PPG Refinisher Vol56 Issue 2 2014

Moselle

flexes its muscle!

THE VO L U M E

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I S S U E

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J U N E

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ALSO INSIDE: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• WIN / WIN SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS

• OPENING UP TO NEW IDEAS

• BUSINESS RESTORATION

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SATA dry jet: Accelerates the drying process of waterborne paints.

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Contact PPG’s customer service team to find your nearest SATA distributor.

PPG Industries Australia Pty Ltd (Authorised Importer of SATA products) Locked Bag 888, Clayton South VIC 3169 Australia Customer Service Toll Free Phone Number (Aust): 13 24 24 Phone Number (NZ): 0800 320 320 Email: Sata.Australia@ppg.com Website: www.sata.com

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contents JUNE2014 56 VOLUME

THE

REFINISHER

ISSUE 2

Editor-In-Chief Paul Galea

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Editorial Co-ordinator Suzannah Aivatoglou Editor John M Stanley Creative Director Dean Parrott

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News & Reviews

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Lead by example No matter what he puts his mind to, Steve Noyer goes flat out. That’s seen him rack up enviable results whether it’s behind the wheel of his Mustang in the Central Muscle Cars series, running his Auckland collision repair centre or raising serious money for charity.

Published for and on behalf of PPG Industries Pty Limited by

Kisschasey Creative Pty Ltd Unit 113, 91 Murphy St. Richmond, Victoria, 3121 Telephone (03) 9421 3311

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A new lease on life Taking a new business direction

Australia Head Office Locked Bag 888, Clayton South, Victoria 3169.

McNaughton Road, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3168 Telephone: 13 24 24 www.ppgrefinish.com.au

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Why a win / win situation is great for business prosperity

New Zealand Head Office 5 Vestey Drive, Mt Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand.

Toll Free Telephone: 0800 320 320 Victoria 104-106 Woodlands Drive, Braeside, 3195 Telephone (03) 8586 0000

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South Australia 1E Oldsmobile Terrace, Dudley Park, 5008 Telephone (08) 8346 6870 Tasmania PO Box 406, Kings Meadows, 7249 Telephone 0412 254 807 Western Australia 4 Modal Crescent, Canning Vale, 6155 Telephone (08) 9256 3920

Professional development Improving your image is a healthy approach

New South Wales 10 Peter Brock Drive, Eastern Creek, 2766 Telephone (02) 9854 6600 Queensland 18 Breene Place, Morningside, 4170 Telephone (07) 3823 8000

Healthy supplier relationships – healthy business

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Repairing Nissan ‘Scratch Shield’ The Nissan approved PPG procedure

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The more things change The Royan Group celebrates its 70th Anniversary

NEWS & REVIEWS REFINISHER

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Back to front hero O

DJR drops in to Clayton

ne of the most unique, outlandish and exciting custom car builds ever seen in Australia is currently taking shape in a Canberra workshop. Inspired by a concept drawing by Steve Vesperman (dating back to a 1994 issue of Street Machine magazine), the radical design essentially involves taking an FB Holden and switching the front to the back and the back to the front! Owners, Adam and Kylie Perry, are hands on with the build and have enlisted custom guru, Howard Astill from Astill Design, to help them plan and execute the complex project.

PPG has also thrown its support behind the venture so you can expect something very special when it comes to paintwork. You can follow all the action at www.facebook.com/ R groups/Tail.Spin.Project/

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hile in Melbourne to compete in the V8 Supercar races at the Formula 1 GP event in March, Dick Johnson Racing decided to pay a visit to one of the team’s longest serving sponsors – PPG. Motor sport legend, Dick Johnson, along with current team drivers, David Wall and Scott Pye, dropped in to PPG Australia’s Clayton headquarters to sign posters for PPG staff and learn a little more about the local manufacturing facility. The two drivers were particularly interested in the process used to create the premium quality paints that ensure DJR is one of the best R presented teams on the grid.

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• Stud ent inter views • ush Vent uri news • Meet • Mr Tony Vowles • II in Airbr ushin terly Airbr g• ush comp etition • • Airbr

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REFINISHER

DRIVETHROUGH

with Paul Galea

H Read ‘The Refinisher’ online I

s your copy of The Refinisher coffee stained? Or perhaps you want to check an article from a back issue – no problem!

PPG’s popular industry magazine is also available to view online as an e-mag.

Simply go to: www.vibrancenetwork.com.au/refinisher.

Click on the issue you’re after and flick through the pages until your heart’s content!

R

Team Penske & PPG continue successful partnership A

ll over the globe PPG has close connections to top level motor sport and one of its longest standing partnerships is with the high profile ‘Team Penske’.

It competes in a variety of categories in North America, including the IndyCar Series, and a recent PPG announcement confirmed its ongoing support for the front-running team throughout the 18-race 2014 season.

This continues a relationship which began around 45 years ago with the team’s parent, Penske Corporation. Today, PPG is not only the exclusive supplier of coatings for Penske Corporation’s racing operations but also for its truck leasing and automotive collision repair subsidiaries and facilities.

Team Penske’s IndyCar entries, driven

by Australia’s Will Power, as well as Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya, are all painted in PPG Deltron products. In the NASCAR Series the Team Penske’s cars are coated in PPG’s advanced waterborne basecoat system, Envirobase High Performance. Not surprisingly, PPG sponsored Team Penske cars feature prominent ‘PPG Automotive Refinish’ and ‘PPG’ corporate logos.

This durable partnership reflects the long-term commitment both Penske and PPG have to achieving mutual, ongoing success. R

ow healthy are your supplier relationships? Our latest MVP article (pg16) looks at how these relationships have turned to partnerships. From global multi-national companies to small family businesses, the trend has moved away from a pure price focus. Nowadays, the question ‘what can this supplier do to support my business?’ also carries a lot of influence. I believe it’s something PPG excels at with our Turn Key Options of specialist business support which comes as part of being a PPG paint customer. It’s about a win / win partnership that benefits both parties – helping customers grow their business and become more profitable also contributes to PPG’s success.

The ability to diversify to take advantage of market opportunities has become increasingly important in our industry. Indeed, there are some great examples in this issue – Pro Customs successfully transitioning from accident repairs to custom and restoration work (pg 10) and Glen Waverley Panels (pg 26) adding another string to its bow by importing and painting innovative products for the ute market. Perhaps the best example is The Royan Group which is celebrating its 70th Anniversary (pg 32). Over the years, the way this family business has evolved has ensured it not only survived but thrived. And, I’m very pleased to say that PPG has been a supplier partner all the way through.

R Happy Anniversary Royans!.

FEATURE STORY REFINISHER

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Whether it’s racing his Mustang muscle car, doing a restoration job, raising funds for charity or running his collision repair centre, Steve Noyer’s aim is to...

Lead by example A

s long as he can remember, Steve Noyer has wanted to race cars. However, like many would-be racers without the funding to follow their dream, the only realistic option after leaving school was to get a job.

Steve chose a career in panel beating which has lead him to a long stint working on the other side of the world, his own successful business, Moselle Panel & Paint, in Auckland and the opportunity to punt a 420hp classic Ford Mustang around some of the best circuits in New Zealand. After supporting a friend who was racing in the Central Muscle Cars series and sponsoring several other competitors, the lure of getting behind the wheel became too strong to resist, says Steve.

“I was fixing race damage on other peoples’ cars so I thought I might as well get into it myself. I started racing in the BMW E30 Class – it’s a really affordable controlled form of racing that focuses on the driving and that taught me a lot.

About four years ago I got into the Central Muscle Cars series in my ’67 Mustang. It’s like a little go-kart, really – it only weighs 1380kg without me in it and it runs a 302 cubic inch V8 that’s putting out 420hp. It’s actually the engine Angus Fogg used to win the New Zealand V8 SuperTourers Championship in the 2011-12 season – we just plucked it out of his car, gave it a tidy up and put it in the Mustang. We sponsor Angus’s V8 SuperTourers team by repairing any accident damage and in return he pretty much prepares the car for each race meeting. It might be an old muscle car but it’s super reliable – probably one of the more reliable cars in the field so we’re able to just roll it out at the track and it’s good to go.”

Steve has stuck to the more tightly controlled Group 2 category, rather than Group 1 which allows far more freedom to modify the cars. With the two categories competing together on the track, it makes for interesting racing.

“We’re running on a budget so we’re happy racing in Group 2.

To build a car for Group 1 you’re looking at around $250,000 to $300,000 and it’s higher maintenance. The Group 1 front runners are running NASCAR style engines that are pushing 900hp! Where I’m doing 240 km/h down the straights, the big boys are hitting 300 km/h.

When you see them coming you just hold your line and hang on!”

While the V8 SuperTourers represent the modern form of touring car racing, it’s the bucking, bellowing Central Muscle Cars that tend to steal the show on race day.

FEATURE STORY 7

“It’s a lot of fun and we’re real crowd pleasers. If it’s a wet race the Group 1 cars can struggle for traction so the Group 2 cars can find themselves up the front. On the tight in-field sections we can be quicker, too. At Taupo we were catching the Group 1 cars on the in-field but, with their horsepower, they gobble us up on the straights. The racing isn’t as aggressive as it used to be – I think people have started to realise that it costs too much to be smashing them up. Having said that, I had a big accident a few weeks ago – too many cars trying to fit into a small space around turn one so the Mustang had to come back to the shop to be repaired and get a repaint in PPG Envirobase High Performance (waterborne basecoat system).”

Like everything in life, Steve puts 100% effort into his racing.

His team includes long-time friend Aaron Ayers as Crew Chief (he’s also Shop Manager at Moselles), as well as PPG Territory Manager, Raine Kirby, and Jake Reed from his PPG distributor, Autopaint. Together they’ve achieved some impressive results.

“We’re punching well above our weight. We missed the first round because we were on the PPG organised trip to SEMA but we’ve already had three wins this season and I’m running a solid third which is probably where I’ll finish. In January we did the series on the South Island and won Group 2 outright!

Right now I’m right into my racing – that’s my passion.”

Steve’s love of muscle cars really kick started

during his time working in Canada.

Having enjoyed the country on a previous trip through North America, Steve headed back to Vancouver in the early 1990s where he set down roots for 10 years. Back then there were no work visas and, with no tools, he started as a detailer until he’d saved enough to buy tools and begin earning good money as a contract panel beater or ‘body man’, as the Canadians call them.

He took the opportunity to pick up a 1967 Ford Mustang GT Convertible.

After work each Friday, Steve would drive 500km to the beautiful holiday area of Okanagan, in central British Columbia, where he used a mate’s barn to restore the classic muscle car to pristine condition. When he returned to New Zealand he brought

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FEATURE STORY REFINISHER

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Lead by example the car, his Canadian wife, Denise, and some progressive ideas.

When he bought Moselle Panel & Paint a few years later, he put them into action.

“Back then, Canadian shops were already estimating electronically and doing quick turnaround repairs within a day which wasn’t happening in New Zealand. We adopted some of those systems and they seemed to work really well right away. Nowadays, we visit my wife’s family in Canada each year and I think the Australasian smash repair industry is ahead of the game.”

Steve’s brother, Peter, also worked in Canada and these days is paint shop manager at Moselles.

The Auckland repair shop does mostly smash repair work, although amongst the 14 staff is a metal fabricator who does restoration work full time.

Steel the show

H

ave you seen the hero car – the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 ‘Eleanor’ – from the year 2000 remake of the film, Gone in 60 Seconds? When Steve Noyer saw the fibreglass version from the movie while on a trip to the US, he came away unimpressed and decided it could be done better. Just for the hell of it, the team at Moselles spent 1000 hours over two years fabricating a replica out of steel, dubbed it the ‘Steel Stallion’ and shipped it to SEMA in 2006 where it got an outstanding reception, says Steve.

“In the SEMA media centre, journalists had a board where they ranked the event’s best exhibits each day – the Steel Stallion stayed in the top five for the whole four days!”

While Moselles has established a strong reputation for restos, it only does a couple per year so it’s collision repair work that pays the bills.

According to Steve, relationships are all important, such as the ‘Gold Repairer’ status he has with work provider, IAG, and the long term partnership with PPG. “We’ve been with PPG for over ten years now. We’ve stuck with PPG because of the level of service and support we get and that’s really paid off for us. PPG has even been a great sponsor of our charity boxing events.”

Central Muscle Cars

Fun is the ‘Central’ theme E

stablished in New Zealand in 2003, Central Muscle Cars is all about giving fans the chance to see classic competition muscle cars in action, much like the Touring Car Masters series has done in Australia.

To be eligible, vehicles must be production models manufactured between 1958 and 1978 where a minimum of 1000 identical units have been built over a 12 month period. Typically, the spectacular field of thundering, power-sliding Australian and American muscle cars includes the likes of Mustangs, Camaros, Monaros, Falcons, Toranas and Commodores.

There are two categories Group 2 (cars must run original panels and are limited to a maximum 17” x 9” wheels and 4-piston brakes) and Group 1 where more modifications are allowed. A variety of formats, including scratch races, staggered starts and handicaps help keep the racing close and the fans, young and old, cheering for more.

FEATURE STORY 9

Indeed, Steve’s boxing events have become legendary. The first event pitted 13 IAG staff against 13 collision centre owners.

Each competitor had to be a novice fighter and commit to three months of training before stepping into the ring. The first event attracted around 2500 people from the collision repair community who had a fabulous night while raising a staggering $230,000 which was handed over to a breast cancer charity. A follow up event, which saw South Island collision centre owners take on their North Island compatriots, was also spectacularly successful, raising around $200,000 for youth obesity charity, Steps for Life. Another event is planned for 2015.

Although he and his business now enjoy a healthy industry profile, Steve doesn’t feel any extra responsibility.

“I certainly feel like we should lead by example. Some people tell you how good they are but I don’t work that way. Like everything I do, I let my work speak for itself!”

Group therapy On top of his long term relationship with PPG, Steve places great value on being an MVP Roundtable Group member. “PPG has its finger on the pulse and knows what’s happening across the whole of Australasia and the MVP Roundtable Group gives a great insight into what’s going on. It’s fantastic to be able to regularly network with likeminded business owners and, then, every couple of years we get to benchmark with the Australian MVP Roundtable Groups. The PPG crew also organise ‘fact finding’ tours, such as to SEMA and our recent trip to Melbourne.

If you surround yourself with good people, good things will happen!” R

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TALKING TRAINING FEATURE PANEL SHOP REFINISHER

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PRO CUSTOMS

A new lease on life Faced with shifting market conditions, Anthony Lanzotti decided to play to his strengths with a new plan to rejuvenate his business based on passion and craftsmanship.

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t’s the worst nightmare of most collision centre owners. You have the skilled staff, the facility and the equipment to do quality repairs but, due to circumstances outside your control, your workflow is on a relentless decline. That’s exactly the situation Adelaide-based repairer, Anthony Lanzotti, found himself in. After starting the Pro Customs smash repair business from scratch around six years ago, it quickly established a reputation for quality work which was helped by the 35 year-old’s long

background in restoring and customising older cars. However, about two years ago Anthony began to notice a steady fall in the number of jobs coming through the door.

“We were doing the odd restoration job but our bread and butter was insurance work on late model cars. However, that can be pretty cut-throat and over time we saw the number of jobs we were receiving become less and less to the point where I knew we had to do something about it.

I’ve been doing older cars, muscle cars and classic cars all my life so I had a lot of people asking me to do that sort of car for them – when you are flat out doing smash work you don’t really want to but things had changed. We were getting more and more demand for restoration and custom work so

UPFRONT 11

Pontiac Tr

ans Am

ore and “We were getting m storation more demand for re I decided and custom work so ." to go down that path I decided to go down that path. Word got out very quickly and before we knew it we had a heap of jobs coming in. Previously, it was about 80% smash repairs and about 20% restos and custom work but now it’s gone the opposite way.”

These days, rather than late model vehicles, Pro Customs’ neat and tidy 1400m²

workshop is full of a mix of older Australian muscle cars, such as Monaros and GT Falcons, and American classics, along with the odd European machine from the likes of Jaguar or Rolls-Royce. Overall, the changeover was relatively straightforward – some new equipment was added to deal with the greater emphasis on metal fabrication, the workshop layout required modifications to deal with jobs which take months to complete instead of days and staff with the necessary skills were also needed.

There are seven tradesmen, with Anthony also hands-on in the workshop.

“A couple of the guys had some background in resto work but I needed to bring in a couple of tradesmen who could do metal finishing.

It’s not easy to find skilled tradesmen.

Sonia and An

thony Lanzot

ti

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d a HK n a y v e h C

Premier

These days, repairs are usually about unbolting a panel and fitting another but with old stuff you often have to make things from scratch because you can’t buy replacement parts. That makes these jobs a lot more labour intensive than smash work.

We try to have one tradesman working on one car at a time but sometimes we might put two or more on a job if we need to get it out quickly or if another job is held up, such as when we’re waiting on parts to come from interstate or overseas. Currently we have about 20 cars in the shop so business is going pretty strong and we never run out of things to do!”

Whether it’s custom work or an original restoration job, Anthony has worked hard to ensure just about everything is done in-house, including fabrication and engineering work, building new chassis, left-hand-drive to right-hand-drive conversions, exhaust systems, suspension and even fitting engines and drivetrains.

That not only allows him to keep close tabs on quality, the one-stop-shop approach is also very attractive to customers because their vehicle doesn’t need to be moved from place to place. The ability to better service customers is one of the reasons Anthony switched to PPG, back around the time the business began doing more restoration and custom work.

“PPG’s product quality is very good and we need to be able to rely on a product that’s going to be up to our quality standards, as well as have backup support whenever we need it. The PPG guys are

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FEATURE PANEL SHOP 12

A new lease on life

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very helpful which is especially important with this sort of work because we often have custom colours that they are able to match for us. Depending on the customer’s requirements, we also use products from the Vibrance (special effects) range and it works really well with the PPG Deltron paint system.

PPG also help in other areas, such as showing us new products and techniques.

We also use the Mirka CEROS (Compact Random Orbital Sander) tools that we’re really happy with and Mirka Abranet abrasives which are great for minimising dust and keeping the shop clean.”

Although some top end, show car-type jobs can get up to $400,000 or more, Anthony reckons the average customer spends around $100,000. When it comes to the types of vehicles that come through the door, most are pre-1970s vintage – he says, you can’t beat the appeal of chrome! They’re often rare, too. Indeed, the Pro Customs’ schedule currently includes a very rare ’63 Lincoln Continental. Given that these cars are often the owners’ pride and joy, a lot of time is spent preparing before a job is even started, Anthony explains.

“When the car comes in we sit down and look at exactly what the owner is aiming for and how we can do the best possible job while working within their budget. We’re known for our quality standard and that’s something we stick to – we’ve actually refused jobs because the budget simply didn’t allow the work to be done to the right

Pro Cust tackle eovmersyt including enginhing es

quality level. Mostly, achieving the required quality within the budget comes down to how you tackle the job. For example, there’s a big cost difference between dipping or blasting a car to take it back to bare metal.

Also, something like metal finishing a car is a lot more labour intensive than using filler to finish it. In the end, people see the quality of the cars we’ve done and they know we’re fussy which gets us a lot of jobs.”

During the build stage – which generally takes between eight month and a year – customers make progress payments along the way which is not only good for Pro Customs’ cash flow, it also means owners don’t have to find a large lump sum.

Anthony says there’s a lot of work which can’t be seen once the car is finished so photos are taken at virtually every step.

Customers receive a constant stream of emails and photos, as well as a phone call every couple of weeks to update them and invite them to visit and check on progress.

S H O P FA C T S Pro Customs Owner: Anthony Lanzotti Staff: 7 PPG Product: Deltron Territory Manager: Rob Allevi

Having made quite a smooth transition to restoration and custom work, Anthony says he’s fairly comfortable with where the business is now.

“I’m a pretty determined person and I always try to think positively. Knowing I had a background doing older cars and having a lot of people pushing me to do them certainly made the decision to change easier. I don’t think I’ll ever stop – this type of work is in my blood and it’s something I’m passionate about. Many of these old cars have had a hard life so it takes R passion to revive them!”

Left: Tony S, Anthony, Danny and Tony D

SAFETY 13

The ‘attitude effect’ on safety When it comes to workplace safety, your mind-set or the attitude you bring to the job is a small thing that makes a very big difference.

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ur attitude or frame of mind effects pretty much everything we do in life, including our time at work.

It stands to reason that if you’re doing any potentially hazardous job at a time when you’re sad, angry, rundown, anxious etc. it’s going to negatively impact on your ability to concentrate properly and that has a direct link to safety. Therefore, the right attitude is something you should definitely take to every job at your workplace, every single time. As well as making you a more productive person, it also has a crucial influence on your safety and that of your colleagues.

Don’t give me bad attitude Before starting any job it’s worth doing a little self-analysing by asking yourself – what is my safety attitude? If you’re frame of mind falls into one of the following categories, you are substantially increasing the risk to yourself and your workmates.

Complacency – Regular tasks that you’ve done so often before can easily become boring and mechanical – the brain switches into idle mode and sooner or later a hazardous situation will bite!

Emotional – Being angry or upset about something that happened at home / work means the mind is no longer full engaged on the job.

Tired – Lack of sufficient sleep dramatically reduces the brains ability to detect danger Reckless or risk taking – If you believe in taking short cuts or that safety rules aren’t important, chances are it’s just a matter of time before a nasty situation rears its head.

Selfish – You fall into this category if you think no one else if affected by your actions or you simply don’t care.

Careless – Having a negligent, offhanded attitude to hazards in the work environment.

A safety attitude Do you go to work with a can-do attitude or a couldn’t-give-a-stuff attitude? The attitude you choose to take into your workplace can affect whether you head home safely at the end of the day!

• Careful, takes precautions and wears the correct protective clothing and equipment • Team oriented in identifying hazardous tasks and minimising risk • Pays attention to safety training and precautions • Eager to understand the correct workplace procedures by asking questions about anything not fully understood • Alert to potential hazards and anything that doesn’t quite ‘feel’ right before a job is started.

• Serious about safety – never fooling around on the job. R

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PPG STARTLINE REFINISHER

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Startline’s sell out success! A As an all new brand being launched for the first time, Startline is enjoying a spectacular debut as it’s rolled out across the region.

fter an outstanding official launch event in Victoria, the Startline brand has carried on that momentum as it has been introduced to markets across the region. Given the need to find ways to minimise business costs it’s perhaps not surprising that the formula of offering quality, high performance Startline products that don’t cost the earth has really struck a cord with the market. Indeed, the response has been even greater than anticipated – to the point where certain products have proven so popular they have literally sold out!

As a result, the Startline Team has been very busy sourcing fresh stock to keep up with demand.

It’s natural that some in the industry would be a little sceptical to begin with but once they actually gave Startline products a go, they’ve quickly learned to love the productivity, quality and cost efficiency benefits. A range of collision repair businesses, from large organisations to smaller operations, have now added Startline to their regular consumables shopping list – even Walkinshaw Racing is taking advantage of the range!

Although it’s totally new to the market, the Startline brand comes with a number of significant advantages, according to Hugh O’Neill, PPG Product & Technical Service Manager.

“The local Startline Team are all refinish industry professionals and they have a clear understanding of what local collision repairers need to help them reduce costs without losing out on product performance. Best of all, the Team was able to take advantage of PPG’s huge world-wide network of contacts and technical resources. That should never be underestimated because it allowed them to find products with the latest technological benefits and then ensure they could be offered to local users at a cost effective price. It wasn’t really a surprise to us that Startline products have become instant

PPG STARTLINE 15

Body Filler provides users with a range of benefits, including smooth flowing consistency, light weight, excellent adhesion and a fine texture that helps minimise the frustration of pin-holes. It’s also simple to mix and apply (especially if you take advantage of the dispenser system), quick drying and easy to sand. It can be used over a wide range of appropriately prepared substrates including bare steel, aluminium, galvanised metal, and fibreglass. The result is all the usability, strength and durability a modern collision repair centres needs to quickly achieve a high quality repair.

favourites – we’d already extensively tested each of them under local conditions to make sure they deliver dependable performance that’s second to none. And, what you’re seeing with the current range is just the tip of the iceberg – the Startline Team has a long list of new products in the pipeline which will be prepared for launch in the coming 12 to 18 months!”

Convenient choice of sizes Depending on your needs, you can buy your Startline Ultra Body Filler in two different pack sizes.

Note: The Startline range is set to be introduced to the New Zealand market around the third quarter of 2014.

Current Startline range • • • •

Startline Startline Startline Startline

Ultra Body Filler 3L – Comes in a traditional three litre tin with an open top lid and includes a tube of hardener and an applicator.

Abrasives Masking Tapes

by SATA Spray Guns Ultra Body Filler

For details on the latest product releases and up-to-date brand news or to find your nearest distributor, check out the Startline website at: www.startlineproducts.com.au.

Startline Ultra Body Filler The addition of Ultra Body Filler to the Startline range is perfectly in line with the brand’s original philosophy of providing the market with effective

solutions for everyday refinish applications, yet at a value for money price. Like the rest of the range, this is a product your team can depend on to get the job done with no-fuss efficiency.

This two part polyester based product utilises the latest in body filler chemistry and is manufactured from high quality raw materials. Thanks to its advanced body filler technology, Startline Ultra

Ultra Body Filler 1.28L – For speed and convenience, this 1.28 litre pack size and the cartridge of hardener which comes with it, are designed to be used with the Ultra Body Filler Cartridge Dispenser (available separately). The body filler and hardener fit neatly in the handy dispenser which makes it fast and simple to precisely measure out both products in the correct mixing ratio so you get a consistent result every time with minimal wastage.

Accessories available separately: • Ultra Body Filler Cartridge Dispenser – the fast and consistent way to mix your body filler.

• Body Filler Mixing Board – convenient tear off sheets so you have a fresh R surface for every mix.

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MVP SUPPLIER RELATIONS REFINISHER

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Healthy supplier partnerships Getting too focused on price when negotiating with suppliers could well be costly to your business over the long term.

“As long as the supplier and

MVP SUPPLIER RELATIONS 17

= healthy business T

wo or three decades ago, larger companies were well known for screwing down their suppliers in order to get the absolute lowest price for a product or service. Surely, securing the lowest price must be good – right?

Unfortunately, it’s been found that these sorts of negotiations developed into an ‘us versus them’ scenario where there’s a winner and a loser. The lesson that was learnt – sometimes through painful experience – is that business relationships are far more complex than just price. According to PPG’s region-wide MVP Team, it’s far more productive to take a step back and look at the big picture to ensure you have a healthy, win-win relationship with suppliers.

Holistic approach While there’s no reason why price shouldn’t be an important factor – an aggressive process when dealing with suppliers is counterproductive, says Mindy Roberts, and she speaks with plenty of experience.

The qualified industrial chemist has been at PPG for almost 19 years – as well as roles in manufacturing and refinish marketing, Mindy completed three years in the purchasing department before becoming Victoria / Tasmania MVP Manager.

“Every business is faced with the challenge of sourcing products that will perform the task they require and at a competitive cost. Notice I used the word ‘cost’ and not ‘price’. The price is what you pay for the item, whereas the cost is the overall impact to the business. Years ago the focus tended to be totally on price but in the long term that’s not a healthy situation for the supplier or the buyer.

“For example, I can relate it to my time in PPG’s purchasing department. My main role was to purchase pigments and additives for manufacturing PPG coatings. We dealt with

many trusted suppliers and even though lots of other companies knocked on the door with considerably lower pricing, it was rare that we changed. Naturally, there’s no point paying less for a product that doesn’t offer the same performance but, even if it did, there are many other factors to consider.

For instance, a cheaper pigment might produce the same results but the process to manufacture the paint might take longer which increases overheads and, at the end of the day, might even cost more! On top of that, we needed to consider the supplier’s ability to provide guaranteed quality, on time delivery, inventory management and responsiveness with support when we needed it. Just like a collision repair business we had to ensure we were getting the complete package!”

Healthy partnerships The modern collision repair industry environment means that, more than ever, the key to dealing with a supplier is to establish a healthy partnership. The buyer / supplier relationship should be about helping each other, with both parties sharing a commitment to achieving high performance.

“As long as the supplier and buyer work as partners, they can both achieve what they want to achieve. For example, PPG has always said that one of its primary aims is to help make its customers’ businesses stronger and more profitable. By doing that, it’s hoped that customers will produce more units and, in the process, purchase more PPG products. That’s a win – win situation!

“Whether you’re negotiating with a paint company, a parts supplier or any other supplier of products or services, you need to look at everything that supplier can offer your business. For example, PPG has a reputation for providing a complete package of benefits. It starts with the

products themselves – PPG’s cutting-edge formulations offer faster and more efficient processes that reduce labour and cycle time which helps reduce overall repair costs. Supporting this is a long list of services which come as part of being a PPG customer.”

• Territory Managers – the largest team in the industry, all of whom are qualified painters.

• A regional network of training facilities, Training Managers and Technical Demonstrators. There when you need them – from quickly getting a new painter up to speed, through to finding a swift solution when an issue rears its head. In addition, a series of training courses is available to help up-skill your staff and improve productivity and quality.

• Region-wide MVP Team. More important than ever today, the MVP Team can support every area of your business, from layout and design to assistance with process improvement and lean management, as well as financial planning.

• Distribution. A vast network of high quality distributors ensures you get the products you need, when you need them.

• Links to vehicle OEMs. PPG works closely with vehicle OEMs around the globe to develop new colours and production processes which has clear flow on benefits to refinish users.

• Local colour laboratory. This talented team is able to quickly match unusual colours and sort out potential issues to save you valuable time.

“You may not need these extra services today but rest assured when you need them – whether it’s next week, next month or next year – they will be there to support R you as a valued PPG partner.”

buyer work as partners, they can both achieve what they want to achieve.”

REFINISHER

CAREERS @ PPG REFINISHER

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Put your best foot forward When you’re aiming for a career move to PPG there are ways to help your resume standout from the crowd.

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nightmare for anyone making a job application is that their resume will be one of a huge pile and simply fade into the background. When looking for a career at PPG, good preparation can increase your chances of getting noticed, according to Melanie Maclean, Human Resources Manager Performance Coatings.

“When we read an application the key things we’ll be looking for are work stability, passion and commitment to what you’re doing and a desire to continue learning.

It can sound daunting but it’s actually fairly straightforward. For example, when a refinish technician applies for a role as, say, a technical demonstrator or territory manager we’re not necessarily looking for decades of experience. What we do want is solid experience – they’ve completed their apprenticeship and worked in a couple of different bodyshops. Exposure to different sorts of jobs is good, too. In particular, we find people who’ve done custom work tend to have good attention to detail.”

Completing post apprenticeship trade skills courses or even courses from outside the refinish industry can also be an advantage.

“PPG is about supporting staff to improve themselves so we’re looking for people who are keen to take on challenges.

For instance, something like a diploma in ‘business management’ or similar, shows the person has a thirst for knowledge, as well as a willingness to do something

different. It takes their knowledge outside the bodyshop and can give them a better understanding of how other businesses might operate.”

Even when your resume is amongst a large quantity of applications with similar spray painting experience, there are still details that can help yours get noticed, according to PPG Human Resources Talent Attraction Specialist, Emma McNeill.

“Some of the things that might stand out are the extra curricular or after hours activities you participate in. For example, in the ‘interests’ section of your resume it’s worth mentioning any custom work you do at home or being part of a hot rod club or motor sport team. It shows passion for those sectors and means you would probably relate to customers quite well. Involvement with any community organisations, such as team oriented sports, groups or clubs, is well worth mentioning.

Whether you participate or coach doesn’t matter – it shows a willingness to work in a team environment.”

“At the end of the day, a resume is about providing an insight into who that person is so any relevant information you can give us R is going to be to your advantage.”

For more information or to see the current roles being offered, go to jobs.ppg.com, click on ‘Jobs by location’ and select Australia or New Zealand.

for a career “When looking eparation at PPG, good pr ur chances can increase yo d.” of getting notice

UNLOCK YOUR CAREER WITH PPG Founded in 1883 and operating in nearly 70 countries, PPG Industries is a highly successful global organisation.

And it’s no surprise that our employees are at the heart of everything we do.

As such, PPG is constantly on the look-out for high calibre staff to join our Australian and New Zealand Refinish Teams.

Opportunities appear regularly and can span the following areas; • Technical Product Demonstrators • New Business Development • Territory Management • Key Account Management • Customer Service • Business support - MVP and BMSG Consultants If you’re passionate about the refinish industry, can demonstrate an ambition to succeed and have a strong work ethic, PPG wants to hear from you.

View all our current opportunities at jobs.ppg.com by selecting ‘Australia’ or ‘New Zealand’.

A career at PPG offers almost limitless opportunities!

Best of all, you’ll be working for an organisation that thrives on innovation and where learning and development is encouraged and nurtured.

For a confidential discussion about career opportunities, contact Emma McNeill +61 3 9263 4653 or emcneill@ppg.com

jobs.ppg.com

TALKING TRAINING REFINISHER

20

Professional development Along with good trade skills, today’s painters also need to take a professional approach to their appearance and work practices for the good of the trade and their long term health.

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dvancements are constantly appearing in the refinish industry.

Spray booths, spray guns, coatings, abrasives, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and virtually everything else is continually being improved in design and performance. It’s now far more sophisticated than ever but are paint technicians keeping up, asks John Hristias (PPG Business Support Manager Asia/Pacific).

Moving with the times The industry is evolving and, as painters, we need to evolve with it. In general, I’m talking about being professional in our respect for health and safety standards and for the image we present to others. Image is particularly

important given the difficulty of attracting quality young people to the industry.

Take a step back and think about it for a moment – if you were considering a career and saw someone going into the booth to paint in an old flannel shirt and shorts, without gloves, eye protection and proper breathing apparatus, would you be more or less inclined to want to join them?”

Professional health care Whether you have a short or long career in the industry, you want to leave it with your health intact. This is where people need to remember that paints, even the waterborne variety, are chemicals. Fortunately, the quality of modern PPE gives technicians the ability protect themselves – but only if they choose to wear it! This is where we all need to be responsible and take the lead.

And that’s particularly important where young tradespeople and apprentices are involved – they look up to experienced technicians and tend to follow what they do.

We need to make sure they take their health seriously from early in their career.

Following are just some of the dos and don’t in the workplace: • Spray overalls – Wearing a clean, good quality pair of spray overalls not only gives a more professional appearance, it also helps keep you cool and has anti-static properties. Importantly, it will also stop iso-cyanates from reaching your skin.

TALKING TRAINING 21

• Inappropriate clothing – Worse than just leaving bare skin exposed, clothing such as a flannelette shirt and shorts, actually absorbs iso-cyanates to increase the risk to your health.

• Air-fed hood – Using a quality air-fed hood, such as the SATA Vision 2000, is a no-brainer! It protects your respiratory system by ensuring your receiving clean breathable air, while at the same time protecting the eyes, face and head from ultra-fine spray mist which can’t even be seen with the naked eye.

• Dust extraction – Rather than just blow sanding dust off with compressed air (it’s not healthy to breath and it dirties the workshop), use dust extraction and vacuum it off with a Mirlon disc.

Better still, use a hi-tech abrasive, such as Mirka Autonet or Abranet, which give you virtually dust free sanding.

Healthy body (shop) image These days, professionalism is important to collision centre owners, too – it attracts customers and it’s becoming a key criteria for work providers. Many businesses invest in an attractive façade and reception area but what do customers see when they look out the back. To be truly professional, every one in the business needs to display a professional appearance in everything they do. Not only should owners ensure they have a written OH&S policy, it should become part of shop culture to follow it.

• Eyes – Although generally aware of the risks of breathing iso-cyanates, many people still don’t seem to realise how easily they are absorbed through the eyes, as well as the skin. Eye protection should be used wherever there’s a splash hazard, including in the mixing room, washing guns, etc.

• Gloves – If you’re not already wearing gloves you need to find a brand to suit you – there are lots of different types so there’s no excuse.

• Wash your hand in thinner – Immersing your hands in thinner is not a smart thing to do – it dries out your skin and causes all sorts of health issues. The same goes for people who pour wax & grease remover onto a rag to wipe down a panel with bare hands.

Unless you want the hands of a 60 year old when you’re 30, wear gloves and use a pump bottle to spray the surface and wipe it off.

Apart from keeping the workplace safety authorities happy, it also contributes to the efficiency of your business. If you have painters who are suffering from headaches or cold and flu like symptoms it could mean they’re not looking after themselves by taking a professional attitude to their OH&S. This not only affects them personally – consider what impact it could have on their work performance, potentially leading to time off and disruptions to production.

As collision repair industry professionals, we’re all responsible for ensuring we maintain a professional R standard!

REFINISHER

OEM APPROVALS REFINISHER

22

Repairing Nissan ‘Scratch Shield’ Along with sleek new styling and plenty of practical features, the new T32 model X-Trail comes with something collision repairers need to be aware of – Scratch Shield.

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ou’re unlikely to have trouble picking the third generation of Nissan’s successful X-Trail from its predecessor. The new model, dubbed T32, is easily distinguished by its switch to curvaceous body styling. However, that modern appearance also contains a feature that’s not so obvious. Nissan calls it ‘Scratch Shield’ – essentially, a special factory-applied clearcoat which is more scratch resistant compared with conventional clearcoats. This new paint finish has been developed with characteristics that enable it to actually heal by itself when the vehicle

gets a small scratch in the clearcoat (Note: scratches that reach into the basecoat colour will not heal). Ultimately, this gives customers the benefit of helping to maintain the new look of their Nissan for a longer period of time.

Repairing Scratch Shield To ensure the refinish industry has the tools needed to deal with the new finish, Nissan worked closely with leading refinish paint manufacturers, including PPG. As part of that process, PPG provided Nissan with a comprehensive repair method which included all materials and step-by-step instructions. After thorough evaluation, Nissan approved the PPG process and published it as part of a Nissan Service Technical Bulletin. The bulletin also notes, “To ensure proper colour matching, adhesion, and long term wear characteristics, vehicles needing paint refinish work must be refinished with products that have been tested and approved by Nissan.”

Nissan approved PPG repair procedure D8122 CeramiClear™ is a mar and scratch resistant, high solid clearcoat.

This new clear is especially designed for the repair of Nissan Cars that have ASAP clearcoat. D8122 contains the CeramiClear™ technology that gives excellent scratch resistance. D8122’s excellent surface properties minimize the visible marring caused by car washing and polishing.

D8122 CeramiClear™ is fully compatible for the use with Envirobase High Performance (HP) and Deltron GRS BC.

Preparation of Substrate - Cleaning Wash all surfaces to be painted with SWX250 Water-Metho Cleaner using a Mirka grey Mirlon pad and then clean with the appropriate Global Cleaner D837 spirit wipe. Ensure the substrate is thoroughly cleaned and dried both before and after application work.

- Sanding Areas to be completely painted: Dry sand with Mirka P400-500 grade abrasive paper.

Colour Blend areas: Dry sand colour blend areas with Mirka P800 dry abrasive and final sand dry with Mirka grey Mirlon 150mm disc or Abralon P1000 damp.

Vacuum dry residue with Mirka grey Mirlon disc dry and then

OEM APPROVALS 23

Sanding

thoroughly wash all surfaces to be painted with SWX250 followed by D837 spirit wipe.

Prior to painting blow off all areas – the use of a tack-rag is recommended. Apply Global BC colour or Envirobase HP colour over original baked finishes or over recommended Global Primers. See Data Sheet for Global Basecoat colour or Envirobase HP colour for application details.

Application Guide Mixing Ratio D8122 3-vols, HS Hardener 1-vol, Thinner 1-vols. As with all ultra-high solids products, cold ready-for-use paint temperatures can lead to more difficult application and overspray absorption. It is strongly recommended that ready-for-use product is applied at a temperature greater than 20°C. Hardener and Thinner Selection Choose HS hardener and thinner according to application temperature: Temperature HS Hardener Thinner Up to 18°C - D8208, D870 18°C - 25°C - D897, D807 / D872 Above 35°C - D897, D873

Sanding: Essential before recoating to ensure good adhesion.

Grade – P800 dry and final sand dry with Mirka grey Mirlon 150mm disc or Abralon P1000 damp.

Overcoating / Re-Coat time • After force drying / IR – after cooling • Air Drying at 20°C minimum 12 hours • Overcoat with: GRS Deltron 2K primers, Envirobase or GRS Deltron topcoats Removing dust & dirt – Mirka polishing process Mirka Polarshine, Abralon pads and Polarstar film discs are recommended to sand out dust or dirt 1. Flatten any de-nibs using the Mirka 32mm spot sander and appropriate Mirka abrasive 2. Remove any deeper sanding scratches with a 77-mm P1500 Polarstar film disc, followed by Abralon pad sanding disc P3000 (damp) and orbital sander (sanding stroke 2.5-3mm) 3. Polish the repaired area with Mirka C15 and a 150mm Mirka lambswool pad.

Follow with C15 and a 150mm Mirka

REFINISHER

yellow foam pad using a variable speed buffing machine (approx 1500rpm).

For small areas use the 77mm Mirka polishing pads. Note: Clean between stages with SWX250 Water-Metho Cleaner 4. To achieve a mirror gloss finish on dark colours, clean the area with SWX250 and polish the area with a black 150mm Mirka pad using F05. Note: Avoid high speed with the polishing machine 5. For a final clean and protection use Mirka Liquid Nano-wax applied with a micro-fibre cloth and remove with a R clean micro-fibre cloth.

Important points When repairing a panel with the Scratch Shield refinish products, follow the guidelines below.

• Edge-to-edge refinish for clearcoat is recommended.

• Do not apply body filler on top of the clearcoat film.

• If you have sanded through the clearcoat to the layers below, to avoid swelling or ringing, avoid using solvent cleaners.

Use SWX250 for cleaning purposes.

• Please polish the refinished area as recommended above WITHIN 24HOURS.

SATA REFINISHER

24

Compact size BIG SATAminijet 4400B

SATAjet 4000B

900ml

Thanks to a total redesign based on the features of SATA’s high

600ml 300ml

performance, full size model, the all new the SATAminijet 4400 B is brilliance in miniature.

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lace the all new SATAminijet 4400 B next to the company’s acclaimed, full size spray gun, the SATAjet 4000 B, and you’ll see that it very much mirrors the design and ergonomics of its big brother, except in a more compact size. This fact will be welcome news to anyone who needs a spray gun that’s going to help them tackle smaller jobs and difficult to access areas.

Designed and manufactured at SATA’s stateof-the-art facility in Kornwestheim, Germany, (where all SATA guns are made), the high feature SATAminijet 4400 B comes complete

with precision engineering, high transfer efficiency, excellent versatility, ease of use and long lifespan.

Available in HVLP and RP technology For the first time the new SATAminijet 4400 B offers users the choice between HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) and RP (Reduced Pressure) nozzle technology.

Both are perfect for the application of all modern paint systems and deliver exceptional material transfer rates so it just comes down to the painter’s personal preference.

User friendly ergonomics and design As part of the complete redesign, the SATAminijet 4400 B features a new handle profile which is a miniature version of the

SATA 25

performance!

SATAjet 4000 B. As a result, the hand fits around the gun like a glove. What’s more, all gun control elements can be easily operated even while wearing protective gloves. In fact, the round / flat fan control allows the spray pattern to be adjusted rapidly and precisely with just three-quarters of a turn. A new coarse quick-change thread on the air cap and the material flow control knob not only makes them more robust by reducing the risk of crossthreading, it also means they are easier to clean. Indeed, easier cleaning and maintenance is a feature. For example, there’s now a seal at the end of the fluid tip thread which protects it from paint contamination. For the added convenience of being able to digitally measure and precisely adjust the inlet air pressure, it’s a simple matter to fit a SATA adam 2 mini which is available as an accessory item.

Full size QCC increases cup choice Along with all its other full size features, the SATAminijet 4400 B now gets a QCC (Quick Cup Connector) which is the same size as its big brother. Now all available cup sizes can be utilised without the need for a special adaptor. It also makes it simple to take advantage of SATA’s ultra convenient RPS (Rapid Preparation System) disposable cups. Depending on your needs you can choose from three sizes – 300ml, 600ml and 900ml.

Big on versatility While there’s no doubt the new SATAminijet 4400 B is the ideal tool for small jobs or compact areas, it actually offers far more versatility than you’d expect from a conventional compact gun, says John Hristias, PPG Business Support Manager Asia/Pacific.

“Most small guns are seen as just for dealing with scratches and other small jobs but this gun is so much more than

that! You really can treat it as a secondary gun that you will use often for things like smaller parts and doing blends that go up to a reasonable size. It has quite a big fan that’s close to the size of the SATAjet 4000 B so it reproduces colours really well and gives excellent colour consistency.

It’s also great for clearcoat – if you need to, you could clearcoat a whole panel.

It feels like a full size SATA gun, it produces excellent results like a full size SATA gun, it uses the same recommended settings as the full size gun and it’s inexpensive to purchase. I use mine all the time and I can’t see any reason why paint technicians wouldn’t be better equipped with a SATAminijet 4400 B in their gun case!”

Recommended settings for basecoat application • Material two turns out from closed (Note: One turn out for light coat with Envirobase HP) • Fan fully open • Air pressure 1.5 bar for HVLP or 1.8 to 2.0 bar for RP (Note: Reduce to 1.1 bar for light coat with Envirobase HP) • Air pressure when applying clearcoat R with RP – 1.8 to 2.0 bar!

RED ALERT

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ant a spray gun that really stands out from the ordinary? SATA has just what you’re after with the ultra-limited edition SATAjet 4000 B Dragon model (Australian market only). With its rich red finish and unique dragon design there will be no mistaking this gun from the run-of-the-mill.

Available in your choice of HVLP or RP technology, it comes will all the outstanding features of the premium SATAjet 4000 B. With very limited numbers and pricing the same as a regular non-digital 4000 B, you’d better be quick to place your order with your nearest SATA distributor to avoid disappointment!

Note: The limited edition Dragon model is not available in New Zealand.

REFINISHER

PPG IN ACTION REFINISHER

26

Lifting the lid Using a little lateral thinking, James Spena is diversifying and opening up another stream of income to support his collision repair business.

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hen it comes to weird and wonderful additions to the humble ute, James Spena reckons Thailand is the innovation capital.

Three years ago, as he travelled through the country, James was kept busy spotting all the different modifications when he saw one that really sparked his interest. It came with all the regular security features of a conventional ute hard lid cover but with significantly greater versatility. Not only did he think it would be perfect for the local dual-cab ute market, it was also a nice way to diversify his business, Glen Waverley Panels, in Melbourne.

“Because a traditional hard lid only opens to around a 40 degree angle, it limits how much you can fit in. This concept has three

stages – closed, open to a conventional 40 degree angle or the special brackets which allow you to raise the whole lid horizontally up to the height of the vehicle roof. That gives lots more space to fit bulky items in the tray and, because the lid rises to the level of the roof, it makes it easy to carry long items, such as ladders, pipes, lengths of timber, etc. It’s ideal for tradies.

The mechanism uses four powder-coated,

boxed steel brackets which lock into place making it strong enough to stand on top of.”

After contacting the Thai manufacturer to establish a relationship, James prepared a detailed business plan to ensure he could offer the innovative product to local customers at a competitive price. Having ‘ticked all the boxes’, he set up his own company, called Sport Lidz Australia, to import the system.

“There has been a lot of interest, particularly when people see me driving my own ute around – it’s phenomenal!

When you consider that a conventional lid, unpainted and without a sports-bar, can cost around $2000, we’re able supply the more versatile Sport Lidz system fitted (if in Melbourne), painted and with a sports-bar included for a very competitive price!”

To ensure it looks stylish and offers a tight, neat fit, James says each of the lids he supplies is tailor designed to suit each brand and model of dual-cab ute, from a Toyota Hilux through to a VW Amarok. The lids are imported unpainted so the customer can specify any colour

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PPG IN ACTION 27

they like. James says he could opt to have the product pre-painted in Thailand but, by painting them at Glen Waverley Panels, he can monitor the finish and make sure they’re coating in PPG products.

“I’m a spray painter myself and we’re all fussy about our paintwork here. At the end of the day, painting the lids here at Glen Waverley Panels is extra work for the business and I can keep an eye on the quality – we have the facilities, the PPG paint and the skilled tradesmen to do it so it makes sense. I think PPG has the edge on the other paint companies and their backup service is excellent, as well. We use Deltron at the moment but we’ll change to Envirobase High Performance (PPG’s advanced waterborne basecoat system) soon. These days you have to be up-todate with the latest technology.”

Another feature of the Sport Lids product is that it requires no permanent modifications to the vehicle. There is no need to drill holes – the brackets are designed to clamp securely into place.

That makes it easy to return the vehicle to original condition if the owner wishes to remove it. James says it takes around 1.5 hours to install. Interstate buyers are provided with a booklet of instructions detailing the stepby-step process.

Even after 46 years in the industry and having owned Glen Waverley Panels for 26 years, James reckons he’s always learning.

Using the imported products to supplement the insurance work for his 10 staff is another evolution.

“This is the first time I’ve diversified out of the panel industry but I think Sport Lidz Australia and Glen Waverley Panels will go hand-in-hand. It’s early days but the lids are taking off and there are some exciting times ahead!”

For more information go to

www.sportlidz.com

Hot grille Another of James’s products which is proving extremely popular is a replacement grille for the Ford Ranger ute. It’s based on the Ford F150 Raptor – a sports version of the F-Series pickup sold in the US – and styled to suit the smaller Ranger model sold locally. As well as coming in matt black or carbon-fibre finish, James adds his own special touches.

“For no extra charge we can paint the large ‘FORD’ letters in the grille any colour the customer likes – generally the colour of the vehicle – and we fit LED lights.

This grille really does make a dramatic difference to the look of the vehicle and at the moment we’re selling them like R there’s no tomorrow!”

REFINISHER

FAST FACTS REFINISHER

28

Tip – Bare metal foundation

Thoroughbred

stayer

After debuting on 17th April 1964, Ford’s Mustang was responsible for creating the ‘pony car’ class. Indeed, it’s the only original pony car to remain in uninterrupted production over the past five decades.

The sixth generation is due

John Hristias – PPG Business Support Manager Asia/Pacific

W

hen a restoration jobs involves rust, it’s crucial to deal with it effectively. Blasting methods are popular but are less successful on heavily pitted surfaces. An alternative is to mechanically sand to remove rust and then applying a metal conditioner, such as Dioxidine.

It wipes on with a scourer and is removed / neutralised with water. The next step in creating a solid foundation is an acid based etch primer, such as PPG Anti-Corrosive Etch Primer. Etch primers differ from epoxy primers – they chemically bite into the metal whereas epoxy primers stick to the metal via bonding. From there you can apply epoxy primer, body-filler and the remaining layers – for the complete process just contact your local PPG Training Manager.

in late 2014 and is the first to feature standard independent rear suspension.

• 22,000 Mustangs were sold on the first day of its release • Within two years, over a million Mustangs were sold • Where did the name come from? Some say the horse, while other say the P-51 Mustang fighter • The Fastback Mustang debuted on October 1st 1964 • In the late 1980s, it’s reported that Ford actually considered switching the Mustang to front-wheel-drive!

• Movie appearances include, James Bond ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Bullitt’, with Steve McQueen • In 2014 the Mustang celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Steve Noyer Moselle Panel & Paint We use PPG finishes, including Envirobase HP, because they offer a full range of easy to use products and process that are perfect for all our needs. Whether we’re doing traditional collision repairs or custom and restoration work, we can rely on proven products, superb colour matching and unlimited colour potential!

CUSTOMER’S CARS 29

Vehicles: HT Holden Kingswood sedan Owner: Ben Wintrell Bodyshop: Dapto Smash Repairs

B

Submit your masterpiece Proud of the job you’ve done building your hot rod, custom vehicle or refurbished original?

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e’re aiming to showcase interesting reader’s cars in upcoming issues of The Refinisher. If you’ve put the hard work into your automotive pride and joy, then drop us a line at enquiries@ppg.com. To get started, send us some basic details (no more than 200 words) about your ride and the project to build it, along with one photo (reduced to 1MB or less) and your contact details. Once we’ve allocated a spot in a future issue of The Refinisher we’ll contact you for further information.

en reckons he was lucky to find a HT Kingswood with such a perfect body when he purchased the 1970 Holden. He then spent 13 months and every spare cent to completely rebuild it, including tubbing it and replacing the 186ci 6cyl engine with a thumping 400ci tunnel ram Chev V8.

As head painter at his father’s (Ian) Wollongong bodyshop, Dapto Smash Repairs, Ben was perfectly placed to create exactly the paintjob he wanted.

“We used PPG products all the way.

Our PPG Territory Manager gave me a book of Vibrance Collection (PPG’s special effects paint brand) swatches so I was able to find exactly the colour I was looking for.” The stunning gold paintjob was perfectly complemented by rare gold plated wire wheels imported from the US. Ben says the car attracted so much attention he eventually received an offer he simply couldn’t refuse. However, that doesn’t stop him regretting the decision R to sell every now and then!

REFINISHER

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS REFINISHER

30

Universal sustainability A new eco-friendly facility in an area that sets a blueprint for sustainable industrial developments has put Universal Panel & Paint on the path to a bright green future.

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een to take advantage of Perth’s northern expansion, long-time mates, Wade Morrison and Scott Bitters, began saving for their own collision centre. While surfing and scuba diving, the two panel beaters had seen the impact pollution could have on the environment and it made them passionate about operating a sustainable business. Phase one of the plan saw them setup Universal Panel & Paint in an existing industrial estate in Neerabup, about 40km north of Perth, and establish a strong reputation over the next six years.

Then came an opportunity too good to miss, explains Wade.

“A new industrial development opened nearby with the promise of a lot of new technology to make it very eco-friendly and sustainable and that grabbed our attention.

However, you couldn’t just buy a block – you had to submit an extremely detailed proposal and

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS 31

there were a lot of restrictions as far as environmental impact and energy usage.

That process, just to get the land, took close to two years. We were just the first to actually have our proposal to buy a block accepted and the second to start building!”

Appearance was also a key factor – the aim was commercial, rather than industrial, so buildings had to be two storeys, officelike, and with no parking visible from the front. Scott says it came down to a mix of good design principles, the introduction of new technology and some good old fashioned common sense.

“The heat up here can be extreme so we made sure there’s good height in the workshop to assist airflow and a lot of cross-ventilation has been designed in.

Even on a hot day it feels many degrees cooler inside and that makes it a nice environment to work in. My father-in-law is into lighting and was able to help with the correct low-energy LED lighting throughout the facility, including the workshop. Then there’s something as simple as using a light colour paint inside. It has created a bright, light workshop environment and it’s rare that we have to have any lighting on during the day.”

Both men are passionate about recycling, according to Wade. “If you don’t plan carefully, this industry can have a reasonable amount of environmental impact so our attitude is to recycle wherever possible.

We have designated wash areas with an oil separator to recycle water and we recycle anywhere else we can – cardboard, plastics, steel, batteries, coolants and oil.

Sometimes, recycling some of our waste materials – for example, steel – has actually become a benefit by getting a bit of cash back. It also means we don’t have to pay as much for waste removal. In fact, we’ve been here for nine months and we’ve just had our first load of waste picked up!”

Part of the sustainability plan was also to switch from PPG’s Deltron solventborne basecoat system to the advanced waterborne basecoat system, Envirobase High Performance (HP), says Wade.

“Learning a new paint system and techniques can be a challenge so we did a lot of homework. We actually went to Melbourne to visit a couple of shops and spoke to the guys about using Envirobase HP. They were very positive and gave us some really good advice. Our staff have taken the change onboard really well and PPG has provided plenty of training. We’ve also noticed a reduction in waste after changing to Envirobase HP and going with the SATA RPS Disposable Cups, rather than traditional spray gun pots. It’s had quite a big impact on minimising paint wastage because the guys are a lot more aware of the right volume to mix.”

The 16 staff, plus Scott and Wade, are enjoying the benefits of the new facility, while it’s also attracting plenty of outside attention, according to Scott.

“When customers come in, this place has a real ‘wow factor’ and we get comments all the time about how professional it looks.

It’s helping us grow our business – our volumes have definitely picked up since we’ve moved in. I believe this facility and our mission statement to be the centre of excellence in vehicle accident repairs in Perth’s northern corridor has really helped us establish solid partnerships with several major motor insurers. We’re also in the process of getting Green Stamp Accreditation and, once we do, we’ll really start to market the eco-friendly features of the business.”

“Extremely challenging” is the way the boys describe the process of securing the land, designing the facility and having it built. And there was considerable extra cost involved which meant postponing a solar electric system until the budget would allow. So was it all worthwhile?

“It’s been a lot of hard work but we see this shop as quite an achievement”, says Scott.

“We both live in this area and we want to be one of the best shops in this growing sector. Would we do it again R – 100% yes!”

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T H E R O YA N G R O U P

The more things change Despite the passage of 70 years, The Royan Group remains committed to its original principle – delivering quality, on-time repairs that reduce downtime for customers.

A

ny business, in any competitive industry, which achieves the rare milestone of celebrating its 70th Anniversary must have a pretty interesting story to tell and The Royan Group is definitely no exception. Since it was established – originally as a mechanical repair business – by the late Bede Royan in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta in 1944, the group’s progress has been characterised by determination, innovative ideas, shrewd business decisions, the odd setback and some slices of luck but most of all, by family values. Now, having expanded to comprise six Commercial Transport (CT) repair branches along the Australian east coast, the company has welcomed its fourth generation family members.

The succession actually began in the late 1960s when Ron Royan and his brotherin-law, Don Andrews, farewelled Bede into well-earned retirement and became partners in the business. As well as diversifying and taking some calculated risks, the pair switched the focus to truck repairs, setting the company on the path to becoming Australia’s largest truck and trailer accident repair specialist.

Back then one of the most common

trucks was the Mercedes Benz 1418 and the CT repair landscape was very different, according to Don’s son, Bill Andrews – Managing Director of Royans Wagga.

“It was my uncle Ron and my father, Don, who really took the gambles and made big progress for the company. At the time, truck construction still contained a lot of timber which made repairs difficult. As well as that, replacement parts in general weren’t easy to source, which meant it was the norm for repairs to take between six and 12 months to complete. Royans introduced reforms to the process which brought the repair time for a truck rollover down to around four to six weeks! Our theme from the start to the present time is ‘quality on time’. Over our history, Royans has kept up with technology in order to reduce downtime for our customers. We understand that it’s costly for their vehicle to be out of action and the sooner we get it back on the road the better.

“It wasn’t always easy. During those times, insurance companies often took up to 12 months to pay the repair invoice.

It’s outrageous but that was what happened. Eventually, it was reduced to one to two months!”

In the early 1980s Royans also expanded to the NSW towns of Wagga and Dubbo.

An increasing flow of road transport and poor quality country roads meant both locations were often close to accident sites and received plenty of work. When Brian Church linked up with Don and Ron to create Royans Melbourne in 1984 another family was added to the group. Australian recessions in the ’80s and early ’90s posed a serious threat to the company’s very existence. Royans lost considerable income when many insurance companies collapsed and interest rates of around 18% on overdraft loans helped push the business to the limit. However, it not only managed to survive, it branched out to open an outlet in Brisbane and purchased O’Neill’s Truck and Trailer Repairs in Newcastle – a business with a rich history going back to when blacksmiths cared for horse and carts.

Diversification has also been part of the business plan, says Bill.

“Of course, prime movers have been our core business for many years, along with all different types of trailers, such as stockcrates, tippers, tautliners, timber jinkers and walking floor trailers. We also specialise in all forms of commercial

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vehicles, including construction and earth moving plant and equipment, as well as mining and agricultural equipment. We even repair caravans, mobile homes and boats.”

From a peak of about 300 staff, The Royan Group now employs around 250 people. According to Bill, the Royans Team is a valuable company asset.

“We are bringing along apprentices but the tradespeople we already have are fantastic. That’s reflected in the fact that, group wide, 50% of staff have been with us for over 10 years and 25% have been at Royans for over 20 years.

The knowledge and experience we have with this group is amazing and it means we can solve problems quickly. For example, even if a rare trailer or piece of equipment comes in we’ll generally have someone who knows the issues and how to repair it.

Experience saves time, it saves money and gets the vehicle back on the road fast – it’s all part of our speedy repair process.

“Knowledge is shared across the group at every level. For example, we have

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The more things change

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regular managers meetings where we share information so it’s not just one branch – it’s six branches with six sets of experience.

We’re always seeking out new technology so having all those eyes and ears really helps. We plan for cost effective introduction of new technology which makes things easier for the tradespeople and that saves time. It might be a big investment but if it saves money and reduces downtime for the customer then it’s worthwhile.”

That includes a technology partnership with PPG which spans the entire duration of the existence of the Royan Group, says Bill.

“PPG products are fantastic but we also see PPG as much like our own family business. They have the knack of employing very good, genuine people who you can relate to easily. The service they provide is excellent so we know we’ll get looked after if there are any issues. Being part of the PPG FleetPool Network also has a lot of benefits. It allows us to operate together and network with other FleetPool members while also being competitors. PPG has been instrumental in helping us stay ahead

T H E R O YA N G R O U P

of the game via regular FleetPool meetings, industry presentations and by organising trips to events, such as Automechanika in Germany, PPG China and various factories. And, we’re heading to Automechanika again this year.”

Although it has grown substantially in size and is able to offer customers extensive coverage across the country, Royans is still very much a family business.

“We’re now into the fourth generation working in the business and the beauty is that we all bring different experiences and talents. I got to the level of senior commercial pilot before I joined the business. Aviation is all about planning so I bring that skill whereas my brother, Gary, is an accountant so he has skills that I don’t necessarily have. It’s the same with the fourth generation – my son, John, is doing accountancy while Jessica Royan, who joined us recently, has worked in insurance, as well as marketing.

“Recently, we ran a little course for fourth generation members. We wanted to pass on the history of the group, including some

of the mistakes that were made, as well as the great decisions. It also looked at angles of diversification which are close to our core business and might help fill the troughs that occur in the industry. Most of all it was about looking to the future with eyes wide R open and alert for opportunities.”

Royan Group timeline 1944 – Royans Sydney 1980 – Royans Wagga 1982 – Royans Dubbo 1983 – New factory opened in Dubbo 1984 – Royans Melbourne 1997 – Royans Brisbane 2002 – O’Neill’s Newcastle 2009 – New state-of-the-art factory in Melbourne

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