National Collision Repairer May 2023

CollisionRepairer MAY 2023

www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

THE

NATIONAL

News, views & information for the Collision Industry Professional

ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE INDUSTRY AS THE LEADING MAGAZINE

Quality Recycled Parts

We visit Zagame Automotive and meet General Manager Andre Selliah Meet the women leading AMA Group’s People Strategy and Apprentice Program Ford enthusiasts come out to play in Geelong at All Ford Day 2023

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Editorial with Joe McFadries

Directions Where are you going, and why?

When we start out in our careers, we seldom look too far down the track, and it’s all about the “here and now”. And all too often, we are critical of “the younger generation” as a group that only thinks about the short term with little or no thought of the future. Perhaps it’s just me, but when I think back to when I was part of “the younger generation”, it wasn’t that much different.

When I joined the workforce “100 years ago”, my first role was with a paint company where, not long after I joined, one of the technical managers retired after 42 years with the company. I recall thinking: “How could you stay so long in the one industry for your entire career – no way that will happen to me.”

Well, fast forward and here I am, inextricably linked not only to the same industry but also to that very same company.

On reflection, I wouldn’t have had it any other way, and perhaps this is an example of how a journey can unfold without having a grand plan.

Now, Josephine recently made the point that sometimes you have to create the space to let the universe present itself. Well, it appears that over the years, this is what has happened, albeit some of the steps have been created by a degree of proactivity.

So what? Well, perhaps as we set the direction for our careers and our businesses, we leave room for the universe.

Just a thought.

Before we preview this issue, here’s another shameless “plug” for Symposium23, our upcoming event in Sydney. It really has evolved into an international event with keynote speakers from the US and Europe, as well as the CEOs of two industry-leading Australian organisations. These speakers will all set the framework for our interactive panel discussions.

Registrations are now open, so reach out and secure your seat.

In this issue, we meet Andre Selliah, General Manager of Tullamarine Operations at Zagame Automotive. He shares his journey, the evolution of the business and the motivation and rationale behind the partnership with AkzoNobel. Together, they are setting the direction for both organisations.

We chat with AMA Group’s Chief People Officer Janelle Leonard and Group Apprenticeship Manager Adina Nijemčević, who share how they are setting the direction for the Group’s most precious resource, in addition to contributing to the industry as a whole.

We also meet Sydney entrepreneur Ahmad Kamaledine of Le’Mix, who has been setting the direction for his business since the 1980s and, with his two sons, is now taking Le’Mix onto bigger and better things.

CollisionRepairer THE

NATIONAL

On the technology front, AkzoNobel’s Joe Lantieri explains why good surface preparation is the foundation for a good colour match, while PPG’s John Hristias encourages you to take advantage of PPG LINQ digital technologies and bring the future into your workshop today.

We report on two great industry events, the 32nd All Ford Day from Geelong, featuring some of the most passionate men and women in the industry, and Owen Webb brings us all the great news, stories and pics from behind the scenes at Rockynats 3 in Rockhampton.

Our OEM Snapshot takes another “short, sharp” look at what’s happening in the world of the global manufacturers and from the US, John Yoswick shares how some American shop owners have adapted their businesses in response to changes and challenges in the industry.

We introduce Nazeer Ali, Repair Centre Manager at Capital S.M.A.R.T Carrum Downs and 2022 National Rising Leader of the Year at AMA Group, as our latest Future Leader of the Industry, and, of course, bring you all the latest local, global and product news to keep you up to date with what’s happening in our great industry.

Stay safe and well, and as always, happy to chat.

The National Collision Repairer magazine – Making a difference in our industry

“Staying Connected” To receive our weekly e-newsletter sign up at www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au or email: josephine@nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

The National Collision Repairer – 1

Contents LATEST NEWS 4

Local News All the latest industry news and views from around the country as the autumn leaves start to fall.

31

Tech Tip Akzo Nobel’s Joe Lantieri explains why good surface preparation is the foundation of a good colour match.

32

I-CAR Update and Training and Events Meguiar’s MotorEx l Hot Rod and Custom Expo l Symposium23

46

Product Showcase Yet another great selection of products specifically designed to enhance your business.

SPECIAL REPORTS 14

Talking Shop We visited Zagame Automotive and found a highly integrated automotive business led by Andre Selliah, General Manager of Tullamarine Operations.

18

AMA Group Apprentice Program Read all about AMA Group’s commitment to, and investment in, the future of our industry from the women who are driving the initiative.

22

Who’s who in collision Le’Mix founder Ahmad Kamaledine discusses the strength of the business and alludes to even greater things to come.

28

Industry Event All the great cars and car enthusiasts came out to play at the 32nd annual All Ford Day from “Ford Country” - Geelong, Victoria.

REGULAR FEATURES 26

OEM Snapshot Another great summary of some of the developments from within the world of the automotive manufacturers.

35

Future Leader of the Industry We introduce Nazeer Ali, Repair Centre Manager at Capital S.M.A.R.T and 2022 National Rising Leader of the Year at AMA Group.

36

NATIONAL

EDITOR: Joe McFadries 0458 588 333 joe@nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

Global News Keep up to date with a selection of industry news and information from around the world.

38

CollisionRepairer THE

Tech Talk

DIGITAL EDITOR: Josephine McFadries 0406 421 902 josephine@nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

SUB EDITOR: Joanna Dolan

ART CONSULTANT: Chris Stone (Stone Dezine) 0407 939 668 chris@stonie.com.au

ADVERTISING SALES ENQUIRIES: Joe McFadries 0458 588 333 joe@nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

Josephine McFadries 0406 421 902 josephine@nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

PUBLISHED BY: JMF Solutions Pty Ltd PO Box 1258, Kyneton Victoria 3444 0458 588 333

PUBLISHING PARTNERS

CollisionWeek

2023

PPG’s John Hristias encourages you to take advantage of PPG LINQ digital technologies and bring the future into your workshop today.

40

HAMMER &DOLLY

Custom Corner Owen Webb brings us all the great news, stories and pics from behind the scenes at Rockynats 3 from Rockhampton.

42

Stateside

Collision Repair A s s o c i a t i o n the benchmark for quality

AUTOMOTIVE R E F I N I S H E R

A group of U.S. shop owners discuss changes they’ve made in their business to keep them ahead of the game.

DISCLAIMER – The National Collision Repairer is published by JMF Solutions Pty Ltd, PO Box 1258, Kyneton Victoria 3444. This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism and review under the Copyright Act (1968), no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publisher. The publisher believes all the information in this publication to be correct at the time of printing, however is not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accepts no liability in event of any information proving inaccurate. Prices, addresses and phone numbers were, after investigations and to the best of our knowledge and belief, up to date at the time of printing. It is also not feasible for the publisher to ensure that advertisements which appear in the publication comply with the Competition and Consumer Act (2010). The responsibility must therefore be on the individual, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement for publication. Whilst every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Copyright � JMF Solutions Pty Ltd ACN 117 914 235

2 – CONTENTS

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Local News Symposium23 – hear from industry leaders from three continents!

“I love it when a plan comes together.”

Symposium23 is now well and truly locked and loaded as we bring you keynote addresses from both local and international industry leaders.

Last month we announced that ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg will deliver the opening keynote address and set the scene for the day. Carla will outline the role and key activities of ANCAP, the specific challenges of the electrification of the car parc, and also update us on the latest mobility trends.

We are also thrilled to announce that Carl Bizon, AMA Group CEO and director of the Australian Collision Industry Alliance, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to develop and maintain a sustainable talent pipeline for the collision repair industry. Bizon will present an overview of this initiative and, in conjunction with fellow directors Stuart Faid and Rob Bartlett, will champion the cause on behalf of the entire industry and give delegates a real feel for what’s on the horizon.

Now, as we bring an international flavour to the event, we welcome US collision industry icon Frank Terlep, who will deliver a presentation on ADAS services, calibrations and validation – profitability and growth through specialisation. Frank recently sold his

company, Auto Techcelerators, to OPUS IVS and is now the vice president of collision and ADAS services. With 90% of all vehicles for sale in Australia having some type of ADAS technology, delegates will be presented with the opportunities, challenges and operational requirements to open and operate a successful and profitable ADAS service and calibration business or division. In 2022, Frank was inducted into the Collision Industry’s Hall of Eagles for his contribution above and beyond the “call of duty”.

To round out the “internationalisation” of the event, we can also announce that Europe-based Uta Holzenkamp, president of BASF’s Coatings division, will deliver a presentation on global change in the automotive industry and the flow-on effects to the collision repair sector.

Uta joined BASF in 1997 and, following a stellar career, was appointed to her current position in January 2022. She leads approximately 11,000 employees across more than 70 sites. Uta studied organic chemistry at the University of Münster, Germany, the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Ohio State University, US, then went on to receive PhD in 1996 from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.

However, the formal presentations

are only part of Symposium23. We are also compiling a who’s who of the collision industry from around the country to join us on our highly interactive panel discussion. We can now announce that we will cover the following key topics: l The impact of technology l The influence of the OEMs l Addressing the talent gap l Adapting to our changing industry landscape.

We encourage you to join us and engage with some of the industry’s Entrepreneurial Women in Automotive, Movers and Shakers and, of course, Future Leaders of the Industry, all of whom are well placed to discuss how to best navigate the current issues we are all facing in today’s collision industry.

Both our Platinum and Gold Sponsors will display a wide array of new information, products and concepts, as well as have technical and business experts on hand to answer all your questions.

Don’t miss this opportunity to share your own views and connect with our sponsors, keynote speakers, panellists and peers throughout the day.

Remember – this will be our only collision industry event in Sydney this year, and as we always say, the future is created by those who turn up.

The interactive panel discussion at Symposium19.

For more information, contact Joe McFadries on Tel: 0458 588 333.

To register, visit: https://ncrsymposium23.eventbrite.com.au 4 – LOCAL NEWS

Platinum Sponsors

CollisionRepairer THE

NATIONAL

SYMPOSIUM23 A truly international event

The Pullman Sydney Hyde Park Friday, 2 June 2023 (9.00am to 4.00pm) $130.00 per person + GST Hear from industry leaders from three continents Carla Hoorweg, CEO, ANCAP. “ANCAP and the collision repair industry”

Carl Bizon, CEO AMA Group and Director Australian Collision Industry Alliance.

Frank Terlep, Vice-President of Collision and ADAS Services, OPUS IVS. “Profitability and Growth Through Specialisation”

Uta Holtzenkamp, President BASF Coatings.

“Global change in the automotive industry”

“Building a sustainable talent pipeline”

In addition, the interactive panel will discuss and debate topics such as technological advancements, the influence of OEMs, the talent gap, and the changing industry landscape. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of this great event.

Register now at: https://ncrsymposium23.eventbrite.com.au Gold Sponsors

Local News Mandated code a win for SA motorists and repairers South Australians can expect better repairs to their vehicles and greater transparency from insurers since new laws have come into effect under a mandatory code of conduct.

“Insurers will now be compelled to resolve disputes with repairers quickly and fairly to get motorists back on the road sooner,” said MTA SA/NT CEO Darrell Jacobs. “Repairers want to serve their customers in the best way possible, and this initiative assists in making sure repair work does not compromise on safety and the vehicle is returned to pre-accident condition.”

The mandated Motor Vehicle Insurance and Repair Industry Code of Conduct now requires all insurers and repairers in South Australia to abide by the framework, regardless of whether they are signatories. South Australia is the first jurisdiction to mandate the national code with financial penalties for breaches.

The South Australian Small Business Commissioner will be required to report on disputes and outcomes each year.

Further reforms are expected to be enacted from June, when insurers will be required to inform policyholders whether their vehicle insurance product

allows for choice of repairer, as well as whether the insurer has a financial or contractual relationship with a repairer the policyholder may be referred to during the claims process.

“Motorists have the right to know where they can get their vehicle repaired,” said Jacobs. “Many consumers are surprised to learn their vehicle insurance does not allow them to choose their local or preferred repairer.”

The MTA strongly lobbied both major South Australian political parties as well as all minor parties and

independents to get the legislation over the line. The code strengthens the state’s reputation for levelling the playing field for small, medium and family-run collision repair businesses, as well as promoting greater consumer choice and transparency.

South Australian Minister for Small and Family Business and Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels said: “Navigating the world of car insurance after an accident can be a minefield, and it’s important that the system is as fair as possible.”

MTA SANT's Darrell Jacobs

H Harvey Prestige named Bentley APAC Bodyshop of the Year AMA Group is proud to announce that its prestige collision repair site, H Harvey Prestige, in Upper Coomera, Queensland, has been named the 2022 Bentley Bodyshop of the Year in the Asia Pacific region.

Each year, Bentley-accredited body shops all around the world are invited to compete for Bentley’s Bodyshop of the Year award. The award recognises the best Bentley body shops in their respective regions.

Winners had to show that they go above and beyond to restore cars to their original condition while also delivering exemplary standards of service. Of the 196 eligible body shops, 38 were shortlisted. From these, five winners were chosen – one for each region – with H Harvey Prestige taking out the award for Asia Pacific.

H Harvey Prestige centre manager Glenn Harvey said: “I think a big congratulations and thank you should go out to my team. This is well-deserved recognition for their dedication and commitment day in, day out. A big thank you to our partner, Bentley Gold Coast and, of course, Bentley. Their support and assistance are exceptional and makes us proud to be part of the family.”

AMA Group is committed to delivering outstanding service and quality to its customers through its exceptional team, high-quality equipment, up-to-date training and the use of OEM methods.

Scott Donnelly, AMA Group Technical Training, Prestige,

6 – LOCAL NEWS

and OEM manager added: “H Harvey Prestige has shown itself to be a true leader in the prestige market nationally. Glenn and his team have embraced the requirements of our OEM partners and customers and have taken it to the next level.

Well done, Team H Harvey.”

CAR O LINER -

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Car-O-Tronic Vision2 is the most powerful electronic measuring system for collision damage repair available on the market today.

Local News Ford-approved collision repair training facilitated by I-CAR Australia The international relationship between Ford and I-CAR is growing stronger with the news that I-CAR Australia will facilitate Ford-endorsed collision repair training for Ford-specific requirements in Australia.

The catalyst for fast-tracking this development was the imminent arrival of America’s favourite pick-up truck, the F-150, to Australian shores. The new F-150 has a high-strength military-grade aluminium-alloy body and strong sales aspirations. Ford wants to support collision repairers and the collision industry with the very best training experiences to be ready, willing and able to deal with what life throws at these beasts!

Vehicle construction technologies are constantly changing, as are the tools and methods required to repair them. 2023 is a transformational year for Ford, with the addition of the Etransit to the model line-up, the modular chassis for the 2022 Ranger and Everest series, and increased technology across the range. It is vital that the collision repair industry is familiar with Ford repair methods to work on these vehicles confidently.

“There are exciting developments in the Ford range, and we are thrilled with our growing sales,” said Ford’s collision programs specialist Christinne Quix. “We want to work together with

collision repairers to ensure they are comfortable with and capable of looking after the well-being of Ford owners by repairing damaged vehicles back to their pre-collision state with the use and understanding of correct Ford procedures and Genuine Ford parts.

I-CAR are the perfect partners to help achieve this.”

I-CAR’s COO Jason Trewin concurred: “I-CAR Australia continues its commitment to provide ongoing, up-todate, relevant training to the entire collision repair sector. Through the international collaborative development of training programs, we are pleased to release an entire Ford curriculum for the various roles within the modern body shop business. In keeping pace with the

exciting engineering developments from Ford, the programs offered will look at new vehicle technologies, advanced joining methods and electric vehicle considerations.”

Trewin continued: “Longstanding strong industry partnerships like the one between Ford and I-CAR ensures the collision repair industry is well prepared for the next generation of Ford motor vehicle before it reaches the body shop.

To cater for varying learning styles, the new content will be available on several platforms, including student self-paced online delivery, through to hands-on aluminium welding certification.”

The courses available from I-CAR can be located on the I-CAR website https://i-car.com.au/ford-training/

The table details 14 courses available now Course code

Course name

Delivery

Duration

FO008E01

Ford Service Information Navigation for Collision Repair Ford Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Components and Operation Ford High Voltage Systems Safety Ford Intro to HV Battery Service for Collision Repair Ford Aluminium Body Structural Repair Ford IDS for Collision Repair Ford Diagnosis Repair System (FDRS) for Collision Repair Ford ADAS Repair Calibration Ford Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS 101) Diagnosing Ford ADAS Related Concerns Rivet Bonding Introduction to rivet bonding Steel welding/certification Aluminium welding/certification

Online

FO009E01 FO011E01 FO012E01 FO013E01 FO014E01 FO015E01 FO016E01 FO017E01 FO018E01 RVT01 ST001E01 WCSA3 WCA03

8 – LOCAL NEWS

45 mins

Cost Member/ Gold Class (inc GST) $90.00

Cost nonmember (inc GST) $109.00

Online

75 mins

$90.00

$109.00

Online Online Online Online Online

60 mins 60 mins 120 mins 45 min 90 mins

$90.00 $90.00 $175.00 $90.00 $175.00

$109.00 $109.00

Online Online Online Hands-on Online Hands-on Hands-on

60 mins 75 mins 75 mins 6 hours 60 mins 12 hours 16 hours

$90.00 $90.00 $90.00 $370.00 $175.00 $1390.00 $1440.00

$109.00 $109.00 $109.00 $395.00 $197.00 $1480.00 $1730.00

$109.00

Local News AMA Group releases quarterly cash flow and activities report AMA Group’s FY23 guidance was downgraded to $60–68 million, normalised post-AASB 16 EBITDA from the previous guidance of $70–90 million, reflecting ongoing margin compression adverse to expectations.

This is driven by strong repair volume demand being adversely impacted by industry-wide labour constraints and related throughput challenges, elevated lateral hiring activity contributing to higher employee costs and operational disruption. AMA Group will confirm or update FY24 guidance upon the earlier of finalisation of the outcome of Capital S.M.A.R.T repricing or at FY23 results.

The Group is confident in its ability to achieve long-term success, with extensive future-focused activities undertaken in recent months, including strategies to combat labour shortages through international recruitment, an industry-leading apprenticeship program and enhanced employee

satisfaction activities.

Extensive pricing activities undertaken since May 2022 have resulted in short- to medium-term disruption; however, they provide a pathway to longer-term improved pricing outcomes. There were new

and/or extended contracts entered with some insurance and direct revenue partners, the Capital S.M.A.R.T pricing process for FY24 has commenced, ACM Parts has completed its east coast supply network, commenced operations out of the new Queensland warehouse and achieved record daily parallel import sales in March.

3Q23 volumes were up 5% on 2Q23 and down 8% on 3Q22, which reflects significant network optimisation over that time, combined with increasing repair severity and labour-related

throughput constraints. The Group continues to experience a strong forward workbook and significant demand for collision repair.

Importantly, there was significant progress with workplace safety. The LTIFR was reduced to 2.06 on 31 March 2023 from 4.63 on 31 March 2022, further enhancing the Group’s industry reputation as a preferred workplace for technicians.

Cash generated from operating activities was $0.3 million in 3Q23, reflecting ongoing improvement in operations. The upward trend in the underlying cashflows over the three quarters from 1Q23 (excluding corporate tax refund and including the principal elements of leases) to 3Q23 contributed to the $20.5 million closing cash balance on 31 March.

On the announcement, the market responded with a 32% reduction in share price.

Gold Class for Harris & Adams Prestige Auto Body Repairs I-CAR Australia and AMA Group are pleased to announce that Harris & Adams Prestige Auto Body Repairs has been awarded the prestigious I-CAR Gold Class Collision status.

The requirement for training in the automotive body repair industry is becoming more important than ever. With the technology explosion in our industry, Gold Class is the highest level of accreditation within I-CAR’s Professional Development Program. AMA Group is committed to having the skills and knowledge required to safely repair modern vehicles as ADAS, EV and hydrogenfuelled technologies filter into all vehicle makes.

“It is critical that our team is fully trained and keep up with the latest information and processes,” emphasised Scott Donnelly, Technical Training, Prestige & OEM manager at AMA Group.

“COVID-19 really changed the way the industry needed to review training. Online

1 0 – LOCAL NEWS

courses and virtual classroom courses replaced face-to-face training where possible to keep the team ticking along with our training plan. Luckily, we are now over this, so welding and specific handson courses are back in motion. I-CAR training and our associations with a number of OEM partners naturally complement our position in the marketplace.”

David Bentzen, centre manager at Harris & Adams Prestige Auto Body Repairs, added: “I am very proud of my close-knit team for

achieving Gold Class status. It was an easy process for the site as we are fortunate that AMA Group has the resources and association with I-CAR to map out a full training plan.

We also have great support from BASF, with whom we work closely in regard to training and the provision of leading-edge technology.

The site is part of the BMW Accredited Bodyshop program and is an Approved Tesla Bodyshop, and both have numerous I-CARaccredited and brand-specific ITA training courses.”

“It was satisfying and easy to support a dedicated group as in the case of Harris & Adams Prestige Auto Body Repairs and AMA Group to achieve Gold Class accreditation,” commented Gary Wood, senior technical advisor at I-CAR Australia.

“The team diligently worked their way to Gold Class accreditation in the last few years, concentrating on our EV, ADAS and technology online courses to stay abreast with the latest information and processes. Congratulations to all involved.”

Cars, stars and PPG at Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo With over 300 extraordinary vehicles displayed against the magnificent backdrop of the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, the 2023 Sydney Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo on 27 and 28 May is set to exceed all expectations, according to show organiser Andy Minas.

“Around two months out from the event, we already had a full house of entrants. There are a lot of new cars, and the overall standard of entrants is incredible, so I think we are going to blow fans out of the water this year. It’s so big we had to secure another show hall to fit the HSV Super Show, which involves around 60 cars from the HSV Owners Club of NSW.” One of the show’s key aims is to inspire and encourage a new generation that will grow hot rodding and custom car building from the grassroots. PPG has tailored its onsite stand to help guide builders through the paint process, whether they are younger or more “mature”, says custom car enthusiast and PPG CT NSW manager Sam Minter.

“For this year’s PPG stand, we have designed a program that revolves around fan interaction, including a star attraction.

As well as the ability to chat one-on-one with an experienced and knowledgeable PPG expert, we have secured a huge drawcard for visitors with custom car building legend Howard Astill from Astill Design appearing for meet and greet sessions

throughout the two days. More than ever, the PPG stand is the perfect place to ask questions and get the lowdown on achieving a dream finish on your next project. To help them along the way, visitors can actually see examples of the dazzling colour palette available from PPG’s Vibrance Collection range of custom paint finishes, as well as take in one of the regular demonstrations of the latest Mirka abrasive and polishing technologies.”

For more information, go to www.hotrodandcustom.com.au

Champagne Lady unveiled.

Astill joins team PPG at MotorEx As well as providing an incredible opportunity to get up close and personal with a spectacular line-up of stunning PPG-painted show cars, the 2023 running of Meguiar’s MotorEx on 6 and 7 May is also the perfect place to get inspiration for an epic PPG finish for your own dream project.

While working your way through the 28,000m2 of show halls and exhibitions at the Melbourne Showgrounds, be sure to leave plenty of time to visit the onsite PPG team at stand PG-19 inside the

Performance Garage. As an added incentive, Howard Astill from Astill Design is joining this year’s expert PPG team.

Over the two-day event, the show car building legend will make regular appearances at the PPG stand, where he will be available to chat with visitors and pass on his vast knowledge.

No matter what stage your project is at, the PPG MotorEx stand will be packed with solutions. Along with examples from PPG’s legendary Vibrance Collection range of custom finishes, you can check

out the latest in precision Germanengineered spray equipment from SATA, as well as watch one of the regular demonstrations of the latest Mirka abrasive and polishing technologies. Best of all, it’s an ideal place to chat one-onone with a PPG expert who can answer paint queries and help navigate you through the process of selecting the exact colour and finish for your build.

For more information, keep an eye on PPG’s socials, including www.facebook.com/PPGANZRefinish/

Vision Australia makes noise on EVs Australia’s campaign to mandate the use of acoustic vehicle alerting systems in electric vehicles has been elevated to a national discussion with the signing of a draft Regulation Impact Statement calling for public consultation and feedback.

On behalf of the blind and low vision community, Vision Australia has led advocacy efforts since 2018 to improve pedestrian safety by urging decision-makers to nationally introduce external noise-emitting devices for electric vehicles at low speeds.

Electric vehicles can pose a particular risk for blind and low vision pedestrians who rely on sound, such as vehicular noise, to navigate roads independently and safely. Pedestrians who are blind or have low vision have reported feeling vulnerable near electric vehicles. More than one in three participants in a Vision Australia and Monash University Accident Research Centre study reported they’d had a collision or near-collision with an EV. The draft Regulation Impact Statement examines whether the Federal Government should adopt acoustic vehicle alerting systems as a new Australian Design Rule, which are mandatory national vehicle standards under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 and align with international vehicle regulations. Most major vehicle markets, including the EU, UK, Japan, Korea,

China and the US, have mandated fitting acoustic vehicle alerting systems to electric vehicles.

“Vision Australia is grateful that the incumbent Federal Government has listened to our recommendation and is acting in the interest of all road users,” said Chris Edwards, Vision Australia’s manager of government relations and advocacy. “We’re pleased significant steps have been taken to address what is a serious safety issue for all pedestrians, not just those who are blind or have low vision and who rely on other sensory faculties, such as hearing and touch, for independence and safety.”

Edwards added: “With electric vehicles predicted to make up 90% of Australia’s vehicle fleet by 2050, this outcome is significant for everyone, especially as we understand that pedestrian road crashes cost the Australian community over $1.2 billion each year.

But the personal cost is immeasurable.”

Before considering this major policy change, the Federal Government wants to hear from people and businesses in the community. Views can be shared via the email campaigns@visionaustralia.org to be included in Vision Australia’s submission.

The National Collision Repairer – 1 1

Local News RISE brings its NCS Equipment to the market

It’s four years since the renaissance and restructure of RISE. The transformation has been one of the great success stories of our industry as the business continues to grow and deliver strong business results.

Underpinned by the amazing team behind RISE, the owners and staff have developed a successful new culture and set a high performance bar against which all are consistently measured. The business operates five branches around Australia: Bunbury, Coffs Harbour, Welshpool, Tamworth, and, most recently, Sydney, which was established in 2021.

Relationships with key suppliers such as Akzo Nobel, with the ultra-premium Sikkens brand in the automotive refinish sector, in addition to a variety of other suppliers, continue to be RISE’s focus, ensuring that they meet or exceed their clients’ expectations. RISE is all about a sustainable business model that promotes the good old “gold standard” of customer service while also embracing the new high-performance workplace.

A significant addition to RISE’s east coast platform and product range was the acquisition of the NCS Equipment business in Sydney, giving RISE the capacity to supply and service automotive repair equipment on both the east and west coasts of the country. To recognise the significance of this acquisition, the company has

released new branding around Australia – “Rise NCS”. Based in Silverwater on the M4, it is centrally located in the Sydney region and has the capability to distribute further afield. Rise NCS now offers a far wider product range of paint, equipment and ancillaries.

RISE Distributors is a respected organisation that is recognised for its commitment to and support of customers through its professional staff and quality service and products. As an organisation, RISE is focused on assisting its customers to realise their personal and business goals by providing them with the products, skills, advice and assistance necessary to allow them and RISE to grow together. As individuals, RISE staff are focused on building strong relationships founded on trust, commitment, and an intimate understanding of their customers’ needs.

RISE expects all its staff to be professional, courteous and friendly in the way they deal with customers. This means truly understanding the

customers’ needs and working closely with them to provide the optimum solution every time by providing the best balance between product quality, price, service and business outcomes.

The diverse product portfolio caters to all the needs of today’s collision repair facilities, and the extensive automotive range provides solutions to both the passenger vehicle and the commercial vehicle segments.

RISE has always been more than a paint supplier. With closely coordinated product systems and individually tailored training services, RISE is a key partner to the professional collision repairer looking to operate a highly efficient and profitable body shop. In essence, RISE makes it their business to make every customer’s business a success.

Editor: When I initially met with general manager Doug Barber in 2019, he was enthusiastic about the future and confident that RISE would succeed. Barber’s confidence was indeed well-founded.

The RISE Welshpool facility.

FCAI releases new zero and low emission vehicle sales report The FCAI has released a new, publicly available zero and low emission vehicle (ZLEV) sales report.

The report, which will be released quarterly, will provide a review of battery electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sales over the previous 12 months. State and Territory breakdowns are also included.

It is the first FCAI report focussing on ZLEV roll out in Australia.

“VFACTS data is the premier source of car sales information for

1 2 – LOCAL NEWS

decision makers and commentators across Australia. This report will be vital in revealing the progress of zero and low emission vehicle penetration into Australia’s light vehicle fleet,” said FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.

With the Federal Government considering options to reduce emissions across the entire economy, this data is necessary to make informed decisions that will benefit the environment, the economy, and all Australians.

“An essential part of the journey to

a zero-emission light vehicle fleet is the implementation of an ambitious yet achievable fuel efficiency standard. All FCAI members are aligned on the need for an emissions target which considers consumers, the unique nature of the Australian market, product availability, affordability, and the full range of zero and low emission technologies,” concluded Weber.

To access the entire report visit: www.fcai.com.au/news/publication

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Talking Shop with Andrew Minns

A U T O M O T I V E

G R O U P

WE VISITED ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE COLLISION REPAIR FACILITIES IN AUSTRALIA AND FOUND A HIGHLY INTEGRATED AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS LED BY AUTOMOTIVE PROFESSIONAL ANDRE SELLIAH, GENERAL MANAGER OF TULLAMARINE OPERATIONS. Background Selliah takes us right back to the beginning when he began working as a technician before finding his way into the parts side of the industry as a parts manager with the Audi Centre Brighton dealership. He has been with Zagame Automotive since they bought that dealership in 2011, progressing to Audi

Group Parts Manager in 2011 before taking up his current role in 2015.

“One of the early initiatives was to consolidate our aftersales, pre-delivery and parts businesses onto a single site, at the time in Heatherton in Melbourne’s southeast. This freed up the growing dealership network to do what they do best – retail sales. We relocated to the

Inside the body shop.

The working body shop.

Andre Selliah.

1 4 – TALKING SHOP

current site at Tullamarine in 2015, where we have our distribution centre, our service centre, which includes predelivery, and, since 2016, our body shop.”

The Zagame business sells, services and repairs 17 prestigious automotive brands through the company-owned retail network and has built the business through a focus on the prestige market,

with brands such as Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Rolls Royce, just to name a few. “The majority of our work today is the Audi brand and, more recently, the Cupra brand, both obviously part of the Volkswagen Group. For all intents and purposes, the Tullamarine facility is the Zagame Automotive Group.”

The Zagame family had become one of Victoria and Australia’s most respected publican families. It all began when patriarch Robert Zagame established his first hotel in Northcote in Melbourne’s inner north. The Zagame Group went on to become an innovator and leader in the Australian hotel and hospitality industry.

In 1999, driven by his passion for cars, Bobby Zagame took the family business into the automotive sector. He has developed the business into one of Australia’s pre-eminent automotive

retail organisations for sports, luxury and performance vehicles across Melbourne and Adelaide. Bobby’s brother Adrian manages the operations in South Australia, and in less than 25 years, they have built a national, vertically integrated organisation.

Zagame Autobody As we know, as early as 2012, manufacturers were becoming more interested in dealer-owned body shops, predominantly to ensure the use of genuine parts and returning the vehicle to pre-accident condition such that it operates as the manufacturer intended.

“When we opened this body shop in 2016, for us, it was to ensure the Zagame customer has access to the complete offering from purchase to service and then to repair. Customer satisfaction and customer retention were always our key drivers.”

As a new player in the collision repair sector, Selliah was looking for as much support as he could get while at

the same time having an eye on the potential to become a paint distributor, which he saw was a natural fit for Zagame’s aftersales business.

“From the initial introduction to the team at AkzoNobel, the chemistry felt just right. The first step was to introduce Sikkens Autowave 2.0 into the body shop, which we found was a great leap forward with the quality of the product and the extensive service and support from the extensive technical team. There was no hesitation that this was the brand with which we would be happy to align and support as a distributor as, being a global premium brand, it was a great fit with our own focus in the prestige sector. It really has been a mutually beneficial relationship.”

John Bermingham, Akzo Nobel Sales Director, ANZ added: “We saw a perfect partnership opportunity through the innovation and vision of the Zagame Automotive Group within the Melbourne area led by Andre Selliah. Their passion around the automotive sector and our

Bobby Zagame.

The Zagame Automotive facility.

The National Collision Repairer – 1 5

Talking Shop Zagame Automotive Group aligned focus on premium products and customer satisfaction was a natural fit.”

Since the early days, the body shop has grown tremendously. It now caters for not only the prestige brands but also what Selliah calls its super-luxury brands, all in response to customers’ needs and filling an unmet need in the market. As a direct consequence of this growth, they are continually looking for more technicians who have the attitude and willingness to work within their culture, which has the customer at the forefront of everything they do.

“In addition to repairing our own customers’ vehicles, we are also an approved repairer to BMW, Genesis, Tesla, Honda NSX and, of course, Volkswagen, as well as all the other marques that we sell. This we see as a reflection of the quality of the finished repair.”

Zagame Automotive also works very closely with a range of key suppliers that fit with how they want to operate. Selliah told me they rely on DNS’ iBodyshop management system, which they find is seamless and integral to their needs. When it comes to other equipment, the range is quite diverse.

“We use quite a selection of equipment in the body shop, such as Junair spray booths, which are supported by the UK parent, and a range of hoists and jig systems such as Car-O-Liner, Celette, Globaljig and Spanesi, all necessary to ensure we meet the requirements of the various OEM approvals. This investment reflects our commitment to our customers and to the collision repair sector as a whole.”

With such a prestige line-up, it is imperative that the repair technicians get it right first time, every time. This

begins with the internal quality control process, which is managed by the production manager, John Cartwright.

The process requires both the panel and paint team leaders to sign off each other’s work, of course, based upon a fundamental trust in the quality of work from the technicians. Selliah points out that this gets down to training, attitude, dedication and commitment – the hallmarks of their business model.

One of the more challenging processes for any repair facility, the recalibration of the various on-board sensors, radars and cameras, is a combination of in-house and outsourced in Zagame’s case. “All calibrations are done by an authorised facility, which in the case of the Audi brand, is this facility at Tullamarine, carried out by our service department.

In the case of all other brands, we send the vehicle to the respective dealer, which ensures the calibration on every one of our repairs is completed by an authorised facility.”

Where to from here?

We discussed the future of the group, conscious of commercial sensitivities.

Selliah says that while the group continues to look for growth opportunities, in the more immediate term, the key focus is to get even better at what they do. This is particularly relevant given the wide range of marques they repair, as he points out that they have some “challenging brands” in their stable.

“One of the biggest single challenges is attracting enough of the right resources into the business. We have a very active apprenticeship

The service and pre-delivery centre.

1 6 – TALKING SHOP

program and a body shop that is state-of-the-art. We demand that our apprentices advance their skills much more quickly than the industry as a whole, which is both good for the apprentice and good for our business.

However, we are in a battle to win the hearts and minds of the next generation’s influencers – parents, guardians and career advisors.”

Selliah shared a recent discussion he had with a parent during an open day where a careers advisor actually steered her son away from the industry based on that advisor’s outdated perception of the industry. He added that it is clear that it is no longer sustainable – if it ever was – to simply attract technicians from other facilities, which, of course, simply passes the problem along.

We in the industry all know that virtually every car is now a computer on wheels, and so the skills required to return the vehicle to the road following an accident are so different than ever before. We also know that the industry provides a vibrant, dynamic, technology-driven career path – we just have to find a way to get the message out into the broader community.

As we come to the end of our discussion, I leave the last word to Selliah. “We at Zagame Automotive Group are committed to contributing in a positive way to the industry as a whole. Whether it’s the way we repair cars or contribute to changing the perception of the industry. We want to be known for making a difference in the automotive industry, the collision repair sector and, of course, to the lives of those who work in our network.”

The Tullamarine distribution centre.

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Special Report Generations – The SAPE Group

AMA Group Investing in the future of the industry WE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH JANELLE LEONARD, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, AND ADINA NIJEMČEVIĆ, GROUP APPRENTICESHIP MANAGER, TO HEAR ALL ABOUT AMA GROUP’S COMMITMENT TO, AND INVESTMENT IN, THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY. Introduction Leonard is responsible for the Group’s People Strategy across all business units, a role she has held for almost two years. New to the industry, she was surprised by the size and complexity of AMA Group, given that it is not necessarily well-known outside the collision repair industry.

Almost immediately, we discussed the skills shortage within the industry, which she highlights is no different to most other trades, both here and around the world. Leonard said she quickly identified that one of the key reasons for the dearth of talent in our industry is that, historically, there has been significant under-investment in people development.

“This is a people-based industry,

built on manual labour, with an ageing workforce demographic. Without people, the industry won’t survive. That is why at AMA Group, we decided our challenge was to build what we call ‘the workforce of the future’, which has become a key aspect of our Group strategy.”

The people strategy Leonard summarised the three tenets of the Group’s People Strategy: 1. Invest in our own people.

This is essentially a retention strategy through the “One AMA – Building Better” program. AMA Group’s initial engagement survey identified some improvement opportunities, although more recent results show that employee engagement has significantly

Adina Nijemčević.

1 8 – SPECIAL REPORT

improved under new management. The leadership group has listened to their people and invested in making it a great place to work. This includes demonstrating care for their peoples’ health, well-being and safety. AMA Group know that leaders are the key to strong cultures, and that is why all their front-line leaders have undertaken the AMA Group leadership development program to ensure the strength of that group.

2. International sourcing of skilled trades.

AMA Group has an international recruitment initiative focusing on technicians from the UK, the Philippines and South Africa, to name a few. It is a medium-term strategy due to the length of the process, which can take as long as 6 to 12 months. AMA Group provides generous relocation programs and supports team members to obtain permanent residency.

3. The apprentice program.

This is the Group’s long-term strategy, which they believe will be a real gamechanger. There is strong competition for talent from other organisations in the industry and, of course, other trades that historically have been perceived to be more attractive.

“As the industry’s largest employer, we believe we have an obligation to do ‘more than our fair share’, not just for ourselves, but for the industry as a whole. As our organisation has grown by acquisition, we inherited a variety of informal programs. Through One AMA, we developed the Group-wide people strategy.”

Nijemčević, who joined the company last year, has extensive experience working with apprentices across various industries, including the building and construction sector, which she said has been glamorised by reality TV shows. “We see the effect that

these shows have all the way into the schools as they effectively enhance the attractiveness of the building and construction trades.”

She said that one of her first tasks was to streamline their relationships with the various RTOs as they looked to have greater influence over the training and learning journey they wanted their apprentices to experience. This has evolved to the point where they now have “AMA Group-only” classes with some of the major RTOs in Victoria and NSW, which allows them to further enhance the outcomes.

“Although there are different models in different states and regions, we aim for consistency in our training plan to ensure our apprentices all enrol in the same modules, albeit through various RTOs. This is an ongoing process, particularly as we are onboarding new apprentices on a continuous basis.”

AMA Group aims to maintain the quality of training in our industry and sets a high bar for their apprentices’ learning journey. “We have an expectation that our apprentices develop at a faster rate than that of the general industry, and having these programs allows us to monitor and influence the outcomes. As we all know, the bar will continue to be raised as today’s (and tomorrow’s) vehicles, their technology and their repair processes all become increasingly more complex.”

The Group has also implemented a “tool kit program” that involves setting the apprentices up with the tools they need from day one at a discounted price through ACM Parts, which they then pay back through a payroll deduction scheme.

Leonard points out that it is predominately younger people that they are trying to attract to the industry, initially by highlighting the great opportunities that are available.

The next step, of course, is to work with them throughout their entire career.

One of AMA Group’s competitive advantages is its many diverse career paths that provide opportunities for people to realise their full potential. “We have examples where employees have joined AMA Group as apprentices and are now in leadership roles. With multiple sites, AMA Group can take your career anywhere you want it to go, which is a unique feature of our business,” she says.

The industry labour shortage Leonard pointed out that while the

international programs are a mediumterm strategy, the challenge is: what do they do right now? As the entire industry is looking to recruit more technicians, the inevitable short-term impact will be that technicians will move around the industry, which, of course, just transfers the problem rather than creating new capacity.

In attempting to gain some immediate traction, Nijemčević said that they are also working with other industry stakeholders to help build the pipeline.

“We are already working with several education departments and schools, predominately in Victoria, where we advertise work experience, structured workplace learning and school-based apprenticeships. We launched this in January this year and already have 11 new students through this process.”

Working with MEGT, an Australian not-for-profit organisation that supports employers, apprentices, trainees, job seekers and students, AMA Group is extremely proud that they are training the lion’s share of apprentices in the industry. When you consider AMA Group accounts for approximately 50% of MEGT’s collision repair apprentices, who they believe has 70% market share, they are training one third of the apprentices in the industry, far more than their market share, illustrating that they really are “punching above their weight”.

“The key to success begins in the schools; however, we also promote our

apprentices in a variety of external awards to both celebrate their success and raise the profile of the industry in general. We are particularly proud of multiple award-winning refinish technician Isabella Turrise, who is now working in the Heavy Motor Division with Wales Trucks.”

Getting started with AMA Group The onboarding process not only involves working with MEGT but also assisting the apprentices to enrol with the respective RTO, ensuring that they know what trade school will look like when they commence their formal training and, of course, what to expect when they get to the work site. This sets the expectations with the apprentice, their tradesperson and their manager.

Nijemčević said: “We have monthly virtual induction sessions that cover not only their workplace but also AMA Group.

It’s all about making our people feel welcome and showing them there are multiple opportunities within the Group.

Of course, we have their well-being, health and safety as our primary concern, so this is also a major part of the initial and ongoing induction process.”

She also highlighted that they have a particular focus on increasing female participation across the Group. Over the past five years, they have increased the proportion of female apprentices from 3% to 13%. Of these female apprentices, 80% are in refinish. They are clearly

Jordan Cortez, Mohammed El Kurdi, Abu Afrief, Nazih El Kurdi and Maria Angel Deloverges Villareal and Adina.

The National Collision Repairer – 1 9

5

Minutes Special Report with ...

Ara Ekmekjian Capricorn Society When did you join the industry?

I joined the industry back in 1991 straight out of high school and into my father’s mechanical and panel beating business.

What was your first job in the industry?

Mechanic and panel beater.

What do you do now?

I now work for Capricorn as an Area Manager – Collision.

What do you like about the industry?

The technology invested in the motor vehicle’s power train and the body construction, the crumple zone and the performance management.

What don’t you like about the industry?

The way the industry has shaped up over the years.

AMA Group – Investing in the future

“bucking the trend” in this industry and across the trades sector, which they expect to continue in the coming years.

Retention “With our focus on women in the workplace, we run a “Quarterly Connection” session for our female apprentices. The sessions include guest speakers and specific activities, which is really important as it provides a vital link to other female apprentices across the Group. We have approximately 140 sites and 50 female apprentices, which indicates that there are many young women in the Group who are the only female apprentice in the workplace. It’s a way of reminding them they are not alone – and they love it.”

More recently, the Group has also introduced a “Quarterly Forum” for the entire 350+ strong apprentice cohort.

The agenda varies depending on what’s going on in the industry and in the company, but it is designed to both educate and inspire the young women and men across the company.

Nijemčević also pointed out that retention rates for those going through the school-based apprentice pathway exceeds 80%, far greater than the 50% that is typical in the industry. She said that the greater retention rate was due to the Group ensuring the environment is “apprenticefriendly” and that they know what they can expect from their organisation.

Leonard added: “An additional challenge is that to train apprentices effectively, tradespeople need to have the time and capacity to impart their knowledge, which when the whole

industry is short-staffed is a ‘clear and present’ issue. It really is a vicious cycle.

However, what it demonstrates is that the Group is making a huge investment ahead of the curve, where the benefits are still one to two years away.”

Australian Collision Industry Alliance As the industry leader, AMA Group has demonstrated its commitment to this new initiative, with CEO Carl Bizon appointed to the board late last year.

Bizon was only too happy to contribute and added: “Having started my career as an apprentice in the steel industry, I am incredibly passionate about providing a strong program for the young people of today. The only way to truly solve this skills shortage is to invest in the future, ensure we develop new tradespeople, and make sure the extensive knowledge that exists in the industry is passed to the next generation.”

In summary As AMA Group continues to engage with the collision repair community, it becomes increasingly clear that the Group has embarked on a long-term strategy in so many ways – its Group People Strategy is no exception. It is, therefore, appropriate that we leave the final word to the Group’s Chief People Officer.

“As mentioned at the outset, our over-arching strategy is to invest in new talent not just for ourselves but for the industry as a whole. However, it really is incumbent on all of us to invest in the future of the industry and to minimise the attrition to other industries,” concluded Leonard.

What music do you like?

I enjoy all type of genres, but I do lean towards Jazz!

Your Favourite Artist?

Carlos Santana Your favourite food?

Anything that’s spicy – especially a spicy Thai dish!

Your favourite drink?

Hendrick’s Gin Your hobbies?

Cycling, I enjoy long cycling tours through the countryside.

The apprentices are always learning.

Who in the world would you most like to meet?

Cadel Evans and Lance Armstrong

2 0 – SPECIAL REPORT

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CONNECT, FOLLOW AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH US

Who’s Who in the Industry with Frank Grice

Le’Mix Pty Ltd WE CAUGHT UP WITH FOUNDER AHMAD KAMALEDINE WHO GAVE US A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO LE’MIX FROM ITS EARLY DAYS THROUGH TO ITS RECENT TRANSFORMATION. THIS HAS FORMED THE BASIS OF GREATER THINGS TO COME. The early days Ahmad arrived in Australia from Lebanon as a young teenager in the mid-1970s. On leaving school, he took up an apprenticeship and became a panel beater and spray painter in 1981, when dual qualifications were more common in the industry.

After a short time as a technician, he formed his own collision repair shop while still in his 20s before opening his first distribution business in 1993. He supplied a range of paint and consumables to the industry, and to this day, Ahmad’s family still owns and operates this business.

Ahmad (now more commonly known as Allan) has been in the collision repair industry his entire career and is passionate about the “health and wellbeing” of the industry. In the early 2000s, he recognised that the overwhelming cheap and unreliable imported products saturating the market had led to a decline in product quality and didn’t meet the trade’s expectations, which he says was detrimental to the reputation of the industry and industry suppliers.

A new beginning In 2009, following many years of research, Ahmad’s commitment to the industry led him to create Le’Mix, a

brand name with a European tone that reflects the origin of its products. Le’Mix is a wholesaler to the automotive and industrial sectors, which sets a highquality standard for a full range of European aftermarket consumables, now distributed under the Le’Mix brand.

To further develop its competitive edge, Le’Mix invested in a masking tape conversion plant, importing “jumbo” rolls that are subsequently split into various widths and lengths and packaged locally, ensuring the final quality is fit for purpose, including and not limited to private labels. According to Ahmad, Le’Mix is the only company with a clear focus on surface coating solutions that convert masking tape in Australia.

“The masking tape conversion plant is not the only competitive advantage we have. It is supported by significant investment contracts and ongoing negotiations with multinational European companies to enable us to maintain consistency, supply and quality of the entire product range, which has manifested in the satisfaction of our Australian and New Zealand distributors over the years. This has been reflected in continual sales growth and an everincreasing demand for the Le’Mix brand.

I can further assure our distributors that the range is under constant development and will be complemented

with refinish and industrial systems, putties and fillers, with many more yetto-be-announced additions to the range, equal in quality and origin, with a very competitive price tag,” said Ahmad.

Ahmad with Khaled (L) and Zachariah.

Juan Cota.

2 2 – WHO’S WHO IN THE INDUSTRY

The people of Le’Mix Ahmad is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. However, he was somewhat reluctant to acknowledge that one of the other key differentiators for Le’Mix is that its customers rely on his advice and guidance, which is borne out of his 40 years’ experience in the industry supplying paint, consumables, equipment and even spray booths in the earlier days.

Ahmad’s two eldest sons are following in his footsteps, carving out their own path in the family business.

Khaled is now taking a more prominent role representing Le’Mix across the industry, both here and at international events, while Zachariah is becoming more involved behind the scenes.

We also spoke with sales and marketing manager Juan Cota, who was recruited from Spain and brought his European industry product knowledge to Le’Mix. Juan said the company today is quite different to the one he joined six years ago.

“We have become a much more proactive, customer-focused business

with clearly defined growth objectives.

In addition, we put in place specific plans on how we will reach our goals.

Business-to-business marketing is based on relationships, and Le’Mix has developed strong connections throughout the industry, in addition to enhanced responsiveness to our customers’ needs.”

Juan is also very optimistic about the future of the company and is confident that it will continue to grow.

He believes the broader client base and an expanding product range will ensure success in the coming years.

What’s next?

Since its inception and following a substantial presence at the 2017 Collision Repair Expo in Melbourne, it is clear that the company has undergone

Great street appeal.

a significant transformation to become an emerging icon in the industry. The Le’Mix brand is now synonymous with quality, value and strong support to its distributors. Building on the solid

The masking tape conversion plant.

foundation of the consumables business, Le’Mix is now poised for further growth in the broader refinish sector.

For more information, visit: www.lemix.com.au

At the 2017 Collision Repair Expo.

Converted and packaged locally At Le’Mix, we offer a comprehensive range of masking tape, for all application requirements, size, colour and private labelling.

27- 29 Claremont Ave Greenacre NSW 2190 www. lemix.com.au - O ce 02 9708 4959 info@lemix.com.au - Sales 0412 448116

This is big news.

Comprehensive Ford approved training and certification programs delivered by

Includes: • F-150 including Aluminium certification • E-transit • Ford model specific training • Online, Virtual and Hands-on

Indicative pre-production vehicle specifications and image shown. Specifications and features on production model may vary.

OEM Snapshot $14 million and counting

Panoramic Vision

The Honda Foundation surpassed $14 million in donations over the last 18 months, supporting hundreds of worthy causes. The Foundation is funded by contributions from Honda Australia and the 86 Honda Centres across the country that are an important part of local communities.

For every new Honda vehicle sold in Australia, $30 is donated to The Honda Foundation.

The Foundation understands the power of mobility by operating a 12-month loan vehicle program that includes registration, insurance, and all servicing costs. This program is capped at 20 loan vehicles at any time but allows organisations that care for the disadvantaged to accompany them to appointments and various other activities.

From 2021 to 2022, end-of-year campaigns were run in conjunction with Movember, Starlight Children’s Foundation, White Ribbon Australia, Head Space, Camp Quality and the Leukemia Foundation. The Honda Foundation has supported The Kidney Foundation with work to modify its “Big Red Kidney Bus”, which helps patients with severe kidney issues and requiring dialysis to come onto the bus for treatment.

A donation of $50,000 was provided from The Honda Foundation to the Male Bag Foundation to fund its transperineal biopsy machine, which helps to provide a more accurate, in-depth result for doctors when analysing the prostate conditions of their patients. Another amazing donation made during this time was to Rapid Relief, to purchase a customised BBQ catering pod for their dedicated teams in Queensland.

All the work and support that The Honda Foundation has given over the last 18 months to surpass the $14 million in donations would not be possible without the dedication and work of all organisations and worthy causes across Australia.

The new BMW head-up display, Panoramic Vision, will go into production with the first NEUE KLASSE models. Oliver Zipse, BMW AG’s chair of the management board, confirmed this during his speech at the 2023 Annual Conference.

BMW is currently developing a completely new technological platform for the NEUE KLASSE, whose name refers to the company’s pioneering models of the 1960s. This platform will set new standards in digitalisation, sustainability and design for electric cars. The new head-up display, projecting across the entire width of the windscreen, creates a unique interaction and information surface for all occupants.

Frank Weber, a member of BMW’s development board, described this revolutionary new head-up display’s main advantages: “The windscreen becomes a single large display with our new BMW Panoramic Vision, opening up completely new possibilities for the design of our vehicles.

The driver decides which information they want to display in their own field of vision or whether all occupants can see the entire content. The revolutionary projection and the significantly more clearly structured cockpit give an impressive new feeling of space and driving. We are taking our proven ‘eyes on the road – hands on the wheel’ slogan to a new level.”

For the first time, the innovative projection technology allows visible displays across the entire width of the windscreen for all passengers. BMW Panoramic Vision shows information that is relevant for the driver and passengers with a higher light intensity and contrast onto a dark-coated area at the lower edge of the windscreen.

This creates an extremely sharp image that is always visible across the full width of the windscreen. Information relevant to the driving situation is always available in the right place at the right time.

Going all-in with electric

Kia recently held a ground-breaking ceremony at the Hwaseong plant, which will be its dedicated plant for the production of battery-electric purposebuilt vehicles (PBV). The ceremony was attended by government officials, Hyundai Motor Group’s executive chair, Euisun Chung, Kia’s global president and CEO, Ho Sung Song, and other employees from Hyundai Motor Group and the automotive parts industry.

In a greeting on behalf of Hyundai Motor Group, Ho Sung Song highlighted, “Together, Hyundai Motor, Kia and Hyundai MOBIS plan to invest KRW 24 trillion in the domestic electric vehicle

2 6 – OEM SNAPSHOT

industry by 2030, with the goal of making South Korea one of the top three players in the global EV market.

Our focus is to enhance the competitiveness of the entire electric vehicle ecosystem, including research and development, production, and infrastructure, and to lead the way in driving change and innovation in the new global automotive industry.”

Kia will invest around one trillion won (approximately USD 758 million) to secure 99,000 acres of land, with the company planning to start mass production in the second half of 2025. It plans to produce 150,000 units in the first full year, with the potential to expand in line with future market conditions.

The new PBV plant will be built

as an eco-friendly plant that applies future innovative manufacturing technologies while minimising carbon emissions. It will also seek efficiency and intelligence with Hyundai Motor and Kia’s smart factory brand “EFOREST technologies”, such as digital manufacturing systems.

One of the innovative manufacturing processes to be implemented at the new PBV plant is the cell method, which is a process layout strategy that groups machines or workstations used to produce similar products or parts together. Under the cell method, machines are arranged in a way that optimises the flow of materials and products between workstations to minimise downtime, reduce costs and increase productivity.

Symphony on ice Hyundai Motor Company has revealed details about the extreme winter testing of IONIQ 5 N, the first high-performance, massproduction all-electric N brand model, at their proving ground in Arjeplog, Sweden.

Given its position adjacent to the Arctic Circle, the proving ground offers everything an automaker needs for comprehensive winter testing, such as low-grip coefficient icy surfaces and deep sub-zero temperatures as low as -30oC. This allows Hyundai N engineers to test new models, such as the IONIQ 5 N, in the most extreme low-friction conditions to achieve the optimal balance between the car’s responsive “fun-to-drive” character and its ability to perform safely and predictably in sub-zero conditions.

For IONIQ 5 N, Hyundai Motor has combined the EV’s Electrified-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) with N’s motorsport-bred technologies and expertise to raise the bar for electrified high performance and set the stage for what is

sure to become the true driving enthusiast’s choice for a yearround performance EV. N brand engineers have optimised IONIQ 5’s E-GMP’s dual-motor architecture for high performance in all driving conditions – even the ice lakes of Arjeplog – with knowhow transfer of all-surface AWD capabilities demonstrated by Hyundai i20 N WRC Rally 1 car in Sweden. IONIQ 5 N will be the first N brand production vehicle with all-wheel drive (AWD). N’s AWD story began in 2015 through competition in the World Rally Championship (WRC), and over the next eight years, Hyundai earned numerous accolades, including two world championships.

In addition, IONIQ 5 N uses N Torque Distribution that is optimised for different drive modes, allowing the driver to select the torque level for both front and rear wheels. N Torque Distribution and e-LSD work together to distribute power to all four wheels in varying ratios and are specifically designed to respond quickly to the instantaneous and seamless power delivery inherent in EVs – even in extreme low-friction conditions like those found in Arjeplog.

Accelerating digital transformation

Flexible car ownership

Jaguar Land Rover is partnering with Tata Technologies, the global engineering, product development and digital services company, to accelerate the digital transformation of JLR’s industrial strategy.

The first phase will include UK core production facilities, with solutions subsequently deployed to other global locations.

Tata Technologies will deliver end-to-end integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) to transform JLR’s manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, finance and purchasing modules by bringing data and knowledge from multiple departments into one single source.

The intuitive new user interface of Tata Technologies’ award-winning software will drive operations stability, improving visibility both between teams and for suppliers. The net result for the company will be a more agile, faster-to-market capability for new vehicles.

ERP is key to streamlining and consolidating information across core business areas. Creating a dedicated home for data and management processes across departments is fundamental to transforming how a business functions. ERP systems can also aggregate, store and interpret data to provide insights instantly, helping companies respond to issues, challenges and opportunities in an agile and timely manner.

The agreement furthers JLR’s alignment with the Tata Group of companies as part of its Reimagine strategy. Tata Technologies brings more than 30 years of experience in product and digital engineering, with a global network of over 11,000 employees and clients across multiple countries.

Speaking about the collaboration, JLR’s executive director of industrial operations, Barbara Bergmeier, commented: “The partnership with Tata Technologies will allow us to accelerate the transformation of our core ERP infrastructure to deliver the efficiency and usability we require for the future and our transformation objectives. It also demonstrates the power of being part of the Tata Group to help us to achieve targets for our supply chain and wider industrial operations.”

Car rental innovator KINTO has announced the nationwide launch of KINTO Flex. This new subscription-based, all-inclusive car rental plan offers Australians the benefits of car ownership without the longterm commitment.

KINTO Flex is powered by a fleet of trusted Toyota cars, and with a passenger fleet consisting of over 97% hybrid vehicles, Australians can rest assured that they are travelling safely and sustainably.

The new service allows users to take freedom to the next level by providing the benefits of car ownership on a monthly subscription basis. With the option of booking a car to suit an individual’s needs across over 160 national locations, shortening or lengthening the subscription and paying by the month, KINTO has created a car service that truly adapts to the user’s lifestyle.

Service is all managed through KINTO's purpose-built smartphone app. From sign-up and picking a vehicle to unlocking the car and hitting the road, users enjoy fully digital self-service car rental. Users can also extend their subscriptions through the digital self-service function within the KINTO app. If they’re ready to unsubscribe from KINTO Flex, they can cancel free of charge from the upcoming bill cycle with just seven days’ notice.

Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley, said the expansion of KINTO's services will offer consumers even greater freedom and flexibility. “The introduction of KINTO Flex offers Australians the next best thing to vehicle ownership, as it is simple and easy to drive the latest Toyota vehicles, including our popular hybrid models, for a longer-term period with a monthly subscription. KINTO Flex marks an exciting step in the future of mobility, catering to emerging customer needs and mobility requirements that go beyond our traditional business model.”

The National Collision Repairer – 2 7

Industry Event with Glen Keddie

All

Day

WE RECENTLY VISITED THE 32ND ANNUAL ALL FORD DAY IN “FORD COUNTRY”, GEELONG, VICTORIA, WHERE ENTHUSIASTS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP AND ENJOY THE FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE. For the second consecutive year, the weather was not at its best. The persistent drizzle tried to dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands of visitors and the owners of the 1,500 exhibitors from putting on a great show. Event director Nicholas Heath and his team did a great job with the exhibitors and judging the 440 vehicles that had entered the competitive aspect of the event. I had a feeling that 2023 was going to be something special. And I was right.

There was the usual passion and excitement to which I have become accustomed whenever Ford enthusiasts get together as the Ford fanatics assembled to celebrate all things Ford and reminisce about the glory days when the iconic Blue Oval was manufactured in their own backyard.

There were also so many different “Ford Clubs”, such as the Tickford Enhanced Car Club, the Muscle Car Club of Victoria, and Club FPV. The one that jumped out for me was the Falcon GT Club Geelong, as it epitomised the local flavour of the event.

Once again, the event was a real family affair, with the older generation passing on their passion to sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters. Even though the rain came and went and came back again, so many people just carried on

It really is a great setting.

These GT stars aligned nicely.

regardless as they soaked up the atmosphere – as it turned out, in more ways than they may have expected.

So, enough on the background and initial observations from me, and onto why

we were all there – the great array of Ford motor cars. Here is a selection of what caught my eye, including the thing that was different – the number of really special vehicles presented by the “women of Ford”.

Sallie Murphy’s 2017 Ford Mustang GT Although becoming the owner last year, “Mustang Sallie” named the car Steph in honour of a close friend who passed in 2000 at the age of 15. Steph was a car and horse fanatic like Sallie, who jokes that horsepower was in their blood.

Her passion for this Mustang was written all over her face.

2 8 – INDUSTRY EVENT

’36 Ford 5-Window Coupe

2012 FPV GC FG MkII

Affectionately known as EVL36, this is no ordinary postvintage vehicle. With a Ford 353 Windsor Dart block and Dart 195cc aluminium heads, Crane cams and twin Holley 465 carbies, it really is an awesome driveline. The chassis was custom-built by Trevor Breeze, and the colour is PPG’s Aubergine.

With 315kW of power and 545 Nm torque, this super-charged 5.0 Litre V8 was a real attention-seeker with its GS stripe graphics on the door bottoms, bonnet stripes and Boss 315 identifications. It also has additional FPV badging on the steering wheel and instrument cluster. It has been designed to stand out – and it worked!

The last of the Focus STs

The 1950 Ford F1

A wonderful example of a Mean Green Ford Focus ST with the 206kW 2.3 litre Ecoboost motor was one of only 104 Focus ST Mk4.5s sold in Australia. This particular vehicle was fully optioned and was a real eye-catcher at the event.

Ian and Nicole Martin displayed this real work of art, a fully customised creation that includes an electric tilt rear tub American ash custom bed, a Mustang II front end, and chopped 3” with suicide doors. And it’s not all show, as it houses a 503 BBF Stroker and Mooneyham 10-71 blower.

What a beast!

Daniella Rizzo’s 2013 FG XR6 Being vinyl-wrapped in Hexis Satin Light Blue Chrome further enhances the effect of this awesome FG, which also shows off its black and white leather diamond stitching. Under the bonnet, it has been tuned by DSR Performance and shows that this, too, has the muscle to match the looks.

The National Collision Repairer – 2 9

Industry Event All Ford Day

2002 AU III Fairmont Wagon

Belinda Bean’s 1961 Ford Prefect

What a thrill to see the last V8 Fairmont wagon that Ford ever produced – in August 2002. This car has so much to love, from the 5.0 litre V8 with the Kenne Bell supercharger to the super low front and rear springs to the custom front seats with the beige leather and black suede trim.

This up-market version of the iconic Ford Anglia was one of 38,000 built in the UK, with an original price of £621.

Affectionately known as “Basil”, its 917cc engine and 4-speed gearbox delivers a top speed of 117kph. Belinda told me she was thrilled and proud to be Basil’s current owner.

As much as the late model vehicles and their pristine condition tend to capture the attention of the younger generation, I continue to be drawn to the vintage and classic models, which, if I’m truly honest, bring back memories of simpler machines and simpler times. Perhaps this is something we all do to a certain

extent. What I can say – as I did last year – is that beauty is very definitely in the eyes of the beholder, and there was something for everyone at Eastern Park in Geelong.

So, as another great All Ford Day came to a close, although the competition categories were hotly contested, the real winners were those

of us who braved the weather and turned out in droves and had the pleasure of sharing the passion with our fellow motoring enthusiasts.

So, as I stated at the outset, Nicholas Heath, his team, and everyone else involved in making the 32nd All Ford Day a success is to be congratulated on yet another great event!

The Falcon GT Club Geelong.

CollisionRepairer THE

OW! N K BOO

NATIONAL

SYMPOSIUM23

Friday, 2 June 2023 l https://ncrsymposium23.eventbrite.com.au 3 0 – INDUSTRY EVENT

Tech Tip with Joe Lantieri

Good colour matching Needs good surface preparation A clean and scratch-free surface is essential for accurately measuring the car colour being repaired and is the starting point to get a good colour match. Good surface preparation is about standardising your surface preparation process to ensure a measurement is always on a clean, scratch-free surface to get a reliable result.

Good surface preparation is more than just cleaning the surface. Let me explain why getting this part of the colour process right is so important.

The “Automatchic Vision” spectrophotometer projects light onto the paint surface and measures the reflected light resulting in a specific colour curve unique to that panel. The reflected light becomes scattered when there are micro scratches on the surface. When the MIXIT colour retrieval software analyses this measurement, the colour search engine will try to find a formula to match the “distorted”

Dedicated tools Having dedicated tools in your prep kit will streamline your surface preparation process. For the measurement, you only need to get a small area clean and scratch-free. Ideally, have smaller, easily portable tools that fit in the prep kit and are easy to handle in the process, such as: Small sander: to lightly sand the surface, removing any severe scratches or texture.

Mini polisher: battery driven for easy and fast surface polishing.

LED light: to check that the surface is clean and scratchfree. This is also useful to check the coarseness and sparkle effect within the colour.

Polishing materials Polishing compounds and compounding pads are based on preference and market availability. It is important to always use a complete polishing system, as the benefit is that each product complements the others to achieve the best outcome.

In simple terms, the topcoat finish on the car is like the lens of a camera when taking this picture. Even the finest scratches can disturb and impact the final colour result.

How to standardise your surface preparation process Get your prep kit This is the first step in standardising your surface preparation process. Have all the required products and tools in your prep kit, whether a tool bag or trolley, to have them close on hand every time you prepare a surface.

Surface preparation time No vehicle surfaces entering the paint shop will be the same.

Some cars are relatively new and scratch-free; others, however, can be seriously affected by the environment and can exhibit a low gloss level with a high level of scratches.

Good surface preparation should take you no longer than 3 minutes, even when multiple polishing steps are required.

Always follow the recommended surface preparation process steps and specifications indicated by the surface refinishing manufacturer to get a clean and scratch-free surface ready to measure!

For more information regarding good surface preparation and standardising your surface preparation process, please contact your local AkzoNobel technical sales representative.

Joe Lantieri has a wealth of practical experience in the collision repair industry and has recently been appointed Akzo Nobel’s Technical and Digital Specialist, Asia.

The National Collision Repairer – 3 1

Global News PPG among America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women Newsweek magazine has recognised PPG’s ongoing efforts by placing it on its 2023 list of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women.

The list ranks the top 600 U.S. companies with at least 1,000 employees. The results are based on a survey of more than 37,000 women on topics including compensation and benefits, work-life balance and proactive management of a diverse workforce. This is the latest in a long line of PPG honours for excellence in the workplace.

Being acknowledged on this prestigious list fits perfectly with PPG’s own 2025 diversity, equity and inclusion commitments. PPG has set a goal to achieve 34–36% representation for female professionals globally, and as of January 2023, that figure sits at 31%, putting the company on track to achieve the 2025 target.

In addition, PPG’s global Women’s Leadership Network has more than 5,100 members across 53 countries. The

network focuses on advocacy and influencing change, as well as attracting, retaining and advancing women by creating connections for them to discuss vulnerable and difficult topics.

“At PPG, we take pride in our workplace and the performance of our employees around the world,” said

Kevin Walling, PPG’s chief human resources officer. “This year, we celebrate 140 years of ‘protecting and beautifying the world’, and this recognition underscores our commitment and our progress in making PPG more diverse, inclusive and a great place to work for all employees.”

PPG : a great workplace for women.

PPG continues to colour Team Penske One of the longestrunning partnerships in motorsports will hit 40 years and beyond as Team Penske and PPG ink a multi-year extension across the Team’s NASCAR and IndyCar programs.

PPG has been providing high-performance paints for Team Penske cars since 1984, and the partnership continues to flourish. As a result, the distinctive and very popular blue and white PPG paint scheme will once again take pride of place on Josef Newgarden’s No. 2 PPG Chevrolet for the IndyCar Series Championship in 2023 and into the future. PPG will also continue to serve as an associate partner for the cars driven by Kiwi ace Scott McLaughlin and Aussie reigning series champion Will Power. In addition, PPG also returns as an associate sponsor of all three Team

3 2 – GLOBAL NEWS

Penske cars in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Team Penske and PPG have been the model of business-to-business partnerships for over 30 years, according to Team Penske president Tim Cindric.

“We are entering our fourth decade together, and we take

great pride in the successes we have had together with PPG on and off the racetrack.

Our vision for the future remains aligned across all of our businesses while we continue to strive to add more iconic paint schemes to our storied on-track legacy.”

The partnership extension is

just as exciting from a racer’s perspective, says two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden. “I love getting behind the wheel of the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet. The beautiful paint scheme is a fan favourite, and we always deliver strong results when PPG is on the car.”

BMW Group expects profitable growth in 2023 With the prospect of profitable growth in a persistently challenging business environment, combined with a very dynamic increase in sales of electric vehicles, the BMW Group is looking ahead to the next financial year with tailwinds from last year’s success based on highly attractive and technologically outstanding products.

The company is taking this momentum into the home straight as it prepares for the launch of its next product generation, the NEUE KLASSE, in two years. The proven strengths of the present and the focus on futureoriented technologies will lay the foundation for the success of this future product generation.

The main growth drivers in 2023 will be fully-electric (BEV) vehicles and models from the high-end premium segment, such as the new BMW 7 Series, the updated BMW X7 and the Rolls-Royce model family. In this upper segment, the BMW Group expects growth in the mid-doubledigit percentage range for the current financial year, with BEV models even likely to grow in the

high double-digit percentage range.

Overall, the Group expects its deliveries to customers worldwide to increase slightly in the automotive segment in 2023.

At the same time, the BMW Group is striving for a high level of profitability in its core business and is targeting an EBIT margin of 8–10% in the automotive segment for the financial year. It should be noted that since the full consolidation of BMW Brilliance Automotive, the EBIT margin is no longer directly comparable with competitors.

The BMW X7 cockpit.

“The BMW Group shows a high degree of resilience, especially under challenging conditions. The company anticipates developments in the economic environment at an early stage and acts accordingly,” said Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG. “A high level of flexibility, combined with our operational performance, proved to be an effective combination for ensuring the success of the BMW Group, even in the face of headwinds and taking advantage of opportunities for profitable growth.”

Global News GM names BASF a 2022 Supplier of the Year General Motors has recognised BASF as a 2022 Supplier of the Year, recently celebrating honourees at its 31st annual Supplier of the Year event in San Antonio, Texas, USA. GM’s Supplier of the Year award recognises global suppliers that distinguish themselves by exceeding GM’s requirements and providing innovative technologies at some of the highest quality in the automotive industry. This is the 16th time BASF has received the award.

“We are humbled and honoured to be recognised by our great strategic partner, General Motors, with this award,” said Jeffrey Jones, BASF’s vice president for automotive OEM coatings and the key account manager for GM. “It reflects decades of collaboration and our strong partnership with GM to create solutions for a sustainable future.”

Each year, GM’s Supplier of the Year recipients are selected by a global, crossfunctional GM team for their performance in criteria such as product purchasing, global

purchasing and manufacturing services, customer care and aftersales and logistics.

“We are thrilled to recognise these outstanding suppliers after yet another challenging year in the automotive industry,” said Jeff Morrison, GM’s Global Purchasing and Supply Chain vice president. “They overcame countless obstacles and exemplified what it means to be resilient, resourceful and determined. Beyond that, these suppliers demonstrated their commitment to sustainable

innovation and to driving advanced solutions in collaboration with the GM team.”

BASF’s award recognised the company’s effort to provide GM with the highest quality products and outstanding service. “BASF is culturally aligned with GM and supports GM in its journey to zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion,” concluded Jones.

In total, 121 suppliers were recognised at the event, and collectively, the awarded suppliers represented 17 countries.

Car-O-Liner celebrates half a century Car-O-Liner, the global collision repair equipment provider, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

A special commemorative logo will mark the milestone.

“Since 1973, Car-O-Liner has been known for excellence, innovation and passion, offering customers a full line of state-of-the-art collision repair solutions,” said Tim Garner, market development manager for Car-O-Liner.

“From alignment and measuring equipment to state-of-the-art ADAS calibration, Car-O-Liner continues to lead the industry as we enter our next 50 years. We thank employees past and present and our loyal customers for being part of Car-O-Liner’s successful journey.”

3 4 – GLOBAL NEWS

Today, Car-O-Liner provides a complete line of collision repair solutions, including alignment and straightening systems, joining and heating equipment, measuring systems, workshop solutions, and testing and calibration systems.

In addition, Car-O-Liner provides its customers with continual sales support and offers some of the finest training options in the industry.

In Australia, the Car-O-Liner brand has been synonymous with Barrie and Julie Thomas since 1990, although Julie took over the reins as managing director of Car-O-Liner Australia in 1997. Julie has led the organisation’s growth and development, has won the Car-O-Liner International Sales Award on five occasions, and, in 2014, was recognised by her peers and awarded a National Collision Repairer Lifetime Achievement Award.

The organisation plans to celebrate this landmark anniversary in a variety of ways throughout the year.

Future Leaders Proudly sponsored by IAG

Nazeer Ali Capital S.M.A.R.T, Carrum Downs THIS MONTH WE INTRODUCE 27-YEAR-OLD NAZEER ALI, REPAIR CENTRE MANAGER AT CAPITAL S.M.A.R.T CARRUM DOWNS AND 2022 NATIONAL RISING LEADER OF THE YEAR AT AMA GROUP. Naz, as he likes to be known, was born and raised in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne and went to school at Brentwood Secondary College in Glen Waverley. When he left school, he took up a bricklaying apprenticeship, which he completed in 2013, although his first job was as a landscaper. After only 18 months, he was “let go” and on the lookout for the next challenge. One of his friends introduced him to Capital S.M.A.R.T. “My first role was in the parts department at the Dandenong site before I was moved on to an estimating role at Blackburn. I then spent a short time at Mulgrave to learn the production side of the business before moving to Hallam as production manager. I did this for some 18 months before taking up the role of repair centre manager. In 2022, I moved to my current role as repair centre manager at Carrum Downs.”

Naz seems to have moved seamlessly through the organisation and took the change in ownership in 2019 in his stride, noting that some of the systems, processes and suppliers changed, which he saw as just another step in the development of the business.

Naz was keen to explain the daily activities involved in being a repair centre manager, and the passion and excitement came through immediately. I asked him what keeps him engaged when he walks through the door every morning.

“I love to lead from the front and spend a great deal of time on the shop floor. Leading and mentoring my team is the highlight of my day. The challenges and opportunities provided by the organisation, in addition to the recognition I’ve received over the years, have also been fantastic.”

Keven Glen, Victorian operations manager, added: “I see Naz as the modern face of management in our industry. He is mature beyond his years, has strong IT skills, is an excellent communicator and is highly adaptable to change. He brings fresh ideas to the business, is a great people-person, and is absolutely committed to workplace health and safety. I have every confidence his career will continue its upward trajectory.”

Naz also spoke about his commitment to delivering the ultimate customer service experience, collaborating with his team to ensure they deliver high-quality repairs first time, every time. His view is that at a time when a customer is experiencing the stress of having to have their car repaired, his role and that of his team is to go the extra mile and make the process as seamless as possible.

I asked him to look five years down the track and tell me

where he expects to be. “I would like to think my next role will be in operations, ideally training the next wave of estimators and production managers for the organisation.”

Naz said he is not really a car guy, but when he’s not working, he loves to do boxing and kickboxing and is an avid fan of UFC. He and his partner have their hands full looking after their two dogs.

Editor: Capital S.M.A.R.T and AMA Group are to be congratulated for creating an environment that is so conducive to attracting and retaining young talent. With such strong support, Naz is indeed a worthy Future Leader of the Industry.

Nazeer Ali.

IAG’s ongoing support and sponsorship of these awards is greatly appreciated, as is the support from I-CAR Australia, who donates two training courses valued at over $500 to each Future Leader of the Industry.

The National Collision Repairer – 3 5

Tech Talk with John Hristias

PPG’s LINQ to the future HEADLINED BY A SUITE OF TRAILBLAZING PPG LINQ DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, THE PAINT SHOP OF THE FUTURE IS READY FOR YOU NOW. ARE YOU READY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE? For decades we have been encouraged to visualise what the paint shop of the future might look like. Often, this has seen people imagine a far more relaxed scenario where integrated technologies work together to make the colour matching process so simple the vehicle owner could do it, and the colour itself is accurately mixed with just the push of a button. Even now, this sounds farfetched, but it’s actually available to local collision repairers right now! Indeed, the early adopters of the PPG LINQ digital eco-system are already reaping the rewards, according to John Hristias, PPG Australia’s sales director and a highly respected industry veteran. The combination of the MoonWalk automated dispensing system, the DigiMatch spectrophotometer with its built-in colour camera and the VisualizID 3D colour visualisation software has made the paint shop of the future a reality.

Supercharge your customer experience As well as being simple to operate and impressive to see in action, PPG LINQ technologies are also very cool-looking.

3 6 – TECH TALK

This begs the question, why hide them in the paint room when they could easily become part of your customer experience? Consider these two scenarios: Scenario one: During the estimating process, the estimator polishes the panel, identifies the paint code and punches it into the touchscreen on the DigiMatch spectro, along with the job number. Afterwards, they take a reading of the vehicle’s paintwork, which is downloaded to VisualizID software in PAINTMANAGER XI. This crucial information is then ready to go for the paint technician in the mixing room.

Scenario two: When the customer drops off their car, they sit at a computer in the reception area with one of your staff who helps them compare a VisualizID 3D spray-out of their vehicle’s colour against the closest variants on the screen to select the best match. Once complete, they click the button to set MoonWalk in motion to mix the colour.

Imagine how the customer feels and how they will tell all their friends that they used some cool technology to help repair their car! After being dispensed,

the colour is sealed in its SATA RPS Cup, a label is attached, and it stays with the vehicle, ready for the painter to apply when it gets to the paint shop.

Both scenarios represent a giant step-change for an industry that has long been considered dirty and low-tech!

Removing the human error element Although painters work hard to reduce the impact, human error inevitably creeps into almost every step of the current colour matching and mixing process. However, PPG LINQ technologies now have the ability to eliminate a vast amount of that human error. There are two key areas of gain: Colour mixing errors: If I told you that, on average, around 25% of your colour mixes are inaccurate, you might say, “No way”, but that is the findings of an exhaustive study around the country by our MVP Business Solutions team.

Inaccurate colour mixes tend to go undetected but are likely to be a major cause of rework. When you think about it, a slight miss-pour when mixing a colour can easily put it out of whack.

Does the painter then recalculate, do they scrap that mix and start again, do they try to remove the excess tinter with the little “dabbers” you see in paint rooms around the country, or do they just carry on as if it's all good?

MoonWalk instantly eliminates these costly errors. Once a formulation is chosen, simply tell MoonWalk the volume you require, press the button and go do something else, such as applying the Wet-On-Wet (WOW) primer. MoonWalk doesn’t get tired, hungover or have “a bad day”. It simply mixes with absolute precision every single time.

over. It accurately carries out the mix, which frees up the painter to go back into the spray booth to blow down and tack-rag the job, apply WOW primer, rinse the primer gun, etc.

Incorrectly sprayed out colour card (with incorrectly mixed colour): A conventional spectro reading doesn’t give you anything to look at – just a match rating. In contrast, the six angles of colour camera images and six angles of reflectance from DigiMatch provide the enormous amount of data required to actually generate a 3D colour sprayout of the target vehicle colour within the VisualizID software. It allows you to easily compare the closest variants under different lighting sources and angles, as well as check on the face, flop and particle size. It’s so straightforward; choosing the best match can be done quickly and confidently without leaving the paint room or relying on sunlight.

In fact, a non-painter can easily be trained to do it.

An investment in the present Like any game-changing technology, an investment is required, but you should also expect a return on that investment.

DigiMatch and VisualizID are available via a very reasonable monthly subscription, so it’s a no-brainer. Some people can baulk at the upfront cost of MoonWalk, but if you think in terms of other large equipment investments, such as a chassis straightening bench or the latest welder, it’s something that is going to give you a return on investment (ROI) while it’s being used every single day. Not only does it come with a full set of tinters, but each of those tinters will also be used down to the last drop, in contrast to throwing away an average of 7% because it’s too difficult to get out of the container. Not only does it reduce mixing stress on painters and give them extra time, but it also reduces material wastage, and its ultra-precise mixes reduce reworks. All this needs to be factored into the ROI calculations. PPG actually has an ROI calculator where figures from an individual shop can be plugged in to determine how quickly they will get a return on their MoonWalk investment.

Efficiency gains All through the process, PPG LINQ delivers valuable gains in efficiency. For example, instead of the painter spending time mixing the colour, MoonWalk takes

Demonstrated benefits First things first: don’t listen to hearsay.

Get a demonstration of DigiMatch, VisualizID and MoonWalk and see them in action to fully understand what they

can do for your business, including: l Slashes paint shop stress levels and gives painters extra time. l Virtually eliminates the need for manual spray-outs. l Cuts colour matching time from hours to minutes. l Significantly reduces material wastage. l Eliminates much of the human error element that leads to rework. l Helps to attract/retain staff. l Can take your customer experience to an all-new level.

So, as we said at the outset: the paint shop of the future is ready for you now.

Are you ready to take advantage?

The Digimatch spectrophotometer in action.

This article supplied courtesy of John Hristias, PPG Australia and New Zealand Sales Director Refinish and former Business Support Manager Asia-Pacific, who has almost 30 years in the industry.

The National Collision Repairer – 3 7

Industry Training and Events proudly brought to you by I-CAR Australia

To repair or not repair ... that is the question In years past, an estimator relied on their many years of experience to determine the severity of the damage, whether it was cosmetic or structural. If, upon a visual inspection, it was evident that there was structural damage to the front of the vehicle, one of the tools to determine severity was to walk around and check the roof for damage and to open and close the front door to check its operation. If either of these showed signs of damage, then it was bad.

However, with construction materials including exotic steels, aircraft grade aluminium and composites usually reserved for expensive yachts, vehicles are no longer the same. These visual indicators will no longer provide the estimator with this valuable information.

The complexity of vehicle construction changes almost daily, and it’s extremely difficult to keep up with what repair guidelines OEMs may have in place for their vehicles. The question that can sometimes be challenging is: “What can we repair, and what can’t we?” It is a very interesting question.

It doesn’t have one answer, and it is extremely frustrating to the collision repair industry today.

Accurate damage analysis and repair complexity triage is the initial process in determining what can or can’t be repaired and is the most critical part of the repair process. It takes time to get this part right, and errors made here will slow down repairs, increase

repair costs and, most importantly, delay the delivery of the vehicle back to the customer at an expense to the repairer, both financially and professionally.

There are two critical areas to be considered when completing this process. One is to consider the construction material, and the other is to determine what advanced driver assistance features the vehicle may have on board.

We are all aware of the different types of construction materials ranging from steel through to aluminium and everything in between. Guidelines for repair come with every new product or new incarnation of existing materials.

Some OEMs are suggesting for extruded aluminium profiles that if there is measurable or visible damage to that component, then it needs to be replaced! So, just to clarify: if you can see it or measure it, change it. The old adage of “it’s just a small dent, surely that can be repaired” does not and should not come into consideration.

I’m sure with the skill within our industry, the size of the damage here is not in question as to whether we have the ability to repair it; it’s whether the manufacturer of that vehicle allows us to repair it.

Every part of the vehicle contributes in some way to the success of collision energy management. We must be mindful that anything we are

Contact: I-CAR Australia Office and Postal Address: Unit 1, 100 Park Road, Slacks Creek Qld 4127

3 8 – INDUSTRY TRAINING AND EVENTS

doing during the repair process should not compromise this critical feature of a modern motor vehicle. With so many new vehicles currently using advanced driver aid systems that utilise a range of sophisticated sensors that provide information to onboard computers, scanning these is becoming the first step in damage diagnosis. Even a small collision in the vicinity of a sensor may be enough to generate a fault code and therefore initiate a potential issue that may not be discovered until a subsequent accident where that system may malfunction.

The estimator will be required to understand all the systems on the vehicle in question to determine if any parts of this system will need calibration or resetting. The consumer relies on these advanced systems to perform a task, and it is imperative that everything works as it should once the vehicle has been repaired. As the estimator works their way through all the repair information, they need to be almost multilingual to even understand the terminology and symbols that may be present in any technical document. All this is done before the estimator has even started to generate a repair order, let alone attribute some costs to the repair process.

Once a complete scan of the vehicle’s systems has been conducted and all fault codes documented, a correct analysis can be performed at

Telephone: 07 3219 9088 email: admin@i-car.com.au

the beginning of the work, not at the end. Without a scan tool to read the outputs of the electronic systems, an estimator has no idea what actions are required to rectify the issues indicated.

The damage analysis process can continue with an inspection of the direct impact area. If the damage shows evidence of structural misalignment, the vehicle should be measured. The engineering in vehicles today provides significant safety improvements for passenger protection and must be diagnosed correctly to ensure repairs are in accordance with the materials in use.

The kink vs bend rule is still vastly misunderstood today and still provides huge problems in damage diagnosis for collision repair professionals. In today’s environment of AHSS and other advanced materials, kinks, no matter how small, in these materials mean that their mechanical and tensile strengths have been altered and will not perform as they were intended to.

During this initial phase of damage diagnosis, we are attempting to consider many different factors to determine if we can restore the vehicle to its pre-accident integrity and prepare for its next collision. We have looked at what the vehicle is made of, how the electronic systems have behaved during the collision, whether the vehicle needs to be measured – and don’t forget what the OEM is guiding us to do. There is a lot to consider when there are probably another 20–30 estimates to write, and the same process is required for each one of those customers’ vehicles.

Oh, did I even mention that new thing called an alternate fuel vehicle?

That’s another topic for another day: what a body shop does when a damaged electric, BHEV, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen vehicle arrives on the back of a tow truck in preparation for its damage diagnosis.

The correct damage analysis will ultimately affect cycle time, quality, touch time, business performance and customer satisfaction. In today’s environment, each customer expects their selected collision repairer to completely understand the complexities of their vehicle.

With the correct training and mindset, everything is possible.

Calendar of events KNOWING WHAT’S COMING UP AND WHEN IT’S ON

Meguiar’s MotorEx 6 to 7 May 2023 – Melbourne Hot Rod and Custom Expo 27 to 28 May 2023 – Sydney National Collision Repairer Symposium23 2 June 2023 – Sydney

Training contacts 3M Australia George Di Scala Tel: 0400 382 649

PPG Australia Pty Ltd www.ppgrefinish.com.au/training VIC/TAS:(03) 8586 0000 NSW/ACT: (02) 9854 6600 QLD/NT: (07) 3823 8000 SA: 0412 832 919 WA: 0437 902 125

AkzoNobel Paul Horvath Tel: (03) 9644 1711 Axalta Coating Systems Product training Axalta services Tel: 1800 292 582

Protec Tel: 1800 076 466

BASF Australia Ltd James Green Tel: 0402 110 378

Saint Gobain Customer Service Tel: 1300 007 650 Michelle Morgan Tel: 0425 516 894

Dents R Us Training Academy Laury Chibnall Tel: 0438 383 555

SAPE Automotive Training Academy Tel: (02) 9772 9000

iBodyshop E: seminars@ibodyshop.com Tel: 1300 361 541

sia Abrasives Tel: 1300 742 123

I-CAR Australia Brisbane Office Admin Tel: (07) 3219 9088

Thatcham-Escribe www.thatchamescribe.com.au Tel: 1300 769 348

Stork Tactica (Fusor and Farecla) Tel: (03) 9560 6060

U-POL Tel: 0400 366 483

Mipa Australia Pty Ltd Tel: (03) 9739 8800

Sherwin Williams Tel: (02) 4368 4054 The National Collision Repairer – 3 9

Custom Corner with Owen Webb

Rocky NATS 03 As this year unfolds, we keep rolling from one successful event to the next, seemingly without time to draw breath from the last one. That’s not really a complaint as it’s so good to have great events back – and hugely successful ones at that.

Easter 2023 saw the 3rd running of Rockynats, with entries capped at 1,520, three months out from the start of the event, 56,000 spectators, 1,100 cars in the street parade, 400 time slots sold out at the drags and around $10 million pumped into the Rockhampton economy. These regional events are awesome for the car enthusiasts, but the value to the host towns and regions is immense.

Scrutineering and prejudging took place on Wednesday and Thursday, with the seven unveils set up Thursday night. We had some neat cars, with Elton Walker finally finishing the 10+

year build on his ’57 Chev wagon. We also unveiled a super clean XY Falcon sedan, LX Hatchback, Walkinshaw Commodore tribute, full-blown Torana drag car, beautifully restored HK Monaro and one of the coolest lowrider bikes ever built in Australia. These were all unveiled on Friday afternoon after the street parade when the other 28 cars were set up in the show pavilion.

The street parade has been a feature in previous years, but this year it was downright crazy. Over 1,100 cars assembled on the showgrounds before heading through the 7 km of Rockhampton’s main city streets. The whole parade was lined up to five deep with cheering, happy spectators. The first group were the blown and methanol cars – don’t the crowds go crazy with the noise and opportunity to see these monsters on the streets and echoing off the buildings? On the return

of the parade, we opened up the show pavilion to the public, with 32 awesome cars on display.

Saturday morning, the next 200 show cars were on display on Quay Street, parallel to the river. This would be one of, if not the best, show and shine in Australia, with the grand old heritage buildings on one side and the river and the other all shaded by tropical trees. This is where the final judging is completed, with the judges comparing the cars out in the sunlight to make final decisions. There was also an overflow of another 100 cars in the next block set up for the show and shine.

At the bottom of the city, the continuation of Quay Street was closed off, and the 1/8 mile drag strip also kicked off on Saturday morning. This was so popular, with all slots being sold out for the two days and plenty of spectators checking them out.

LJ Torana which took a place in Top 10.

This HQ was one of the top Street Cars.

Unbelievable original EK sedan took out Top Original.

One of Australias best low riders.

4 0 – CUSTOM CORNER

Across the river, the burnouts were also underway, with a record number of entries. Long-term competitor Peter Grumsa with his XT Falcon won the top honour and gets a shot at the Masters at Summernats next year. The burnouts also ran on Saturday night, with lights and smoke being seen and heard all over town.

We ran the Rockynats champion events on Sunday morning, with 12 cars that did well in the judging running off over three disciplines. Firstly, we headed off to the drag strip, where they all had two runs, then over to the burnout track, where they had two runs on a tight slalom course and then back to the showground, where we finished

with a grass slalom, all travelling in convoy to each event. This year we had a back-to-back Rockynats champion, with Billy Shelton clearly winning after coming first in all the driving events.

Billy has an awesome VL commodore, which he put together a few years ago while building a full show Monaro, and he has exceeded every expectation he ever imagined.

There was so much going on: the incredibly popular drifting down by the river with a crowd of passengers lined up all day, wrestling up in the trader pavilion, and live music over the four days. We finished off with the awards presentation on the main stage with an incredible sunset featuring behind us.

Along with the awards, we had the mayor and council say a few words in appreciation that we bring this event to their region. They are keen to lock it in for as long as possible, definitely another three years and hopefully a long time after. The town and region are so appreciative, along with the entrants, and businesses and people in general are really respectful. The event is held with a great spirit and vibe.

We were out on Monday morning and straight onto MotorEx, the first weekend in May, and then onto Red CentreNATS! Hopefully, you can get to one of these events, as they are all setting records for entrants and overall interest. See you there.

Trevor Cooper’s full race LC Torana Drag car.

Began as a Bedford truck but is now registered as a bus.

Father in the EL Camino ute and daughter in the Morris Major.

Elton Walker’s '57 Chev wagon.

Owen Webb is a leading figure within the auto re-styling and vehicle modification industry and a Lifetime Achievement Award inductee. He is Technical and Training Manager at Concept Paints.

The National Collision Repairer – 4 1

Stateside with John Yoswick

Adaptability U.S. shop owners discuss changes they’ve made in their business A recent “Collision Industry Roundtable” conference call gave five shop owners in the United States an opportunity to talk about changes they made within their businesses, what led to those changes, and how they’ve worked out.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

Tom Ricci, the owner of Body & Paint Center in Hudson, Massachusetts, pointed to two changes. His company, which he’s owned since 1979, has 21 employees.

“I have had multiple problems with our last four or five bookkeepers. They just never seem to work out,” he said. “So, I outsourced bookkeeping. It’s been almost a year now, and it’s worked out, between cleaning up the last two or three years’ mess and really making it simple moving forward. I don’t need an in-house bookkeeper anymore. It’s been a breath of fresh hair having this outsourced help.”

Ricci said he also began doing more ADAS work in-house as of last December. “I got quite comfortable with the training and utilising it the way we should have been utilising it earlier,” he said. “We’re now doing it in-house for any cars that need it. I was surprised by

how much space it really does take, but we do have the space for it. We have 15,000 square feet, and not all of it is 100% used all the time. We started out with two managers learning how to do it. Now the production manager is training a lower-level technician that has been with us for about three years. We had moved him to a couple of different places in the shop, but this really struck a chord with him. He got really excited about learning how to do it.”

Rosann Kramer of Runway Auto in South Burlington, Vermont, spent 16 years working for one of the automotive paint companies before buying the shop in 2014. Her company has annual sales of about US$1.8 million; she has a 3- to 4-month backlog of work, and ongoing challenges with getting parts has led to some changes in customer communications.

“We are spending way more time talking to customers, explaining how long they are waiting to get their car fixed, the parts issues that everybody has, explaining rental car coverage,” Kramer said. “Previously, we always told

customers, ‘If possible, go through your own insurance because they’re advocating for you.’ Now it’s the opposite. If they’re a claimant, we tell them, ‘File with the other party’s insurer because you could be in a rental car for three to six months.’”

Another change that Kramer has implemented involves communication.

“I used to call customers and leave them a voicemail. But a lot of people never answer their phone, don’t have voicemail set up, or it’s full. So now we do email.

I let them know when they drop off their vehicle that unless something changes, I will email them once a week with an update. That does seem to be working.

But it’s just a lot more time spent on the education process.”

At the opposite end of the United States, Melanie Allan of Craftsman Collision in Long Beach, California, also pointed to changes in customer communication. “I told a customer yesterday that we left them a detailed voicemail and got back, ‘Oh, I don’t listen to those’,” Allan said. “So, we are texting everybody everything. It seems to work.”

Frank Rinaudo.

Melanie Allan.

Mark Probst.

4 2 – STATESIDE

Allan learned the business working at her father's collision repair shop in Vancouver, Canada, first as a bookkeeper, then moving into operations, marketing and management.

She now oversees a shop near Los Angeles that employs 22 people. She said she is also working to address other changes she’s seeing in customers.

“As much as you try to educate them, tell them that parts are often a question mark, some customers are unreasonable, even when we try to set their expectations,” she said. “We tell them there are variables. They just hit the roof. We’re seeing that more and more. I probably use the word ‘empathy’ about ten times a day right now. Just listen to them, understand, and tell them you’re on their side and that we’re doing everything we can. I don’t think the insurance companies are helping us.

They’re not telling customers the right thing. They’re understaffed. They just don’t have enough people who know what they’re doing.”

Frank Rinaudo of Frank’s Accurate Body Shop in Slidell, Louisiana, said his shop repairs 20 to 25 electric vehicles a month, about a third of the company’s overall monthly car count. “Our processes on intaking those vehicles have changed and is still changing,” he said. “We got some photos and information from other shops about electric cars that arrived and looked fine one day, but by the next day, they were a burnt mess because of thermal runaway. Even cars that didn’t look damaged that badly. So, it’s important that we protect ourselves. We bought

a thermal imaging camera so we can detect heat in the battery and monitor that in a quarantine to validate if we’re seeing an increase.”

Mark Probst, the owner of two Probst Auto Body shops in rural towns in Illinois, said he’s changed how he hires new technicians. “We haven’t hired an experienced technician in, gosh, seven or eight years,” Probst said. “We decided we were going to grow them ourselves, in-house. We’ve been fairly successful at it. Right now, between the two locations, I think I have four full-time techs in their 20s. I’ve got two kids still in school working here part-time.”

Probst has also been able to regularly hire students from a community college about 40 miles away from his shops. “I’ve been really happy, and at this point, there would be a lot of considerations before I would hire an experienced tech anymore,” he said. “We’ve had really good luck growing our own.”

He said he believes in getting the idea of working in the collision repair industry into students’ minds early on.

“We have kindergarteners come to our shop for field trips every year,” he said.

“Last year, I talked to a class of fourth graders. Last week, one of my managers went to talk to junior high students. I don’t think we can plant those seeds early enough. I have three teenagers at home, and so I know that many kids don’t know what they want to do. I don’t think there’s any time too early to plant those seeds.”

Editor: Perhaps some of these ideas strike a chord with you.

Melanie Allan’s facility in Long Beach, California.

5

Minutes with ...

Liam Hugo Car-O-Liner Australia When did you join the industry?

2001 What was your first job in the industry?

Apprentice Panel Beater What do you do now? QLD and SA Sales Manager, Car-O-Liner What do you like about the industry?

The people I meet on a daily basis.

What don’t you like about the industry?

Repairable Write-offs! Dodgy repairs What music do you like?

Rock Your Favourite Artist?

Guns N’ Roses Your favourite food?

Anything my wife cooks

John is a freelance writer based in the United States who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988, he is also the editor of the weekly Crash Network www.CrashNetwork.com

The National Collision Repairer – 4 3

Your favourite drink?

Evan Williams and Honey on the rocks Your hobbies?

Fishing and Camping, Who in the world would you most like to meet?

Sly Stallone (aka Rocky Balboa)

CollisionRepairer THE

NATIONAL

LIFETIME s d r wa Achievement

The National Collision Repairer Lifetime Achievement Awards, which began in 2007, was created to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of the men and women who have contributed to the collision repair industry over and above their “day job” and which extends beyond the scope of their local area.

There are now 54 inductees on the Honour Roll, of which there are five international recipients, from the New Zealand, United States and Sweden, who have all not only contributed to the development of the industry in their own countries, but also left an indelible mark on the Australian collision repair landscape.

These are the changeagents of our industry who

A

have shaped, built, developed, influenced and, more recently, disrupted the industry, in many cases in the face of adversity and against staunch opposition. This award recognises the recipients’ perseverance, contribution and experience, which in total amounts to 1,900 years!

Importantly, we continue to attract sponsorship that is a veritable who’s who of the

collision repair industry, many of whom have been with us since the inaugural awards.

So, once again, we take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the individuals and their organisations who support this initiative that truly does “honour the past”.

2014 Inductee – Ian Wilkinson’s award was presented to his wife Lesley.

The National Collision Repairer Lifetime Achievement ‘Honour Roll’ Richard Nathan 2007 ..................................

John Zulian 2012 ..................................

Garry Clear 2018 ..................................

David Weatherall 2007 ..................................

Tom Vukelic 2013 ..................................

Cec Simpson 2018 ..................................

Terry Flanagan OAM 2008 ..................................

Robin Taylor 2013 ..................................

Michael Wilkinson 2018 ..................................

Marshall Duncan 2008 ..................................

Ray McMartin 2013 ..................................

Mark Czvitkovits 2019 ..................................

Graham Winter 2008 ..................................

Colin Edwards 2013 ..................................

Martin Stone AM 2019 ..................................

Jeff Hendler (Int) 2008 ..................................

Ian Wilkinson 2014 ..................................

Julie Wadley 2019 ..................................

Max Chanter 2009 ..................................

Julie Thomas 2014 ..................................

Walter Zuber (Int) 2019 ..................................

John Howes 2009 ..................................

Brian Johnson 2014 ..................................

Brad Franklin 2020 ..................................

Robert Renwick (Int) 2009 ..................................

Terry Feehan 2014 ..................................

Jim Vais 2020 ..................................

David Newton-Ross 2009 ..................................

Owen Webb OAM 2015 ..................................

Jeff Williams 2020 ..................................

Wayne Phipps 2010 ..................................

Phil Nixon 2015 ..................................

Steve Economidis 2021 ..................................

Richard Pratt 2010 ..................................

Trevor Parkes 2015 ..................................

Garry Maher 2021 ..................................

Bob Rees 2010 ..................................

Tony Warrener OAM 2016 ..................................

Peter McMahon 2021 ..................................

Lance Weiss 2011 ..................................

Brenton Abbott 2016 ..................................

Rob Mildenhall 2021 ..................................

Mark Brady 2011 ..................................

Michael Killen 2017 ..................................

Tony Cafasso 2022 ..................................

Don Wait OAM 2011 ..................................

Carl Tinsley 2017 ..................................

Michelle Morgan 2022 ..................................

Tony Farrugia 2012 ..................................

Per Madsen (Int) 2017 ..................................

Peter Ruggeri 2022 ..................................

Bob Christie

Rex Crowther (Int)

Darren Wales

2012

2014 Inductee – Terry Feehan.

2017

2014 Inductee – Julie Thomas.

2022

2014 Inductee – Brian Johnson.

Product Showcase Mirka Galaxy – out-of-this-world performance Featuring self-sharpening technology, a clog-resistant coating and excellent dust extraction, Galaxy is the tough, durable new abrasives range that lasts and lasts.

When it comes to spreading the word about Mirka’s all-new Galaxy range of abrasives, Peter Sadler, Mirka ANZ’s business development manager, has a simple solution: give it to users and let them decide.

“There is a real ‘wow’ factor with Galaxy. When we do a demonstration, there are no tag lines or sales pitches – we prefer to just put Galaxy in the technician’s hands and ask them to tell us what they think. When they keep on sanding and sanding and sanding and realise that it’s still cutting, they are amazed. Galaxy has a film-style backing material that is well-suited to the automotive repair segment. The latex film construction means it’s flexible but with an impressive robustness, particularly on the edge of the disc.

When it comes to common collision repair tasks, such as sanding around sharp edges of panels, profiles, contours, etc., a paper-backed abrasive is going to suffer, but Galaxy is much better able to handle the punishment and just keep going and going.”

Mirka Multifit – one fits all The second step in achieving outstanding dust extraction has the added bonus of making Galaxy super easy to fit to any tool. The groundbreaking Multifit design consists of 50 carefully spaced and sized dust extraction holes that take up only six percent of the abrasive disc surface area. This optimised layout gives Galaxy superb edge wear resistance and a perfect balance between long life and dust extraction.

Self-sharpening technology Where the cutting performance of most abrasives drops off as they wear down, Mirka has designed Galaxy with its own special party trick – each of the ceramic grains is actually selfsharpening. During the sanding process, whenever an edge of an abrasive grain is broken off, the grains underneath simply form a new cutting edge. This unique Mirka technology means Galaxy continues to have that sharp feel for longer, significantly extending the life of the abrasive.

Net Interface Although Galaxy works exceptionally well when used directly against the sanding tool’s backing pad, Mirka’s Net Interface pad gives it an extra performance boost, particularly on finer grits from P320 upwards. The 4mm thick spacer features an open weave net construction that allows dust to flow through easily while, at the same time, providing a cushioning effect that helps the abrasive ride over surface contours and improve the cut.

Clog resistant coating Dust is a natural by-product of sanding, so efficiently removing it was a key factor in taking advantage of Galaxy’s longer cutting lifespan. As part of this, Mirka’s R&D team chose a special clog resistant for the abrasive surface. As a result, dust doesn’t tend to stick to the abrasive, so that it can be more easily guided to the on-tool extraction system. This helps avoid frustrating and time-consuming surface defects, such as pigtails.

4 6 – PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Easy replacement “To ensure Galaxy performs superbly, whether on a Mirka tool or not, the R&D team has designed Multifit to provide an excellent ‘one fits all’ solution,” added Sadler. “From an old sander with just six dust extraction holes right through to the very latest models, Galaxy’s Multifit hole pattern is designed to suit any machine. Best of all, when replacing discs, there is no need to line up holes on the backing pad – simply place the new disc on and the hole pattern is always correctly positioned for any machine. This makes Galaxy abrasives quick and easy to replace, leaving you to get on with the job knowing you will get excellent dust extraction.”

Wide bandwidth performance To ensure a high-performance Galaxy solution from the panel shop to the paint shop, the new range is available from P40 right through to P2000. As well as the popular 150mm discs, there is also a selection of rolls and sheets to suit a variety of applications. Thanks to its impressive real-world performance, Galaxy actually offers the ability to remove whole steps from the sanding process. It headlines an exciting time for Mirka: “Galaxy is about giving users excellent performance at a really good price, and the message to everyone is simple – give Galaxy a try. To provide that opportunity, there will be Galaxy sample packs handed out. We are confident that, once people feel the Galaxy ‘wow’ factor, the product will sell itself,” concluded Sadler.

Carsystem Explorer two-piece coverall from SAPE With the new Carsystem Explorer twopiece coverall, you not only look great, but the protective suit also offers a variety of practical storage options on jackets and trousers.

Due to the proportion of carbon fibres in the material, the protective suit is antistatic and also promises a good fit. Of course, the painting suit is dust, silicone and lint-free, and also washable.

With its unique, two-coloured design and various tones of grey combined with geometric shapes, the coverall is perfectly complemented by stylish and functional elements in our red Carsystem colour.

With 62 partners across 64 countries and more than 2,000 products, global demand for Carsystem has made us one of the leading suppliers of non-paint products for the automotive repair industry. This pole position is the result of not compromising on quality and the consequence of more than 60 years of experience in the market.

Top and Bottom can be purchased separately in sizes ranging from medium through to 3XL. For further information, contact the SAPE Group on (02) 9772 9097.

Carbon Fibre Sealer U190 from Cromax Cromax, one of the global refinish brands of Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, introduces a new product to its Imron Fleet Line range, Carbon Fibre Sealer U190. This sealer offers an innovative extension for both passenger and commercial vehicle repairers as it’s a polyurethane-based, transparent pore-filler specially developed for application on all types of carbon fibre products.

Jim Iliopoulos, Axalta ANZ’s product and technical manager, stated: “The new Carbon Fibre Sealer U190 gives repairers the opportunity to increase their productivity whilst extending their offering.

The two-component system reduces process steps and material consumption coupled with easy application. Refinishers can then choose to air dry or to oven bake. And there is the added benefit that it can be over-coated with EL500 clear coat in just one pass.”

Carbon Fibre Sealer U190 has been developed especially for industrial use and is suitable for use on many carbon fibre parts.

It should be used in combination with the Imron Fleet Line Industry Pur Activator EV316 Fast and is suitable for automotive ancillaries and accessories.

“Carbon fibre is incredibly porous, so to ensure a smooth surface while keeping the unique look of carbon fibre, the use of Carbon Fibre Sealer U190 is key,” concluded Iliopoulos.

For more information, talk to your local Cromax distributor, contact Axalta Coating Systems on 1800 292 582 or email: Info-ANZ@axalta.com

The National Collision Repairer – 4 7

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Product Showcase The all-new Maximum Clearcoat from U-pol U-pol Australia has announced the latest addition to its professional refinish product range: Maximum Clear. Developed and manufactured in Europe, this high-quality topcoat solution has gained a well-deserved reputation for delivering pro-quality results at affordable pricing. Maximum Clearcoat is a cost-effective alternative to high-priced paint system topcoats and delivers excellent results.

Like all technical industries, product development is based on innovations to improve quality, reduce costs, and improve productivity. Well, U-pol has done it again with the launch of Maximum Clear, a technology with an exceptional value proposition. The unique formulation uses high-quality European resin and applies the latest chemical technology. It is designed to deliver an exceptionally durable topcoat, resulting in a crystal-clear finish with excellent gloss retention.

U-pol is an established global leader in automotive refinishing products. Applying over 75 years of experience producing highquality products, Maximum Clearcoat is no exception to the high standards U-pol strives to achieve for every product. It is formulated to be a cost-effective alternative without compromising quality. l Delivers a crystal-clear finish. l Excellent gloss retention. l Can be applied over most water and solvent-borne basecoat paints. l No die-back and no solvent pop. l Air dry or low bake.

l Easier to achieve an outstanding gloss coat result.

Maximum Clear is a 2K topcoat with a dedicated hardener that is mixed 2:1. Flash-off time (at 20oC) is 10 minutes, and tackfree in 60 minutes. Maximum dry-through time is 24 hours. Once cured, it is easy to buff to a high gloss finish.

U-pol has a global reputation for developing products designed to enhance refinish productivity – products that deliver consistency and high-quality results with reduced work time. Maximum Clearcoat has been developed with this philosophy in mind, promising an easy-to-use, forgiving product that provides excellent flow and non-sag properties with minimal die-back.

For more information, contact U-Pol Australia on Tel: (02) 4731 2655, Email: info@u-pol.com.au or visit u-pol.com.au.

BASF’s RODIM paint-related products The ultimate solution for mixing and painting needs BASF’s RODIM brand of paint-related products has released its new and improved design of the mix and paint system (MPS-2).

With three different volume options (400ml, 650ml and 850ml), paint shop team members are able to choose the perfect size for their paint job.

The MPS-2 pack contains 50 lids and liners, 20 stoppers for storage and 1 outer cup and collar, each featuring a

4 8 – PRODUCT SHOWCASE

built-in 125μm or 190μm filter, ensuring your paint goes on smoothly and evenly every time.

Spray technicians can save valuable time during the painting process by simply changing the inner liner and lid for every new job with the MPS-2 by RODIM. Thanks to the reusable outer cup and collar, the right mixing ratios are guaranteed, making it easy to achieve the perfect mix every time.

The introduction of MPS-2 by RODIM ensures an unparalleled experience of

convenience and efficiency.

The Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in developing, producing and marketing innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings and decorative paints, as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. The portfolio is completed by the “Innovation Beyond Paint” program, which is aimed at developing new markets and businesses.

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