PPG Refinisher Vol60 Issue 2 2018

THE V O L U M E

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Audi Race ready with PPG

OF REFINISHER

ALSO INSIDE: IS FLOWCOATING THE BEST OPTION?

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• REPAIRS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT • BREAKTHROUGH 5 MINUTE CLEAR • PPG ADDS FINISHING TOUCH TO HAWKEI

contents

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JULY2018

SC A N TO RE A D T HE REFINISHER ONLINE

Vol 1 No1

1959

60 VOLUME

Vol 60 No1

2018

THE

REFINISHER

ISSUE 2

Editor-In-Chief Paul Galea

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Editorial Co-ordinator Rachael Siotas

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News

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Five-minute express

Editor John M Stanley Creative Director Dean Parrott

Everyday clearcoat – remarkable five-minute cure

Published for and on behalf of PPG Industries Pty Limited by

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

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Investing in a first-class customer experience

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

Toll Free Telephone: 0800 320 320

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Victoria 104-106 Woodlands Drive, Braeside, 3195 Telephone (03) 8586 0000

Tasmania PO Box 406, Kings Meadows, 7249 Telephone 0412 254 807 Western Australia 4 Modal Crescent, Canning Vale, 6155 Telephone (08) 9256 3920

PPG Logo, Delfleet, Deltron, Envirobase, Global Refinish System, Harlequin, PaintManager, Prizmatique, Radiance, RapidMatch, Startline and Vibrance Collection are registered trademarks and Bringing innovation to the surface, Crystallance and RapidMatch are trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. SATA and SATAjet are registered trademarks of SATA GmbH & Co. KG. Third-party trademarks referenced in this magazine are the property of their respective owners.

Go with the flow Why flowcoating is a cost effective option

Attract, motivate and train quality candidates

16 apprentices participating

Queensland 18 Breene Place, Morningside, 4170 Telephone (07) 3823 8000 South Australia 1E Oldsmobile Terrace, Dudley Park, 5008 Telephone (08) 8346 6870

Excel R8 Audi’s second generation R8 supercar set an all new benchmark which has been mirrored by championship winning on-track performance.

Both locally and globally, a strong PPG partnership works to support Audi’s ongoing successes

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

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

New South Wales 10 Peter Brock Drive, Eastern Creek, 2766 Telephone (02) 9854 6600

New beginnings

Support network within the shop

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Next gen attraction The keys to a successful apprentice program

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Leading edge protection Meet the Hawkei

NEWS 4 REFINISHER

Double App with SATA T

hanks to the launch of two special Apps, SATA is inviting technicians to ‘join the SATA world 24/7’ and access some great rewards.

Firstly, there is the SATA App – along with all the latest SATA news and information on new products and promotional offers, you will find a host of useful functions, including a ‘Spray Gun Finder’ function and the ability to conveniently register your new SATA purchase for the SATA Premium Warranty. On top of this, there is the SATA Loyalty Program App that provides yet another reason to use the company’s benchmark disposable cup system, SATA RPS cups.

Whenever you purchase SATA

RPS cups, the App lets you scan the QR code on each box and get credited with points or ‘coins’. Let the points build up and, when ready, convert them into attractive reward options from the growing range.

Both Apps are free and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play today. R

Erebus Motorsport promotes World Environment Day T

o mark the importance of the UN’s World Environment Day (5th June), Erebus Motorsport has taken the opportunity to highlight the green credentials and awesome looks of its latest chassis to hit the track.

As part of the long-term partnership the frontrunning team enjoys with PPG, the freshly fabricated chassis features PPG’s ENVIROBASE® High Performance waterborne basecoat system, applied by Max Medhurst Crash Repairs, in Mount Gambier. Star driver, David Reynolds, was happy to point out that this unique PPG waterborne technology is not only formulated with eco-friendly, low-VOC characteristics, it also comes packed with a rare combination of features, including outstanding colour capability and something he is very familiar with – outright speed! No wonder Envirobase High Performance is the regions most popular refinish system. Check out the posting at: www.erebusmotorsport.com/2018/06/ R ppg-making-a-positive-impact/

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NEWS 5 REFINISHER

DRIVETHROUGH

with Paul Galea

W Greenbelt for CT success F

eaturing dedicated content aimed specifically at Commercial Transport (CT) repairers, the special CT Green Belt Training program has been deemed an outstanding success. Held in Sydney over three full days in March, it attracted over 50 attendees which represents a very high proportion of the CT repairer network from across the country. Hosted by PPG’s local MVP Business Solutions team, and presented by Mike Gunnells from the US MVP team, the conference was all about delivering the very

latest information to local CT repairers, thus giving them effective tools which they could use in their own workplace to achieve maximum results. Following the conference, feedback has been excellent and already repairers are making positive changes to their businesses. Importantly, the effects of this CT Green Belt Training program will continue to be felt well into the future as the local PPG MVP Business Solutions team will use the specialist concepts to support local R repairers on a day-to-day basis.

Paint shop on wheels T

o improve the experience for collision centres interested in the latest refinish technology, PPG’s NSW team has introduced a terrific new tool. Fabricated

by NSW team member, Joal Butcher, the special trailer features very cool images which show exactly what is inside.

Indeed, it is packed with everything required to showcase the advantages of PPG’s complete low-VOC refinish system. As a result, when a PPG Technical Demonstrator

visits a workshop, it is easy to park the trailer in a spare bay or a corner of the workshop and have everything at hand, including an ENVIROBASE® High Performance waterborne basecoat system, low-VOC primers and clearcoats, a computer running PAINTMANAGER® XI colour identification, mixing and management software, a RAPIDMATCH® GO spectrophotometer, etc.

here is the biggest production bottleneck in your shop?

For most it’s the spray booth and it’s here that the new EnviroFIVE Clearcoat (pg 6) is very big news.

Rather than traditional ‘fast clears’, it has been formulated from the ground up for a five minute cure time with no downsides.

This next-gen PPG developed technology has already taken the European market by storm and I believe EnviroFIVE is going to be a real winner in our region, too. Imagine what you could do with all that extra booth time!

At some point, every business faces the need to invest in order to keep up with industry trends. Investing significant sums can be daunting in today’s collision repair industry but there are big rewards as we see in our latest Feature Panel Shop (pg 10) where we take a trip to the US. It’s similar to what we see in our region, where investment in modernising has proven to be a big attraction for customers and staff, alike.

And, when it comes to staff, it’s difficult to see where the next generation will come from unless individual shops are prepared to commit to apprentices.

In this issue (pg 24) and the next, we talk to people involved in the sector to get an insight on the latest generation and how you can attract them, motive them and help ensure they have a long and successful R industry career.

For more information on the Envirobase High Performance paint system or the ‘Convert with Confidence’ process, contact your PPG representative or PPG’s Customer Service Hotline 13 24 24 (Aust) or 0800 320 320 (NZ). R

PRODUCT NEWS

5 6

REFINISHER

minute express

Not to be confused with traditional ‘fast’ clears, all new EnviroFIVE features breakthrough clearcoat technology which dries in just five minutes, yet comes with no compromises.

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hree hundred seconds, one twelfth of an hour or five minutes – it is not a long time so what if you could use it to cure the clearcoat portion of the job so you could get it out of the booth quickly and get another job into the process? Well now you can thanks to PPG's ground breaking new clearcoat, known as EnviroFIVE. Primarily designed to be used in conjunction with PPG’s best selling ENVIROBASE® High Performance low-VOC paint system, EnviroFIVE is an everyday clearcoat with extraordinary profit-boosting performance.

Advanced chemistry It is important to understand that EnviroFIVE is able to achieve its extraordinary speed because it is not based on conventional clearcoat technology and, therefore, cannot be compared to traditional ‘fast’ clearcoats

PRODUCT NEWS 7 REFINISHER

harden – it is ready to polish once cooled.

What’s more, EnviroFIVE produces a clear, clean, gloss finish straight off the gun and comes with excellent long-term durability thanks to extra UV absorbers to ensure it copes with our harsh local climate.

The ability to fit the vehicle up sooner and polish sooner also saves precious production time and contributes to an even faster job cycle-time.

EnviroFIVE features • Cures in just five minutes at 60°C – significantly reduces spray booth cycle-time making valuable savings on energy consumption • Easy to apply and comes out of the oven hard with a glossy premium finish – reduced process time and outstanding end result • Versatile – one clearcoat which caters to all repair sizes. which typically come with downsides, such as ‘pinching’ or ‘yellowing’. PPG already offered performance clearcoat type products that featured an accelerated mode which could be used to push through jobs quickly when required, however EnviroFIVE is different! PPG’s research and development chemists went back to the drawing board to create an innovative, new clearcoat technology which delivers the rapid speed that today’s fast paced collision centres are demanding, yet comes with no compromises to the final finish. Try EnviroFIVE and you will find that they have succeeded superbly!

Clear the bottleneck In many collision repair centres, the spray booth is the limiting factor to freeing up production capacity. The bake time for a conventional clearcoat is typically around 40 minutes, while an express or rapid clearcoat

can trim that to around 15 to 20 minutes. However, EnviroFIVE introduces a whole new ballgame with clearcoat technology that enables it to dry in just five minutes at 60°C panel temperature and it is not affected by humidity.

This next-gen product gives repairers an unprecedented option to slash booth cycle-time without having to invest in any extra equipment. As a result, there is the opportunity to process more jobs per day and make a positive impact on business profitability. If this all sounds too good to be true, call your local PPG Territory Manager or Training Manager and ask for an in-shop trial. Get your stop watch ready and check the time for yourself!

Reduced energy At the same time, EnviroFIVE’s shorter bake time also saves on spray booth energy consumption.

For even more energy savings, the bake temperature can be turned down to 40°C and EnviroFIVE will still cure in 20 minutes. What’s more, you can even take the baking process right out of the equation, as EnviroFIVE is also capable of air drying.

Hard, glossy finish Many express clearcoats, come with annoying downsides in terms of finicky application, ordinary gloss level or timeconsuming polishing but not EnviroFIVE. Not only is it easy and very straightforward to apply, it also features outstanding hardening properties. After the curing process, it does not come out of the booth requiring any extra time to fully

Clear versatility Along with its extraordinary speed and all the other attributes mentioned above, EnviroFIVE offers something even more – a long pot life which delivers remarkable versatility! Indeed, its next-gen technology has been formulated to allow it to be used on all types of jobs, regardless of the size.

Whether it is a spot repair, a couple of panels or a full respray, you still get the same excellent performance and end result.

In fact, EnviroFIVE could be the only R clearcoat you ever need!

Product coming soon

PRODUCT NEWS 8 REFINISHER

See the light

usage. For example, instead of having to mix a specific product with hardener and thinner, it is much faster to merely pick up the aerosol can, give it a quick shake and spray the required area. Because usage is limited to only what is needed for the job, there is no wasted material from mixing more than is required. Even more time is saved by not having to clean a spray gun afterwards.

In addition, the easy-to-use aerosol generates very little overspray, saving on masking time, materials and disposal costs, as well as further reducing material loses.

And even if there is some overspray, it is not a problem – UV8080 will only cure when exposed to the appropriate ultraviolet lamp so any overspray can simply be washed off with the cleaning agent UV404.

A change of name has done nothing to slow PPG’s UV primer which can cure in an incredible three minutes and combines perfectly with PPG’s new UV LED lamp.

D

espite a subtle name change for PPG’s market leading UV primer technology, what is in the can remains the same. Now part of the high efficiency ONECHOICE® universal ancillary brand, UV8080 UV Cured Primer Surfacer (previously ‘D8080’) continues to deliver the same incredible all-round performance which has made it ideal for today’s fast paced repair environment.

Under pressure to retain their profitability, modern collision centres are constantly on the lookout for ways to trim small

amounts of time from their production cycle.

However, what if you could work up to 75% faster on smaller repair jobs just by using one product? As unbelievable as it sounds, it is a claim that is backed up by everyday results from customers.

And, the innovative technology built into UV8080 UV Cured Primer Surfacer means it is well and truly capable of achieving this result in your workshop.

Three-minute cure and extraordinary film builds Arguably the most incredible feature of UV8080 is its ability to cure in as little as three minutes under an approved ultraviolet lamp. As a result, it is light years faster than conventional processes, thus giving repairers a straightforward tool to dramatically reduce cycle-time without sacrificing quality.

Perhaps just as remarkable is the fact that there is absolutely no flash-off required – just apply the required number of coats to the job and start the curing process with an approved UV lamp. Once cured, it can be sanded and the primer / topcoat process can begin immediately.

Aerosol efficiency The long list of UV8080 advantages start with something that may not be obvious – the product’s aerosol simplicity.

This form of packaging was chosen because it is consistent with UV8080’s aim of cutting cycle-time and reducing material

Conv./Low bake Ready to sand after 74. 5 minutes

Conv./IR

Ready to sand after 49.5 minutes

Ready to sand after 11.5 minutes

D8080/UV

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2nd Flash off

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This graphic shows the extraordinary time saving of using UV8080 UV Cured Primer Surfacer.

PRODUCT NEWS 9 REFINISHER

When it comes to film build, UV8080 is another star performer. Indeed, it can achieve film builds of up to 120 microns in a single application! What’s more, the clear, transparent finish when cured is another benefit since the UV8080 primer patch won’t increase the size of the repair which, in turn, saves on topcoat application.

Answering the need for speed UV8080 can be used on all common vehicle substrates, including plastics, and is compatible with all of PPG’s topcoat systems, such as the ENVIROBASE® High Performance waterborne basecoat system, the DELTRON GRS® solvent-borne refinish system and the DELFLEET® Evolution paint system dedicated to commercial transport vehicles.

Add up all the advantages and it is not hard to see why UV8080 is the tool of choice for high volume repair shops across the region. Importantly, the speed described above and illustrated in the graphic is not something that just happens in a demonstration – current customers are achieving these results right now.

For repairers with the need for speed, this makes UV8080 an opportunity R simply too good to miss.

UV8080 key features: 3 • No flash-off 3 • Three-minute cure 3 • Amazing film-build 3 • Aerosol

convenience

MAKING LIGHT WORK To coincide with the UV8080 name change, PPG has also taken the opportunity to launch an all new ultraviolet curing lamp. By taking advantage of the latest LED technology, the PPG UV LED Lamp produces consistent light distribution, uses less power, requires no warm-up or cool down phase and has a far longer service life. Indeed, in contrast to relatively short-lived traditional mercury lamps, the typical service life of an LED is more than 20,000 hours! The ergonomic design of the lamp makes it easy to handle and there is the option to use in hand-held mode or attached to the stand which is supplied. It is also important to recognised that the PPG UV LED Lamp only emits light in the UV-A spectrum ensuring that it is safe to use with the appropriate PPE (gloves and goggles are supplied with the unit).

The PPG UV LED Lamp is available now from PPG and Protec distributors.

FEATURE PANEL SHOP 10

MORAN

REFINISHER

AUTOMOTIVE COLLISION

New

beginnings Whether it is locally or in the huge US market, a constant investment in new facilities is driving a more professional industry image and a first-class customer experience.

I

n an age when car buyers can shop for their next vehicle using their smartphone and then test-drive them on YouTube, the ability to build a loyal customer base and maintain it over the long term can be a serious challenge. However, that is not the case for Pat Moran. Based in the US state of Michigan, his company – Moran Automotive – includes a Buick / GMC dealership in the

city of Taylor, Moran Chevrolet in Fort Gratiot and Moran Chevrolet in Clinton Township which is ranked number two nationally in sales volume. “Everything we do is about the customer,” says Pat, who runs the business along with his son, Brian. “We want to provide the best total ownership experience possible.”

With this in mind, Pat recently made the investment to construct one of the Detroit area’s most advanced collision centres – Moran Automotive Collision. “Our goal was to build a brand new, state-of-the-art facility

FEATURE PANEL SHOP 11 REFINISHER

“Our goal was to build a brand new, state-of-the-art facility with a ‘wow’ factor. We want customers to look around and realise there is no better place for their vehicle and we want them to share their experience with others.” with a ‘wow’ factor. We want customers to look around and realise there is no better place for their vehicle and we want them to share their experience with others.”

Located on the site of an abandoned Kia dealership in Clinton Township, the new facility was custom-built to Pat’s exacting specifications which were painstakingly compiled with help from PPG’s MVP Business Solutions team.

“MVP expertise played a major role in the development of the building,” explains Pat. “Before the first shovel was turned, they sat down with me and we configured the optimal layout and workflow all the way from estimating to final prep and delivery.

Once we locked in the floorplan, PPG helped us design the paint booths. They also recommended the right equipment to use and

provided training for my techs. They were by our side the entire time”.

Since opening in January 2017, the revenue generated by the hi-tech new facility is up by 30 percent over the company’s previous collision operation – a clear indication the customer-focused strategy is paying off. It is very much designed to portray a professional image, says Dick Barker, Moran Automotive Director of Fixed Operations.

“Right from the start, a customer will notice the shop is very modern and impeccably clean. And it is not just for show.

All of our facilities are sparkling clean at all times. I think customers see this and feel that no matter what they need, from routine maintenance to paint work, bringing their vehicle to a Moran facility is a smart choice.”

Cleanliness aside, the new facility is extremely well equipped with everything

FEATURE PANEL SHOP 12

MORAN AUTOMOTIVE COLLISION

New beginnings

REFINISHER

the company’s team of refinish technician could ever want. This includes two full downdraft spray booths, two glassenclosed prep / spray stations, a dual-action sanding system with vacuum air assist and the latest in refinish tools.

However, the amenity which techs appreciate the most has to be the facility’s air-conditioned environment.

Pat reckons, going to the effort of keeping his entire team comfortable has added bonuses. “You won’t find A/C in many collision shops. We want to provide the best working conditions for our employees. We believe a comfortable workplace enhances the efficiency and quality of our work. And this ultimately benefits the customer.”

It makes perfect sense that a brand new, state-of-the-art collision facility, fitted out with the most advanced equipment,

should also feature a paint system on an equal plane. For Pat Moran, this is PPG’s ENVIROBASE® High Performance refinish system. Not only was it an environmentally preferred choice which the company can highlight in its ‘green’ marketing, it also provided a long list of paint shop

AT A G L A N C E • Established 2017 • 27,000ft² (2500m²) • 145 cars per month • Three painters and two booths • Paint system – Envirobase® High Performance

advantages, including easier mixing, colour matching, blending and cost reduction.

“PPG has always been at the forefront of paint technology. And when it comes to waterborne, we didn’t think of any other brand.”

Providing expert service for Moran Automotive Collision is the veteran team of PPG Territory Managers, John Jeffery and Lou Martinez, along with distribution support from Painters Supply & Equipment Company of Mt. Clemens, Mich. According to Pat, it has been an excellent mutually beneficial partnership which supports his business on a day-to-day basis.

“The great thing about PPG is that they are concerned with the quality of the finish as much or more than we are.

And this goes all the way back to the support from the MVP Business Solutions team. It is nice to have a partner who is on the same page – one who is equally committed to providing the customer with the best finished product out there.”

At the end of the day, ongoing support from close business partners, such as PPG, has enabled Pat and his team to make the most of their outstanding new facility and continue to do what they do best – deliver exceptional customer service! R

CUSTOMER’S CARS 13 REFINISHER

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oug’s latest restoration started with a challenge from his older brother. “Before Gordon and his wife visited from Scotland, I sent him pictures of the unrestored pickup”. He said, ‘I’ll be there in 16 weeks – make sure it doesn’t look like that!’ My son, Gordon, and the boy here helped with the bodywork – taking the body off the chassis, blasting everything and repairing the rust. Richard Heath from Rapidflow Developments put his heart and soul into rebuilding the mechanicals. It was nail-biting stuff getting parts, like the rear tub and the grille, from America on schedule. When restoring a car, I believe you should use a colour from the era so we researched 1950s colours and came across a terrific PPG colour.

Our PPG distributor, Kevin Dennis Motors, mixed us a sample which we sprayed out and really liked the colour so we went ahead and did the job in ENVIROBASE® High Performance. My brother is due back next February and I dare not send him R photos of my next project!”.

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

Submit your masterpiece W

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.

A-MASTER PPG DIVERSITY PAGE 14

Journey As she navigates a path through a male dominated industry, Sandra Noach’s impressive knowledge and commitment is gradually earning her the respect she deserves.

S

ince Sandra Noach and husband, Jason, established Extreme Dents Pty Ltd around nine years ago, she has made it her business to fully immerse herself in the collision repair field. As the couple transition into their new venture with AutoXGroup (encompassing Xpress Repair PODs and Extreme Dents), she continues to be a driving force in her role as Managing Director. Born in a South African refugee camp to former Portuguese parents and growing up in Zimbabwe, getting a start in a career was difficult but Sandra had a stroke of good fortune.

“Even though I did really well at school, my parents couldn’t afford to send me to university but Beryl Neilson took me under her wing and put me through an accounting course in her business. She ran Neils Auto Grinders in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, which did crankshaft grinding, etc. It was her husband’s business but he passed away so she continued it. Being a successful woman in the automotive industry in Africa is quite an achievement. Beryl is a very strong woman – we still keep in touch and she loves to hear about our journey.”

“My mentor in life is my mom. Having been through two wars, arriving in Zimbabwe with four young children and unable to speak the language, she still managed to create a thriving business which

PPG DIVERSITY 15 REFINISHER

of a lifetime included four restaurants. Seeing how hard she worked and the adversity she faced as an immigrant and a woman in Zimbabwe inspires me to this today.”

What are the challenges of being a woman in this industry?

“It is the attitude of many of the people you deal with on a daily basis – it isn’t everyone and it isn’t just men. It’s hard to be taken seriously. For example, we will visit a new client about the POD and at the end of the presentation they are in awe of how much knowledge a woman has. To me, that is just narrow mindedness – they shouldn’t be in awe of what I know, it’s my job! Do I know everything about how our workshops run and about the PPG products we use?

In fact, I do – I have made it my mission to know because it affects our business.”

What do you enjoy most about the industry?

“I love the learning. I am a sponge and every day is a constant learning journey for me.

Our business is very innovative and I love looking at new technology and thinking about how we can implement it into what we do. As a woman, you are always aware that you have to strive a little harder and know a little more.”

What do women bring to the industry?

“I think the fact that women can multi-task is a massive advantage. Because women typically learn to juggle a number of different roles in their daily life, means we are in a good position to have a lot of knowledge covering a lot of roles, rather than focused on just one. Also, women can bring a little softness and compassion to a team in very a hard, male dominated workplace.”

What are the advantages of being a woman in this industry?

“I genuinely don’t think there are any! I don’t think we get any particular respect for our work. As I said earlier, some people are in awe after you talk to them and maybe that is an advantage because they start listening.”

Would you encourage women into the industry?

“Absolutely! Having run repair centres myself, I’m not sure I would necessarily encourage women into the main workplace because it is still very male dominated – the particular woman would

have to make sure it is right for her. However, I would definitely encourage women to join the industry in an area of innovation – it can be a very exciting career path.”

What hopes do you have for your daughters in terms of future gender equality?

“We have raised three very independent women who know their place in the world and I’m very proud of that. They know they can do anything a man can do and we have taught them that from a very young age.

Being able to watch our business journey has probably engrained it into them even more. I hope that whatever field they decide to go into they will take the same attitude.

Do you feel like an ambassador for women in the industry?

“No, not yet. I think I am going to get there – that point will be when I live my aspiration of putting women out in the industry operating our PODs or in one of our mobile vans or wheel repair centres. Once I can fulfil that, then I might say yes. For now, I am just another woman who runs a business in the collision repair industry and is enjoying what I am doing!”. R

FEATURE STORY 16 REFINISHER

EXCEL

R8 Audi’s rich racing heritage is

on show around the world with Audi Sport and the ballistic R8 model leading the charge.

J

ust 10 weeks after being unleashed at its Geneva Motor Show world premiere in March 2015, the new Audi R8 LMS GT3 was making its on-track presence felt at the highest level by seizing overall victory at the gruelling 24 Hours Nürburgring. The racing version of Audi’s ballistic supercar then went on to take the chequered flag at a string of high profile endurance races around the globe, including the 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour.

Where the original R8 LMS’s 2009 debut was around three years after its road going sister car, the Audi R8, hit the streets, the second-generation versions were actually developed in parallel.

Close cooperation between race car and road car engineers, motor sport specialists and vehicle designers, ensured the second generation retained its potent performance as a road car and a track weapon. No other production car with the four rings badge is closer in concept to a race car than the latest R8 so when the company says it is ‘born on the track – built for the road’, it is hard to argue with.

Incredibly, the second generation R8 shares around 50 percent of all components with the formidable R8 LMS GT3 race car.

Both share a near identical Audi Space Frame chassis concept which, for the first time, combines aluminium and carbon-fibre reinforced polymer to form the basis of the occupant cell and contributes to the impressively light dry weight of just 1,454kg, along with 40% better body rigidity than the car it replaced. What’s more, the R8 LMS race car has exact the same 5.2-litre FSI V10 engine as the road version (albeit with less power!). Indeed, it is quite literally the R8 LMS GT3 racing program (running since 2009) which has given engineers the opportunity to push the boundaries to an all new level.

In the most powerful R8 V10 Plus model it develops an imposing 449kW and 560Nm. Enough to produce blistering acceleration – 0 to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds and 0 to 200km/h in 9.9 seconds – and a top speed of 330km/h, making it the fastest production Audi ever built!

Importantly, these Audi models are not just exclusive in terms of their performance – they are actually handcrafted in a specialised facility in Neckarsulm, Germany. Set up in 1983 and originally called ‘quattro GmbH’, the fully owned subsidiary of Audi AG changed its name in late 2016 to ‘Audi Sport GmbH’ to better reflect its role. In addition to developing and

FEATURE STORY 17 REFINISHER

RACING IS IN THE GENES

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manufacturing the Audi R8 and RS models, it is also responsible for customer motor sport in the form of Audi Sport customer racing.

In basic terms, whether you are a pro or an amateur racer, Audi Sport customer racing gives anyone the opportunity to tap directly into the company’s vast motor racing knowledge bank and support network.

In 2017, this really paid off for veteran racer, Geoff Emery, when he took out a thrilling Australian GT Championship driving for Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia. Before the season began, Geoff faced a mountain to climb just to get himself fit for the start line.

A heavy crash mid-way through the 2016 season had left him laid up in hospital with crushed vertebrae and the steel rods aiding his recovery had only been removed six weeks prior to the first round.

However, according to Geoff, retirement was never an option.

mbodied in the DNA of the latest R8 LMS is all the knowhow acquired through Audi’s long and successful motor sport history. As far back as the 1930s, the legendary ‘Silver Arrows’ models of Auto Union (the predecessor to the Audi we know today) were setting the benchmark on the race track. Indeed, the mid-mounted engine concept used on today’s R8 was shared by the Silver Arrows.

Featuring a powerful engine located forward of the rear axle might be common today but it was a revolutionary step at the time. In the early 1980s, Audi again introduced a game changer when the Audi Quattro changed the rallying landscape forever. After setting its sights on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi took out its first win with the LMP R8 prototype in the year 2000. Since then it has racked up a further 12 victories at the famous race.

“Even when I was having surgery, I didn’t for a moment consider not getting back into the driver’s seat. At the start of 2017 I never thought about winning the championship, however as soon as I jumped into to the new R8 LMS I felt comfortable. The first round, in Adelaide, is probably the scariest track in the country because there is no room for error but I set the fifth fastest time in the first session even though I hadn’t driven since the crash.

FEATURE STORY 18

EXCEL

R ER FE IFNI INSI HS EH RE R

R8

A season highlight was going back to Barbagallo Raceway, where the 2016 crash happened.

I went out in practice, did two warm up laps and on the third I put the car on pole! At the end of the day, you just pull the visor down, get in the zone and do it.”

The result was even more impressive given it also coincided with Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia going through a mega-move into multi-million-dollar new premises in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Croydon South. With around 4000m², there is now plenty of workshop and office space, a fabrication room and a dedicated dyno cell, as well as the space to comfortably fit several B-double transporters. Owned and run by Lee Burley and Troy Russell, it currently looks after 19 Audi R8s (plus several others around Australia and New Zealand with parts and technical support)

ON ROAD AND TRACK

A

long with its close partnership with Audi on a global basis, PPG is also proud to be a key paint partner for Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia. Audi’s network of production plants takes advantage of a variety of PPG products and technologies (e-coat, primerless basecoat systems and clearcoat) as well as onsite PPG technical support staff.

PPG’s specialist Colour Styling team also work closely with Audi stylists to develop a variety of colours for the Audi colour palette.

It is a similar story with Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia where a range of PPG refinish paint products, as well as technical advice and support, help keep the team’s fleet of ballistic Audi R8 LMS race cars always looking amongst the best presented on track. The connection between Geoff Emery and PPG goes back even further.

“It has been an excellent and very long relationship with PPG and I have used plenty of product over the years!

Presentation is extremely important in motor sport because you have to make sure that all the sponsors have the best possible exposure and PPG helps us do that.” which customers use to compete in various racing categories.

What the owners receive is as close to a factory team experience as you can get, says Troy Russell.

“We are all about supporting our customers to go racing and our support comes direct from Audi Sport Customer Racing in Germany – either myself or Lee will be in touch with them pretty much every night, whether it is management, technical or parts support.

They are an awesome company to deal with! For example, if one of the cars has major crash damage that needs repairing, they will fly their chassis guy here to do it and it is all part of the service.”

Around a dozen technicians and engineers look after the cars and the R8 LMS needs surprisingly little maintenance, if on-track accidents are avoided.

FEATURE STORY 19 REFINISHER

“These cars are designed to do 12-hour and 24-hour races so, apart from regular oil changes, etc., between races is typically just fixing any crash damage and general car setup stuff. Drivetrain components, such as driveshafts, wheel bearings, etc., are good for a minimum of 5000km and the engines are good for 20,000 race kilometres before they need any major work. As well as being cleaner and much easier to work in, the new facility has helped the team to be more efficient in every aspect. We are very systematic in the way we do things and we now have very good systems and very good people in place. Motor racing is all about people – you can have the fastest car and the best driver but you must back it up with the right people.”

With so many brands now heavily involved in GT3 racing, Geoff Emery sees it as a category very much on the rise. Balancing the performance between all the different brands makes for close racing.

“Thanks to Audi Sport’s development work over the years, the R8 LMS has a very strong aerodynamic package which means that

braking and mid-corner speed are strengths for us.

To balance that up, we have a 38mm restrictor in the engine inlet to restrict the amount of power it produces.

It is still awesome to drive. There are paddles to change gear and the clutch is on the steering wheel so you can left-foot brake and drive it like a go-kart.”

“The GT3 category is generating a whole new generation of motor sport fans. I think the younger generation really relate to these cars through the video games where they can race a GT3 car. It also helps that the engines scream hard and sound fantastic!”

And given that it is created from the thoroughbred Audi R8 supercar and forged in the toughest development lab of all – world motorsport – you would not bet against the R8 LMS, Geoff Emery and the team from Audi Sport Customer Racing R Australia making a successful title defence in 2018.

TALKING TRAINING 20 REFINISHER

Go with

the flow

Flowcoating or re-clearing is not just for custom work. It could well be the quickest and most cost-effective method of dealing with some of your regular

W

orking as efficiently as possible in the modern repair scenario means ‘thinking outside the box’, not just sticking to the old-school line ‘this is the way we’ve always done it’. A good example, says John Hristias PPG Business Support Manager Asia / Pacific, is when a job comes out of the booth with a more than average number of dust nibs.

repair jobs. Time to go with the flow?

Many people think flowcoating or re-clearcoat (it is the same thing) is only for custom work but it definitely has a place in everyday repairs, particularly when the job cost numbers stack up. Typically, we are talking about a big, flat, horizontal panel, such as a bonnet, roof or boot lid.

If it leaves the booth with more than, say, eight dust nibs you need to carefully consider what course of action to take?

The old-school method is to de-nib each of them and then polish but this could take

around 1.5 hours. If you do the calculations, choosing to flowcoat the job could significantly undercut the time to de-nib and buff, making it the cost-effective option.

Preparing a bonnet for flowcoating should take no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Then, there is a few minutes to apply the clearcoat in single visit mode and the job can be baked. To save on booth time and energy cost, the flowcoating job can often be baked along with another job. Some people will argue that there is a material cost of the second application of clearcoat and this is true. However, you need to weigh that cost against the dollar figure of the extra labour time to de-nib and polish. For example, if your hourly labour rate is $80 and the de-nib and polish process takes 1.5 hours (which is very realistic), this adds up to around $120 in labour.

Other pitfalls As well as the fact that spending 1.5 hours de-nibbing and polishing is going to significantly slow your production cycle (other profit-making jobs could be done during this time!), you must also consider if you are setting yourself up for a problem further down the track. For a start, de-nibbing removes film-build so there is the danger of removing too much and leaving the basecoat open to degradation from UV. De-nibbing also changes the peel structure of the clearcoat so that, after polishing, you could end up with flat spots, swirl marks, etc. and decide the job needs to be re-clearcoated anyway!

TALKING TRAINING 21

DE-NIBBING

VS

REFINISHER

FLOWCOATING The reason we do this is because it will help to quickly flatten the orange peel, while also removing any dust nibs.

Time required to de-nib around eight dust nibs and polish = approximately 1.5 hours @ $80 (shop labour rate) = $120 The bottom line is, if a panel is going to take more than 45 minutes for the de-nib and polishing process, you should seriously consider flowcoating.

Fast flowcoating Once you have chosen the flowcoating option for a particular job, ensure you use the most efficient process: Step 1. Prep backwards – By this, I mean you should start by doing all the hard to get at areas first, such as belt mouldings,

Labour time to sand and prepare = maximum 15 minutes Application of clearcoat in single visit mode = 5 minutes Bake time (if not put in with another job) = 25 minutes Total = 45 minutes @ $80 (shop labour rate) = $60

door handles and all the edges where you don’t want to rub through. Do this lightly with a MIRKA Abralon pad damp or a scourer.

Step 2. Hard pad – Use a 3mm or 5mm random orbital sander with a P800 disc, such as MIRKA Autonet, and start with a hard backing pad on the flat surfaces of the panel.

Step 3. Interface pad – Switch to an interface pad and complete the sanding process over all the curved surfaces.

If an interface pad is used at the start of the sanding process it tends to ride over the peel so that when the job is flowcoated, the peel is magnified and looks too thick.

Step 4. Dust removal – When I see people blowing dust off a job using compressed air, I have to ask who is going to sweep it up later on? I recommend putting a grey MIRKA Mirlon disc on the sander to vacuum off the dust at the same time as you go back over the job where you can also target any shiny areas, particularly around the edges.

From there, wipe with water / metho (such as PPG’s conveniently pre-mixed SWX250 Water-Methylated Spirits Cleaner) and then PPG Prepsol, before doing a final blow off when there will only be minimal dust R remaining.

MVP 22 REFINISHER

Getting the

messa MONTHLY TARGETS

GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS

PART TWO

ZERO ERRORS 52 CARS OUT

Given that effective communication is a must-have skill in a collision centre management role, it may be time to ask yourself some tough questions.

H

ands up everyone who believes they are a good communicator. Chance are, virtually every hand is now in the air. While this is not surprising, we also know that some people are rating themselves a little more highly than they should. According to Greg Tunks, MVP Manager ANZ, one of the biggest complaints his region wide team of MVP Business Solutions consultants hears from collision centre staff is that management do not effectively communicate with them.

If this is the case, the person doing the communicating needs to be prepared to change their strategy, says Greg.

Sender, not receiver We know that communication is crucial in a management or supervisory role but what happens when the message is not getting through? At this point, some communicators will say that the fault is with the people they are communicating with. However, rather than blame others, I believe you need to look at yourself and ask the question ‘am I communicating the message well enough?’. Facing up to this can be very confronting for a manager, particularly if they think they are a good communicator.

Unfortunately, in many instances, until the manager gets to the point of asking these hard questions and looking for solutions, the situation is unlikely to improve.

Keep it simple If the people you are trying to reach are not receiving the message being passed

on, you are either not communicating effectively enough or they do not have respect for the person in the position delivering the communication. Whichever it is, the ultimate solution is to modify the way you are communicating.

In basic terms, it is essential to keep the message delivery as simple as possible, as well as ensuring it is clear and unambiguous. If it is verbal communication, it should be short and to the point.

The more you waffle on the more chance there is that you will cloud the message or have people simple switch off and not take it in. Written communications should also be concise and to the point.

Typically, bullet pointed communications are great but don’t blow it out to paragraphs because experience shows that people will only skim over it or end up not reading it at all.

MVP BUSINESS SOLUTIONS 23

sage across

REFINISHER

Going one step further, there are set courses – both online and classroom – which can provide a more formalised action strategy.

In addition, your MVP Business Solutions consultant will be happy to help. They can work with managers to help them develop better ways to communicate with staff.

Basically, communication is the answer to communication! As with any skill you are looking to develop, learning to communicate better takes effort. You may be a little tentative at the start but the more practice and experience you get at it, the better you will get.

Communicate with your team

Practice makes perfect Awareness that there is an issue is the first step and it is followed by a willingness to change and improve your communication skills. Sometimes, this simple move can be enough to put you on the right path.

There are many options to access information about the art of communication.

For example, a web search will uncover a wide range of material aimed at enhancing communications skills and there are also plenty of books on the subject.

Steps to successful communication

Sender, not receiver

Practice makes perfect

Keep it simple

Communicate with your team

A key factor in getting your team to work as a team, is down to communication.

Imagine a major sporting team playing without a coach or even a scoreboard.

They will know the overall objective of the game but many team members would struggle to understand what was required of them and whether the team was actually winning or losing.

Most collision centre owners / managers have a vision for what the business is trying to achieve but, often, it stays locked in their head. In effect, you are the coach of your team so you need to talk about what you have in mind. Invite your team on the journey by sharing the business goals and ensure all team members are in ‘the game’ together. Part of the goals could be something as simple as setting targets – it could be the target hours to complete a job, the number of jobs to be completed each day or week, or the number of days without a major rework.

Scoreboards are another key form of communication – if the team doesn’t know the score, how can it work towards winning the game? It can be as simple as a whiteboard placed in a prominent location.

At a glance, it can show relevant information, such as weekly and monthly targets and how the team is performing against them.

Don’t forget to highlight achievements and congratulate the effort of team members as they strive to achieve goals.

For more information, speak to your local MVP Manager or call the PPG Customer Service hotline 13 24 24 (Aust) or R 0800 320 320 (NZ).

APPRENTICES 24 REFINISHER

Next gen

attraction T

alk to collision centre owners and experienced tradespeople from around the industry and it is common to hear similar feedback about apprentices – they aren’t as good or as smart as they were back in my day and they are simply not worth the effort. It’s a tired old argument that simply does not hold water and many organisations are proving it wrong.

For example, PPG’s NSW Refinish team is now in its second year of its Apprenticeship Scholarship Program and it’s achieving impressive results, says Ken Wiggens, PPG Business Manager NSW / ACT. “PPG already supports the TAFE system across the country but we began thinking of ways we

ATTRACTING STAFF

PART ONE

Using the right methods to attract, motivate and train quality candidates is the key to developing the next generation of tradespeople.

could do more to support apprentices and we came up with the NSW Apprenticeship Scholarship Program. It’s not about who has the highest marks at TAFE – it’s aimed at investing in apprentices who have the best attitude, aptitude and drive to succeed over the long term. Each year nominations come from the eight TAFE colleges around the state and ACT and those eight apprentices join the program at the start of their second year and stay for their third year.

Importantly, it makes no difference whether they are from a PPG shop or not.”

“The program is overseen by NSW Training Manager, Trevor Duke and at any one time there is 16 apprentices participating and so far we have a good mix of males and females. As well as some really cool equipment (including a SATAjet 5000 B spray gun personalised with their name and a SATA Vision 2000 Air-fed Hood), the main aim is to give them training on the

Attract, motivate and train quality candidates

16 apprentices participating

Support network within the shop

APPRENTICES 25 REFINISHER

finer points of their trade. In the first year this covers things like effectively dealing with the latest exotic colours, good Wet-On-Wet primer practices, blending, colour matching, etc. In the second year, it starts to lean more towards the business management side and what it takes to run a profitable collision centre. The current group are really enjoying it and already they are showing signs that they have the drive to become the managers and owners of the future.”

For collision centres, such as Parramatta Smash Repairs, apprentices are also seen as being closely tied to business success.

Operations Manager, Ryan Simpson, says they started to notice a drop off in interest for collision industry trades several years ago.

“Some of our current managers started here as apprentices so we definitely believe in breeding people from within. However, over the past five years we were getting less and less applicants for apprenticeships and we realised we needed to look

for alternative ways to get young people interested. We contacted school careers advisors and other places where we might be able to source apprentices. One that has been particularly successful is having a stand at local careers expos. It is a great place to meet both the young people and their parents to showcase all the good things about our industry. We even took along one of our star apprentices, Henry Prom. He was able to talk directly to the young people and parents and the message wasn’t coming from management or an older guy, it was coming from someone who has gone through an apprenticeship and had a very positive experience. These days, we find that apprentices won’t come to you – you have to go out and attract them.”

“Before signing them up full time, we get them to do work experience to make sure the trade is for them.

Once we sign them we definitely try to engage them quickly. We get PPG to do training, we get one of the senior guys to look after them, we start giving them things to do and we teach them our processes and ensure they are well aware of what’s expected of them.”

A support network within the shop is a key way to keep apprentices settled and on track to a career in the industry, says Gavin Cribb, National Training Manager at Kangan Institute in Melbourne.

“Feedback from employers is that they are frustrated with the current generation. The fact is, we are all getting older, this is a new generation coming through and often there is a lack of understanding about them. Having a mentor in the shop can really help an apprentice link what they learn at trade school with what goes on in the workshop. Some of our clients do this exceptionally well.

They assign a mentor who knows what training module the apprentice is doing next.

Say it is paint preparation – where possible they will expose the apprentice to some of that process before they go to TAFE training and again after they return. The repetition hones the skills and the connection between TAFE and employer makes it relevant.

It can be difficult in a pressure cooker workshop but making a bit of effort to expose apprentices to a little live work that aligns with their training can get them R excited about their career.”

PPG PEOPLE 26 REFINISHER

PPG Staff Profile

KurtWay H

aving completed a spray painting apprenticeship in the early 1990s, Kurt decided to use his rugby skills to help see the world. Over seven-years, he played semi-professional rugby union in four countries (the US, the United Kingdom, Scotland and Australia). Kurt also supplemented his rugby income and enhanced his skills by continuing to paint cars, with his roles ranging from painter and head painter to foreman and shop manager. After returning to New Zealand, he joined PPG in 2007 as a Territory Manager before moving across the Tasman to PPG’s Clayton, Melbourne headquarters to take on the role of Product Specialist, looking after brands, such as SATA, MIRKA and Startline. With sales booming, Kurt was appointed as Category Manager Associated Products.

Category Manager Associated Products

Favourite hobbies /pastimes?

Renovating houses, gym, sports Favourite food?

Mexican food Favourite drink?

Don’t mind a couple of beers Favourite music / band?

Red Hot Chili Peppers Favourite car / motorcycle?

1956 Porsche speedster Favourite holiday destination?

Germany

“PPG is responsible for importing and distributing MIRKA, SATA and Startline in Australia and New Zealand and we’ve doubled the size of the business over recent years. My new role has developed along with it and it is really a cross between product management and sales. My main responsibilities are to research new products and technologies that are out there which can help operators in the local market.

Nothing goes straight to market – there is a thorough testing regime that every product has to pass. Then, we work with the regional sales teams to bring the product to market at a reasonable price.”

“It can be challenging balancing everything which is going on at one time but we’ve had some great successes.

For example, the new-age electric MIRKA power tools. I don’t think we realised how big CEROS would be, then DEROS arrived and it just took off and now the DEOS is doing the same thing!

Having said that, people are the most enjoyable part of the role – there are some great people who I work with and R source products from.”

PAINTMANAGER XI 28 REFINISHER

Well adjusted

c lours

Another quick and easy function for PAINTMANAGER® XI adds yet another potent tool to the modern electronic colour colour will turn up in the paint shop and matching armoury.

B

y combining the readings from PPG’s spectrophotometer tools with the next-gen PaintManager XI colour identification, mixing and management software, it has created an extremely effective, market-leading colour matching solution. Indeed, the vast majority of colour formulation retrievals are quick and very straightforward thanks to the precision of PPG’s five-angle spectrophotometer tools and the accuracy and sheer size of PPG’s massive global colour database.

However, on rare occasions, it is possible that an odd colour or a new ‘variant’ or ‘special’ of a particular

this has the potential to make that colour matching job a little more challenging. To provide an effective colour match solution for these trickier jobs (and because you can never have too many colour tool options!), PPG has taken the opportunity to add a handy new ‘Adjust’ function to PaintManager XI.

Available to ‘adjust’ when you need it With most colour matching jobs, a spectrophotometer reading is taken and downloaded to PaintManager XI where it returns a match rating which falls within acceptable criteria, meaning that the colour is matched and the formulation can be mixed. As a result, many users may never need the Adjust function but it is good to know it is there to help should it be required.

The Adjust feature becomes available for the operator to use once a spectrophotometer reading returns a ‘match rating’ which is higher than desired – for a solid colour this is a match rating of 5 or higher and for a non-solid colour it is a match rating of 10 or higher.

Typically, this is where the technician would begin a ‘manual’ colour matching process in an attempt to tint the colour closer to an acceptable match. However,

this process is both time consuming and heavily dependant on the skill of the technician. In contrast, the Adjust function can offer a quicker, easier solution.

At the point where the Adjust function becomes available, the operator can simply click on the on-screen ‘Action’ tool icon and select the ‘Adjust’ function from the dropdown menu. Using some very clever, PPG developed, behind the scenes software, the Adjust function will modify the tinter composition of the particular colour formulation (based on the vehicle colour code that has been entered) with the aim of achieving a better match. Crucially, the Adjust function does not introduce any additional tinters to the formulation as this could then adversely affect the matching process.

On screen, the ‘original’ formula can be displayed alongside the ‘adjusted’ formula, thus making it easy for the operator to see exactly what alterations have been made to the volume of each tinter in the mix.

At this point, the adjusted colour can be mixed, applied to a spray-out card and checked against the job to ensure the technician is happy with the match before proceeding. For added convenience, there is also the option to add the adjusted colour (along with the spectro reading of that colour) to the PaintManager XI system as a ‘custom’ formula. This can save time in

PAINTMANAGER XI 29 REFINISHER

Job List

Connect WiFi Coming Soon

Setting

Left: Green, Green Go!

Right: Colour differences at five angles

the future by ensuring the adjusted colour can be easily accessed again if the same or similar colour arrives in the paint shop.

The Adjust function is currently being rolled out across the region and will automatically be added for PaintManager XI users who have their system connected to the Internet and are set up for automatic updates.

For more information about PaintManager XI, contact your PPG Territory Manager or the PPG Access Hotline on (Aust) 1800 627 798 or (NZ) 0800 442 531.

RAPIDMATCH™ GO Looking at the photographs for this article, you may have noticed that PPG’s spectrophotometer has taken on a different appearance. The previous RAPIDMATCH™ X-5 unit has now run out of stock and has been superseded by an updated device, called RapidMatch GO. Essentially, it features the same market-leading

spectrophotometer technology but it has been packaged into a more compact, ergonomic design which is easy to handle and operate. Best of all, in contrast to conventional spectrophotometer devices seen on the market, the RapidMatch GO continues to take advantage of advanced optics to take readings of the vehicle’s paintwork from five-angle in order to achieve a more precise colour reading. Once the readings have been taken, they can be seamlessly transfer it to the PaintManager XI software to continue the colour matching process. A handy, poster-sized, step-bystep guide is available to help ensure the best-practice process is used whenever taking spectro reading – to get one, speak to your PPG Territory Manager. R

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES 30 REFINISHER

Developing fully autonomous vehicles brings the promise of rich rewards for society but achieving these aims means overcoming colossal challenges.

Autonomous

A

ccording to some experts, fully autonomous travel has the potential to reduce vehicular accidents by an incredible 95%. What’s more, it is also estimated to slash the per kilometre cost of operating a car by up to 50%. While these are tremendous advantage on offer, actually getting a ‘level 5’ autonomous vehicle to market is a huge challenge with some major technological roadblocks still in place. It is not just vehicle OEMs and their partners who are pushing the boundaries of what is technically feasible, it will also take an unparalleled commitment from governments and city planners.

PA R T

AUTOMATED DRIVING TECHNOLOGY

2

Smart infrastructure For fully autonomous vehicles to operate successfully they require surroundings which they can make sense of. This means that virtually every conceivable piece of road-based infrastructure (including road markings, signage, traffic lights, etc.) must be standardised and specifically tuned to the needs of autonomous vehicles.

In many ways, this smart infrastructure challenge is similar to a century ago when Henry Ford’s innovative new

challenges

‘production line’ made cars affordable to the masses. This explosion in car ownership came at the time there was little or no infrastructure and roads in place to properly accommodate them.

Seeing and being seen As the world’s largest manufacturer of transportation coatings, PPG has a long history of developing coatings technologies that help vehicle OEMs protect and beautify their vehicles, as well as coatings technologies applied to bridges, roadways, public infrastructure, etc. This gives PPG the ideal credentials to create the coatings for an autonomous future, says David Bem, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Science & Technology at PPG.

“We touch such a broad range of markets that it gives us a full picture that few, if any, of our competitors can match. That gives us a say in the future and a seat at the table as partners in how coatings will be used in the future. In automotive, refinish and industrial coatings, we are so close to our customers that we often get to see prototypes and create new coatings. And today, our aerospace business coats military and commercial grade drones.

We’re already a leader in all these segments and that’s going to help us with mobility.”

Making sense A fully autonomous vehicle needs to paint a highly accurate picture of the constantly changing surrounding environment in order to safely and swiftly navigate its way around and this takes an immense amount of data. Firstly, there is a host of sensors, such

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES 31 REFINISHER

as cameras, radars, laser scanners and ultrasonic, where the inputs are combined together in what is known as ‘sensor fusion’.

In addition, a fully autonomous vehicle will need to be totally connected via Vehicle-toVehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) networks. The result is a monumental amount of data constantly flowing in which will require massive onboard computing power in order to swiftly process the information and make decisions on how the vehicle should proceed.

Testing times As well as the vast differences between urban versus rural driving environments, autonomous vehicle makers will have to cater to all the idiosyncrasies which can be found from one market to another. Vehicle OEMs have already set out to gather this crucial information. For example, starting in September 2017, Mercedes-Benz kicked off its Intelligent World Drive with the aim of testing automated driving functions on five continents over a period of five months.

Mercedes-Benz sees Australia as one of its core markets so the third leg of the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent World Drive saw a test vehicle based on an S-Class series production saloon take a route from Sydney, via Canberra and Albury, to Melbourne.

According to Mercedes-Benz, it was particularly keen to put the vehicle through some of Australia’s traffic situations which can be found nowhere else in the world. At the top of the list was the extremely high number of animals crossing the road and resulting in accidents involving

emus, koalas, wombats and kangaroos.

The vehicle’s sensors must detect animals in good time, calculate their exact distance and then decide how to react. Kangaroos represent a particular challenge since they do not run across the road but jump and are able to reach a height of 1.5 metres and speeds up to 60kph.

Another unique traffic situation is the ‘hook turn’ which is only to be found in Melbourne’s CBD. In basic terms, anyone wanting to make a right turn over tram lines must do so from the left-hand lane.

The sensor system of an autonomous vehicle must be able to detect the hook turn sign and interpret it correctly so that the system can cope effectively with the situation.

Already, Mercedes-Benz has assessed the performance of driver assist systems over some 9.5 million kilometres in Europe, the US, China, Australia and South Africa and more than 1.2 million measurements have been taken in real-life traffic situations.

Despite all the organisations working on autonomous systems, the mindboggling fact is, there is still a phenomenal amount of R work to be done.

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE COATINGS 32 REFINISHER

Leading edge W protection When operating in some of the most challenging combat environments on earth you want to know that you have the very best protection available.

hether it's on a shiny new car rolling off an assembly line, a huge cargo ship sailing the seven seas or a major commercial building project, PPG’s vast range of coatings products are all about protecting and beautifying the world. However, some are designed to protect in a very specific way, such as the specialised APAS approved products from PPG’s Commercial Performance Coatings brand which have been chosen for the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF’s) newest protected vehicle, called the ‘Hawkei’.

It is actually named after a species of highly venomous death adder snake – Acanthophis hawkei – which is found in the rugged Barkly Tableland region on the Northern Territory’s border with Queensland.

It hunts by staying camouflaged and uses the tip of its tail to attract its prey, enticing them closer while remaining hidden.

Like its reptilian namesake, the Hawkei is designed to take advantage of it relatively small size to move stealthily, remain hidden and provide an outstanding level of protection, including from both blast and ballistic threats.

Having said this, stealth is a key factor.

In a battlefield situation, it is vital that

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE COATINGS 33 REFINISHER

the Hawkei has the capability to remain concealed from any enemies trying to locate it and the camouflage colours – green, brown and black – do more than just help it to blend into the scenery. These PPG Commercial Performance Coatings products are formulated with raw materials which provide ‘near infrared camouflage’. It was the development of infrared surveillance technology as far back as World War Two which sparked the need for countermeasures to provide an effective means of concealment. As a result, APAS approved Commercial Performance Coatings products are used to minimise the contrast between the vehicle and its surrounding environment over the near infrared electromagnetic spectrum, in addition to the visible region, thus making it more difficult to detect.

Beginning as a project to replace the ADF’s aging Land Rover vehicles, the Hawkei’s development drew on the unique Australian expertise at French multinational

company, Thales (pronounced Telles).

This global leader for aerospace, transport, defence and security markets operates a highly successful ‘protected vehicles’ manufacturing facility in Bendigo, Victoria, as well as support centres in Brisbane and Townsville. Even before the project kicked off in 2009, the local Thales engineering team already had the ‘runs on the board’ having developed and manufactured over 1200 of the larger Bushmaster vehicle for the ADF and seven other export customers.

Crucially, the ‘ground up’ design of the Hawkei was driven by hard lessons learned from operating the Bushmaster in conflicts

zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan, along with plenty of detailed input from the soldiers who will actually use it and rely on it. As a result, a variety of clever, life-saving features have been incorporated into the design, such as an armoured cabin which effectively cocoons the occupants inside a protective safety cell. Front and rear subframes are bolted to the hull to mount drivetrain components, etc. With the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) becoming an increasing factor in conflict situations, Hawkei has been designed with a sophisticated belly structure underneath to help both deflect and absorb the explosive blast. Another important consideration was to deliver exceptional

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE COATINGS 34

Leading edge protection

REFINISHER

performance without adding excess weight.

This not only has a positive impact on fuel efficiency and mobility, it also means Hawkei is capable of being transported by one of the ADF’s Chinook helicopters.

From the beginning of the project, Thales made a conscious decision to identify local supply partners, who could contribute to the design and manufacturing expertise rather than just supplying a product.

One of those partners is PPG’s Commercial Performance Coatings brand, explains Frank Fattore, National Key Accounts & Business Development Manager.

“We have a very good long-term relationship with Thales – Commercial Performance Coatings supplied all the coatings for the Bushmaster vehicle – so they already knew the quality and capability of our products and the high level of service we deliver. Commercial Performance Coatings has now been appointed to supply all the coatings products to Thales’ Hawkei production line in Bendigo, as well as to external contractors who are manufacturing parts locally and overseas. On top of this, we provide training to Thales and

its contractors to sharpen up their painting processes and ensure they are as efficient as possible. We also believe it is important that 100 percent of these Commercial Performance Coatings products are manufactured in Australia so like, Thales, PPG is committed to local technology, manufacturing and employment!”

The final camouflage paintwork is applied at Thales’ Bendigo production facility and despite it appearing to be totally random, it isn’t. In fact, it is described as a ‘disruptive pattern’ and has been specifically designed to help the Hawkei blend into to background scenery in a wide variety of situations. In this instance, a laser projector is used to beam the pattern onto each vehicle which is then marked out before each colour is applied.

With initial production having started in mid-2017, Chris Jenkins, CEO of Thales in Australia, said the outstanding performance of the Hawkei was a testament to everyone involved.

“We are proud to have been chosen to deliver this next generation of protected

vehicles to our armed forces and we stand by them ready to support and adapt it as their requirements evolve. We also thank our many suppliers on the program – companies in Australia and overseas that have been with us on this long journey, and who have played a significant role in shaping the Hawkei and contributing to its success. It’s a great story about what Australian industry and international partnerships can achieve.”

At the time of writing, the Hawkei had moved into low rate initial production and was heading towards full rate manufacture in 2019, at which point two vehicles per day will be rolling off the line in Bendigo. Keen to see what their rugged new 4X4 machine is capable of, the ADF has already deployed two Hawkeis to Iraq and Afghanistan where they are undergoing trials. It is seen as an important activity and shows the ADF’s confidence in the new vehicle. The large, air-conditioned cabin can accommodate up to four personnel in the 4-door version or two in the 2-door version and it's designed to fill diverse roles, including command and control, and reconnaissance. Ultimately, the Hawkei project will see the delivery of 1100 vehicles and over 1000 trailers which are set to be manufactured over a 3.5-year R production phase.

For more information about PPG’s vast range of Commercial Performance Coatings products go to www.ppgcpc.com.au

SATA is now exclusively partnered

with PPG in both New Zealand and Australia

PPG Australia McNaughton Road Clayton South, VIC, 3168, Australia 13 24 24

PPG New Zealand 5 Vestey Drive Mount Wellington, 1060 Auckland, New Zealand 0800 320 320