance as you go. The same is true of a collision repair shop. As our 2022 FenderBender Industry Survey confirms, most of you are tracking at least some KPIs. But the survey respons es also reveal fears of analysis by paraly sis, simply too much information and not enough time to evaluate it. In this month’s feature story (p. 48) you’ll read the perspec tives of four different shop owners from around the country. Each has their own vision of what success looks like and how they track it. Just because the information is out there doesn’t mean it’s all relevant to your shop. But hopefully it’ll get you think ing about what to keep close tabs on in your unique situation.

Because information does still come on ink and paper from time to time, you can flip through the rest of this month’s issue to access tips on customer service, such as how and when you should be following up

with customers (p. 89), how to help a frag mented team come into harmony (p. 104) as well as bringing your team on board for long-term company goals (p. 83). Informa tion can be overwhelming, but it’s better than living in the Stone Age. Thanks for reading and for doing what you do to keep this industry on the cutting edge.

TODD KORTEMEIER EDITOR tkortemeier@endeavorb2b.com

ANALYSIS

THE SUCCESSION OF LEADERSHIP

Army veteran Cody Key has developed a dedication to collision repair that has involved earning multiple educational degrees and establishing a path to succession

By HANNA BUBSER

LEADERSHIP ISN’T A SKILL THAT magically develops overnight. It takes dedi cation, cultivation, and a forward-thinking approach. An effective leader may look dif ferent depending on the person and the cir cumstances involved, but one thing is for certain: collision repairers know more than a thing or two about good leadership.

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For Cody Key, the presence of leader ship has been a throughline throughout most of his automotive industry career. Key started working at a Maaco location in Fort Smith, Arkansas, as a shop manager in January 2019. But his leadership skills started developing long before then.

“I spent nearly 10 years in the U.S. Army,” Key says. “My initial job was a bridge crewmember where I built land bridges and floating bridges over water.”

Key went on to become an Army re cruiter for a time, and then finished out his Army term by returning to his bridge crew member job.

“The biggest [skill that I learned] was the discipline to make things happen and not let outside distractions deter you from what you want to do, or what you want your organization to do,” Key says.

He brought those skillsets and the mind set that he learned during his time of service directly into the automotive industry.

“I left the Army in 2010 and went straight into the car business,” Key says. “I worked my way up from a car salesman to a finance insurance manager to finance director to general manager with a few dif ferent dealerships.”

Key went on to do some consulting work for dealerships, and even served as chief operating officer for a gas station group. He had an impressive resume by the time that

group sold. But then came the question of what comes next.

Decide to Do More

Key says that Bill Lytle, a 10-year franchi see with Maaco body shops, noticed Key’s resume on Indeed during this time. Did Key have direct body shop experience? No. But he had a resume that showed ini tiative. Key says that, for Lytle, that was all he needed.

“I didn’t even apply. After the gas station group sold, Bill Lytle called me and asked if I was looking for work,” Key says. “At the time, I wasn’t. But I was also getting a little bored so I thought, ‘Why not?’ [Bill Lytle] said I was already hired before I accepted the position.”

Key’s first role with Lytle was as a shop manager for the Fort Smith, Arkansas, loca tion. Even though he didn’t have any pro fessional body shop experience, the atmo sphere wasn’t foreign to Key.

“I grew up with my dad working in our shop. We didn’t have a commercial shop, it was just our backyard shop,” Key says. “He would buy vehicles, perform the body work, paint them, and resell them for money. I’ve been around it my whole life.”

Pair that experience with a military and automotive background, and Key was able to impress.

“After about three months [Bill Lytle] saw that I was being under-utilized,” Key

says. “From there, I filled a regional manag er role for Oklahoma and Arkansas, which was four shops.”

But Key didn’t stop there. As a regional manager, he helped Lytle’s franchise grow from four locations to seven over the last several years.

“Going into 2020, we all know what hap pened that March when the whole country shut down with COVID-19. But between Bill and I as a team, we continued to grow. We saw double digital growth year over year, even with the pandemic,” Key says. “Even through the Great Resignation, we continue growing. In 2021, we increased our foot print more than 70 percent by acquiring three Tennessee shops.”

For Key, the writing on the wall quickly became clear: he was successful in this busi ness, and Bill Lytle was starting the search for a successor. It was a conversation that be gan rather early in Key’s Maaco career.

“We first started talking about it in mid to late 2020,” Key says in regards to the suc cession plan. “With everything happening, it just wasn’t the right time with COVID and a lot of the shutdowns.”

Seek Greater Understanding

Although the transition didn’t happen right away, the concept of becoming a Maaco franchisee proved to be quite the motivat ing factor for Key.

“I started seeing the potential with Maaco, being an owner, and trying to make myself more marketable,” Key says. “Trying to approach Maaco corporate was kind of the incentive to go into higher education.”

Once the idea got into his head, Key de cided that he wanted to make his higher ed ucation happen. Key says that Lytle was all for it, too. In fact, his support was another huge motivating factor.

“Bill and I were sitting at a hotel one night and he gave me a challenge to try to get my bachelor’s degree before I turned 40,” Key says. “When Bill made it a chal lenge, I took it personal and went for it.”

Fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit and a supportive mentor, Key got his bachelor’s degree at Grantham University in Kansas City, Missouri, which recently reorganized as University of Arkansas-Gratham. Key went on to enroll in a master’s of business administration program there, and at the time of this writing is about two months away from finishing that program.

Franchise owner simply feels like the next logical step for Key, and he is in the midst of making it happen. At the time of this writing, he is in developmental plan ning stages with Maaco corporate to take over the franchise from Lytle. After two years of talking about it happening, it is now finally in motion.

Armed with his impressive academic achievements and a foundation of strong leadership, Key can’t help but reflect on the military background that started his journey.

“It afforded me my first formal educa tion of leadership and how to treat people and how to lead them,” Key says.

Keep Up the Momentum

Key also notes that he has always been able to rely on the constant support of his fam ily throughout this time of professional development as well. Key appreciates the support of his wife Tiffany Key, son Caleb Fleming, and daughters Kaylee Key, Alley Key, Samantha Key and Justice Key.

Key’s dedication to leadership is a per fect example of follow through. As he pre pares to take on his new role as franchisee, the overall impact isn’t lost on him. Not only is he fulfilling a succession plan that he was able to develop with the person who hired him, but he is now equipped with degrees in higher education that will serve him for the rest of his life.

Key isn’t slowing down any time soon, either. He has big plans for the future and taking the Maaco franchise to the next level. Through this succession, the future looks bright.

“In the immediate future, I’d like to start looking at some additional infra structure needs as far as personnel at more of a regional-type position so that I start working for additional unit growth, along with the same sort of sales growth,” Key says. “We have some growth opportu nities in Oklahoma, huge opportunities in Tennessee, and we could potentially even branch out to other states, maybe in a cou ple of years.”

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(% of survey respondents)

WHO TRACKS THE NUMBERS?

A 68% MAJORITY of the respondents to the 2022 FenderBender Industry Survey were shop owners, partners, presidents or someone with full authority over a shop. And there’s a correlation between the people operating shops and experience, as a similar percentage of respondents were aged 50 or older. When asked who at their shop tracks KPIs, the age ranges again showed that it’s likely the operators who are keeping the closest eye on their shop’s metrics.

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LIGHT HITS

UNIVERSITY OF THE AFTERMARKET FOUNDATION AWARDS $730K IN SCHOLARSHIPS

The University of the Aftermarket Foundation has announced that the scholarships it has awarded for the 2022–23 school year have set a record.

According to a press release, a total of 461 scholarships have been awarded to students throughout the country. The record-setting monetary total of these scholarships is $731,350.

The individuals that received these scholarships are set to attend twoyear or four-year colleges, universities or accredited automotive vocational programs. These students can study a variety of fields with an automotive mindset, ranging from mechanical or collision repair to business and engineering with an aftermarket-focused intention.

“We are very proud of the growth of the UAF scholarship program,” said Bob Egan, MAAP, chairman, University of the Aftermarket Foundation via the press release. “This year marks the most scholarship funds awarded by UAF and its collaborating partners in the foundation’s history.”

DEAN FISHER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Driven Brands collision president Dean Fisher has announced his retirement.

According to a press release, Fisher plans to lead the collision team until the end of the year. He will remain as a consultant for Driven Brands until the summer of 2023.

Fisher has owned several automotiverelated companies for more than 35 years. Part of his career involved becoming a CARSTAR franchisee in 1990. Eventually, he joined the CARSTAR corporate team and continued his journey from there.

“While I’ve spent 50 years in the collision repair industry and had countless pivotal moments through my career, I still remember the day I started my journey with the Driven Brands family as VP of operations for CARSTAR U.S.,” said Fisher, via the press release. “I walked through those doors and quickly realized that the most powerful thing I

could do was to look, listen, and learn from the people around me. This became my mantra as I continued my career.”

Chris Dawson has been promoted to president of paint and collision at Driven Brands. Dawson has a history of leadership with Driven Brands, including his role in launching the Take 5 Oil Change franchise program in 2017 and leading Maaco to its most successful year ever in 2021.

“While it’s been an incredibly rewarding journey, now is the right time for me to enter retirement,” Fisher continued in the press release. “The business has never been stronger, powered by our healthy franchise system and industry-leading partnerships. I know I will be leaving the business in Chris Dawson’s very capable hands.”

BILL BROWER JOINS CIECA BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Bill Brower has joined CIECA’s Board of Trustees.

According to a press release, Brower is the vice president of industry relations for Solera. He has over 35 years of professional experience with companies that include Solera, Nationwide Insurance, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

Brower has also recently joined the CIECA AI Committee, which is newly formed. He has prior experience serving on boards for I-CAR, CAPA, and Canadabased Simplicity Car Care Advisory Board. He has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Franklin University and an MBA from Shorter University.

“We are in a time of rapid change across the ecosystem of insurance claims and auto repair driven by customers’ desire for simple and effective digital service options,” said Brower. “CIECA plays a vital role in powering this accelerated level of digital interactions across the numerous stakeholders in the claims and repair process with consistent standards for sharing data. I am thrilled and honored to join the CIECA Board of Trustees.”

Brower’s appointment was

effective immediately at the time of its announcement in late August.

SEMA OPENS NEW GARAGE IN MICHIGAN

SEMA has announced a new facility that will feature an ADAS technology center.

According to Detroit Business, the new SEMA Garage will be 45,000 square feet. It will be located in Plymouth Township, Michigan, and will house a first-of-its-kind ADAS testing and research center.

Additionally, the facility will have an installation center. It will eventually expand to also include a four-wheel chassis dyno lab and a dyno lab that can test diesel and gasoline tailpipe emissions.

The facility has OEM measuring sessions, advanced tools and equipment, scanning services, a CARBrecognized emissions lab, and a training center for members to utilize.

Sitting at three times the size of a similar SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California, the new facility will dedicate 5,000 square feet exclusively to ADAS research.

The ADAS space will allow manufacturers to work on testing, research, the calibration of on-board ADAS systems and more.

CLASSIC COLLISION ANNOUNCES NEW FLORIDA ACQUISITION

Classic Collision, LLC, announced a new acquisition in Florida in August.

According to a press release, Classic Collision acquired East Coast Collision in Boynton Beach, Florida. East Coast Collision has been family owned and operated for 25 years. The acquisition of this auto body shop brings the Classic Collision total to 30 shops across the state of Florida.

“We are pleased to welcome the entire East Coast Collision team to the Classic Family. Their efficient and thoroughly trained staff has extensive experience with all types of vehicles, and we are confident they will be a great fit in our Miami market,” said Toan Nguyen, CEO of Classic Collision, via the press release.

As of the acquisition, Classic Collision had 191 facilities across 15 states.

ASE EDUCATION FOUNDATION AWARDS

MICHAEL BUSCH MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS

The ASE Education Foundation has announced the recipients of the Michael Busch Memorial Scholarships.

According to a press release, this year’s recipients are Ashton Peterson of Wishek, North Dakota, and Daniel Zielinski of Addison, Illinois. The Michael Busch Memorial Scholarships are in memory of the son of Jim Busch. Jim is an ASE board member and former collision shop owner. His son Michael was an automotive technology student who passed away from cancer.

Two collision students are selected each year to receive the scholarships, which are presented through the University of the Aftermarket Foundation.

memory,” said Jim Busch via the press release. “Ashton and Daniel are welldeserving of this recognition, and we wish them well as they continue their educations. Awarding the Michael Busch Scholarships is a very meaningful way for us to remember Michael by helping to provide support for the next generation of students who are pursuing careers in the collision industry.”

WISCONSIN SHOP CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

A Wisconsin auto body shop celebrated 50 years in business in August.

According to the Ozaukee Press, Kaliber Collision Repair in Port Washington, Wisconsin, was opened as Calibre Auto Body by Jon Reno in 1972.

Reno’s nephew Bill Krzyzanek began working at the shop at age 15.

business of painting motorcycle parts. He took over the painting side, and Krzyzanek managed the body shop. In 1990, Reno got out of the auto body side of the business entirely, so Krzyzanek took over the shop and renamed it Kaliber Collision Repair.

Throughout the years, the shop has built up a customer base and trusted workforce. Krzyzanek is even starting to teach the trade to his 14-year-old grandson. But Krzyzanek doesn’t have plans to retire anytime soon.

“It’s my hobby. I fix cars,” Krzyzanek said in the article. “I still am enthusiastic about it. Sometimes I’m sweeping floors and sometimes I’m putting a bumper on a car.”

Kaliber Collision Repair invited the Port Washington community to its golden anniversary with an open house

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IOWA BODY SHOP OPENS BAY FOR BODY WORK FOLLOWING STORM

A shop in Iowa that usually specializes in mechanical repair switched gears after a summer hail storm overwhelmed the community with damage.

According to WHO 13 news, drivers in West Des Moines found themselves in desperate need of hail damage repairs on their vehicles following an impactful round of storms that hit the area. Body shops were all getting booked up with repairs.

Valley West Corner Store stepped up to the challenge by opening up a service bay for body work purposes. The goal was simply to help people get the work done that they need completed sooner rather than later.

“Repair shops, they’re inundated, backed up. So what we’re doing is opening up a bay here and also the

car wash and we’re going to allow a company to come in and allow them to do the work out of here to hopefully get people in and out for their car repair.

I know some repair shops have been quoting November or later,” said shop owner Chad Staudenmaier to WHO 13.

JIM LEDERER’S BODY SHOP CARRIES ON FAMILY TRADITION

Jim Lederer’s Body Shop has been a family business in Ohio for three generations.

According to the Telegraph Forum, Jeremy Lederer carries on the tradition that has been 44 years running. Jeremy is the son of Jim Lederer, and the grandson of Chuck Lederer.

Chuck operated Chuck’s Body Shop. When Chuck passed away in 1970, his son Jim wasn’t completely sold on

owning and operating a shop all on his own.

But in 1978 after much consideration and hard work, Jim purchased the building that now houses Jim Lederer’s Body Shop in Bucyrus, Ohio.

Jeremy started working there in 2002. He threw himself into the work, and even helped bring updated technology into the shop.

The Telegraph Forum reported that, although the shop has had over 20 employees, it is now run by just father and son.

Jeremy has his hands in the majority of the business at this point from estimates to customer relations. Soon enough, he’ll manage the entire shop on his own with his father Jim helping out when he can.

For Jim Lederer’s Body Shop, it’s truly all about carrying on the family tradition.

B y TODD KORTEMEIER

Photos by CREATIVE REVOLVER

1. PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY

The techs at Jamie White’s four CARSTAR shops in northern Georgia are always busy. But there’s one assembly job that they’ll always make time for: wrenching on bicycles raffled off to local school children who record perfect attendance. For the Ringgold shop, located inside a building that’s been in the community for a century, giving back is simply part of being a local landmark.

“It’s really paying itself forward, everybody just, you support their kids, they’re going to come right back to you,” says owner Jamie White.

2. HISTORY IN PLACE

Kids of every generation know the building, owing to its long history in the area in the small community of Ringgold, a short hop across the border from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The building opened in the 1920s as a service station, then later became a Chevrolet dealership. When the downtown location came up for sale in 2019, White jumped on it.

“When I saw the [for sale] sign I really jumped before I was ready but I committed and I went through it and it just catches a lot of eyes, a lot of attention,” said White, who bought his first shop in 2015. “It still looks the same, I didn’t change anything other than put a small sign probably about four-foot wide, that’s it.”

3. HOMETOWN PROUD

3The shop still retains much of its original character, with just a “CARSTAR of Ringgold” sign on its awning indicating its new identity. White has kept the shop as original as possible and plans to keep it that way.

“It’ll stay small,” White says. “I don’t want to take away from it. Currently we are really only doing the body work process there, because I don’t want to change it to have to add a paint booth so we move our paint to another location of mine. It would be heartbreaking to take it away from just the nostalgia.”

But that doesn’t mean the shop hasn’t seen any changes. The interior is decorated with vintage automotive signs recycled from historic shops in Ringgold. And one member of the team is always on the lookout for more.

“My wife, when she’s got anything that’s antique as far as car-wise, she’ll pick it up and we’ve got it around there, as far as decorations,” White says. “So it just looks old, that’s the only way to put it.”

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Basic Body Shop Finance

Getting a grip on your shop by the numbers

Finance was definitely my Achilles’ heel in owning shops. After selling my shops last year I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on what I would do differently. Getting a stronger understanding of business finance in general and a better grasp on my financials would likely be in the top three.

Here are a few things that I learned the hard way.

From my grandpa, I learned the old adage: “If you aim at nothing, you will certainly hit it.” For many years I was flying blind. I had no idea what I was even aiming for. Instead, I would just land a repair, do the work, deliver it and hope for the best. Then I would pay my bills as they came in. Often there was more month than money. I thought I could fix that with more sales. Turns out if you have holes in your pockets no matter how much money you put in there it will just keep falling out! Growing sales was not the answer. The answer was in some advice my dad kept trying to teach me.

Dad told me over and over, “It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep!” I was making money. It just wasn’t sticking around for long! In the process of trying to fix everything with sales, I learned a lot about how to make money. Keeping money was ac tually much harder to master.

What eventually tied it all together was hav ing a scorecard that I held myself and my team accountable to. It’s those KPIs—key performance indicators—that we hear so much about. At first, it seemed all so confusing. Which numbers were important? There was so much data coming at me from my accountant, from our estimating soft ware, from insurance and rental car companies. I had to simplify it and get down to just a handful of measurables. At first, we had a weekly leader ship meeting and our scorecard had 12 items on it. Eventually we landed on just a few that we mea sured weekly and a few that we measured monthly. Once you start working on it you’ll likely find as we did that less is more. Having a handful of measures is not only easier, it’s better and creates more cohe sion and a focus for you and your team.

Another simple tool is job costing. I learned to go into any RO and quickly audit it by checking what money was coming in on a job (the revenue) and what was going out (labor, parts, paint, sub let, materials). Most estimating software has this built-in now. For a while, I did it manually with a cover sheet I put on each job. Eventually, with man agement software layered on top of the estimat

ing software, it became a point-and-click report. I am grateful though that I learned it manually as it forced me to understand job costing in a deeper way. And something that a manager taught me was that job costing was like a mini profit and loss statement on each job. That meant that our month ly profit and loss statement from our bookkeeping software was basically all those jobs rolled up into a month.

One thing that job costing did not account for though was the fixed costs. So let’s look a bit deep er at the profit and loss statement. Profit and loss statements have three main components.

1. Revenue, i.e. sales, all the money that comes in.

2. Expenses, both fixed expenses you would have whether you fix one car or not (e.g. mortgage, electricity, insurance, etc.), and variable costs (like labor on a job, paint, parts, sublet, etc.).

3. Profit or loss, taking your income and subtract ing your expenses.

I’m keenly aware that this is a major simplifi cation and most owners and managers will have a handle on this. However, I wish someone had “dumbed it down” for me in my first few years and then added all the nuance later after I had a strong grasp on the basics. If you do already have a handle on this, perhaps this will be helpful to someone you are training or who is just starting out. Later they can learn all the nuances of net operating in come, EBITDA, and net profit. But at its most basic a P&L is simply Revenue - Expenses = Profit.

I’ll close with a simple checklist of things to be on top of that will help you steer your shop toward clarity and profitability:

• Do you review a monthly P&L and balance sheet?

• Do you have a handful of KPIs that you and your team are clear on and accountable to?

• Do you operate from a budget?

• Are your reports accurate and timely?

• Are you keeping up with your taxes and have a strategy to minimize your tax burden?

If you have a handle on all the above you will be able to pinpoint opportunities to reduce expenses and increase profitability. And if you’re like me, I hope you learn much faster than I did that, “It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep.” Thanks dad.

KEVIN RAINS

After 18 years in the industry, Kevin Rains sold his network of shops. He now coaches body shop owners and leaders and is the author of the upcoming book Launch to Legacy: The Small Business Roadmap to Success and Significance. You can reach Kevin at kevinrains@gmail.com

EMAIL: kevinrains@gmail.com

ARCHIVE: fenderbender.com/rains

MEASURING PERFORMANCE

By TODD KORTEMEIER

THE WORLD OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS is such that you can’t so much as turn on a baseball game anymore without being inundated with numbers. Fans and sports executives alike have access to more information than ever, helping predict the outcome of the next at-bat or finding the next superstar.

Shop owners all across the country are diving into the numbers to increase their performance as well, though it can be tougher than ever to make sense of the numbers.

“You can have a parking lot full of cars, but it doesn’t mean you’re making the money you would normally make on a certain gross sale,” says Joel Ozbun of Linear Automotive in Plano, Texas. “So everything has dwindled, cost of doing business has gone up dramatically, everything from the company that empties your dumpster has gone up in price, there’s nothing that hasn’t gone up in price at least 20 or 25 percent, minimum. So your cost of doing business has changed dramatically as well.”

The rising cost of doing business is one of the top concerns for the future among the 506 respondents of the 2022 FenderBender Industry Survey. Eleven percent of respondents cited it as the single biggest concern, one among a wide spectrum of answers illustrating how many challenges shops face today. FenderBender talked to four shop owners from around the nation who use numbers like those found throughout the Industry Survey to stay on track, identify trouble sources and, ideally, keep their shops growing into the future.

A look at how four shop owners keep their eyes on success in a challenging industry

Year Over Year

Ernie’s Auto Body owner John Magowan tracks numbers at regular intervals to compare timeframes.

Ernie’s Auto Body, in many ways, is a per fectly representative shop according to the metrics of our Industry Survey. The Hay ward, Wisconsin, shop is located in the Midwest, where 32% of survey respondents work. It has a staff of more than 11, like 38% of surveyed shops. And its $3 million in rev enue is right in line with a majority of what other shops reported.

76% of respondents reported tracking KPIs.

“Quarterly, I’ll do comparisons with similar quarters from the prior year when I’m looking at overheard items,” Magowan says. “I am a real stickler on numbers, mak ing sure that everything goes into their same categories in our accounting, and that way I have real comparisons from year to year.”

Owner John Magowan also falls right in line with the typical owner who took the survey. He’s in the average age range of 50 to 59 and took over his shop between the ages of 20 and 29. Additionally, he has more than three decades of experience in the industry. Magowan calls himself a “real stickler on numbers,” and has several KPIs that he tracks, as most survey respondents report doing. While Magowan has just one shop in Western Wisconsin, he’s partnered with other area shops to join forces and take a deeper dive into the numbers to ben efit everybody.

“I, along with a few other partners, started a company several years ago called Key Choice Collision Centers,” says Ma gowan, 52. “We are a group of body shops that basically [are] a lending organiza tion. So we do all of our training together, whether it would be administrative all the way down to a detailer. So we can compare numbers on all kinds of things, so it’s kind of similar to a 20 Group only much bigger than that.”

The group looks at the finer details, es pecially materials costs as the shops share things like a paint line. The shops that are performing well in certain metrics, say, ounces of primer sprayed per refinish hour, maybe have found an efficiency that other shops haven’t yet. The data also allows the shops to make comparisons, like dealership locations tending to spray more primer be cause they also tend to repair more and re place less.

Overall, anything that’s a job-costing number is of primary interest to Ma gowan. Parts, labor and materials are all huge, and all also happen to cost more than ever. Magowan does comparisons to see where costs are in relation to the pre vious year, reviewing numbers weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually.

Issues in parts sourcing was among the top three concerns for survey takers, and Ernie’s Auto Body certainly has been dealing with those challenges as well. Ma gowan’s shop is a little more stressed than most however, owing to its somewhat re mote location. That means an inherent in crease in cycle time, about which the shop can do little.

“It even can be a little more difficult for me because parts are at a minimum next day for me,” Magowan says. “So we don’t ever get parts same-day, even if we can get them. Everybody’s feeling that pain, we just have to tack another day onto it if we’re going to have some sort of a delay.”

32%

of survey respondents said they do not have a succession plan in place, with 60% of them saying they have no imminent plans to retire.

Like a majority of survey respondents, Magowan doesn’t have a firm succession plan in place for his business. But he also doesn’t have any plans to retire in the near future. While most respondents reported themselves having inherited their business from a family member, Magowan doesn’t expect that to be the case with his fam ily, and that would be the biggest stumbling block in finishing a succession plan.

“I have children, but none that are in the industry or interested in taking over the business,” Magowan says. “So it would mean that I would need to find somebody to purchase, and that plan is in place. However, I need the person.”

LINEAR

STAFF

14

9,000

$2.7 MILLION

THE TOP KPIs OWNERS TRACK

1. Average repair order

2. Key-to-key cycle time

3. Gross profit margin

4. Average touch time per day

5. Customer satisfaction index

Like Magowan, Linear Automotive owner Joel Ozbun describes himself as a big numbers guy. He tracks KPIs “monthly, quarterly, week ly, daily.” But as mentioned above, it’s getting harder and harder to interpret KPIs without a caveat. And you can find one for nearly every one of them, including key-to-key cycle time, which was the KPI tracked the second most, according to the Industry Survey.

“Throwing the supply chain into the equation and you can’t even watch your business based on cycle time anymore,” says Ozbun, 60. “What used to be an eight- to 10day repair has, with insurance delays and how they’re operating these days and supply chain problems, that 10-day average repair has turned into a 30-day average repair by the time you get on the back end of it. So I’ve kind of quit watching that number.”

The No. 3 KPI owners track, to the tune of 93 percent, is gross profit margin, and Oz bun keeps a close eye on that one as well. But that number doesn’t mean what it did even a few short years ago. And that ties back into all the other factors. Ozbun says that as labor cost and part sales numbers go up the gross profit has naturally gone down.

“Used to [be] you could factor your la bor, your gross labor sales and your gross parts sales and you’d probably be some where in the 30, 32, 35 percent range, say four years ago,” Ozbun says. “For parts and the balance in labor now, it hovers more in a 45 to 55 mark. We’ve still held a pretty good parts profit margin but labor’s a little different now.”

Like 34 percent of survey respondents, Ozbun does not operate on any DRPs. And he never has in his 40 years in collision repair. Dealing with insurance companies continues to be a pain point among opera tors, with 14 percent of survey takers cit ing the influence of insurers on the repair process to be their biggest concern about the industry. For Ozbun, their influence on labor rates is particularly noticeable. What insurers expect lags $12 to $15 behind, per Ozbun’s calculations.

A MAJORITY 38%

of respondents said they have 1-3 DRPs, followed by 35 percent who reported having none.

“That’s an imaginary world that some how nobody seems to be able to show the proof of where they come up with that,” Oz bun says. “That prevailing labor rate, that elusive number that they come up with. The industry, the insurance company’s gonna have to step up to the plate, you’ve got a cou ple of ‘em that are starting to push labor and material rates up there. But 90 percent of them are still where they’re operating now at what our posted rates were five, six, seven, eight years ago.”

Ozbun has seen numerous changes to the industry over his four decades in busi ness after buying his first shop at the age of 28. That was right in the range in which most shop owners bought their first shop, but Ozbun came to the industry as an owner first without being a technician. He’s worked at dealerships, independents and chains and has owned Linear for 10 years. Continuity and staff in leadership are im portant as he looks to share his knowledge with his team.

“I’m still 60 years old, so I still got a lot of fight left in me and I’ve got a good staff that understands all of it,” Ozbun says. “A major ity of everybody here that I have has been with me for I think, probably my low end in management is eight years. So, they grew up in my world and how I see things and how I teach them.”

Ozbun reports that prior to the pandem ic, the shop was on a continual upward trend in sales year over year. So 2019 has now be come the benchmark, with the data from 2020 and 2021 being somewhat skewed with the effects of the pandemic. Keeping staff focused on short term successes and doing their best each week has kept everyone mov ing forward.

“Every day you come to work these days and you wake up in the morning it’s like, ‘What challenge am I going to have to over come today’ that you wouldn’t normally have to worry about,” Ozbun says. “You get thrown a lot of curveballs; you just have to learn how to swing your bat and keep swinging it. And hopefully you hit it.”

Context Matters Linear Automotive owner Joel Ozbun (left) tracks KPIs with the knowledge the numbers don’t always tell the full story.

82%

of survey respondents said they use some kind of social media platform.

Jim Dubrowsky Jr. is in his 36th year in collision repair, still at the first shop he ever bought and the first one he ever worked in. Dubrowsky came to the body shop business after a career as an accountant. Talk about a guy who knows the importance of numbers.

“Kind of how I got into it is that the [shop I own now] was one of my clients,” Dubrowsky said. “And [previous owner] had a nice busi ness and he didn’t pay his sales tax and didn’t pay his bills so a mechanic in there and I got together and were like, ‘All right, let’s open this up.’ And I kind of had an in terest in cars and I’m always good at taking things apart and putting them together and figuring things out, so I figured it out.”

The shop, Village Auto Body in Hamp ton Bays, New York, now has nine employ ees and is firmly entrenched in the com munity, one that Dubrowsky and his wife specifically selected for where they wanted to start their own business. Village Auto Body has a presence on Facebook—by far

the top social media platform that respon dents said they utilized the most—but Du browsky also cited the shop’s reputation and other community involvement as most important to their marketing efforts.

“We’re always involved in local spon sorships and charities and activities, doing things to get our name out in the local com munity,” Dubrowsky said. “And along with longevity comes good reputation, and we still battle the steering and the insurance compa nies steering and directing thing all the time. I gotta laugh when my customers come in and tell us, ‘Hey we called our insurance company and they want us to go to their shop which is two towns away, we told ‘em, absolutely not, we’re going to our own shop. It’s our choice.’”

Community reputation can be the ul timate barometer. Dubrowsky cited the familiar ratio of the speed with which bad news travels fast with poor customer ser vice experience. One person telling 10 peo ple about a bad experience can be ruinous

The Numbers Guy Village Auto Body owner Jim Dubrowsky Jr. utilizes his accounting background in running his shop.

to a shop, Dubrowsky said, especially in a town the size of Hampton Bays.

In terms of other methods of getting customers in the door, Village Auto Body used to operate on DRPs but doesn’t any longer. The shop falls into the majority 47% of survey respondents who hold no OEM certifications with no plans to acquire any. The return on investment just isn’t there, Dubrowsky says, echoing the reasoning of many other responses on the survey.

“I look at the market like what the locals around us drive and they’re all over the place,” Dubrowsky says. “Not everybody drives an Audi or a BMW, they still drive Chevys and Dodges, too. We saw no cost benefit in becom ing specifically certified as of right now.”

Return on investment is a number Du browsky watches closely; as an accountant, it ultimately comes down to the bottom line. He knows not to go invest in that $150,000 tow truck without a clear picture of how it’s going to increase revenue. One number that Du browsky will not compromise on is labor rate, despite the escalating challenges. Labor rates were the second-biggest concern among sur vey respondents, cited by 22 percent of people.

“One of the other challenges that popped up after COVID and the labor shortage is pay rates all went up, went sky high,” Dubrowsky said. “And we had to increase our shop rate to make sure our employees are paid fairly— and well, not fairly, better than fairly, make sure our employees are paid well—so that they can all live a good life and come in and work hard for us, know they’re appreciated.”

While Dubrowsky is beginning to think about life after running his shop, he’s still plenty engaged in making sure the shop’s long-term future is secure. Dubrowsky says they continually invest in training, as most survey respondents do, as well as in tech nology. That’s an example of a return on investment that Dubrowsky knows will pay off down the line as cars only get more ad vanced and more involved.

“The shop keeps up fine,” Dubrowsky said. “We spend a good deal of time in train ing, we spend a good deal of time and spend a good deal of money in the last 10 years in upgrading all my shop equipment. So I got out of the old unibody car equipment and now we’re pulled up and configured for ev erything modern that comes through the shop, technology-wise and everything. So it required kind of a substantial investment and substantial training.”

Among all the concerns respondents cited in the Industry Survey, No. 1 by a good margin was the belief that there is a lack of qualified technicians in the labor force, held by 34% of the responses. Shops have had to search high and low to find quality techs over the past year. For Montana own er Ted Culbertson, it’s retaining his exist ing quality staff that has helped his shop maintain its level of success.

Culbertson is one of those long-time colli sion repair professionals, starting in the busi ness when he was 16. Though in his case he took some years off in the late 2000s to join a professional motorbike jumping tour. The 46-year-old now owns and operates Top Gun Auto Body in Helena. The Montana native be lieves his shop’s position in the community is a responsibility, which has included pro grams like “Heroes for Helena” in which the shop picks a non-profit organization to assist.

“People pay attention when you help the

Team Building Top Gun Auto Body owner Ted Culbertson counts on the team he’s assembled for his shop’s continued success.

community, they’ll help you,” Culbertson says. “It’s been the best thing that I’ve done. And ultimately too teaching my staff, put ting your best foot forward and it feels good, right? It’s a good thing for my staff with the culture to be a part of so it’s been a really powerful impact for me, my shop, and then the community as well.”

The topic of culture comes up repeat edly with Culbertson as he believes it’s part and parcel with benefitting employees and customers alike. “I’ve always ran with, you can’t have happy customers without happy workers,” he says, and he cultivates a family-like atmosphere at his shop. That

means activities like renting out a theater for employees and their families to see the new “Top Gun” film—it’s in the name of the shop after all. And it’s events like “Heroes for Helena” in which all employees have a say in selecting that year’s charity.

Promoting that culture is what allows the shop to hold onto its talented techs and not have to worry as much about recruiting.

“I get the business model is always to steal [an employee],” Culbertson says. “Well I’ve never really believed in stealing fish from another man’s pond, so I just grew technicians and I’m telling you it’s been great. A lot of the new stuff with the tech

nical, I guess electronics and stuff on these cars, I mean they get it. They understand it. That’s the world they’re living. And your staff, they’re not going to time out on me anytime soon.”

Only 19 percent of respondents said they use some kind of consultant or busi ness coach, and Culbertson is one of them. He utilizes a consultant who comes in once per quarter to identify issues that may get lost in the day-to-day running of the shop. Culbertson also invests in training that can be valuable in a number of ways.

“A lot of the training, I like to partner with the OEs, so any of that sort of train ing has always been really good to get with the guys,” Culbertson said. “So there’s no doubt, any training, a lot of the association meetings I bring my management staff. Sometimes it’s not even always necessar ily about what they learn but it’s a breath of fresh air visiting with other people, gets you a restart too.”

As for numbers, Culbertson consid ers the profit-and-loss statement to be “the bible.” He reviews weekly and monthly re ports in CCC to monitor the bottom line. But even that relates back to people and filling out a management team that is empowered to track success as much as the owner.

“I’m pretty good about my management structure here, and each department has to bring me a sheet they have to fill out at day end,” Culbertson said. “Every department as far as parts, admin sales, painters, one of my lead body techs, so I think that’s been a really good thing for them to come in at night end. … That’s been very successful for me and the guys like it, just a recap at the end of the day.”

In a constantly shifting industry, Culb ertson likes the constant need to innovate and never be idle—maybe owing to his mo torcycle-riding background. But in the end all the numbers are a result of the team you employ and how you manage them. That’s something that all Industry Survey respon dents can agree to, and something Culbert son feels won’t change.

“Definitely being proactive with your technicians and growing some that are re active is a really good thing to do,” Culbert son said. “It’s a great trade, there’s no doubt, and it’s fairly recession proof. The recession hits, people are still getting into wrecks and that sort of thing. Amazon hasn’t figured out how to fix cars yet.”

A Maverick Approach Team building at Top Gun includes an outing for employees and their families to see the film sequel bearing the shop’s name.

MASTERING THE MODERN VEHICLE IS AS EASY AS ASTECH

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FENDERBENDER’S

SEMA SHOW PREVIEW

After a successful return in 2021, SEMA is back and bigger than ever! With a 30% increase in exhibit space and a 35% increase in companies exhibiting, this year is set up to be the best show yet. Thousands of vendors, collision repair shop owners, technicians, and car fanatics alike will migrate to the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 1-4 to attend the Special Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show.

SEMA is back to provide small business owners across the country (and the globe) resources, technology, and connections to help them grow and succeed. Shop owners have the opportunity to network, create connections with vendors, and get a first look at the cutting-edge technology taking over the industry.

The 2022 SEMA Show floor is massive, so FenderBender is here to help guide you through this year’s highlights. The 2022 SEMA Preview will provide you with everything you need to know to make the most out of your visit, from a bird’s eye view of the shop floor to highlighting available seminars and featured vendors. All show information is subject to change, please visit semashow.com for all updates and information.

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Solidus 3-Gun Pulse MiG

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FENDERBENDER HAS YOU COVERED

Follow us at the SEMA Show

Can’t make it to SEMA this year, or want to be in too many places at once during the show? In order to give everyone an opportunity to see what is going on, FenderBender will cover the SEMA Show all week long. The coverage will include news items throughout the week, product releases, award winners, event information, and other SEMA happenings. For a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to attend the show, follow FenderBender’s website, app, and social media accounts.

SEND US YOUR COVERAGE

At the show and snapped a great picture

a video

@FenderBenderMag

The top stop for almost every bit of coverage throughout the week. Like and follow “FenderBenderMag” on Facebook for live streams with industry celebrities and experts, daily photo albums, quick videos of product demos and events, and news.

@FenderBenderMag

Photos from the week will be posted on this image-driven platform during the show. Live stories will also be updated throughout each day for a behind-the-scenes look at everything SEMA.

@FenderBenderMag

Stay updated with quick tweets, links to relevant news stories, photos, and short videos during the week. Twitter is the best place to interact with the FenderBender coverage team with questions, suggestions, and submissions.

FenderBender To Go

For immediate push notifications of news from the conference and for an easier and more mobile-friendly way to view FenderBender.com, download the FB To Go app and stay updated in real-time.

SEMA 2022

Everything you need to know about what makes the 2022 SEMA Show stand apart

Following a huge success in 2021, SEMA is back! What makes this year unique? What will you gain from the 2022 show? Why is it worth the trip?

FenderBender sat down with Tom Gattuso, SEMA Vice President of Events, to answer these questions and more to find out why the 2022 SEMA Show is one you won’t want to miss.

FenderBender: What makes the 2022 SEMA Show stand apart from past shows?

Tom Gattuso: Last year was a pivotal year. It was the first SEMA Show in two years since the shutdown occurred with COVID. There was a lot of pent-up demand to reconnect in person.

Manufacturers had two years’ worth of innovation to share, and buyers were anxious to see what new products were available to fill their shelves and inventories. The result was the largest attended trade show in North America in 2021.

We are building upon that momentum, and this year the SEMA Show is on pace to include 30% more exhibit space, and more than 35% more unique companies exhibiting. So that’s all positive, and it’s going to result in more new products, more innovation, more trends, more networking, and really going to set us on a path for continuing to lead the industry in the next years to come.

FB: What networking events or entertainment is happening this year at the show?

Gattuso: We have a lot of different opportunities for networking and education. They range from education classes that start Monday, October 31, and then run through the rest of the week. Our SEMA Show Kickoff Breakfast happens just prior to the Show opening on Tuesday, November 1. [We have] a great keynote presentation by Kevin Hart and the Muscle Car Crew, where they will talk about the industry and their passion for finding trends and building vehicles. [There are] networking opportunities where you can meet with people in the Future Leaders Network or the Hot Rod Industry Alliance Council. We have nine total networks/councils that are doing some really dynamic things at the show – each one will have some kind of networking event so you can get involved in the industry. We host a SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet on Thursday night that will

TOM GATTUSO

SEMA Vice President of Events

have a completely new look and feel; here, we’re also going to make a major announcement of what the future of the SEMA Show is going to look like. On Friday morning, Emmitt Smith, a new NASCAR team partner, will speak about what it takes to get a NASCAR team on the track. From a networking perspective, it’s probably one of the most diverse programs that we’ve had in several years. We’re excited to present it to the industry because, in some cases, people haven’t been to the show in three years. While we had a great show in 2021, this year we’re noticing that we’re going to have even more support. We’re looking forward to showcasing all the stuff that’s new and all the networking events to this audience.

FB: What elements of the show are you most excited about?

Gattuso: I’m really excited to watch the interaction and the connections that get made on the Show floor, between parts manufacturers or parts suppliers and the companies that buy those parts and then sell them to end users. I always like walking through the Show, and just watching the energy that’s created by these conversations and connections. If there was a feature or something specific that I was really looking forward to, I would say that we have a lot of new support from areas of the show that are being reinvented. We have a partner that will be bringing some new energy and excitement to the drifting activities out front. I’m excited to see it come to life. While we’re not quite ready to share specifics just yet, I can assure you that it is going to be spectacular. All the vehicles that we have [along with] the feature exhibit space from Pennzoil and other companies are going to surround that main feature area and let our industry know that the SEMA Show and our

specialty equipment industry is healthy and supporting this great event.

FB: What unique benefits will collision repair shop owners take away from the SEMA show this year? Gattuso: The Show will be great for collision repair shop owners because we have some specific education programming that’s designed to help them in their career and with their business. Some of that education is going to be administered and sponsored by SCRS and I-CAR, but even further than that, we have a collision repair stage that will be a main feature in Upper South Hall.

This year, an electric vehicle that’s been in a collision will be displayed, and an expert on hand will share what exactly is involved in fixing an electric vehicle from the collision repair side, and what safety precautions need to happen.

We’re also doing a great feature that’s centered around ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems); this is the main feature of our SEMA Garage in Detroit. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about recalibrating vehicles but will also explain how to set up your shop for success with ADAS in the future.

This year we have a new industry artist, Chip Foose, and we asked him, in a series of drawings, to depict what the SEMA Show means to him and each of the senior service sections. He’s drawn two vehicles at the point of a collision, as only he could, so even the artwork at the Show this year is specifically catered to the collision repair industry. As people come to the Show, we want to be able to reflect the industry back to them and have them feel like they’re part of a greater good, and we’re excited to be able to present that. We can’t wait to showcase it in November.

BECOME A BETTER LEADER

We could all benefit from building our leadership skills. This year at SEMA, continue your self-discovery and work on you.

Presented by Dale Carnegie Training, the seminars below are designed to build leadership skills and help owners and operators better manage challenges that come with running a business Register early for a discounted rate.

Communicate With Diplomacy and Tact

Tuesday, November 1 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Cultural Awareness Tuesday, November 1 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Delegate to Achieve Results

Wednesday, November 2

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Leading Strong Teams

Wednesday, November 2 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Managing Stress

Thursday, November 3 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Conflict: Maintaining Emotional Control

Thursday, November 3 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

LEADERSHIP SEMINARS

THE NEW PRODUCTS SHOWCASE

Visit the New Products Showcase to discover thousands of the latest exhibitor products displayed in one location in the Upper South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Use the SEMA Show mobile app’s “Product Scanner” feature to scan and download product photos and exhibitor information that will remain on your SEMA Show app long after the 2022 show has ended.

HOW IT WORKS

Browse Products

Take a look around the showcase to view products you have heard of but never seen, and discover products new to you.

Scan Products

Either scan products using the SEMA Show’s app or a provided scanner to acquire information.

Capture Product Information

Access production descriptions, images and exhibitor booth numbers through the app or through printouts.

For more information on what exhibitors and products will be showcased, visit semashow.com

Educational Sessions

WEDNESDAY —

SCRS REPAIRER DRIVER EDUCATION

I-CAR COLLISION REPAIR TRAINING

THURSDAY — 11/3

FRIDAY — 11/4

AM–12:00

9:30 AM–11:30

9:30 AM–11:30

9:30 AM–11:30

The

12:30–2:30

12:30–2:30

Wasting

3:00–5:00

3:00–5:00

AM–12:00

10:30 AM–12:30

Further Opportunities to Grow

The SEMA Show holds many other educational sessions. Below are some other tracks of seminars available during the week. Further information on the sessions within the tracks can be found on the SEMA Show website.

Aftermarket Updates and Future Trends

1-800 Radiator & AC

Contact Brian Kelly 843-424-6687 briank@1800radiator.com

for suite information

1800radiator.com

1-800 Radiator & A/C is the largest independent parts distributor in North America, guaranteeing quality parts to professional technicians and wholesale customers since the late 1980s. Today, as part of the Driven Brands family, we are a leading supplier of A/C, commercial vehicle cooling parts, emissions, fan assemblies, radiators, and more. We offer coast-to-coast coverage with over 200 locations, with 90% in-stock rates for 90% of passenger and commercial vehicles on the road! Our team understands that fast, free delivery and excellent customer service are critical to forging strong relationships. Therefore, we offer standard delivery in 1-3 hours in most metro areas and free next-day shipping to non-delivery zones for most in-stock parts. We stand behind our service with a no-hassle lifetime warranty. Our in-depth quality control algorithms are based on part performance, which enables us to provide OE quality parts with competitive pricing and industry-leading return rates. With an extensive inventory of product lines, you can count on us to have high-quality parts right when you need them. No bias, no brand preference, just statistically better parts!

Accudraft

Booth #32097 accudraftpaintbooths.com

This year at the 2022 SEMA show, Accudraft will return and display several of our products for the automotive repair industry. The showcase piece being our TITAN booth, perfect for any refinishing that your shop will do. Coming standard with a 15hp motor, the TITAN has the ability to move 20,000 cfm and produce 1.5 MILLION BTU through its direct fire air make-up unit. We will also be debuting to the public for the first time, our new Vetrino glass option, which now comes standard on our TITAN, but is an available option for our other models. Also being showcased is our cloud-based Accudraft LIVE program, which is a must have for any shop owner. Measuring real time analytics of the booth’s performance, giving the owner actual cost breakdowns per booth, per location. Driven by the fully touchscreen FOCUS panel, LIVE also gives the shop the ability for remote diagnostics and much more. Accudraft specializes in the design and manufacturing of highquality paint booths across a multitude of industries. From automotive/large truck to aerospace/defense, we offer a diverse range of standard and customizable solutions for any application. We pair the latest in booth technology and innovative solutions with quality manufacturing to help drive your business for the future. At Accudraft, we firmly stand behind saying ‘we have a solution for every industry.’ Stop by our booth to find out what it means to #goaccudraft.

asTech Driven by Repairify

Upper South Hall, Repairify Booth #31201 astech.com

asTech, a Repairify company, is the leading provider of remote diagnostic solutions and services to the collision industry. asTech provides cutting-edge, expert diagnostics using OEM and OEM-compatible tools to provide safe and accurate repairs. Find the company at the Repairify booth 31201 in Upper South Hall.

asTech recently announced industryrevolutionizing changes and expanded offerings that will dramatically streamline shop workflow with one-stop access to diagnostics, ADAS insights, calibrations, and programming for a shorter repair cycle and a more profitable shop.

The company provides remote diagnostics using its patented device and access to ASE and I-CAR Certified Technicians, who service many trouble codes remotely and provide real‐time assistance to shop technicians at the vehicle when needed. asTech also offers ADAS insights via adasThink, mobile repair, key replacement, and calibration services.

The asTech® device is unique because it offers a choice of two diagnostic scan types: remote OEM or OEM-compatible, which is an aftermarket scan that has been tested and validated by Repairify to perform as accurately as the OEM scan tool.

One of asTech’s most notable new features is its patented diagnostic Rules Engine, now enhanced with the ability to customize. The new ‘shop rules’ feature is especially useful for collision centers certified by a specific OEM that has scan tool requirements, or shops participating in insurance direct repair programs, which may also have influence on repair procedures.

Repairify (Repairify.com) will also announce its new Repairify Institute at the show.

Equalizer

Booth #33197

equalizer.com

Equalizer has provided the auto glass industry with quality ideas, products, and technology since 1987. Our products are among the highest in quality, usability, and efficiency and help further Equalizer’s commitment to being the leading source for auto glass removal and replacement products in the world.

To maintain the height of technology and quality associated with Equalizer products, we actively search for the best ideas, tools, and education from within the industry and beyond. We help provide today’s inventors bring their concepts to fruition and help turn their ideas into a marketable product. We offer an outlet for creative people to create and have grown to provide over 1,200 auto glass removal and replacement products on a worldwide basis from our facility in Round Rock, TX.

The Equalizer team wants to meet you at SEMA! Visit us at Booth # 33197. To learn more about Equalizer Industries Inc., visit www.equalizer.com.

Evercoat

Booth #33109

evercoat.com

Evercoat began as Fibre-Glass Evercoat in 1953, when our first formulations were developed in Cincinnati and sold throughout the USA, primarily to the marine market. Soon after its founding, Evercoat recognized the need to expand beyond marine and started selling high quality fillers and primers into the automotive aftermarket.

Evercoat has been the first to market with many patented technologies, making us the leader in collision repair innovation. Rage®, the first stain-free body filler, OPTEX®, the first color-changing product technology, and Rage Ultra™, the first filler using environmentally friendly, Eco Resin™, are just a few examples of Evercoat’s long line of innovative solutions. Evercoat has brought additional technologies to the market including, LED curing technology, high build polyester primers, polyester glazing putty, light weight pourable glazing putty. Along with unique packaging, direct to paint and time-saving body repair SOPs, we ensure our formulas perform at the highest level for our customers.

We work to serve our customers with everything they may need in the domestic and global body repair industry, including a vast offering of filler, putties, primers, and other ancillary products. Our commitment to quality and ease of application has established Evercoat as the number one preferred filler brand in North America and other global markets.

Evercoat brands help shops produce a quality collision repair, every time.

Fuji Spray Auto

Booth #35230 fujisprayauto.com

Since 1986, Fuji Spray® has focused on helping customers get the best results when using the industry’s leading spray equipment, no matter the size or complexity of the job.

Fuji Spray® designs and manufacturers high-volume low pressure (HVLP) turbine spray equipment, HVLP and Mid-Pressure compressor spray guns, parts, and accessories. Fuji Spray creates high-quality products that are easy to use and maintain, and have versatile uses across many industries from woodworking to cosmetics.

With the launch of the V8 Series compressor guns, Fuji Spray Auto has made its way into the collision repair industry, providing versatile performance at a competitive price.

This year at Fuji Spray Auto’s SEMA booth #35230, you can try out the V8 Series spray guns in a virtual spray simulator to see the power Fuji Spray Auto guns have to offer.

Designed with Fuji Spray®’s MidPressure technology, the MP-V8™ is the superior choice for professional clear coat application. The MP-V8™ features a sidemounted fan pattern control allowing you to precisely set your fan width to match your project size. Suitable for high production facilities, the MP-V8™ features a forged aluminum spray gun body with anodized fluid passages for use with waterborne or solvent-based coatings.

For more information visit fujisprayauto.com or stop by booth #35230 to test out the V8 Series spray guns and see what it can do for you and your shop.

Hunter Engineering Co.

Booth #42017 hunter.com

At SEMA 2022, Hunter Engineering Co. will exhibit all-new products designed and built in the U.S., as well as major enhancements across our existing lineup of innovative wheel and tire service equipment. The Hunter booth will also be the setting for numerous live hands-on demonstrations, show specials and time-sensitive financing options.

All Hunter products possess a number of qualities in common, such as ease of use and a focus on productivity and profitability. There’s one more important thing many have in common: They’re connected by the “equipment intelligence” of HunterNet® 2.

HunterNet® 2 is a free customer portal that automatically provides shop owners with business intelligence for all their Hunterconnected equipment, whether a single location or multiple rooftops. Managers can analyze trends, formulate goals, receive daily reports, contact their local Hunter team, order consumable replacement parts 24/7, view training videos and much more.

“Vehicles continue to evolve, and so must our industry,” said Alan Hagerty, product manager for HunterNet® 2. “Shops need the right equipment and support to get the job done, but often resources are scattered and time-consuming.”

With HunterNet® 2, Hunter is building an all-in-one gateway for Hunter shops to see the latest vehicle coverage, document pre- and post- services, track equipment ROI and much more, said Hagerty. “We’re thrilled to meet the needs of our industry and continually define the standard.”

Setting industry standards for innovation, efficiency and durability has always been the centerpiece of the Hunter Engineering mission. To see this equipment – and equipment intelligence – in action, come visit Hunter Engineering in booth #42017.

IFS Coatings

Booth #23196 usautocure.com

US Autocure engineers infrared curing systems designed to meet the needs of many industries, including automotive repair. US Autocure systems are designed by a team of engineers and autobody specialists who understand the need for quality and efficiency. Our gas-catalytic, medium-wave infrared emitters are the most efficient in the world and are highly adaptable to fit various booth and application sizes. With US Autocure, bodyshops can enjoy increased production, relief from labor pressures, reduced energy consumption, and improved finish quality.

For today’s sophisticated vehicles – and ESPECIALLY electric vehicles –controlling heat and exposure time are critical to completing world-class repairs without damaging batteries and sensitive components. No other system on the market addresses this concern better than US Autocure and directed infrared curing.

Today, technological advances emerge faster than ever before. Curing coatings with big, inefficient ovens may soon be a thing of the past. Don’t get left behind.

For more information, visit www.usautocure.com.

KECO Body Repair Products

Upper South Hall, Booth #32227 Collision Repair, and Refinish kecotabs.com

KECO Body Repair Products is returning to SEMA 2022 as the 2021 winner of the New Product of the year in collision & refinish. KECO is the pioneer of GPR (Glue Pull Repair) and fueled by your passion for the automotive industry. If your auto body shop is looking for the least invasive repair method, KECO is the company that manufactures, distributes, and trains GPR tools, accessories, and techniques for your team. With over 60 years of manufacturing expertise, unrivaled postpurchase support, and in-house advanced training options, KECO ensures your success and stands by your pursuit of the highest quality repair for your customer.

GPR will enhance your operation and provide you and your technicians with an invaluable skill set. This will enable you to return vehicles to your customers without future risks of corrosion or a potential buyback scenario due to improper repair.

KECO’s L2E Collision System is the only system designed with Shop Efficiency in mind and the widest range of tools to cover all repair scenarios in your shop, increasing profitability. You can purchase the leading GPR system, as well as other tools, tabs, glue, and accessories directly at kecotabs. com. If you have any questions or would like a demonstration, please contact KECO’s customer service and technical support team at 888.532.6822.

Based in Oklahoma City, KECO’s domestic operation guarantees fast and effective support. They also have dedicated facilities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Visit KECO at SEMA Booth #32227 and try GPR and have all your questions answered about the least invasive repair method in the collision industry.

Polyvance

Booth #34087 polyvance.com

If today’s parts shortages have you thinking more about plastic repair, then come by Booth 34087 and see Polyvance. Polyvance will be at SEMA doing continuous demonstrations of their industry-leading nitrogen plastic welders. The Nitro-Fuzer line is the industry’s most fully featured, with digital temperature control, flow control, analog flow meter, and automatic safety cutoff. Polyvance’s nitrogen welders give the user the ability to repair damaged plastic parts and get vehicles back on the road sooner. Polyvance has the industry’s largest variety of plastic welding rods, with 22 different materials and eight different profiles available.

Polyvance’s mission is to help people repair plastics, and that means more than just plastic welders. Polyvance has been exclusively focused on plastic repair and refinishing since its founding in 1981, and as a result has created a line of proven products to help shops refinish plastics, including cleaners, adhesion promoters, primer-surfacers, and specialty coatings. Their Bumper & Cladding Coat Adhesion Primer is one of the industry’s most popular adhesion coatings, helping paint to stick to raw polypropylene OEM replacement bumper covers since 2003.

Technicians in the industry have typically shied away from repairing textured plastics because of difficulties matching the grain size of the texture, but Polyvance’s 3804 Flextex VT allows full control of the texture grain size by reducing the product or varying spray technique and gun setup. On display in Polyvance’s booth will be a variety of parts refinished with Flextex.

Polyvance management will also be on hand to discuss your plastic repair training needs. Polyvance is the only company in the industry with hands-on, instructor-led nitrogen plastic welding training that is approved under I-CAR’s Industry Training Alliance. For plastic repair equipment, products, and training, look no further than Polyvance.

ProColor Collision

South Hall Upper, Booth #34243 Collision Repair & Refinish procolor.com

At this year’s SEMA show, ProColor Collision, along with NOVUS Glass, will showcase its leadership in the collision repair and automotive glass industry. Also, at the same booth, one can experience NOVUS Glass’ superior glass repair and replacement advantage!

Since 2001, ProColor Collision has been disrupting the North American collision repair industry with its strong focus on training, technology, and talent. We offer independent body shops the opportunity to join one of the largest and fastest growing automotive aftermarket networks in the world. We leverage established national and global partnerships with insurers, fleets and suppliers to help drive business to our franchisees.

Stop by our booth #34243 to witness firsthand how ProColor Collision is supporting its franchisees in reinventing their operations from their traditional format so that their teams remain on top of new automotive technologies and operational strategies.

At our booth, you will witness the latest innovations in glass repair and replacement as NOVUS Glass takes center stage at the SEMA show. Voted as the top global 2022 automotive franchise brand by Entrepreneur Magazine, NOVUS Glass helps franchisees invest in this rewarding aftermarket business. Also, learn more about the fully equipped NOVUS Glass mobile van, which allows franchisees and their teams to repair or replace automotive glass wherever their customers are located.

For more information or for franchising opportunities, please visit procolor.com or novusglass.com

*ProColor & NOVUS are part of the leading global automotive aftermarket services network. Our family of brands spans over 2,000 points of service internationally.

Reliable Automotive Equipment

Upper South Hall, Booth #32125 North Hall, Booth #11268 raeservice.com

Reliable Automotive Equipment (RAE) is excited to exhibit the latest riveting, welding, and dent repair solutions for the collision repair market. As a leader in the OEM certified repair tooling network, RAE is constantly developing improved and safer tools for our evolving industry. This year we are exhibiting at booth #32125 in the South Upper Hall as well as displaying our electric vehicle solutions within SEMA Electrified, booth #11268 in the North Hall. Thanks to our involvement in the progression of the electric vehicle repair market, we can create better products to assist technicians. Be sure to check out our new battery lifting table, the WS Lifter 1.4T, which can be used for an easy installation and removal of EV batteries. It is also versatile to be used for engine, transmissions, and sub-frames.

As partners with Wielander & Schill and Carbon, we are excited to show some new products at SEMA 2022. We are unveiling a new W&S resistance spot welder, which is capable of providing the highest quality welds in a lightweight welding gun. We are also excited to introduce the newest products to the W&S XPress riveting family, which will revolutionize the way we look at riveting. This will include a new power supply solution and the latest OEM approved die sets. This will allow for rivets to be set at the most precise pressure in a handheld riveting gun while also reducing the time needed to set the rivet properly.

SAGOLA

An Elcometer Company

South Hall, Booth #33087 elcometerusa.com elcometer.com sagola.com

Sagola PBE Line Continues

North American Growth

Following the successful launch of Sagola’ s North American office during SEMA 2021, Sagola is poised to build on that success at this year’s event. On display will be our full range of Spray Guns, Air Filtration & Heating Systems, Airbrushes, Drying Guns.

We will not only be featuring our flagship product, the Sagola 4600 Xtreme Spray Gun, a premium quality product with industry leading transfer efficiency.

Sagola will also launch our new Sagola Virtual Reality Spray Booth. Using the Oculus VR system, Sagola has developed a stateof-the-art platform that enables schools, manufacturers, and jobbers a VR spray booth from which student can learn and perfect their trade in a manner that is as economical as it is environmentally friendly.

Sagola, established in 1955, has a rich history of quality and innovation. In 2020, Sagola was acquired by Elcometer. The new organization, Sagola an Elcometer Company, will continue each other’s core values of premium products, supported by best in class customer service at a competitive price.

SEMA Attendees are encouraged to visit us in the South Hall Booth 33087 to experience our full lineup of best-in-class products and try your hand at our VR spray booth.

Meet our Social media celebrities!

Tattedcat_ — Daniella D Johnson, Tuesday Nov. 1st 1pm-3pm

Urethane_kingpin & Finishmaster

Smart brand manager — Mike Cohen, Wednesday Nov. 2nd 11-1pm

Olie_Olie_Paintz — Joel Langton, Wednesday Nov. 2nd 1pm-3pm

Josh_refinish — Josh Sorel, Thursday Nov. 3rd 1pm-3pm

SATA

Booth #31017 satausa.com

Green is more than just a color to us.

The green SATAjet X 5500 FUTURE is not only a reference to nature, but also a symbol for harmony and hope and especially for the future! We are striving for a sustainable and connected future that makes the most out of the potentials of the digital transformation.

The globe-shaped circuits on the spray gun represent the technology which is connecting people and thus enables the globalized world of the future. The radiant green color with the black components not only looks harmonious, but it also stands for aligning our actions with sustainability and the preservation of nature.

As a manufacturing company, sustainable growth is of great importance to us and an integral part of our daily activities. This includes the consistent conservation of resources and avoidance of waste. As an example, we produce part of our electricity with our own solar power and have reduced our waste volume by around 20% in the last five years.

The special edition SATAjet X 5500 FUTURE is available in the following nozzle sizes, as HVLP and RP and in standard or digital versions:

The SATAjet X 5500 FUTURE is unique and limited. Available now from your participating SATA dealer, while supplies last. Stop by our booth at SEMA #31017 and check out the FUTURE and other SATA products. www.satausa.com

SOLIDUS Equipment Systems

Booth #33071 solidususa.com

SOLIDUS Equipment Systems, a division of Precision Equipment Systems, LLC has become one of the leading auto body and collision repair equipment suppliers in the industry. As a family-run business, our number one priority is to provide our customers with superior equipment and bestin-class customer service.

In early 2020, we unveiled our SOLIDUS brand of equipment. This includes our pulse MiG welders, resistance Spot Welders, Specialty Lifts, Frame Machines, and Aluminum Repair workstations, all of which are available exclusively through our SOLIDUS team. Our network of sales and service techs cover the US, coast-to-coast.

As a nationwide Celette distributor and GYS Welding distributor in the central USA, we can provide equipment needed for almost all certified programs.

This approach allows us to customize our equipment, training, and service programs for each individual body shop to create the most optimum work experience.

Mike Hildebrand, President, “Our focus is always our customers and the tools and equipment they need to be successful. We pride ourselves on supplying the highest quality equipment along with the best training and customer service. Our SOLIDUS mission is to be the gold standard in the collision repair industry.”

Spanesi

Booth #32205 spanesi-americas.com

Spanesi Heads Back to SEMA Spanesi is excited to announce that they are returning to SEMA 2022 in Las Vegas, NV, after a two-year absence from the event. SEMA is being held from November 1-4, 2022, with Spanesi equipment displayed in the South Hall, Upper Level, Booth 32205.

“It has been a challenging period for everyone, and it will be incredible to be back on the show floor with our customers again,” explained Timothy W. Morgan, COO of Spanesi Americas, Inc.

“There is no replacing the face-to-face conversations within our industry events. We can demonstrate the complete Spanesi 360 Concept and provide support to our customers looking to leverage their equipment investments fully,” continued Morgan.

Spanesi will bring new and exciting tools to this year’s show. They are introducing the new Spanesi FLASH portable pulling tower at this year’s show. Using the collision repair facility’s pressurized air supply to anchor the flooring surface, the FLASH quickly relocates around the collision repair facility. It provides 2.5 tons of controlled pulling within the tightest of workspaces.

“We are bringing an incredible product mix to this year’s event,” said Karl Kirschenman, Director of Corporate Communication and Technology from Spanesi Americas, Inc. “We will have our most popular products on display at the event, including our newest Q5.2 ONE Single Torch welding machine, our revolutionary 106EXT structural straightening benches, the versatile PULL UP! repair system, and the efficiency-driven Multibench repair station. Of course, we can’t leave out the award-winning Touch electronic measuring system for three-dimensional vehicle measuring.”

Joining Spanesi in the booth this year, KTL Restorations will reveal their one-of-a-kind restoration that is years in the making, the Aruba Eliminator. In addition, Spanesi will be giving away a FLASH portable pulling column each day of the event. Attendees must register for the giveaway in the Spanesi booth. Winners need not be present to win.

RESOURCE GUIDE

1-800 Radiator and AC Contact Brian Kelly 843-424-6687 briank@1800radiator.com for suite information 1800radiator.com

Accudraft Booth #32097 accudraftpaintbooths.com

AsTech Booth #31201 astech.com

SUN Collision

Snap-on Booth #32017 suncollision.com

Complete OEM Collision & Mechanical Information You Can Trust

SUN ® Collision Repair Information provides complete, accurate repair data that collision repair facilities can trust to repair any vehicle, in any condition, with maximum efficiency.

The software suite delivers OEM collision & mechanical repair information through a single login, helping technicians fix cars faster with more confidence. SUN Collision provides on-demand access to current repair specifications and procedures for all makes, including vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Through its Driver Assist (ADAS) Quick Link button, technicians can quickly find vehicle-specific ADAS information needed to diagnose, repair and calibrate devices such as sensors, cameras, radar systems, and other mechanical components. Additionally, the software package provides instant access to essential repair information for body and frame, paint and finish, materials, and more.

To speed repairs involving electronic components and circuitry, SUN Collision includes industry-leading interactive wiring diagrams that let you navigate directly to component information without a secondary lookup. Connectors, grounds and splices are also searchable with active hyperlinks.

Driven by its powerful 1Search search engine, SUN Collision delivers factory-direct information in a user-friendly graphical layout – without all the clutter – optimized for tablet devices. Plus, the software helps take the guesswork out of repairs with its SureTrack® Real Fixes portal, which includes over 42 million real-world fixes and tips from expert technicians. The OEM and real-world information are fully integrated, further reducing navigation time.

SUN ® is a brand of Snap-on, Inc., and headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, call 877-840-1973 or visit suncollision.com.

Equalizer Booth #33197 equalizer.com

Evercoat Booth #33109 evercoat.com

Fuji Booth #35230 fujisprayauto.com

Goliath Booth #31115 goliathcarts.com

Hunter Booth #32097 hunter.com

IFS Coatings Booth #23196 usautocure.com

KECO Body Repair Products Booth #32227 kecotabs.com

Polyvance Booth #34087 polyvance.com

Precision Equipment Booth #33071 solidusa.com

ProColor Collision Booth #34243 procolor.com

Reliable Automotive Equipment

Booth #32125; Booth #11268 raeservice.com

Sagola Booth #33087 elcometerusa.com; elcometer.com; sagola.com

SATA Booth #31017 satausa.com

Spanesi Booth #32205 spanesi-americas.com

Sun Collision Booth #32017 suncollision.com

The Flash utilizes a vacuum seal to the flooring surface to deliver 550 lbs of pulling force using a heavy-duty ratcheting system and featuring an adjustable pulling height setup providing precise pulling directions.

(224-772-6374)

facebook.com/spanesiamericas

DISCIPLINE WITH CARE

Learn how to effectively deal with problem behavior from employees before it gets out of hand

By NOAH BROWN

EVERY SHOP HAS dealt with that employee before. The one who is unproductive, dis rupts workflow, and acts like a child a lot of the time.

Not every employee who acts this way does so for the same reasons, but Karen Young, president and founder of HR So lutions, says the framework she uses to

STRATEGY

help companies deal with employees who are acting childishly has remained fairly consistent throughout her 30 years in hu man resources.

Conversations about poor performance are always a little uncomfortable and can be challenging, but Young says having those will help improve the productivity of your shop and the chemistry of your team.

Step 1: Clearly define expectations.

The first step in identifying problem behav ior, Young says, is to make sure job expecta tions are clearly defined.

Often, poor performance and employees acting out is caused by a misunderstanding of what they’re expected to do. If they don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing or feel that they aren’t performing well, that embarrassment could cause them to act out.

“Most times, employees misbehave or don’t do what we’re expecting because, frank ly, they don’t have the exact same idea as we do about what’s expected,” Young says. “I highly recommend always starting a conver sation with, ‘Hey, I just want to make sure we both understand exactly what the company expects of you.’”

You should outline what an employ ee’s job responsibilities and duties are, as well as the consequences of not fulfilling those expectations.

Step 2: Name the behavior.

Though they might be acting like a child, most of the time a problem employee is an adult. That may sound obvious, but Young says it’s critical to remember that and to treat your employees as such when con fronting them about problem behavior.

“It’s understandable for a manager to get frustrated, but don’t lower yourself to their level,” Young says. “Be direct. I would actually call them out and say, ‘You’re act ing like a child, and we need to have a busi ness conversation about that.’”

Stay cool and let them know that it isn’t personal. It’s about their performance as an employee of your shop.

Step 3: Ask questions genuinely.

Accusing someone of bad work or behav ing childishly, no matter how correct or in the right you may be for doing so, will put an employee on the defensive.

Letting them know that it isn’t a per

sonal accusation is a good start to diffusing a potentially contentious situation, but go ing a step further and giving them an active role in the conversation can help smooth things over even more.

Ask basic questions such as, “Can you help me understand?” It opens the conversa tion up, and it will allow your employee to ac tively reflect on their behavior and make an effort to explain why they’re acting that way.

“All of a sudden, you’ll see that your employee is a little less defensive because you’re asking for his or her input,” Young says. “That then allows you as a leader to let them know you appreciate that and diffuse things even more.”

Step 4: Act with empathy.

Employees don’t exist in a vacuum, and though it’s good to try and separate work life and personal issues, that isn’t always feasible.

Sometimes a problem employee could be having problems of their own, and that could be a primary cause of their behavior. Though you may not be able to help solve an employee’s personal troubles, at least letting them know that you care and are there to support them could go a long way in improving their performance.

“Sometimes, negative emotions mani fest themselves in poor performance and bad behavior,” Young says. “Instead of fo cusing on the temper tantrum or negative behavior itself, try to focus on why an em ployee reacted that way in that situation.”

Young says most employees want to do good work, and allowing them the opportuni ty to address problems—whether in the work

place or not—that are preventing them from doing that good work can help resolve prob lem behaviors before they get out of hand.

Step 5: Follow through on the hard conversations.

If all other avenues have been exhausted and problem behavior still persists, Young says managers have to follow through on the consequences that they outlined as part of step one.

“At the end of the day, unacceptable be havior is exactly that: unacceptable.” Young says. “If there is no change then there will be consequences. That’s where a lot of man agers fall through.”

Letting go of an employee is always a tough conversation, regardless of how much of a headache they can be. But having an employee with problematic behavior can set a bad precedent with your other employ ees if the current worker causing trouble keeps getting away with it.

“It is really important to have those cou rageous conversations with our employees and then follow through on what we say we’re going to do,” Young says. “It’s not a threat. It’s following through.”

No matter how difficult the conversa tion can be, sometimes letting someone go is the best thing you can do for your shop, your other employees and for yourself.

“We need to retain our good employees, and if we are letting bad behaviors and poorperforming employees rule the roost, we’re doing a massive disservice to our good em ployees,” Young says. “Take a little bit of pain out of respect for your good employees.”

MATCH.

Advance Professional is the exclusive seller of Dynacoat; the perfect match of service and color technology. But that’s not all — we also provide the trusted brands, specialized training and reliable delivery you need to serve your customers, all backed by a dedicated technical team that puts you first.

Learn more about paint, body and equipment at my.advancepro.com/pbe.

OVERCOMING THE BODY SHOP SILO EFFECT

By DANIEL PEARSON

REDUCING THE RISKS and liabilities with in the collision repair process to achieve product and service excellence should be top of mind in all repair facilities.

Though there are many areas to im prove in the repair process, a steadfast fo cus on the flow of that process greatly im proves overall service, employee morale, quality, profitability and organization. The constitution of the repair line, however, lends itself to creating silo effects where employees are focused only on their imme diate tasks and not contributing to work flow when and where it’s needed most.

David Caulfield, an owner of FixAuto

Anaheim North who is widely considered a leader in innovative collision repair shop processes, said he once was told the word organization can be meant as paying atten tion to events before they become a crisis.

“For me, it’s true,” Caulfield said. “When we get organized we change lives. History continues to confirm that the practice of an individual technician, held accountable for a multitude of skill sets, is no longer a viable method if we desire to reduce inferior, un educated, and noncompliant repairs while reducing the time it takes to perform them. A single technician’s responsibility that en tails repairing a vehicle from start to finish, bouncing from car to car, attributes to these risks. An assembly line process is the cure.”

Business leaders say the so-called silo effect, a mindset where employees at a spe cific station along the repair line focus only on their immediate tasks and responsi bilities without effectively communicating with the rest of the repair team, stifles effi ciency, and team morale, and contributes to an overall decline in company culture.

A company that experiences the silo effect is likely still a growing organization with shop owners and managers who don’t yet realize they have a duty to train their teams to stop this destructive behavior. Internal teams oper ating only within their silos may also show that there are problems with the organizational structure of the company that requires solu tions and not a laissez-faire attitude.

Changing the company culture to get employees to trust in the assembly line pro cess, embrace teamwork, communicate ef fectively, and believe that overall company goals matter most requires total organiza tional buy-in and a unified vision.

How to Break Free

Founder & CEO of Taking Point Leadership

Brent Gleeson, writing in a 2013 article for “Forbes” says, “It is imperative that the lead ership team agrees to a common and uni fied vision for the organization.” For shops, that means owners and managers first have to agree and continually work to reinforce that vision by encouraging trust and team work. Managers need to be at the head of the operation, making sure the entire team is working together, and that individuals at repair line stations are striving to achieve team-oriented goals instead of only being concerned with their immediate job duties.

Getting there will require training

across the organization and coaching em ployees to allow their peers to change sta tions and assist when issues arise, instill ing them with an understanding that when this happens they are not being called out for doing a bad job but rather teamwork gets the job done efficiently and expediently.

“Once the common goal has been iden tified, each member of the management team must incentivize their employees ac cordingly,” writes Gleeson.

Understanding Employee Resistance

There may be individuals who do not com municate well with the rest of the line or sur rounding stations. Meet with those employ ees one-on-one and re-train the individual by reinforcing the company’s vision, empha sizing teamwork, and properly instructing them on how and why communication with the rest of the team needs to occur.

Keep in mind that an employee’s unwill ingness to break out of the silo effect may or repair-line processes that could use a tuneup. This may also be a good time to intro duce or reintroduce incentive programs.

Setting Periodic Goals

Establishing time frames to meet goals at the station, team, and organizational levels gives employees a clear, unifying purpose and mission.

Daily, weekly, and monthly goals—and short-term goals—also help break up the larger needs of the company and provide avenues to complete long-term projects one attainable mission and outcome at a time. These wins and improvements will foster greater engagement from your team.

“It is not uncommon that a large amount of inertia is needed to keep the momentum going,” writes Gleeson. “Let’s not forget that teams thrive off routine and constant reinforcement.”

Incentivizing job performance also mo tivates individuals to excel and to work with the rest of the team on short-term goals and outcomes. Regular celebration of wins rein forces the value of the individual and that of the team and allows everybody to feel a sense of pride when the entire organiza tion succeeds.

Encourage Collaboration and Creativity

As the saying goes, talent wins games but

teamwork and intelligence win champion ships. Breaking your repair technicians out of the habit of working as individuals at isolated stations and together as a team requires passing along knowledge of the fundamentals of each process up and down the line, and how to perform them.

This doesn’t mean training glass install ers to weld or painters in aluminum repair, but employees should have a clear under standing of each step of the assembly line process for a complete picture of how it works.

“The exchange of knowledge and the collaboration that will inevitably take place between teams is absolutely priceless,” writes Gleeson.

As a business grows, technicians are assigned to each department based on the skill required for that specific department. They will become experts in these fields via uninterrupted focus, training, and repetition, and this inevitably leads to the discovery of creative solutions for processes that could run more efficiently. Allowing employees to cross over to other stations to lend a hand often leads to uncovering inefficiencies in the system and sometimes opens the door to creative solutions.

Be Patient

Breaking body shops out of the silo effect takes tenacity and patience. Changing the way any company operates is never an in stantaneous process, and changing an or ganization’s culture requires more effort to overcome the existing inertia in the sys tem. For MSOs, the larger the organization the more steeped the present culture will be, and the longer a consistent effort will be required to apply new principles and ex pectations up and down the repair line.

As shop owners and managers, it’s es sential to articulate, then model and rein force the desired behaviors of individuals and the performance of the entire team.

“I recommend starting with a plot plan of your shop and property,” Caulfield said. “Scale the drawing to the size of a Match box car or Hot Wheels toy car. Draw in your booths and get creative moving the cars around the plot plan. Pay close attention to ‘car-in, car-out’ thinking. It’s an easy and fun exercise and this process will certain ly open your eyes to a whole new world of options that were right in front of you the entire time. If it’s time for a change then change it.”

HOW AND WHEN TO FOLLOW UP WITH CUSTOMERS

Shops have more ways than ever to stay in touch with customers, but what do they need and want?

By DANIEL PEARSON

SUCCESSFULLY

FOLLOWING UP WITH customers too often gets overlooked by shop owners who worry about every last detail of operations except for what should be the final communication of the transaction—checking in to say thank you and to ask how you can improve.

Knowing when and how to follow up with customers used to be a process shop owners primarily accomplished through personal relationships or by training employees when and how to engage with a person while they interact with the business. But times are changing, customers have different expectations and shops have to keep up with the times to keep customers happy.

CASE STUDY

The Backstory

Shop owners today often rely on cus tomer relationship management (CRM) software, particularly the application Up datePromise, to build consistency in their company’s repair process. A CRM also en gages customers with photos that show their vehicle at each step of the repair pro cess—something that helps the customer better feel connected to the process and to their vehicle while it is being repaired.

Kyle Wharff, president of Miramar, Florida-based Ace Sullins CARSTAR, said 95 percent of his customers prefer receiv ing a text message to getting a phone call updating them about the progress or com pletion of service.

But technology isn’t intuitive or flaw less, and ensuring it’s being used the way it’s intended can present its own unique set of challenges. Wharff said you have to be on point when using an app or software for CRM management or the customer will receive the wrong information.

“It’s a great tool that a majority of the shops use for CRM because once you enter a drop-off date and the estimate shows a completion date in the system, you turn on automated text messages and it will push those messages out to customers as their

vehicle travels through the phases of the repair,” Wharff says.

The downfall is that if you don’t stay on top of updating the system, it will send out whatever information it has and the customer might get the wrong completion date, or be alerted that their vehicle has moved a step in the repair process when it has not, he said.

“It’s happened before,” Wharff says. “In one case the customer showed up to pick up his vehicle because he thought his car was ready when it hadn’t even entered the painting phase.”

The Problem

Relying solely on CRM solutions places a communication barrier between shop own ers and the final chance for contact with the customer during the last part of the repair cycle, and there will always be problems that always arise that need to be handled with direct customer contact.

Ritchie Sheckter is a retired Florida body shop owner. He recalls a case where he had to deliver a vehicle to a municipal cus tomer, which required an already-difficult rebuild, later than promised because a pro curement order wasn’t properly recorded.

“It was a municipal customer whose business contributed a large chunk of rev enue and it was a new contract,” Sheckter said. “Regardless of how the vehicle got into the situation it did, and you never want a customer worrying about internal process, we wanted to make sure that their people did not feel any sense of worry or unease about our work and our process.”

The Solution

As soon as he realized a mistake was made Ritchie contacted the customer by phone and explained the situation. He made sure to express gratitude, saying thank you, show ing he personally cared, and demonstrating that he was committed to a professional rela tionship that valued that individual.

“Making that phone call goes so far and I saw shop owners who would overlook it all the time,” Sheckter said.

In this case, offering to discount the re pair’s total was not appropriate, and sending automated updates showing where his vehi cle was in the repair process wasn’t enough. The situation required a personal touch.

Sheckter took photos of the vehicle as it moved from station to station. He emailed them to the customer accompanied by a

brief description of what could be seen in the photo.

“I felt it was important that I, the own er, be the person to personally take pho tos and text the customer with pictures and updates showing where in the pro cess his vehicle was,” Sheckter said. “He needed to know that there was a specific person paying attention to and handling his repair.”

The day the customer arrived to pick up the vehicle, Sheckter personally in spected the car to double check all re quirements were met for delivery, and personally handed over the keys.

“This provided me with an opportunity for engagement at the point of delivery, or the end of the process,” Scheckter said. “I was able to again thank him for his business and make sure that the repairs and the final result met his standards. I also showed him the before, during, and after photos of the re pair process and he came away with a better understanding of what it took to repair that vehicle. And that gives customers an oppor tunity to buy into your body shop.”

The Aftermath

Scheckter made it a point to again contact the customer with a phone call one week after delivery. He asked open-ended ques tions and gained further insight into his shop’s repair process and the customer’s unique experience from his point of view.

“Following up with someone who per ceived a negative outcome, at all in any way, also may help you realize where improve ments can be made to your shop’s overall process, from a customer’s first interac tion with your business to handing over the keys at the end,” Scheckter said. “It also sheds light on what that customer’s percep tion of the quality of service was, and you can bet that if one customer thinks some thing it’s very likely that at least several other customers will have similar feelings about your service.”

The Takeaway

Deepening engagement with customers when there is an issue, providing personal one-on-one attention, being present for delivery to the customer, and following up that interaction with a phone call frames a simple approach to following up with cus tomers and understanding how to get the most out of that process.

MAKING NEW TECHNOLOGY

A (VIRTUAL) REALITY

Mike Mertes from I-CAR explains why the industry

fear

By HANNA BUBSER

VIRTUAL REALITY HAS become much more commonplace in recent years, espe cially in the context of video games and so cial media.

But the concept of virtual reality, as well as other innovative technological ad vancements, could develop a role that goes beyond our personal computer screens. It could also change how the automotive in dustry approaches repair procedures.

Mike Mertes is a learning innovation and technology manager at I-CAR, and this is the kind of technology ideation that he works with daily.

“My role and purpose is to essentially take innovative technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, interactive videos, 360 videos … really any sort of innovative tech nology that’s out there right now, and help deliver this stuff to the collision repair indus try so they can experience next-level train ing methods pretty much unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before,” Mertes says.

As important as it is to keep shops in formed on technology, Mertes says that it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is no one-size-fits-all educational approach to learning more about these topics.

“As technology has really advanced, and all of the technology in vehicles has advanced, we’ve learned that a singular education experience can be different for everyone,” Mertes says.

What this means is that someone could read a procedure and perform it correctly on the first try, while others need a little something more. That’s where handson training with innovative technology comes in.

“One of the sayings that I use a lot in my role, and really in life, is: ‘I do, therefore I learn.’ That’s what this role is all about,” Mertes says. “We’re going to take that … experience, and make that available to the industry.”

Mertes explains that giving techni cians access to tools that can help them conduct a hands-on learning experience will encourage better information reten tion, and a better understanding of the procedures overall.

advancements, and

“This is where we want to use some thing like virtual reality to create that hands-on instance without actually being there,” Mertes says. “You don’t have to have the vehicle, the tools, or the teacher physi cally there.”

it all instead

Using virtual or augmented reality would also save technicians from having to go back and forth from the vehicles to access repair procedures while simulta neously conducting the repairs. This dis ruption could result in them having to re move PPE or interrupt steps in the repair process in order to look up information on

Center, which is a technical and training facility for automotive collision repair tech nological advancements.

Mertes foresees a lot of the technology being worked on at the Chicago Technical Center and beyond becoming a huge draw for the technicians of tomorrow.

“Having that type of technology avail

generations can be intimidating. But it’s far from impossible.

“You fear what you don’t know, and right fully so. Everyone wants to go home at the end of the day,” Mertes says. “The only way to conquer that fear is to be able to learn about it, and to really have those tools that can help you learn about it in a safe way.”

Think inside the

LEADERSHIP

PUTTING TEAMWORK AHEAD OF LONG-TERM COMPANY GOALS

Owners and employees alike have roles to play in working toward a shop’s long-term success

By DANIEL PEARSON

THE AMOUNT OF attention required to operate a body shop’s repair process re quires recruiting people who easily see the bigger picture and who understand how to manage details of complex systems, but even successful shop owners and manag ers can overlook one of the most important factors of running a successful operation— fostering company culture.

Creating a culture of inclusion that

emphasizes goal setting and teamwork to achieve short-term benchmarks and goals is a crucial business function for body shops. Well-nurtured company culture is the number one contributor to a body shop’s employees feeling happy and excited about coming to work every week to work for a company that is succeeding.

A study by Deloitte finds that 94 percent of executives divide company management

into two distinct operations: culture and strategy. Yet the same study found that just 62 percent of executives said that “clearly de fined and communicated values and beliefs” substantially contribute to a company’s suc cess (76 percent said a clearly-defined strat egy is key).

Deloitte’s findings also show that 83 percent of executives rank “engaged and motivated employees as the top factor that substantially contributes to a company’s success,” and that “there is a correlation between employees who say they are happy at work and feel valued by their company and those who say their organization has a clearly articulated and lived culture.”

Jim Keller, president of Milwaukeebased auto body and collision repair MSO 1Collision Network, said company culture should focus purely on team-building ex ercises. Expecting managers or employees

to focus on the company’s long-term health or on planning for the future should not be part of an individual’s job duties.

“Employees are there for a specific pur pose and most of the time that’s earning a living,” Keller said. “Most employees come to work every day expecting a great place to work and a culture that makes them feel part of a team. They shouldn’t want or need to think about five or 10 years down the road. It’s up to owners to do that and to make sure their managers are setting and achieving short-term goals to keep the company mov ing forward toward overall success.”

Jim Huard, owner of Phoenix-based Painters Collision Centers, said creating the foundation for a company’s culture begins during the hiring process. Shop owners and managers should surround themselves with people who meet their level of stan dards and who are adept at encouraging employees to work together for the better ment of the team.

“I have high standards and want to sur round myself with people who meet my standards,” Huard said. “I want people who will seek out help from the avenues avail able to them, like talking to paint company people or consultants, and I want them to know how to inspire their team.”

Helmuth Mayer, Jr., a Dallas-based own er of multiple Maaco locations, said that although he benefits from an existing cor porate structure—the Maaco mentality— there are examples from it that indepen dent shop owners can apply to their own business through pay incentives.

“You have to emphasize teamwork among your employees—one goal, one mis sion, and incentive pay that ties everyone together,” Mayer said. “It usually makes sense that if someone has done half the work they get paid for half of the job. In the body shop world, typically 70 to 80 percent of the work is completed by people up front but only 50 percent of overall pay goes to those people. We incentivize people for op erating as a team and also offer bonuses for meeting the overall goals of the line.”

Mayer said from day one of the interview process he talks about how his shops handle company culture to be very clear up front about how the business operates as a team.

“I want to empower my general manag ers at each store to essentially run that shop with the same mentality that we use across our organization. I own seven locations

across Dallas-Ft. Worth and I’ve hired sev en mini owners and given them autonomy. The only thing I tell them is they must ful fill a strong company culture by celebrating teamwork, which kind of lends itself to re inforcing a family-type mentality.”

Keller said culture is everything to do with business—the nuts and bolts of it— and it’s why people who work for an orga nization want to stay. He offered a few ideas for laying the foundation of a company cul ture that will stand over time.

Keep employees motivated by celebrating success.

Holding regular manager meetings and separate employee meetings is a great way to bring your team together to discuss short- and long-term goals, especially goals for the week or month.

Running numbers and talking about strengths and weaknesses in the repair pro cess also allows everyone in the organization to be on the same page and to clearly under stand what each individual needs to accom plish to help keep the repair line moving.

Quarterly celebration meetings, where individual employee achievements are discussed and recognized with the entire organization present, are a great way to maximize team building and to reinforce company culture. Awarding people with bonuses or unique gifts for meeting goals, big or small, makes positive impacts on overall morale and keeps individuals and teams within the organization moving to gether in lockstep.

“Employees want to win at work and they want to do something right and be recognized for it just like an athlete is rec ognized for their achievements through statistics and news coverage,” Keller said. “Emphasize intrinsic value over extensive value. The power of saying ‘thank you’ and celebrations and gifts is arguably greater than a base salary and compensation plan.”

Focus on training and re-training.

Forcing employees to focus only on their department’s goals and not constantly reverting to cross-training can and most likely will hang up the entire organization’s workflow because you won’t have individu als who can step over and help out wherever it’s needed. Training people to complete tasks across the company contributes to

team spirit, which reinforces company cul ture, Keller said.

“When an employee—a manager, a shop tech or whoever—has an issue or when something goes wrong instead of fingerpointing and calling them out on the floor, find out what went wrong and coach that person how to do it properly the next time,” he said. “Forget about the fact that some thing went wrong. Just talk about how to make that turn into a positive.”

Unhappy employees may signal problems within.

Looking under the hood of your organi zation may reveal that the reason an em ployee is unhappy is due to a larger issue within the overall company culture. Shop owners and managers should pay special attention to individuals who seem to be unhappy with the company or with their job’s processes.

This often manifests when an employee is repeatedly told they are doing something wrong without training or re-training that person to help them find solutions.

“When there are people being criticized at work and they are complaining about things, perhaps it’s not the individual as much as the problem rests within the com pany culture,” Keller said. “Privately meet with these individuals to understand clear ly what they are unhappy about and help them find a solution. There are of course people who fear other people doing addi tional steps that they are supposed to do in their job, and these individuals should be encouraged to rely on the team and retrained with special emphasis given to the teamwork that is expected in their role.”

Happy employees lead to company success.

Not focusing on fostering a strong company culture clearly has consequences, and not putting the time into nurturing an employ ee-friendly workplace negatively impacts loyalty, job satisfaction, collaboration, and company-wide morale.

Building a positive company culture does not require a big spend, but it may require refocusing efforts on building a foundation of teamwork and making sure to celebrate employee successes. Both will contribute to employees feeling happy and excited about coming to work so that shortand long-term goals are achievable.

When Claim Negotiations Fail

At a certain point, every shop owner needs to decide when enough is enough

It takes a lot for me to get riled up when it comes to insurance adjusters and insurance com panies. I pride myself on being able to work with them and come to terms for what I need and what my customer needs. I feel like I have given my team those same tools. We know how to work around the insurance companies’ restraints in our area, for the most part, but every now and again we run into a situation my staff can’t handle. They know calling me in to deal with a situation with an insur ance company or adjuster is a last resort. So what happens when you just cannot come to terms with the adjuster?

You have two options: Either don’t handle in surance repairs or fight it out.

There is an argument to be made for not han dling insurance repairs and just doing a correct and accurate repair and billing the customer. Let the customer deal with getting fully reimbursed by the insurance companies and have them deal with that headache. Honestly, I would love to do that but I do not think my particular market could support that business model. Maybe one day I’ll get there but right now it is not a feasible option for my shop.

So I’ve chosen the fight it out option and I hate every minute of it when it comes down to it but sometimes there just isn’t any other choice when all of our charm, reasoning and negotiating skills don’t prevail. When I am at my wit’s end and I feel like nothing else will work, I use different varia tions of this letter that a former Department of In surance employee helped me draft.

[Insurance Company Name]

[Claim Number]

[Year, Make, Model & VIN]

[Customer Name]

[Date of Loss]

Insurance policies require the insurer to restore the vehicle to pre-loss condition. The items and repairs necessary to restore [Customer Name]’s vehicle to preloss condition have been identified and completed.

However, [Insurance Company] and [Adjuster’s Name] have refused to pay for the repair although the repairs and costs were identified in the repair software

required by [Insurance Company] and through the ve hicle’s manufacturer and were necessary to return the vehicle to pre-loss condition.

The declination of payment for repairs necessary to restore the vehicle to pre-loss condition appears to be a violation of Section 541.060, Unfair Settlement Practices, of the Texas Insurance Code. [Insurance Company] has failed to attempt in good faith to effec tuate a prompt, fair and equitable settlement when the insurer’s liability is clear.

Additionally, [Insurance Company] intention ally and knowingly secured performance of the repair service by agreeing to restore the vehicle to pre-loss condition as stated in their Insurance Policy and then refused to make full payment for repairs necessary to restore the vehicle to pre-loss condition. [Insurance Company] has failed to make payment with 10 days of notice demanding full payment. The above acts appear to constitute Theft of Service as noted in Section 31.04 of the Texas Penal Code.

While we prefer to resolve this matter equitably, we reserve the right to pursue action under the Texas Pe nal Code and the Texas Insurance Code, Unfair Claims Settlement Act.

Please remit the amount identified on the attached invoice within ten days receipt of this letter.

Remember this letter was drafted being spe cific to Texas, where I am located. You can decide how much, if any, of this to use. Before you use any letter like this you want to verify the verbiage is correct and have your attorney review it to ensure you are not opening yourself up to liability.

I use this letter sparingly knowing that I open myself up to the insurance company or insurance adjuster possibly retaliating against me and mak ing my life more difficult when it comes to claims negotiations. For me though there is only so far you can push me before I draw a line in the sand and stand and fight and when I do some version of this letter is used.

This may not be your cup of tea on how your shop handles a situation where an insurance company or insurance adjuster is being unrea sonable, but this has been a tactic of last resort for our shop that we have used with a large de gree of success.

TIFFANY MENEFEE has more than 20 years experience in the insurance business and now runs a collision repair shop in El Paso, Texas.

EMAIL: tiffanykaymenefee@gmail.com

ARCHIVE: fenderbender.com/menefee

REAL STRATEGIES FOR COLLISION REPAIR SUCCESS

“This magazine has been a key component to our organization in keeping us up to date with new vehicle trends and technologies in our forever evolving industry.”

—Jonathon Best, Vice President, Fender Mender Collision, Charleston, S.C.

You Never Know Whose Presence You’re In

Don’t be too quick to judge what could be a fruitful business relationship

I read a funny story about Queen Elizabeth II after her passing in September. She was walking on the street with her bodyguard when she met two American tourists who didn’t recognize her. The tourists knew they were near the queen’s favorite castle and asked her if she ever met the queen. She said no, but pointed to her bodyguard and said he sees her all the time. The tourists then asked the queen to use their camera to take a few pictures of them and the bodyguard. They also got a few pictures of the four of them togeth er, and the queen remarked to her bodyguard, “I wish I could be a fly on the wall when they show those pictures to family back home and one of them recognizes me.”

The story referenced the queen’s great sense of humor, but it got me wondering how many times I may have mistaken people for who they really are.

I had a customer stop in for an estimate once that I immediately disliked everything about. I had been writing estimates for a while and felt I had de veloped the ability to size up a customer for what they were really after. Whether they were looking for the cheapest estimate, or the highest so they could collect from the other party and never get it fixed, etc. And while I think I was correct more often than not, when Bruce walked in for the first time I couldn’t have been more wrong.

By the way Bruce was acting and talking I thought I was going to waste my time writing an estimate and never see him again. Midway through evaluating his vehicle, I decided I need ed to be professional regardless and show him courtesy. About 18 months later we had done al most $100,000 of work for Bruce. He didn’t own a fleet of vehicles, but he had a string of accidents in a short amount of time. If I had trusted my in stincts at that first estimate we would have lost quite a bit of work.

Another time we had an ad in the newspaper— yes, we’re going back a while—for a painter and a guy named Alex showed up at our door. I hadn’t yet developed thorough interviewing processes so I asked Alex a few things like if he had been painting for a while, and if he had painted with our paint brand before. Alex said yes to every question I asked him and he was hired on the spot.

Alex showed up the next day and we quickly

found out the only word he knew how to speak in English was “yes.” By the end of the day everyone on the shop floor was telling me we had to get rid of Alex. I almost obliged, realizing I did not do a very good job of screening him. Yet I decided to have Alex come back in for the rest of the week and quickly demoted him from painter to trainee. By the end of the second week everyone was in love with Alex as he was an extremely hard worker and fast learner. A few months later he was the best painter in our company. That was no small feat, as our other painter had recently finished in second place in a multi-state painter contest.

I can also tell you about a parts vendor who called on us for seven years to try and get us to buy Honda parts from him. We thought we were partnered with the best before, but when a few backordered parts caused us to order from Dave a few times, we realized there was another level of service we had yet to experience. Dave and his dealership became one of the most important re lationships we ever made, and we let him walk out our door time and again for seven years.

One day a parts broker walked in our door and told us he could find any part we weren’t able to find, and he’d drive anywhere for us to get it. I laughed out loud at the thought of this being genuine. And he even said he wouldn’t charge us for the service, he would bill the dealer we order from. He might as well have been a leprechaun, as I thought there was no way this could be true. When we found ourselves stuck looking for a part (this is pre-2021 when it was rare) we gave him a call. He found the part in North Carolina, an eight-hour drive away, and went and got it for us. This turned out to be one of the most important relationships we formed in our 50 years of business.

I have many more examples where I didn’t recognize people for who they really are. Now I don’t think I missed out on royalty like those two tourists, but I certainly may have passed up the opportunity for some valuable relationships that I will never be aware of. The point I hope I made is, we really don’t know who people are unless we spend enough time giving them a chance to show us the reality. I would have missed out on a great customer, painter, vendor, and broker if I had just judged their book by the cover and never took a look inside.

EMAIL: jason@boggsauto.com

ARCHIVE: fenderbender.com/boggs

JASON BOGGS ran Boggs Auto Collision Rebuilders in Woodbury, N.J., for nearly 25 years. He has attended the Disney Institute and Discover Leadership, and has studied lean manufacturing processes.

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But fear not, FenderBender is here to make sure you remain knowledgeable about the best tools available. The Ultimate Collision Repair Shop is back and can help you update your shop to ensure better and safer repairs, and provide you with the means to handle the changes in the world of collision repair.

The need for modern methods and procedures is more critical than ever as repair demands from customers and OEMs increase. With the right tools, you’ll be more than equipped to handle the rigors of the daily grind- you’ll be motivated to meet them head on.

Inside, read about the newest products and services that have arisen during the past year, and embrace tomorrow’s tech and repair challenges, today.

2022 HAS BEEN A YEAR OF ENORMOUS CHANGES, BOTH IN THE WORLD AND WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.

ADAS CALIBRATION & DIAGNOSTICS

AIR FILTRATION AND AIRLINES

CARTS

DENT REPAIR

DRYING EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT FINANCING FRAME EQUIPMENT MEASURING

PAINT BOOTHS PAINT COATINGS

PLASTIC WELDING EQUIPMENT PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

REPAIR INFORMATION SPRAY GUNS

TECHNICAL TRAINING WELDING WHEEL ALIGNMENT WHEELS

THE AUTEL IA900WA

THE POWER OF ONE

The September deadline for automak ers to have city-speed Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) on 95 percent of their new vehicles is looming. Twelve brands—Audi, BMW, Ford/Lincoln, Honda/ Acura, Hyundai/Genesis, Mazda, Mer cedes-Benz, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen, and Volvo—have already met that voluntary goal.

If the remaining eight brands meet the mark, more than 99 percent of all new ve hicles sold in the United States will come with this proven life-saving feature that uses cameras, radar or a fusion of the two to “watch” traffic ahead and brake to avoid or lessen the damage of a crash. This in ad dition to the estimated 60 million vehicles on the road with some Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).

The exponential growth in the number of vehicles with ADAS should act as a catalyst for shops that perform calibrations to de velop a process or seek out solutions that enables them to perform all steps needed in the calibration process as efficiently as possible. Well, Autel was listening. Its Intel ligent ADAS IA900WA frame system is the first in the industry to combine all of it into one adaptable, interactive, robotic, dynam ic, streamlined system.

The IA900WA offers shops a true turn key solution to precision ADAS calibrations by combining vehicle inspection, including tire tread analysis, four-wheel alignment, steering angle reset, and ADAS calibra tion with detailed instructions, illustrations, and a graphical adjustment analysis. The

benefit of integrated four-wheel alignment into the system cannot be overstated as proper vehicle alignment is essential to the calibration of all ADAS components. The thrust angle, calculated in reference to the vehicle’s rear axle, determines its direction as it travels down the road.

To see the IA900WA in action is quite extraordinary. The IA900WA features a folding crossbar and six in-frame highresolution tracking cameras that automati cally monitor vehicle height on the shop lift. Robotic frame movement allows for ef ficient use and alignment reading accuracy of 0.02 degrees.

Alignment coverage is for U.S., Asian and European vehicles, 1996 and newer, and the system guides the user through the com plete process with illustrated alignment in structions, live readings, and required tools. Adjustment locations displayed on a mount ed 24-inch touchscreen monitor mirror the alignment procedure executed on the Maxi SYS Ultra ADAS tablet giving the technician all the freedom he needs.

ADAS calibration coverage includes camera targets and patterns and radar calibration components for equipped Mer cedes, VW/Audi, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan/Infin iti, Honda/Acura, Mazda and Toyota/Lexus.

The IA900WA system is offered in sev eral packages, including an all-systems ADAS package that includes targets, patterns, and calibration components to calibrate cameras (including those used in Around View Monitoring), radar, LIDAR, and night-vision units. A Lane Departure Warning (LDW) package is also available that includes targets and patterns need ed to calibrate systems on equipped ve hicles and Alignment-only packages. All packages are available with or without Ultra ADAS tablet.

As vehicle manufacturers continue to share their safety systems throughout the entire lines, and more and more vehicles with these systems enter shops, solutions that provide technicians with a repeatable, efficient process to calibrate these input devices have become essential.

DANAM AIR AND SATA AIR FILTRATION

PROTECTING WORKERS SINCE 1931

While Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has long been a prevalent topic in collision centers, the use of fresh air breathing equipment has been gain ing traction in the past few years. “We’ve come a long way in comfort and function ality of our fresh air equipment, from our SATA® air visionTM 5000 fresh air hood to our new SATA® filter 500 series,” says Brad Gravenhof, Sales and Technical Dan-Am Air Specialist at Dan-Am Company. Since 1931 SATA air filtration has been protecting workers, and never has clean air been a clearer issue. “In automotive refinish, safe ty is paramount to success, and we stand ready to meet the needs of any shop big or small.”

TO BE SAFE OR NOT TO BE SAFE

That’s the only question. As an inside spe cialist at SATA, Gravenhof makes the point that both parties are often able to purchase quality airlines and air filtration equipment, and that who foots the bill is often de pendent upon two factors: shop size and location. “In some states, there are rules and regulations that if a technician wants it, owners have to buy it,” he says. On the other hand, many of the more successful painters—especially in the world of custom refinish—desire their own equipment so they can be as mobile as possible, enabling them to paint safely anywhere. “The air system is quite modular, and that’s always been the beauty of it,” Gravenhof says. “Depending on the filter and the preferred setup, there are multiple ways to get the job done. The two-stage filter on the shop wall and the third stage on your belt, or all

three filter stages on the wall and just a regulator on your belt.” All together, paint ers using the DanAmAir aluminum airlines and SATA filtration systems are only limited by their imaginations for how they want to breathe clean air. Over time, Gravenhof is pleased that many painters know they not only should breathe fresh air, but deserve to, not just have recirculated air through their hoods. “It’s medical-grade air, scuba tank air,” he says, “and it’s NIOSH approved. And that’s not an easy thing to achieve.” He points out that NIOSH approval is reserved for the whole system, not just some juryrigged custom setup that features one or two parts of the whole. “It’s not as easy as hanging a filter and plugging into it,” he says, “because to be legal, you need the NIOSH approved breathing hose, hood, and carbon monoxide monitor.”

UPGRADE YOUR SHOP, UPGRADE YOUR AIR

For shops building new, Gravenhof thrills at the idea of a sound aluminum piping sys tem provided by DanAmAir. “The technol ogy hasn’t changed too much recently in regards to infrastructure,” he says, “though there’s been some changes on individual components (such as lockable ball valves and laser etched fitting markings), but the system as a whole is quite functional.” He notes that the modular options can handle two booths of one 200 series filter and four booths from one 500 series filter. “It’s all about pushing clean air,” he says. An initial investment can yield high ROI over time. “One filter can cover that same process, and changing the cartridge every three to

six months (depending on the stage) can be a significant savings.

That’s true, fresh air, not filtered cabin air. There’s a lot more that goes into the paint shop and booths than people realize.”

He’s excited about what the new 500 se ries is doing for painters and shop owners.

“In the Spring of 2021, SATA released a new filtration system, the 500-series Filter. It still has your basic one-, two-, and three-stage filters, but the filter cartridges are config ured differently. They’re easy-on, easy-off, and the cartridges are all a standard sixmonth replacement. It runs a little higher CFM, around 135. The new flow-optimized cyclone separator ensures a constant and uniform air flow with uninterrupted air ro tation over a longer distance, minimizing pressure drops,” Gravenhof says. Overall the 500 Filter will better serve a larger shop with multiple booths.

To learn what DanAmAir or SATA filtration could do for you, check out danamair.com or satausa.com

SATA® Filter 544TM

Dual-stage filter (without activated charcoal) – suitable for the application of solvent-based paints.

Order No. 1100990

SATA® Filter 584TM

Triple-stage filter (with activated charcoal) to apply VOC-compliant paints, such as waterborne or high-solid paints.

Order No. 1099953

SATA® Filter 544LTM

Dual-stage filter in-line (without activated charcoal) – suitable for the application of solvent-based paints. Order No. 1124932

SATA® Filter 584LTM

Triple-stage filter in-line (with activated charcoal) to apply VOC-compliant paints, such as waterborne or high-solid paints. Order No. 1101716

Call Today! 800-533-8016 email: satajet@satausa.com www.satausa.com

GOLIATH CARTS

SAVING TIME WITH MOBILE CARTS

In today’s business environments, the pres sure is on to perform quickly and efficiently in order to remain competitive. There’s a con tinued drive to improve performance, find better ways to do more with less, and provide workers with the right tools to be successful. One way is to mobilize the workforce.

The popularity of mobile technology has caught on very rapidly over the last decade; from retail to healthcare and everywhere in between. The primary objective is to im prove productivity and efficiency by giving workers immediate access to the equipment and information they need, and limiting the amount of time traveling back and forth from the point of work to their workstation. It also enables more efficient communication inter nally and externally and increases the op portunity to provide an unparalleled service experience to customers. From a technology standpoint, industry leaders are fastidiously developing and improving mobile-friendly hardware and software needed to replace and simplify the processes that slow work ers down and impact data accuracy.

Eliminating wasted movement is key! In dustry statistics say every time a tech or estimator leaves the shop floor to go to the parts department or the front office, he loses between three-tenths and five-tenths of an hour of productivity. The only time techni cians and owners make money is when workers are on the shop floor. Goliath Carts mobile solutions minimize the amount of time techs are out of their bay and eliminates wasted movement with the use of mobile workstations and point of use carts! “The

most dangerous kind of waste is the kind you do not recognize” - Shigeo Shingo

MOBILE COMPUTER CARTS:

The implementation of computer carts such as the G1 or TGO-DC2 allow the com pany to see productivity gains as high as 30 percent. These self-powered mobile workstations have a run time of up to four days, all technology can be on hand at the job site, protected and secure with “desk on wheels” functionality. This allows for a dra matic increase in workflow efficiency while decreasing labor and operating expenses.

POINT-OF-USE CARTS:

Lean processes are vital to every point in the production process. Goliath Carts pro duces point-of-use carts that are expertly engineered and proven to improve produc tivity by managing information, equipment, and supplies at the job site. Whether carts are needed in blueprinting, ADAS, paint, de tail, or inventory, their mobile cart solutions are valuable tools in implementing lean processes. Allowing the technician to have everything they need right where they need it improves accuracy, reduces cost, and in creases productivity.

Andre Perdue, CVO at Auto Pros Collision Center in Phoenix, Arizona can’t get enough of Goliath Carts. “We have about 50 of them now and we're about ready to buy 40 more,” says Perdue. “The carts just make it so much easier to keep the shop clean and organized. Dito always has them and he ships the next day. He has a fantastic team.”

VEHICLE MOBILITY:

While many Goliath Carts products bring the necessary tools and equipment to the job site; safe, secure movement of the job is just as important. For vehicles that are un able to run and move on their own, the Goli ath Carts Uni-Dolly line of products has cre ated the ability for employees to safely move vehicles with the most rugged, durable, and flexible car dollies on the market. Much safer than floor jacks, they allow a drivetrain, chas sis, sub-frame, or car body to be placed any where in the shop.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Mobile carts are now paving the way for new lean practices in the shop that help to eliminate waste, reduce error, boost effi ciency, increase accuracy, and lower tech nical and logistical barriers. By allowing technicians everything they need at their fingertips, workforce productivity is essen tially doubled while costly waste is virtually eliminated. These changes result in dramat ic improvements in cycle time as well as reduction in labor and inventory costs, in creasing ROI with each job completed.

“You're not just dealing with a great prod uct but you're dealing with great people,” says Perdue. “They offer a wide variety of cool things and they perform at every level whenever we need them. We really appreci ate them. He's my go to guy for anything to do with carts.”

See how Goliath Carts will make a difference in your business by visiting goliathcarts.com.

DO NO HARM & IMPROVE SHOP EFFICIENCY WITH KECO GPR

MINIMIZE COLLATERAL DAMAGE BY USING KECO’S GPR SYSTEM

The use of Glue Pull Repair (GPR) in the collision repair industry has seen tre mendous growth over the past couple years. Body shop owners and operators are seeing the multiple benefits of GPR when it comes to collision repair by doing less harm to auto body surfaces, protective coatings, insulation, sensors, and other critical features—ultimately increasing shop efficiency and profitability.

A LESS INVASIVE REPAIR

KECO’s GPR system facilitates a ‘Do No Harm’ mantra by minimizing collateral damage in the process of executing a repair with sig nificant advantages over traditional collision repair techniques. GPR does not remove ecoatings or corrosion protection applied to the panel by vehicle manufacturers.

Shrinking the size of the repair results in directly proportional savings in filler, primer, and paint. Leaving the paint intact and begin ning to straighten the panel with glue tabs— while utilizing knock-down tools—reduces the repair area immediately. This allows a technician to move a lot of metal quickly, then chose smaller or different shaped tabs to make additional pulls, bringing the damage to a prep-for-paint faster - driving efficiency for any shop.

The KECO GPR system also meets the challenges of today’s newer cars such as EVs and those with Aluminum panels and compo nents. Typically requiring specific welders and equipment, the GPR system is not phased and will repair less-forgiving aluminum substrates as well as steel. KECO GPR can also perform on EVs without powering down the vehicle in many cases, saving a shop time and money.

HOW DID A FAST REPAIR METHOD GET EVEN FASTER?

KECO now has the NEW Level 2E GPR Colli sion System. The Level 2 System won the 2021 SEMA New Product of the year in colli sion & refinish and is now upgraded with a focus on EFFICIENCY. The L2E is a compre hensive piece of equipment, providing you with the ability to correct everything from large damage to door dings, and everything in-between. The efficiency of the L2E collision system is a result of multiple additions and enhancements working in unison for collision techs, shop owners and operators including:

Efficient Metal Flow

• Intermediate tabs added to allow more fluid metal movement between rough and finish tabs

• Rough-out tab selection modified to include multiples of key tabs to cre ate more efficient metal flow on large damage such as rocker panels, quarter panels, and fenders

• New Centipedes with a new lateral-pull option added to aid in unlocking very large damage

• Longer 300mm version of TabTraxTM adaptor added to allow more fluid metal movement of multiple tabs on rockers, quarters, fenders, doors, etc.

• (2) new curved TabTraxTM adapters for use with curved tabs around fender wells and contours

• Addition of longer modular knockdowns for ease of use around bridge lifters Organization

• KECO TabPrints shadow board to ar

range the 150-piece array of tabs from rough-out to finish

• 3rd-panel added to collision cart for ad ditional tools and space

• Z-Channel accessory organization plat form added to cart for key accessories such as glue gun, heat gun, thermom eter, and glue sticks

These enhancements are a result of listen ing to our customers, watching how the system is used, and innovating compo nents to help speed tool selection, and ultimately, the repair.

KECO systems come with a 90-day mon ey back guarantee and a no-questionsasked lifetime warranty on Centipede tabs, SuperTabs, and pulling tools.

At KECO, we are dedicated to serving the automotive industry. GPR is our business, and our passion is making auto collision repairs more efficient. With over 60 years of manu facturing expertise, unrivaled post-purchase support, and in-house advanced training op tions, we ensure your success and stand by your pursuit of the highest quality repair for your customer.

Elevate your shop’s quality and efficiency with GPR by purchasing your system directly from KECO at www.KECOtabs.com. If you have any questions or would like a 1-on-1 demonstration of the system, please reach out to our top-notch customer service and technical support team at 888-532-6822

Visit KECO at SEMA Booth #32227 to try GPR and have all your questions answered about how your shop can implement the least invasive repair method.

STOP STANDING AROUND WATCHING PAINT DRY

MEDIUM-WAVE, GAS-CATALYTIC, INFRARED CURING FROM US AUTOCURE PROVIDES SOLUTIONS FOR INCREASED PRODUCTION AND PROFITABILITY WHILE REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Gas-catalytic medium-wave infrared curing is appealing due to shorter cure cycles and smaller floor space requirements when compared to conventional spray booths. It is necessary to overcome some limitations such as line-of-site. However, the resulting decreased cure times, improved cure degree and overall appearance, and reduction in use of energy make this technol ogy appealing and growing in adoption.

Development of the US AutoCure system was born from a “wish list” created by paint ers who were familiar (and frustrated) by the available infrared systems. US Autocure has designed infrared curing systems to meet the needs of many industries, includ ing manufacturing and automotive repair. US Autocure systems are especially appealing for repair of the rapidly growing EV market due to temperature restrictions when servic ing these unique vehicles.

IR radiation is limited by line-of-sight since IR energy only travels in a straight line. Due to this limitation, IR energy can only be ab sorbed by sections of the component facing

the source. This is a critical consideration when curing automotive components since they are rarely flat, uniformed surfaces. US Autocure systems overcome line-of-sight limitations through uniquely designed emit ter panels that can articulate without los ing effectiveness. This articulation allows for even curing on components of varying shapes and sizes with no sticky tops or rock er panels, for example.

US Autocure systems are designed to al low autonomous operation, semi-autono mous, or manual control. Operational control is maintained through the interface and can be programmed by the operator or recalled as a previously defined recipe. The user has manual control over surface temperature, panel angles, tracking speed, and optimum surface temperature.

As IR curing systems heat the coating rather than the substrate, sensitive materi als such as plastic can achieve much bet ter results while limiting potential damage to the component. This is also an impor tant consideration when repairing modern

electric powered vehicles or vehicles with sensitive electronic components. As EV fleets grow and automotive OEMs drive strict regulations regarding electric ve hicle repair, this consideration will take in creased significance.

IR radiation can be generated from both electric and gas sources. In the case of electric infrared, a lamp or bulb containing a filament provides the short wavelength IR. These lamps, bulbs, and associated reflectors all require regular maintenance. Dust or dirt accumulation will interfere with system performance.

Gas IR systems utilize one of two methods to deliver energy. Some systems use a flame to heat a ceramic emitter to generate the IR radiation. US Autocure has implemented gas-catalytic systems which oxidize the fuel source without needing a flame.

Since proper coating formulations re spond well to fast heat-up rates, US Auto cure IR curing can result in improved finish appearance. For example, gloss may in crease. It is imperative to conduct trial runs to determine the impact that IR curing will have on finish appearance.

US Autocure systems are fully compliant to US Fire Prevention Standards and have earned Class 1, Div 2 certifications. Compliant US Autocure systems do not require enclo sures and can be retrofitted to a wide range of existing spray booths and environments.

Since US Autocure IR curing systems di rectly heat the coated surface, there are no wasted BTUs to heat the entire substrate or the surrounding air. Fans, pumps, and blow ers are not needed to provide combustion air, pump thermal oil through heat exchangers, or to circulate heated air around the substrate.

Additionally, US Autocure systems are more efficient than convection booths since more of the energy (heat) is delivered directly to the substrate. IR systems can be switched on or off in a matter of seconds, so less en ergy is wasted during warm-up.

Lastly, US Autocure IR emitters convert nearly 90 percent of their energy to heat, as opposed to traditional convection booths that only convert up to 60 percent of their energy to heat. For more information visit usautocure.com.

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS WHEN PAYING FOR NEW EQUIPMENT

HOW HUNTINGTON BANK CAN HELP YOU FINANCE YOUR EQUIMENT

Business owners are accustomed to making the “What to Buy” decision when it comes to acquiring capital equip ment. Whether it is for replacement, expan sion or OEM certification, owners diligently re view the product’s features and benefits and choose the best equipment for their shop.

But another important decision in the pur chasing process isn’t always given the same level of consideration. How you pay for your equipment can have a significant impact of the growth of your shop.

PAYING FOR YOUR EQUIPMENT

Choosing cash versus financing often depends on the reason for acquiring the equipment.

Replacement. When replacing old equip ment, the revenue produced by the equip ment is known, If the replacement is planned and capital has been saved, paying cash may be the best option. But unexpected fail ures or breakdowns may leave you in a chal lenging position. Oftentimes, financing can help replace the equipment quickly, minimiz ing the impact on cashflow and out of pocket expense.

Expansion or OEM certifications. These capital equipment outlays are part of much larger investments requiring additional sourc es of working capital. Additional payroll, train ing and a myriad of other expenses are part of these investment projects. Financing the cap ital equipment portion of these investments will let the equipment pay for itself.

BENEFITS OF FINANCING YOUR EQUIPMENT

Financing your equipment can provide many benefits:

Working Capital Conservation. Cash flow is king for business. Financing fixed asset acquisitions versus paying cash pro vides operational flexibility. Strong working capital levels allow firms to take advantage of opportunities such as making an acquisi tion or hiring additional talent.

Convenience. Working with an expe rienced finance source can save time and money. Banks typically require the same amount of paperwork regardless of loan type. Lenders such as Huntington Vendor Finance provide quick decisions with mini mal amount of paperwork.

100% Financing. There are no down pay ments or points with equipment financing as opposed to typical bank financing.

Hedge Against Inflation. Huntington Vendor Finance fixed-rate financing pro vides a hedge against inflation. Pay tomor row’s payments with today’s low rates.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FINANCING PROVIDER

When financing equipment is the right decision, it is also important to select the right provider. There are several factors to consider:

Direct Lender vs. Broker. Choosing a direct lender is often cheaper and more con venient. Direct lenders borrow their own dol

lars and typically own and service their own portfolios, while brokers locate a source and add points into the rate.

Industry Knowledge. Working with someone who knows your industry can help you decide the best finance term to match the equipment’s use.

Time in Business and Reputation. The collision industry is a target-rich environ ment for telemarketing finance companies. Working with a well-known and reputable finance company will provide you with a strong value-added partner who can make the process easy.

MAXIMIZE YOUR TAX DEDUCTIONS

Financing your equipment also has tax ben efits. In fact, taking advantage of tax deduc tions is a resourceful way to replace or ac quire equipment.

One timely and significant IRS-allowed de duction is the Section 179 Deduction, which allows companies to depreciate 100% of the cost of the equipment that is acquired and put into service this year up to $1,080,000. Here are the criteria:

• The qualifying equipment must be pur chased and put into service by midnight on December 31.

• The 2022 deduction limit is $1,080,000.

This deduction is good on new and used qualified equipment, as well as off-theshelf software.

•

The 2022 spending cap on equipment purchases is $2,700,000.

This is the maximum amount that can be spent on equipment before the Section 179 Deduction available to your company begins to be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

HELPING YOUR SHOP GROW

Huntington Vendor Finance is here to help you make your “How to pay for it” decision. We have the industry expertise and full range of financing solutions to help your business grow. We offer competitive rates and have the knowledge to help you make the right financing decisions.

For more information email Paul Knowlton at Paul.Knowlton@huntington.com

Finance equipment without wrecking your cash flow.

Get up to speed with what Huntington can offer your collision repair shop.

It takes a driven individual with a particular skillset to run this type of business. When the time comes for new equipment, we have finance experts for the collision repair industry that can map out the best way to keep your business on track.

We work with you to help finance:

Paul Knowlton

415-933-9693

paul.knowlton@huntington.com

Member FDIC. ®, Huntington® and Huntington® are federally registered service marks of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. © 2022 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated.

FRAME EQUIPMENT THAT STANDS UP THROUGH EVOLVING INDUSTRY NEEDS

FIND THE BEST FRAME EQUIPMENT TO FIT YOUR TECHNICIANS AND YOUR SHOP

When Phil O’Connor, owner of the four POC Collision locations in cen tral and southern Maine, bought his first two locations, they came with less than ideal equipment.

“It took years to develop the level of equipment that we have in our shops today,” he explains. “We’ve been commit ted to Car-O-Liner for several years now, and their products and service have really helped us grow.”

POC Collision now brings in over $12 mil lion a year with upgraded, quality equipment from Car-O-Liner® that the shop’s techni cians can trust and enjoy using.

FIT THE SPACE

Each of O’Connor’s shops varies in space, layouts and equipment needs. This re quires multiple frame machines within mul tiple shops, depending on the application. To help decide which pieces of equipment he needed to invest in for each shop, O’Connor relied on his local Car-O-Liner distributor to come in and assess his space. For loca tions where larger vehicles come in, he pur chased larger frame machines. And for ar eas where there was limited space, he chose

in-ground BenchRackTM installations that lie flush with the shop floor.

“I haven’t regretted any of the frame machines I’ve purchased,” he says. “And purchasing framing equipment is a sizable expenditure, both in money and space.”

EXTREME VERSATILITY

O’Connor’s shops currently utilize the BenchRack 5500 and 4200, which he says both suit a lot of different applications and work well with their measuring systems.

“The Vision Electronic Measuring Systems can be used on all different frame machines,” he explains. “And my technicians say they make measuring super quick and easy.”

O’Connor and his team have continued to depend on Car-O-Liner, not only for qual ity and ease of use but for the assurance that his frame equipment meets many OEM requirements.

“One thing that I’ve noticed is that these are really versatile machines, and more and more OEMs are recognizing Car-O-Liner equipment,” he notes.

This makes each piece of frame repair equipment a more universal and worthwhile investment.

TECHNICIAN-APPROVED

Before O’Connor upgraded his shops’ equip ment, his technicians were wary of getting rid of the old, large frame equipment in one of his locations. He says they were just used to the equipment and nervous about a change.

“I assured them that we were looking at something that was going to take up half the space and would allow for so much more ef ficiency and movement,” he recounts.

So O’Connor told his team that he would take out the old equipment and leave it out side, and if they wanted it back in the shop, he would put it back.

Needless to say, that equipment was never brought back inside the walls of POC Collision.

“They like the Car-O-Liner frame equip ment because it’s quick and accurate, and it speeds up cycle times,” he says. “They can get those vehicles up on the frame machine and down off the frame machine quickly and measured properly, it’s great.”

O’Connor wants to ensure that his shop is as lean as possible, so removing the old, large pieces of equipment helped free up space and boost overall efficiency.

DESIRABLE WORKPLACE

It’s no secret that it’s hard to find technicians right now, but it’s also no surprise that quality technicians are attracted to shops with qual ity equipment.

“I’m trying to attract good technicians so they can get cars out in an efficient and time ly manner with quality and proper repairs,” O’Connor explains. “And in this market, it’s so hard to get good technicians. If I can buy a great frame machine that’s easy, and people like to use it, I’ll attract those great techni cians. Car-O-Liner equipment is also just easier on the techs’ bodies.”

Although consolidation isn’t frequent in O’Connor’s area, he mentions that having high-quality equipment that’s consistent amongst shop locations adds immense val ue to a business and potential staff.

To learn more about Car-O-Liner frame equipment, visit car-o-liner.com

ENSURE YOUR SHOP “MEASURES UP” TO FUTURE DEMANDS

HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR SHOP WITH THE TOP MEASURING EQUIPMENT IN THE INDUSTRY

Tara Brock began managing the West Palm Beach location of Schumacher Col lision Center at the beginning of 2021. The large shop had the family-like environment Brock had been used to working in, and it quickly became a perfect fit. One of Brock’s first tasks was to completely change the floor layout and update the shop’s equipment. And she knew exactly who to turn to—Car-O-Liner®

CERTIFIED AND EFFICIENT

In addition to the many other pieces of Car-O-Liner equipment Brock invested in for the shop, she also brought in two VisionTM2 Car-O-Tronic® Measuring Systems and a PointX® II Diagnostic Measuring System.“The PointX II can measure anything, and is super quick,” Brock says.

The tool comes with a dedicated lap top, she explains, and once hooked up, the PointX II tells the user exactly where to place it. The technician then hits a button, which

turns green to signal the measurement has been recorded.

“It’s very similar to the Vision2, where all the information is on the screen. It’s very quick, and you get a full printout,” Brock says.

“The tech can do a quick measurement of a trunk opening, go into the database of the estimating system, and it’ll give them all the opening measurements that they can then go and match up.”

The data from the PointX II is saved within the system and can be accessed at any time, increasing efficiency and reducing cycle time at the shop. Car-O-Liner measur ing equipment either meets manufacturer specifications or is approved by many OEMs, which is vital to Brock.

“The most important thing for me was making sure that all the equipment that we were buying was OEM certified, because of all the different car lines that we carry,” she explains.

ACCESS TO HANDS-ON TRAINING

The main issue that Brock noticed with past equipment at a previous shop she worked at was a lack of support, including the training that was far from the area.

“If we would send a technician to training, I would lose them for anywhere from two to five days, which just isn’t feasible in our in dustry now adays,” she explains. “There was no picking up the phone, everything was vir tual and nothing was hands-on.”

Brock says that it’s the opposite with Car-O-Liner, because whenever she needs to speak with someone from the team, they are always accessible and ready to help.

“Everyone on the Car-O-Liner team has been fantastic to work with. Their customer service and training is great,” she says.

She has also been able to work out month ly in-person training for the technicians at the shop. Someone from Car-O-Liner comes in to do hands-on training for the equipment Brock brought into the shop, including the measuring systems.

“To me, that training and service is price less,” she adds. “I’d rather invest more for something that comes along with help for my technicians.”

HIGH CURB APPEAL

Brock says the difference between quality of the previous equipment at Schumacher Colli sion Center and the Car-O-Liner equipment is like night and day.

“The old equipment was just kind of archa ic,” she adds. “And I think Car-O-Liner is more in line with how the industry has changed.”

The equipment is also bright and clean and visually stands out to help add to the professional image of the shop.

“When you are walking a technician through the shop during the interview pro cess, or even when customers see the equipment, it helps draw in the right people,” she says. “I’ve got nothing but praise for Car-O-Liner equipment, and it’s really been a breath of fresh air for our technicians.”

To learn more about Car-O-Liner measur ing equipment, visit car-o-liner.com

PAINT

ACCUDRAFT PAINT BOOTHS

CUSTOM BOOTHS DESIGNED BY PAINTERS FOR PAINTERS

Increase your productivity and efficiency with Accudraft paint booths, designed with the painter in mind to fit any need you may have. From lighting and noise control to a fully customizable settings system, Accu draft has thought of it all.

“The biggest thing is that (Accudraft booths) are designed for the painter and the shop in mind. Our booths aren’t something thrown together just for painting.” says Jer emy Winters, Marketing and Content Cre ator for Accudraft. “Whether you are a small shop or a big shop, there’s different models that we have available, to be able to handle whatever kind of production that your shop is dealing with. The biggest thing for us is productivity and efficiency.”

Accudraft paint booths come in five different models to fit the needs of any shop including the Pro Series, SS, Italia, Alto and Titan.

The Pro Series booth is a single skin, econ omy booth designed for owners looking for a basic package. For those wanting a high

performance option, Accudraft has the SS, Italia, Alto, and Titan. Each booth has unique features to fit your needs whatever they may be. Whether you need to save space, work outside, or need room for commercial ve hicles, Accudraft has a booth for you.

CUSTOM FEATURES

Each Accudraft paint booth includes custom features, carefully designed to help you get the most out of your time and paint.

“We have a lot of light fixtures,” says Bran don Lowder, Vice President of Auto and Truck with Accudraft. “A lot of our competi tion will use fewer light fixtures with more bulbs in it to try to come up with the same number of lumens, whereas we use just four bulbs per fixture. We put 30% or 40% more fixtures in a booth so that the light is spread out better, so that the painter can see what they’re doing.”

Accudraft has created the FOCUS panel, which is a fully touch screen, internet ready, control panel, that allows you to adjust hun

dreds of settings with the click of a button. The FOCUS Panel can save up to 999 cus tom programs so each painter can have their own unique settings.

“If you have three different painters, all three painters will typically spray complete ly different,” says Winters. “Each painter can essentially have 333 different settings that they want to store in the FOCUS panel. This gives the end user full customization of their booth, making spraying different paints(water or solvent), or many different clears, much easier. If they have a certain setting that they want, there’s no going in and manually have to continually adjust set tings. You literally can go in, tap on your preprogrammed setting, and you’re done. It will setup ready to go”

One of the most common complaints in the shop is noise. Working around loud paint booths can add unnecessary stress in the shop. With an Accudraft paint booth, noise isn’t an issue.

“Our Italia, alto Titan, they all run around 50 to 60 decibels,” says Lowder. “To put that into perspective, standing right next to one of our booths running wide open is similar to going down the highway at 60 miles an hour. That’s what it’s like standing next door to the spray booth so it’s very easy to com municate around the spray booth. But more importantly in the shop, it’s not noisy for ev erybody else around the booth, which is a huge complaint that we’ve really I would say solved in the last number of years.”

On top of their quiet performance, Accudraft booths produce 20,000 cubic feet of air per minute, 25% more than their closest competitors!

With this extra airflow available, painters are able to adjust the airflow to their liking. Having access to more airflow allows for more versatile painting while saving the shop time.

Accudraft has opened a new factory in Aiken, South Carolina as well as factories in Italy and New Jersey. This new opening has tripled their size and allows them to provide better service than ever before.

For more information visit: accudraftpaintbooths.com

THE WATERBORNE BASECOAT SYSTEM PREFERRED BY HIGH PRODUCTION COLLISION CENTERS

PPG’S ENVIROBASE HIGH PERFORMANCE REFINISH SYSTEM

When it comes to performance, there are multiple considerations when se lecting a refinish system to meet the require ments of the high production collision center. At the top of the list are the ability to deliver excellent color matching and fast through put. And, given the shortage of experienced paint technicians, it would be a plus if the system is easy to learn and apply. The ENVI ROBASE® High Performance system (EHPTM) meets these key performance essentials with exceptional process efficiency.

COLOR ACCURACY AND EFFICIENCY

Given the complex, highly chromatic OEM colors increasingly being introduced to the marketplace, the EHP mixing system features all the latest vibrant latex toners required to match these finishes. Enhancing the abil ity to match OEM translucent colors—such as Honda Andaro Blue Pearl and Ford Ruby Red—five spectral gray (SG) undercoats are designed to contribute to the final basecoat color. All of PPG’s color formulas specify the

optimal SG shade of undercoat, which can be retrieved from any of PPG’s color formula retrieval tools.

Perhaps what best differentiates the col or-matching efficiency of this waterborne system is a comprehensive chromatic vari ant chip deck. Comprised of thousands of prime and variant colors, it receives high praise from its users. “The color chips are an identical match to the vehicle, so there’s little need to use the camera or create sprayout cards,” explains Andy Zamora, co-owner of Zamora’s Auto Body. “So, when handling some 300 ROs a month and not having to do sprayout cards on the vast majority of those vehicles, that’s saving us a significant amount of paint materials and labor hours.”

When a variant chip is not available for an OEM color, technicians can retrieve the very latest variant formulas using PPG’s PAINT MANAGER® XI software. The system’s global color database is continually updated with new formulas downloaded directly to the user’s computer.

FAST, EFFICIENT APPLICATION

From sealer to clear, the Envirobase High Per formance system delivers excellent through put performance. The chromatic sealers re quire only 15 minutes flash before topcoating, and the EN-V® Series clearcoats can bake in as little as 20 minutes at reduced booth tem perature. “When we switched to the Enviro base system, we were able to increase our throughput by 10%,” explains Zamora. “We increased our output by some 30-40 ve hicles per month during busy times—it’s truly had a significant impact on our productivity and profitability.”

EASY TO USE

Painters find this waterborne system easy to learn and apply, using traditional ap plication techniques. They appreciate the superior metallic control when applying the basecoat, and the easy, tighter blends they can achieve. Jeff Smith of Pro Colli sion especially likes the fact that “redos” or de-nibbing can be performed straightaway without having to remove the basecoat and start over.

PPG SUPPORT

Shops that have switched to the Envirobase High Performance system value the training and support they receive from PPG. “Work ing with PPG is more like a family relation ship—they’re always on your side and will go out of their way to help,” says Frank Wilcox, owner of Franks Collision Center.” I especially benefit from participating in the peer-to-peer PPG Performance Group and classes on financials and lean processes—as well the support for building our new shop.”

Given all these features for color match ing excellence, process efficiency and ease of use, it’s no wonder PPG’s Envirobase High Performance system has become North America’s top-selling waterborne basecoat. For more information, visit envirobase.com or contact your local PPG distributor.

The PPG Logo and Envirobase are registered trademarks, and EHP is a trademark of PPG Industries, Ohio, Inc.

© 2022 PPG Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.ppgrefinish.com

POLYVANCE NITROGEN PLASTIC WELDER

EFFICIENT, VERSATILE AND INNOVATIVE

With the Polyvance Nitrogen Plastic Welder, you can make plastic welds stronger than ever before. A plastic welder saves your shop and customers time and money by not having to wait for replace ment parts and can be used for a variety of repairs whether it’s a radiator or a kayak.

Duane Hicks, owner of Decatur Auto Body in Decatur, IL was skeptical when he first heard of welding plastic, but once he saw the results, he was hooked. “Years ago, they just had an iron, which is a heated up element,” says Hicks. “You would take that and then try to melt the plastic in repair but it didn’t work. That’s why I was skeptical when they told me they weld plastic together, I thought, ‘No, we’ve already tried this,’ but when he demonstrated it, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ll take that one right there.’”

Now Hicks uses his plastic welder every day and is overwhelmed by the perfor mance. “It’s unbelievable what this machine does and it actually you could probably take a bumper and tear it in half and put it back together,” says Hicks.

EFFICIENT

What makes the Nitrogen plastic welder so unique is its seamless design, created with mechanics in mind.

The 8203 Nitro-Fuzer ® simplifies nitro gen plastic welding by using a continuous

flow of nitrogen gas. Eliminating the com pressed air source allows the welder to run on nitrogen 100% of the time and eliminates the need to switch back and forth from air to nitrogen. Using only nitrogen also helps the heating element last longer by reduc ing oxidation. Plus, the Nitrocell generator system allows the strongest welds to be made without the worry of ever running out of nitrogen. The 8202 digital model features automatic air-nitrogen switching so you are only using the bottled nitrogen when the torch is out of the holster, making the most of your time and materials.

VERSATILE

The Polyvance welder features variable flow control with an analog flowmeter so you can adjust the flow for thinner or thicker plastics.

The 8203 model is a technologically advanced plastic welder capable of weld ing virtually any type of plastic. The analog flow gauge, precision regulator, and digitally encoded temperature controls allow for precise and consistent welds. A pressure sensor shuts off the power to the heat ing element if the nitrogen pressure drops below a safe level, reducing the likelihood of accidentally overheating the element. Variable temperature control on both the nitrogen and airless sides to compensate

for heat-sensitive plastics like PUR and ABS. The integrated airless welder is used for smoothing welds and repairing thermoset polyurethane. With the 8203 Nitro-Fuzer ® , it’s never been easier to make high-quality plastic welds.

The 8203 welder comes assembled with everything you need to start welding includ ing a large selection of plastic welding rod comes in three plastic cases to keep your welding rod organized and out of the dust, and a patented quick change hose and han dle assembly with new, more robust design allows you to change the components eas ily if they become damaged.

Polyvance provides exceptional customer and technical support including five nitro gen welding training courses approved by I-CAR® under the Industry Training Alliance® program for you and your technicians to learn how to make the most out of your new plastic welder.

For more information or to order your own Polyvance welder, visit polyvance.com

PLASTIC REPAIR YOU CAN COUNT ON

Trusted by a third of all collision repair shops in America, Polyvance equipment and training will help you repair more plastics, keep more labor hours in your shop, and improve your cycle time.

Polyvance has... The best plastic welders and welding rod in the world.

• 15 plastic welder models

• 99 types of welding rod

The best training on plastic repair in the world.

• Five I-CAR ®

Training

116

YouTube

• The only plastic repair smartphone app

BODYGUARD ® BY COLAD

WHERE COMFORT AND FUCTION MEET

Doing something no one has ever done before is the coda of Colad. Push ing boundaries and forging innovation is the culture that makes up this unique paint application brand. But it'll surprise you to discover where this inventive group led by Managing Partner Carl Garcia has found themselves in the industry.

"While Colad is an innovative company, as a leader in UV technology, for example, I'm still constantly drawn back to BodyGuard®."

BodyGuard® is one of the many name brands that make up Colad. It's a line of highquality paint suits and lab coats used by shop owners and painters across the globe. It's the apex of where comfort and function meet for spraying paint throughout an entire work day.

"They're comfortable all day long," said Carl. "From day one, we focused on making them comfortable."

It's designed with you in mind, responding to the user's experience. Between the anti static capacity of the carbon fiber material and the form-fitting hood, comfort is not for gotten in this product. Optimum movability is the goal when climbing into a BodyGuard® paint suit. It has ultimate heat release capa bilities to provide that comfortable freedom of movement.

Carl and his team tested their premier product when they traveled to the desert

last year to display their innovation for all to see in Las Vegas. "When my guys went to the SEMA Show, and we were selling paint suits, we wore them all day long. We didn't just put them on display; they were comfortable enough for our team to wear all week long during the show – I think that says a lot about the comfort."

As a body shop owner for almost 30 years now, Carl knows the day-to-day workings of the industry as well as anyone. His expe rience and knowledge have granted him a method of foresight to forecast trends in the industry before anyone else. "Our com petition just now realized its important to be comfortable all day."

Comfort isn't the only aspect of Body Guard® that makes it unique. The functional ity is the second pillar that helps this brand stand tall; according to Carl, "When it comes to the functionality, you have to wear them to see for yourself."

Bodyguard® is designed to protect against overspray and prevent any potential pollu tion to the paint job, whether that be fibers, dust, or lint. But the minor features are the innovative details that add up and make this product as unique as it is.

"Whether it's the cuffing of the wrists or the covered zipper to prevent scratches on the car, many small innovations in our

products far exceed our competition," Carl explained. "It's the little things that make the difference. BodyGuard ® has been a leader, and they still are, but we constantly improve them."

Inventing more is one of the taglines for the Colad experience. Just because some thing is working and great doesn't mean you can't improve it to make it incredible. So how can BodyGuard® be improved upon more than it already is?

"I was just talking to a shop owner, and he says, 'you know I've owned a shop for 20 years, I've been a painter for 30 years - I think I deserve a paint suit with my name on it.' These suits are important to who you are as a painter or shop manager. That's where we differ from everyone else."

Carl and his team now have the full capa bilities of customization and private labeling regarding the design of their BodyGuard® paint suits. When you order a suit with Colad, you can embroider your name, logo, or other information to make your BodyGuard® really yours. Even if you only need a single suit, Co lad will customize it for you.

"We're willing to work with customers on small batch orders," said Carl. "You want to customize a paint suit? We're willing to do it, because what you wear says a lot about you." Visit colad.co for more information.

says

As vehicle technology becomes more advanced and integrated with other vehicle components, the line between colli sion and mechanical repair work has become razor-thin. That’s because even a minor acci dent with very little visible damage can cause collateral damage to cameras, sensors, wiring and mechanical components.

In addition, collision repair technicians can find it challenging to keep up with the in creasingly complex vehicle technology and updated information to perform accurate and safe repairs. To help professional tech nicians focus on repairs instead of research, they need repair resources as advanced as the vehicles they repair.

That’s why SUN® Collision Repair Infor mation was launched: To offer the most comprehensive collision repair shop soft ware available. SUN is a member of the TO TAL SHOP SOLUTIONS family of Snap-on® brands that includes Mitchell1®, John Bean®, Car-O-Liner® and Hofmann®

From its intuitive search engine to a broad library of OEM specifications and proce dures, SUN Collision is your one-stop re source for collision and mechanical repair. Here are some of the most popular and ben eficial features you’ll find:

1SEARCH PLUS

1Search Plus is built with advanced search technology that scans repair software for the most accurate and up-to-date OEM and realworld information available. If you can use Google, you can use SUN Collision’s propri etary search engine explicitly designed with collision repair technicians in mind. You can get the repair information you need by enter ing familiar industry terms or other criteria.

The resulting information is presented in an easy-to-understand graphical layout

REPAIR

aligned with how professional technicians typically approach diagnosis and repair.

ADAS COLLISION REPAIR

ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) is here to stay, and it will continue to evolve as manufacturers adopt increasingly advanced technology for vehicle safety. Because ADAS technology in modern vehicles changes rap idly, collision repair technology must do the same to keep up.

SUN Collision software is designed to be flexible and comprehensive to help collision repair facilities meet the demands of ADAS and other vehicle technology as they change. The company makes it easy to diagnose, re calibrate and repair vehicles equipped with ADAS with the latest on-demand repair infor mation available.

ADVANCED MATERIALS DATA

Advanced vehicle materials will continue to influence how collision facilities approach framework, body panel repair and replace ment, and other collision repairs. From diag nostics to paint and finish, keeping up with the constantly changing collision information and repair procedures requires the most upto-date OEM information.

With SUN Collision, professional techni cians have on-demand access to the new est OEM repair procedures. The software provides the most comprehensive informa tion needed for plastics, adhesives, highstrength steel, composites, aluminum, and many other modern vehicle materials — with the click of a button.

BODY AND FRAME COLLISION REPAIR

More and more OEMs including Ford, Chev rolet, Honda, and Toyota provide a Recom mended Steel Repairability Matrix to help

collision repair facilities perform safe and ac curate repairs. From cold repairs to specific welding processes, this repairability informa tion is crucial for proper repairs.

SUN Collision features the latest OEM body and frame repair information alongside other critical repair data. Technicians get on-demand access to detailed repair infor mation for sectioning procedures, structural adhesives, panel removal and replacement, materials handling, and much more.

ADVANCED INTERACTIVE WIRING DIAGRAMS

Modern vehicles have miles of wiring net works that interconnect everything from ADAS to multimedia devices to a vehicle’s central computer. When your body shop uses the interactive wiring diagram feature of SUN Collision’s powerful software, technicians get the easiest and most up-to-date wiring sche matics for accurate repairs.

Technicians can quickly navigate a par ticular diagram to display pop-up menus for connector views, specifications, guided diagnostics, component location, and more for better repairs and increased productivity.

WHY CHOOSE SUN COLLISION?

When you choose SUN, you’re investing in your repair technicians and your collision shop’s future. Not only will your shop be able to perform more accurate and safe repairs, but you will also be in a position to attract more top-level talent as your shop grows.

Get your free demo today for a close-up look at the future of collision repair software. For more information, please contact SUN Collision at 877-840-1973 or schedule a free demo.

SPRAY GUNS

FOCUS ON VERSATILITY WITH THE SATAMINIJET® 4400 B

THIS MINI GUN FROM SATA IS PERFECT FOR PRIMER AND MORE

The SATAminijet® 4400 B is a great gun for large repairs to small detail work, especially in areas of difficult access. If you are trying to touch up a small scratch on the edge of a panel or just small stone chips in a blend area, the fan size is flexible, functional, and easy to adjust.

Designed to ensure perfect finishes in various fields of application and the special SR nozzles are perfectly suitable for spot re pairs on vehicles.

THE RIGHT NOZZLE TECHNOLOGY

The SATAminijet® 4400 B, is available in both HVLP and RP technology. While the SATA HVLP technology ensures particularly high transfer efficiencies, the optimized high pressure RP technology helps the painter achieve maximum application speed. With their transfer efficiency rates exceeding 65%, both versions fully comply with existing VOC regulations. The guns are being employed in craft and industry whenever small surfaces, or areas which are difficult to access need to be coated. For all types of smart repair appli cations, there is now the choice between the proven SR nozzle sets relying on the HVLP technology and SR nozzle sets based on the RP technology. Both – HVLP SR and RP SR – are characterized by their large spray patterns with a stretched, dry core which prevent “halos” as well as striping with rela tive ease - coating flaws which are often seen especially with silver shades.

The gun inlet pressure of the SATAmini jet® 4400 B ranges between 7 and 29 psi (HVLP) or 7 and 36 psi (RP), depending on

the needed application. For the digital mea surement and precise adjustment of the inlet pressure, the regular air micrometer can be replaced with the SATA adam 2 mini which is available as an accessory item.

ERGONOMICS

The SATAminijet ® 4400 B gun body de sign, features a gun handle profile where your hand fits around the gun like a glove. All control elements can be easily operat ed even when wearing protective gloves, while the round/flat fan control allows the you to adjust the spray pattern rapidly and precisely with just a 3/4 turn. The spindle is very durable even when regularly ex posed to aggressive cleaning materials or when the gun is not as well cleaned as it should be.

The quick-change connection for the QCC (Quick Cup Connector) gravity flow cup not only ensures rapid color changes, but it’s also possible to use all three RPS cup sizes without the need for an adapter. Finally, due to the large connection aperture, it has be come even easier to thoroughly clean the material channel.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

Users will also notice when it comes to cleaning and maintenance of the spray gun. For example, there is a seal at the end of the fluid tip thread protecting it against paint contamination. The large QCC cup con nector and the extremely smooth material channel without edges and undercuts ad ditionally accelerate the cleaning process.

The coarse quick change thread on the air cap and on the material flow control knob are not only robust and convenient but also very easy to clean.

ENHANCED DURABILITY

Particular focus was placed on providing both highest quality and enhanced durabil ity: The gun body is an easy to clean, cor rosion-resistant pearlodized TM surface. The robust air cap is made of chrome-plated brass, while paint needle and fluid tip are manufactured from tempered stainless steel. The gun trigger has been designed in such a way that the paint needle is pro tected from paint mist which increases the life time of the paint needle seal, thus reduc ing the need to replace it, resulting in sav ings in terms of time and money. Finally, the thickness of the air piston rod has been in creased to extend its durability.

GREAT FOR UV

The SATAminijet ® 4400 B is a fantastic option when it comes to spraying UV prim er. The benefits that come from spraying not only primer, but UV products through the minijet is profound. Check with your paint manufacturer for specific recom mendations. The most common setups range from 0.8 SR up to the 1.2 SR nozzle size, with the SATA® RPS UV black version cups for a combination sure to increase your productivity.

For more information on the SATAminijet® 4400 B, please ask your SATA dealer or go to www.satausa.com

ULTIMATE EDUCATION SOLUTION IN ONE PACKAGE

GET IN THE EXPRESS LANE TO GOLD CLASS ® RECOGNITION WITH I-CAR’S ALL-INCLUSIVE PACKAGE

Often the hardest step in solving a prob lem is simply recognizing that a prob lem exists in the first place. This is the case for the perplexing problem of how to stay ahead of constant industry changes. Once collision repair shops get over the hurdle of calling I-CAR for help because they recog nize they need more education on ADAS, Electric Vehicles, joining techniques for dis similar metals, and myriad other changes in repair procedures, the next steps fall easily into place. They are all neatly packaged in one ultimate training solution.

Since its introduction in late 2020, Get to Gold Class® has put hundreds of shops on the path of continuous learning. That path is the only way to stay current—and frankly, to stay in business.

Once signed up for this I-CAR package, each collision repairer is set up with the most efficient route to fulfill his or her par ticular goals while being in sync with the shop’s Gold Class requirements. Since all required training is included in the pack age, the only decision a shop has to make is whether to travel in the standard or express lane. A shop may take up to 12 months or move at an accelerated pace to close the knowledge and skills gaps in its team. At the end of its journey, it joins an elite group of 9,000 U.S. collision repair shops who under stand what this industry benchmark means to their market position and eligibility for network participation.

COMPREHENSIVE, CUSTOMIZED, WITH CONTINUITY OF SERVICE SUPPORT

Everything your team needs to achieve Gold Class recognition is part of this pack

GET TO GOLD CLASS

age, and it’s discounted, too—making it an ulti mate training solution. To make sure you stay on track and get to the Gold Class finish line, we as sign a Customer Care representative who’ll support you every step of the way. Continu ity in service support makes for a smooth, stress-free Get to Gold Class journey.

Let’s look more closely at what makes Get to Gold Class your ultimate training choice:

• An In-Shop Knowledge Assessment that gives us a baseline of your team’s knowl edge and skills, allowing us to customize a Get to Gold Class package just for your shop. If you’re already training with I-CAR, we’ll advise you if an assessment is not necessary.

• All online, virtual and live training needed to achieve Gold Class recognition, includ ing any required welding and Hands-On Skills Development courses.

• Pricing scaled to the size of your shop’s technician base and training history. Limited turnover protection: if any techni cians training at a Get to Gold Class shop leave, we’ll provide required online and virtual training for replacement techni cians at no extra cost. Flexible pay-in-full or monthly payment options.

• Streamlined, one-stop enrollment pro cessed by an assigned I-CAR Customer Care representative who’ll be with you every step.

• Upon achieving Gold Class recognition, at your option, automatic enrollment in

I-CAR’s training subscription plan. This gives access to courses not just to desig nated role reps, but to every employee in your shop.

READY. SET. GET TO GOLD CLASS!

Collision repair shops that register for Get to Gold Class are often looking to improve cycle time and other KPIs. They may be con cerned about retaining top technicians who expect to be provided with training to keep their skills honed. And even though their lots are full today, they aren’t confident that once business levels off they’ll be able to compete with shops listed in I-CAR’s consumer shop locator website Bodyshopology™. Shops use their Gold Class advantage to demonstrate to customers the commitment they’ve made to training and to participate in insurance and OEM networks that deliver new business to their doors.

You haven’t ignored the signs either. You recognize your shop may be at risk – and that’s the hard part. Finding the solution is as easy as calling us at 800.ICAR.USA to reg ister for Get to Gold Class. We’re excited to help you join the ranks of Gold Class shops who are making our vision of complete, safe and quality repairs for the ultimate benefit of the consumer a reality.

WANT MORE INFORMATION? Get more details when you visit I-CAR.com/GTGC!

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE OF WELDING

KEEP UP WITH WELDING TECHNOLOGY, AND STAY COMPETITIVE IN A CHANGING INDUSTRY

The materials and technology within vehicles have drastically changed in the past few years. To keep up with evolving demands and increased OEM cer tifications Car-O-Liner ® has optimized its welders. FenderBender sat down with Jeff Coppes, service and technical support welding systems at Car-O-Liner, to dis cuss how welding technology has recently changed and how updated tools can help you keep up and grow your shop.

HOW HAVE MANUFACTURING CHANG ES AFFECTED WELDING TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST 5 YEARS

One of the things that come to mind is the in creased use of high-strength steel. More of a vehicle is now made up of high-strength or ultra-high-strength steel. There are also a lot more multi-material vehicles. Where you’re seeing that advanced high-strength steel, you’re also seeing some aluminum and car bon fiber. These new materials are very heatsensitive, so we’ve had to adjust the way we repair them. There’s no more bending, beating and heating them. We now also have to worry about cross-contamination, since aluminum and steel don’t play well together.

Another big change has been OEM re quirements. OEMs have really stepped up and are making sure everyone is following OEM procedures and documentation.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL FEATURES WITHIN WELDING EQUIPMENT THAT ARE NEEDED TO REPAIR TODAY’S VEHICLES?

Like I mentioned, ultra-strength steel is in credibly sensitive to heat. If we don’t follow the same methodology of how the steel is made, we can weaken the material, and turn it into mild steel. That’s why we’ve seen the transition from single-phase welders to 3-phase welders. Higher currents can do

the work without damaging the surround ing metal, which allows technicians to work much more quickly.

Because there are highly varying materi als out there, it’s important to have weld ers with fully-automatic modes. This allows the welder to quickly identify the type of ma terial and thickness and set the parameters for the technician.

WHAT CAR-O-LINER WELDERS AND FEATURES MAKE THEM STAND OUT TO SHOP OWNERS LOOKING TO STAY COMPETITIVE?

The Car-O-Liner CTRTM9 has fully-automatic controls, which markedly speeds up efficien cy inside the shop. The technician has the abil ity to pull the trigger of the welding gun and automatically identify the type of material and thickness. The CTR9 also has built-in quality control. It performs an upfront test to ensure the system is ready to go, acting as one more safety check. And the welder’s software is up datable, allowing adaptations to future chang es or OEM requirements. The recent redesign of the welding gun has also made the welder more ergonomic and easier on the technician, resulting in fewer work-related injuries.

For MIG welding, Car-O-Liner carries their CM ITM300 Pulse. Anything you do with struc tural aluminum or high-strength steel has to be pulsed. The newly-reconfigured CMI300 puts a greater focus on the collision indus try’s use of thinner material. The welder’s new visual control panel also makes it very easy to use.

HOW DOES CAR-O-LINER HELP SHOPS MEET OEM REQUIREMENTS, REPAIR MORE VEHICLES, AND, IN THE END, INCREASE PROFITS?

OEMs are now much more involved in ap proving equipment. Some OEMs want to test the equipment and verify that it meets

their requirements, while others look at specifications. Having a welder that meets an optimal number of program require ments, like those offered by Car-O-Liner, is critical for shops to decrease cycle times and bring in more profit.

Training is also critical. The technique for aluminum MIG welding is very different from what body techs are used to when work ing with steel. Training gives technicians an understanding of the equipment for optimal use and enables them to obtain the certifica tions they need.

Car-O-Liner distributors do a great job helping shop operators by providing upfront training and then helping them through the rest of the certification process.

To learn more about Car-O-Liner welders, visit car-o-liner.com

THE ONLY ADAS QUESTION THAT REALLY MATTERS

ARE YOU IN OR ARE YOU OUT?

As a collision shop, maybe you do ADAS work. More likely, you don’t. Should you?

We think you should, because it’s your shop. ADAS should remain your work, and your profit.

Naturally, this is a question every shop must decide for itself, but here are some quick facts to consider:

• ADAS is changing the face of automotive service

• ADAS work is going to grow, and grow, and grow

• Collision shops are natural settings for calibrations, even if few are doing them now

• The longer you wait, the further behind you’ll be

With ADAS such a constant topic, there’s plenty of information, good and bad, flying around. Here are answers to a few common ADAS concerns to hopefully provide some helpful insight and a little perspective.

IS ADAS REALLY A COLLISION SHOP THING?

Not only is it appropriate work for a collision shop; it’s basically tailor-made for collision shops, even if most are currently subletting it.

Here’s why. More than 70 million vehicles on the road today have at least some ADAS functions. In the not-so-distant future, all

will. Calibrations can be triggered by a num ber of routine repair procedures, such as replacing a windshield or a bumper. You can imagine what an actual accident does to ADAS components.

In 2021, the ADAS market was calculated to be $27 billion. One recent estimate places it at $75 billion by 2030. This is work, so far as collision shops are concerned, that will never go away.

ISN’T ADAS A HUGE INVESTMENT?

If it is, it’ll be because the amount of work jus tifies it, and you want it to be.

Like any move into new products or ser vices, you start slow and gradually expand your focus as you gain expertise and confi dence. Begin with makes and models you’re familiar with and go from there. There’s no need to obtain elaborate ADAS tools and equipment overnight.

The work will be there when you’re ready to grow. It’s our belief that most shops are at or beyond the break-even point already but haven’t recognized it yet.

ISN’T ADAS REALLY COMPLICATED?

ADAS systems are complicated. Calibrat ing ADAS components is not. It’s usually straightforward.

True, left entirely to your own devices, ADAS work can be quite challenging, requir

ing a high degree of research and practice. Fortunately, you’re not left alone. You can partner with a provider who can supply you with all the equipment, training and expertise you’ll need to become proficient at this profit able line of work.

DON’T I NEED EXTRA-SKILLED TECHS?

It’s always best to have skillful and experienced techs, but ADAS doesn’t require special exper tise. It requires conscientiousness. Solid ADAS tools from a partner you trust will guide your techs step by step through countless calibra tions. What’s required of them is diligence, patience and attention to detail. Techs willing to bear down and make sure all the boxes are checked will be your best ADAS people.

DON’T I NEED A TON OF SPACE?

This is a frequent misconception. To perform the lion’s share of ADAS work, you likely have sufficient space as it is. A little workaround creativity may be required from time to time, but it’s completely feasible. Just as you don’t need 100 yards to play touch football, you don’t need an “ideal” amount of space to perform many ADAS calibrations.

What’s the next step? Taking advantage of a leading tool from an expert, reliable brand. Namely, the ADASLink® full diagnostic premium scan tool from Hunter Engineering.

ADASLink® introduces you to the ADAS world by removing the confusing guess work. This complete solution includes secure gateway capabilities and custom integrates with Hunter’s WinAlign® software, providing your technicians with quick and easy access to specific calibration procedures for mil lions of vehicles, guiding them with clear, on screen instruction every step of the way.

It’s never hard to find reasons not to do something. But by taking the time to gather information and plan a workable course of action, your point of view can change. When you’re ready, Hunter Engineering will be there for you with the equipment and guidance you’ll need to take advantage of this great, ongoing opportunity. For more information go to:

THE PREMIER ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT WHEEL DISTRIBUTOR

BLACKBURN OEM WHEEL SOLUTIONS KNOWS WHAT REPAIR SHOPS NEED IN ORDER TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

Blackburn OEM wheel solutions is the premier original equipment wheel distributor servicing the United States, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii. Black burn is superior because they offer excep tional customer service, convenient easy access to their products, and exceptional transit times.

DOING BUSINESS WITH BLACKBURN IS SIMPLE AND CONVENIENT Blackburn provides an easy-to-use OEM Wheel Finder available 24/7 with pictures to make selecting the right wheel simple. They also have a well-seasoned inside sales team that is happy to answer any questions that repair shops may have. If shops have issues matching wheels. Blackburn’s customer service is happy to match wheels through supplied pictures and descriptions. Unlike competing businesses, Blackburn is avail able Monday through Friday from 8am to

7:30pm Eastern Time and Saturday from 8am to 4pm Eastern time, so even repair shops out on the West coast can utilize Blackburn’s phone service.

BLACKBURN PRODUCTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE MOST-POPULAR ESTIMATING SOFTWARE SITES Blackburn specializes in original equip ment steel and alloy wheels for light trucks and automobiles. The very same wheels on both foreign and domestic vehicles found on the roads and in your shops today! Ad ditionally, their product is available on all of the most popular estimating software sites such as CCC One, OPS, APU, Parts Trader, and Mitchell. As a result, Blackburn’s inven tory reaches most, if not all the collision re pair shops in the country. In addition to be ing on a wide range of estimating software sites, Blackburn offers their own Wheel Finder which can be used by simply typing

in blackburnswheelfinder.com . This site allows repair shops to easily look at Black burn’s live inventory, complete with pricing and delivery times.

BLACKBURN WHEELS ARE AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

Blackburn’s original equipment factory wheels and OEM hubcaps are available in new, refinished, or used condition. This al lows more options to meet the quality or budget demands of repair shops’ custom er base. When wheels are reconditioned, Blackburn makes sure that they meet OEM specifications precisely. Used wheels within the Blackburn system come in only two dif ferent grades- grade A or grade B. Grade A will have two or three cosmetic imper fections while grade B could have four or five cosmetic imperfections, regardless, all wheels are in functioning condition. This broad range of wheel conditions allows repair shop customers to stay within their budgets and helps repair shops become suitable for a wider range of customers.

SHIPPING WITH BLACKBURN IS EFFICIENT AND EASY

Blackburn ships anywhere in the continen tal United States within three days or less. Inventory can be shipped to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico with an additional expense. In addition to the impressive delivery time, Blackburn is available for shipping on Sat urdays, and they can overnight any one of their products so that repair shops can get cars out of the shop quickly.

Repair shops should choose Blackburn OEM Wheel Solutions not only because it is the nation’s premier distributor of OEM fac tory wheels, and has been in the OEM hub cap and wheel business for over 35 years, but also because they know what repair shops need in order to have a successful business. Blackburn wants to help make purchasing wheels easy and efficient by finding ways to make the process of buying OEM wheels a snap.

To learn more about Blackburn OEM Wheel Solutions visit blackburnwheels.com

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