National Collision Repairer December 2023

DECEMBER 2023

www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE INDUSTRY AS THE LEADING MAGAZINE

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Contents

Latest News

CEO John Murphy john.murphy@primecreative.com.au

6 Product Showcase

COO Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

30 I-CAR Update, Training and Events

A year in review and looking forward.

SALES DIRECTOR Brad Buchanan bradley.buchanan@primecreative. com.au 0413 672 403

35 Local News

Automotive industry news and information from around the country.

45 Global News

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

EDITOR Eugene Duffy eugene.duffy@primecreative.com.au 0412 821 706

20

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Kerri McCauley kerri.mccauley@primecreative.com.au 0404 898 362

Special Reports 12 Making perfection easier

PUBLISHED BY Prime Creative Media 379 Docklands Drive, Docklands, VIC 3008 03 9690 8766 www.primecreative.com.au

Farécla’s fast polishing system explained.

14 Workshop culture

How it can help attract and retain staff.

20 Changing lives

AMA Group’s far-north Queensland workshops giving back to the community.

24 The road ahead for the ACIA The first six months of the industry alliance.

28

DISCLAIMER

Regular Features 28 Talking Shop

The support that is vital to grow.

32 Future Leaders

Nurturing leaders at John Edwards Automotive.

40 Stateside

The SEMA show is back at full speed.

48 Lifetime Achievement Awards

A not-to-be-missed event for the industry’s outstanding service awards.

52 OEM Snapshot

More developments from the world of automotive manufacturers.

54 Tech Talk

Can AI help insurance processes?

The National Collision Repairer magazine is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by John Murphy. All material in National Collision Repairer magazine is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical, including information and retrieval systems without written permission of the publisher. The editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

The opinions expressed in National Collision Repairer magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by, the publisher unless otherwise stated. © Copyright Prime Creative Media, 2023 Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Head Office 379 Docklands Dr, Docklands VIC 3008 P: +61 3 9690 8766 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.primecreative.com.au

The National Collision Repairer 3

Sydney Office Suite 3.06, 1-9 Chandos Street Saint Leonards NSW 2065, Australia P: +61 2 9439 7227

Editorial

Real stories from the industry 2023 may well be remembered in the collision repair industry as the year the recruitment problem came to a head.

On one hand, the struggle for workshops to find skilled staff appears to have become worse and, according to Capricorn’s State of the Nation: Special Report, it is being felt more acutely in the collision sector.

But there are also some positive steps at meeting this challenge, not least of which is the formation this year of its own dedicated group to tackle the issue, the Australian Collision Industry Alliance.

The ACIA closes the year with more than 40 members, a good representation across the industry and a determination to be a cohesive voice in this area with a “whole of industry” approach.

But, as one of the leaders of the newly formed alliance Rob Bartlett has said, this is not an overnight problem. It is a shortage that has been shaped by a generation of people turning away from trades of all kinds and it is going to take years before those trends can be reversed. Bartlett also notes the necessary action will not be a simple, single step but rather a process that must be staged, have multiple research-backed phases and take in realistic long-term objectives.

There has also been much focus during the discussion on skills shortages about perceptions of the industry. One concern is the possibility that the repair sector is being sold short by some career advisors, teachers and even families of secondary students. At this crucial time of year, many students are not even considering a career in repair as an option. The problem is the passion and natural talent that many of these young people may have for automotive trades, that could be channelled into rewarding and happy careers, is potentially being thwarted by ignorant advice or even just snobbery before students have even taken the first step.

The issue that needs to be addressed is the gulf between often-pre-conceived perceptions of a trade and the reality of a technician’s role in a sophisticated modern industry.

Another element that could help in finding solutions to these

problems is recognition of the industry’s capacity to naturally reshape itself.

The automotive industry, and within it the collision industry, has shown for decades that with technological change adaptation is essential for survival. It is also an industry driven by efficiency and innovation, so change has been a constant in its makeup.

The repair industry has also made changes in more low-key ways such as in examining and adapting its workshop culture.

Many individual businesses are finding the best way to retain and recruit staff is to have a culture that new recruits want to be part of. They are making that culture an essential part of their working environment.

The National Collision Repairer is privileged to give readers a glimpse of some of these workshops. Whether it is in coastal Victor Harbor where Mark Riley runs a cohesive and happy workshop or at John Edwards Automotive in Geebung, Queensland where the emergence of young leaders is proof that great mentoring is one of the best investments anybody can make in the future. These stories are only a few of an industry determined to embrace change in ways both big and small.

Another aspect of workplace culture worth examining is how that business gives back to the community it works in. When it comes to active roles in the community, it is hard to look past the work of Martin Dickinson and his AMA Group crews in far north Queensland. Their community programs display a level of charity and corporate involvement that would be the envy of many companies and industries.

These are all stories worth telling to highlight the real face of a modern industry. Enjoy.

Eugene Duffy Editor The National Collision Repairer

To receive our weekly e-newsletter sign up at www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au 4 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

C A D

T b t

I d

T s D t t e

Connect.

Automate.

Digitise.

The end-to-end digital ecosystem bringing advanced, game-changing technologies to your collision centre

Scan the QR code to see how PPG LINQTM can benefit your business! youtu.be/t4isZfVLwzw

Introducing the 3D digital sprayout

Compact, fast, easy-to-use spectrophotometer

This advanced, 3D digital colour visualisation tool smoothly interfaces with the next-generation PPG DigiMatch™ camera-equipped spectrophotometer to totally transform the user experience of selecting the best colour match formulation from PPG’s extensive library.

PPG’s high tech DigiMatch spectrophotometer features a digital colour camera to significantly boost performance. The camera’s six imaging angles combine with six reflective angles to provide additional texture information to help quickly and precisely retrieve the correct formula match.

Explore the PPG LINQ™ Digital Ecosystem.

Visit PPGLINQ.com

CAR-O-L

Product Showcase

The measure of all things Precision in the collision workshop is paramount for a complete and safe repair job and it all begins with the best available measuring systems.

Car-O-liner, with its reputation for quality and innovation that adds efficiency to the workshop, has developed a system that assists in accurate upper and lower body measuring. The Car-O-Tronic Advanced System is presented in three versions and can lay claim to be the fastest, most accurate and easiest three-dimensional measuring system available on the automotive repair market.

Car-O-Liner says the sophisticated measuring system brings a simple objective for the well-equipped workshop; to raise the quality of every diagnosis, that in turn will deliver shorter cycle times and increase workshop efficiency and profitability.

The full system consists of the CarO-Tronic measuring slide that links wirelessly with the Vision 2 software and can be linked to the Car-O-Data information system that gives access to a comprehensive data base on the majority of vehicle models and makes.

The measuring slide is equipped with sensors and has built-in remote controls that can deliver data in real time, three times per second.

The measuring slide delivers realtime data to the easy-to-use Vision2 software and is compatible with any alignment bench. It is designed to be

easy to transport, change batteries and comes equipped with a smart-LED light to indicate correct measure points.

The wireless communication allows the operator to easily manage the entire measuring process without the technician having to be at the computer.

Backed by Car-O-Data, the world’s most comprehensive vehicle measurement database, with more than 16,500 vehicle measurements, the system allows any workshop to accurately target measuring points for fast diagnosis and repair.

Process orientated software interface

Car-O-Tronic communicates wirelessly with Vision2, Car-O-Liner’s state-of-the-art measuring software that guides the entire repair process and performs automatic centring, measuring and documentation.

Vision2 comes in three versions beginning with the basic X1 System for lower-body measuring and the X2 for lower- and upper-body measuring and includes a high measurement point adapter. The X3 can be used for upper-body point-to-point measuring on vehicles, including full frames, light trucks and SUV’s and has multiple features including a suspension diagnosis check, to find bent suspension parts during the repair process, as well as surface damage diagnosis.

The worldwide VIN decoding system integrates with the world’s largest vehicle

dimension database and has multimedia support for the EVO universal system for anchoring, fixturing and holding.

The date you need; any vehicle, any time

The Car-O-Data subscription service covers nearly all new and updated vehicles – presently more than 16,500 models in total – and consistently provides access to current and reliable measurement data.

The vehicle measurement data service also generates updates for about 300 new vehicles per year. The Car-O-Data Index, accessible from the Info Centre menu, allows the system to update the workshop’s vehicle database instantaneously over the Internet.

Every day new interim data sheets and reference data for numerous new and old vehicle makes and models including model, body code, wheelbase, year are available for downloading.

The new vehicles are measured and compiled continuously by the dedicated international Car-O-Data team working in cooperation with automotive manufacturers around the world.

The database is also image based to ensure easier location of correct measuring points.

Other advanced features include animated set and clamping positions for easy and accurate mounting while holding and anchoring data.

More information at car-o-liner.com

The fast and easy-to-use measuring system is aimed at increasing workshop bottom lines.

The technician can complete the measuring process without being at the computer.

6 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

T C ‘

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In a

CAR-O-LINER ADS 2024_NATIONAL COLLISION REPAIRER VOL7 NO4.qxd 10/10/2023 8:58 AM Page 81

To celebrate our 50-year milestone, we are offering unbelievable ‘Special 50-year Promotion Deals’ on all Car-O-Liner Benches and Car-O-Tronic Measuring Equipment ... and you also receive our normal ‘Trade-in Deal’ which is still available.

This Special Offer is 50-years in the making.

Invest in your equipment to improve productivity and technician retention!

Car-O-Tronic Vision 2

A truly universal and versatile addition to any bodyshop – the BenchRackTM systems are designed to hold and lift virtually any type of unibody or full frame vehicle. From small cars to light trucks, vans and SUVs.

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Product Showcase

Work smarter not harder: specialty fillers aimed at productivity The vast majority of panel repair work can use the same type of filler. A good quality professional grade filler like U-pol Dolphin Premium Body Filler and Dolphin Speedglaze will cover most filling tasks.

However, cars are constructed using many different materials: metals, plastics, and increasingly panels and parts made from a variety of composites. You need to stock a range of fillers to cover every possible repair job.

The U-pol specialty fillers range is designed to provide the panel repair professional with a perfect filler for every application with the objective of improving productivity and delivering perfect results quickly.

U-pol is a highly user-centric manufacturer of automotive refinish products which means thoroughly working with refinish professionals to design and field test products to optimise results. Workability, consistency, and durability are the ultimate aims.

U-pol’s specialty filler range includes:

U-pol D Aluminium Reinforced Body Filler

Perfect for bright metal parts such as metallic alloy wheels, aluminium panels, or restorations for a metallic finish. U-pol D Aluminium Reinforced Body Filler is a versatile polyester filler reinforced with aluminium flakes for high adhesion across multiple substrates.

Like all U-pol fillers, U-pol D cures fast and is easy to sand.

• High density filler • Soft and smooth applications • Excellent filling properties • G el time: 4 to 6 minutes at 20 C°

The U-pol specialty filler range covers a wide range of automotive materials.

8 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

• Time to sanding: 15 to 20 minutes at 20 C°

Plast X Highly Flexible Body Filler for Plastics

A high adhesion and extremely flexible polyester filler specially formulated using a premium resin system. Offering superb adhesion and very high flexibility specifically designed for repairing most plastic parts. Plastics are being used more and more in car manufacturing, and filling dings, dents, and scratches requires a highly flexible product that adheres chemically to a wide range of plastic types to ensure the repair remains durable.

Plast X can be sanded back to match shape and level. Overcoat with standard automotive paints and primers.

• Excellent feather edge properties igh adhesion and flexibility on most • H plastic components an be used with a mesh for holes • C and tab repairs. el time: 5 to 6 minutes at • G 20 C° • Time to sanding: 30 minutes at 20 C°

SMC Carbon Fibre Reinforced Filler – Black/White

U-pol’s SMC Carbon Fibre Reinforced Filler is a unique product consisting of resin reinforced with short carbon fibre strands for structural strength. It is specially formulated to bond with carbon fibre parts, such as panels, door mirrors, and mouldings. It can also be used for non-automotive repairs, such as surfboards, boats, kayaks, and other sporting equipment.

U-pol’s SMC filler is easy to apply and work with. It cures to form a tough and rigid repair that can be drilled, tapped, sawn, or sanded without cracking or splintering.

It has high adhesion and structural strength, making it ideal for large holes and moulded corners that are prone to future impacts and is easy to sand to a fine finish.

• High adhesion to multiple substrates • S tructural integrity to allow drilling and tapping without splintering

el time: 4 to 6 minutes at • G 20 C° • Time to sanding: 15 to 20 minutes at 20 C° •

Fibral Glass Fibre Repair Filler

Fibral Glass Fibre Repair Body Filler offers a strong, durable, non-porous, water-resistant surface that’s easily shaped and sanded. It can be covered with standard polyester filler or painted on directly once cured.

• S preads like a short strand yet bridges holes like a long strand • N on-sagging even on vertical surfaces – spreads, adheres, and finishes like a polyester filler • F orms a hard, durable surface that is still smooth and very easy to sand • Water resistant • C an be finished with a finishing filler or directly primed.

• G el time: 5 to 6 minutes at 20 C° • Time to sanding: 15 to 20 minutes at 20 C°

Fibral Lite Filler

Similar properties to Fibral Glass Fibre Repair Filler, however FIBRAL LITE is easier to sand.

Fiberglass fillers by their nature give a less smooth finish with more pinholes than a conventional filler.

For best results apply a thin skim of any conventional polyester filler for example, U-pol Liteweight Gold, or a glaze filler, U-pol Dolphin Glaze before priming.

While most panel repair professionals have a good knowledge and experience working with various types of fillers, there are some tricks that will help produce consistent high-quality outcomes.

The team at U-pol provide a range of technical support for the busy professional and can advise you on how to use each type of filler. We provide technical “how-to” videos and technical support by telephone.

More information u-pol.com.au or contact U-pol Australia on (02) 4731 2655.

MoonWalk hits milestone and continues to aim high PPG’s revolutionary, MoonWalk automated dispensing technology has now been installed in over 50 locations as the efficiency of its paint technology catches on in workshops across Australia and New Zealand.

Thanks to the COVID pandemic, along with supply chain issues, MoonWalk faced a number of challenges when the first units arrived on the local market.

However, this didn’t stop local collision repairers reacting in the same way as their counterparts in overseas markets where this incredible new technology has been quickly embraced. A trickle of installations became a flood which has now accelerated past 50 locally installed units and orders are continuing to flow in.

PPG Sales Director Australia John Hristias, says although it’s not cheap, collision centre owners are finding that MoonWalk’s incredible new technology delivers an outstanding return on investment.

“For many people, the real clincher is when they see MoonWalk in action.

That is when they really understand

the capabilities of this technology, how it can fit smoothly into their paint shop operations and why it represents the paint shop of the future which you can actually have now,” Hristias says.

“It’s also important to understand that this is a tool that you are going to use and benefit from every day. MoonWalk is all about making the Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat colour dispensing process ultra-accurate, stress-free and efficient at just a press of a button. Because it essentially takes humans out of the equation, it virtually eliminates human error.

“As a result, colour mixes are accurate first time, every time because MoonWalk doesn’t get stressed, tired, hungover or make mistakes. The flow on effect is that it minimises wastage and the potential for reworks caused by inaccurate hand mixing while also being able mix tiny amounts of colour that a human wouldn’t even consider. This means that, rather than a painter mixing a little extra as a safety net, they can actually be a little more aggressive with the volume they

mix. If they do need a little more, it’s a simple matter to get MoonWalk to mix a small amount to finish the job. Many painters who have experienced the MoonWalk say there is no way they would go back to traditional manual colour dispensing. This is why MoonWalk is also being seen as an employee attraction and retention tool.”

In late 2023, PPG introduced a mobile solution to help collision repairers right across Australia get to grips with MoonWalk and the rest of the trailblazing PPG LINQ ‘eco-system’. MoonVan has already begun visiting repairers – and even driving right into workshops – to allow the whole paint team to not only learn how fast and user-friendly MoonWalk is but to also see how smoothly it works with the full suite of PPG Linq technologies.

For more information on MoonWalk or to arrange a visit from MoonVan, speak to your PPG Territory Manager, your MVP Business Solutions Manager or the PPG Customer Service Hotline on 13 24 24 (Aust) or 0800 320 320 (NZ).

Whether in an installed unit or the mobile showcase MoonVan, the MoonWalk dispensing technology is increasingly popular.

The National Collision Repairer 9

Product Showcase

Energy savings a game changer for workshops Glasurit’s latest product releases have taken the brand’s commitment to sustainability to a new level, offering energy and time savings in the workshop that enhance the products green credentials.

Glasurit launched the new EcoBalance Air-Drying direct-to-metal primer filler as part of its AraClass range in line with parent company BASF’s global strategy to make products with lower carbon footprints, greater transparency and carry these benefits on into the repair workshop.

The new primer filler offers outstanding sprayability, with excellent sanding properties and corrosion resistance. This low-energy industryleading solution creates a highly sustainable process, making it the first of its kind.

The Eco Balance Air-Drying DTM primer is part of the revolutionary range of AraClass undercoats, one of the most sustainable undercoat ranges available. It creates better performance through technical and efficiency improvements, as well as eco-effectiveness. These enhanced performance capabilities will have a

significant effect on body shops looking to excel, and lead in innovation and sustainability with Glasurit.

In addition to its eco-friendliness, the new Air-Drying DTM primer filler enables body shops to maximise efficiency in operations whilst reducing energy consumption. Due to the directto- metal application, body shops can shorten process times by up to 17 per cent compared to the standard sanding filler process.

As a result of Glasurit’s air-drying technology, no energy is needed to cure the primer, customers can therefore save up to 75 per cent of the total energy consumption compared to the standard sanding filler process.

BASF Australia & New Zealand, Coatings Sally Jones, Head of Sales & Marketing says the benefits to the workplace and the community continue with bodyshops able to get cars back on the road faster and save money on labour costs.

“Particularly nowadays, saving time and energy is extremely crucial especially with rising energy costs.

These two solutions combined in one product will continue to support all our

customers in navigating the challenging business environment that the industry currently faces,” Jones says.

Since 1888, Glasurit has stood for perfect quality, social and ecological responsibility, and has been committed to the reduction of CO2 emissions for several years. Eco Balance products help save fossil raw materials and are certified for significant reduction in CO2.

The Eco Balance certified Air-Drying DTM primer filler is a win-win, as it meets the highest requirements of modern body shops.

“We are proud to consistently support our customers’ plans to become more eco-effective by offering products with faster processes, low energy consumption and overall, a highly sustainable process. We are taking this step together”, Jones says.

“The launch of the new Eco Balance Air-Drying direct-to-metal primer filler is a game-changer for the body shop industry. The perfect solution for body shops that are looking to save time and money, while reducing their impact on the environment.”

H

O H te y

G Part of the AraClass range that boasts pioneering eco credentials.

10 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

+A se

The car of tomorrow.

Built with Hyundai Genuine Parts.

Overseas model shown. Australian specifications may differ.

Hyundai imagines what tomorrow looks like, so we can deliver the future today.

Our product range is built one Genuine Part at a time, giving you the experience of driving the cars of tomorrow, today.

Hyundai Genuine Parts have been designed to meet Hyundai’s exact engineering specifications. They are then rigorously tested to meet Australian standards, and given a 12-month manufacturer’s warranty+. Choosing Hyundai Genuine Parts gives you quality assurance, reliability and total peace of mind.

Genuine Parts +All Hyundai Genuine Parts purchased from Hyundai dealers come with a 12-month unlimited kilometre warranty from time of fitment. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply, see https://www.hyundai.com/au/warranty for details. The warranty does not limit and may not necessarily exceed your rights under the consumer guarantees in the Australian consumer law.

Cover Story

Pursuing partnerships in perfection Repair workshops are always on the lookout for materials and tools that will help deliver the best outcomes with less effort and lower overheads. Farecla has come up with a innovative combined polishing system worth investigating.

Adding the final polish to any job

In the world of automotive detailing, precision and power are paramount, and the G Plus Electric Rotary Polishing Machine from Farécla stands as a testament to this philosophy.

Meticulously crafted to Farécla’s exacting specifications, this innovative tool redefines the art of polishing, offering a plethora of benefits for the professional.

One of the standout features of the G Plus is its lightweight 2.2kgs, wellbalanced design, ensuring fatiguefree operation during extended polishing sessions. Its cool running technology is a game-changer for those tackling large-scale polishing projects, as it helps maintain consistent

Redefining the art of polishing with tools crafted with the best outcomes in mind.

12 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

performance without overheating.

At the heart of the G Plus lies a low noise 80dba high-torque 800-watt motor, purpose-built to accommodate G Mop 6” (150mm) and 8” (200mm) pads. This dynamic pairing guarantees an exceptional polishing experience, allowing you to achieve flawless finishes with ease.

Navigating through the intricacies of polishing has never been more convenient, thanks to the thumboperated speed dial. With variable speed control ranging from 700 to 2500 RPM, you have the flexibility to adapt to different surfaces and applications. The generous 5-meter power cord ensures unimpeded movement around your workspace, eliminating the hassle of constantly repositioning.

A soft-start motor with low vibration 1.7 m/s2 function serves a dual purpose – reducing product splash during start-up and enhancing user control. This thoughtful feature not only preserves your work environment but also contributes to achieving those immaculate results you strive for.

Furthermore, the speed stabilization mechanism provides a steady and constant speed output, granting you absolute mastery over your polishing process.

In a world where automotive perfection is the ultimate goal, the G Plus Electric Rotary Polishing Machine stands as an indispensable tool. Its craftsmanship, engineering excellence, and user-centric features make it an invaluable asset for anyone seeking

to elevate their detailing game. With the G Plus in your arsenal, the road to automotive brilliance has never been smoother.

Faster process and less reworks

In the highly competitive world of bodyshops, any product that offers a significant cost saving whilst maintaining, or even improving, the quality of the finished work, is always going to be enthusiastically embraced.

The G360 system lets the workshop do more with less.

Farécla’s G360 Super Fast Polishing System is just such a product, and its popularity is rapidly growing across the globe.

One of the key benefits of the Farécla G360 System is its remarkable economy of use. It requires between 30 per cent and 50 per cent less compound than other brands, which not only saves on product costs but also reduces clean-up time. Furthermore, the system eliminates the need for expensive P3000 discs, which can be a significant cost for

bodyshops. The removal of P3000 and the ability to compound after P1500 rapidly speeds up the process time from start to finish, saving money on both product usage and labour time.

The speed of the G360 System not only enables faster polishing times, which means less labour time, but also less electricity cost per job with increased productivity and throughput.

Reduced polishing time also has the EHS benefit of reduction in the risk of operator exposure to Hand Arm Vibration risk, a significant concern in the industry.

The system’s cutting efficiency, the result of a breakthrough in abrasive technology, is eye-popping and reduces the need for reworks. Farécla’s G360 System’s performance has been further improved with the upgrade to the formulation of its optional step 2 product, Farécla G360 Finish swirl and hologram remover. The new formulation provides a deeper gloss, faster wipe-off, and noticeably quicker flawless finish on blacks and dark colours. Additionally, the new formulation boasts enhanced environmental credentials, with VOC content reduced to near zero. With the 100gm tube added to the range, now making it easier for bodyshops to try out the new formulation.

More information is available at SaintGobain Australia 1300 007 650

The G Plus has variable speed controls ranging from 700 to 2500 RPM.

The National Collision Repairer 13

Special Feature

Changing the culture Taking on an apprentice is a big investment for any automotive business. It takes time, money and energy to train the next generation of technicians. Most owners want a good apprentice for the long haul and building a workshop culture is a great place to start.

In Capricorn’s State of the Nation Special Report: The Skills Shortage survey, 73 per cent of Capricorn Members reported that they’d employed an apprentice but more than half also said they had lost an apprentice before they’d completed their qualification.

The report also found the collision industry, where 61 per cent said they were struggling to find skilled staff, was particularly looking to apprentices to fill gaps with 83 per cent taking them on.

But the report also extrapolated there were still 685 apprentices needed in the collision industry and these were taking 6.6 months on average to fill.

The State of the Nation Special Report also includes resources and ways employers can make their businesses more attractive to potential apprentices.

It highlights the desirability of a place for potential apprentices and the capacity to keep young workers is often reliant on a supportive atmosphere and a good workplace culture.

Parkers Crash Repairs Victor Harbor owner Mark Riley says the culture has changed since he was an apprentice and the sense that apprentices owed their boss a favour for giving them work was reversed.

“The way I find it now is with the guys, I treat them all exactly alike. Because I can’t do this job without them,” Riley says.

The attitude of mutual respect helps

The team at Parkers Crash Repairs Victor Harbor.

14 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

develop the workplace culture that is happy and productive.

“So, they are equal to me, I’m no greater than them. We’re all here to do the work.”

He says making small efforts like ensuring the staff are comfortable, for instance in a smoko room with good facilities, is worthwhile in keeping them happy.

“It’s all about watering the grass you’ve got,” Riley says.

“I guess I put myself in their shoes. I see them exactly the way they would want to see me.”

Riley makes sure he too is out on the floor with them repairing cars. He says the respect is reciprocated in the care they put into their work and the investment they make in the business.

This in turn means qualifying apprentices will stay working with him or come back, while more experienced tradesman will stay on because they feel invested in the culture.

“If they do good job here, they get a job for life. It’s not about trying to squeeze everything out of them. If they do a good job, be they’ll be rewarded.

Riley says it takes a new approach to the culture of a workshop that wasn’t always easy to adapt. He says recent experiences show workshops in the US were struggling.

“But it’s a hierarchy there. They’ve still got that attitude ‘As long as we’re getting paid for the job’ but there’s no care about getting that customer back.”

By contrast Riley thinks it is important to get the staff involved in the job and communicate all feedback and thanks to them and this develops their involvement and dedication to each job and the business.

“I am here to give them somewhere good to work. I give them a good place to work. I can help them grow and they’re going to help me grow.”

One of Parkers Crash Repairs

apprentices is fourth-year Chris Haywood and at 28, is an older apprentice, having come to the industry after trying other career paths first.

Haywood says he was attracted to join the team at Parkers because it was a small family-owned business with a great working culture.

“Everyone has a pride and passion for what they do,” he said. “They’re not just coming in and doing the bare minimum.

“The boss is caring and hands-on, putting people before profits when he needs to. He just makes sure everyone’s okay.”

Haywood acknowledges not all apprentices in the industry have a positive experience but the right culture can produce a good learning environment and they put back into the business.

“If you’ve got staff who are happy to come to work and put in a good eight hours, you’ll get more out of them. Happy staff don’t drag their feet. They’re not just there for the money. Everyone should help each other; it shouldn’t be every person for themselves.”

You can check out the full State of the Nation Special Report: The Skills Shortage at cap.coop/son-skills and get more tips on how to find and retain good apprentices.

Tips for attracting staff:

• L ook for people who are invested in the industry. Form relationships with your local trade school or TAFE. • Young people are looking for a good culture, so make it obvious through every interaction during recruitment.

• Be approachable; proactively talk to staff about their goals, welfare, training and behaviour.

Special Report

Strength from diversity

At a special forum, five female repair leaders unite to discuss a changing industry.

Five key leaders in collision repair agreed being female in a traditionally male arena hadn’t always been easy but they also shared a passion for its people, a dedication to its development and an optimism for its future.

These were some of the takeaway lessons from a specially organised panel bringing together the five business leaders hosted by the Motor Trades Association of Australia and well-known sports journalist Erin Molan.

Alison Turnbull from Al’s Panel Shop in the Northern Territory has more than three decades of experience in automotive repair and spoke of the slow but seismic shift in attitudes.

“In the beginning 30 years ago, it was a very hard industry to be in. People didn’t believe that women could help them and perhaps weren’t willing to accept your word, especially with insurance companies and assessors. It could be a real struggle to make them listen and believe you do know what you’re talking about, and you’re able to achieve what they’re asking you to do.

But we’ve tried to encourage people to listen and believe that women can lead in this industry.”

While there were still notable exceptions, on the whole the speakers agreed there had been significant improvements in attitudes and having skilled female staff, both as technicians and in management, had helped.

Carly Ruggeri who owns and runs state-of-the art business Euro Panels in

Geelong says facing up to this adversity has made them stronger.

“Being different is a good thing and so you’ve got to use that as your strength,” Ruggeri says. “It wasn’t difficult for me in this trade until I became the owner of the business and then the people that I would be dealing with instantly changed.

“But whenever there’s a problem or a challenge you can always flip it and make it an opportunity. We said no to a lot of that sort of (bullying) behaviour, and it created space for lots of other wonderful things that could happen and being in control of our business, just being able to support your team, was inspiring in itself.

“We have KPIs that we like to refer to and it’s not key performance indicators, it’s about keeping people informed, keeping people involved, keeping people interested, and keeping people inspired.”

Sarah Karavasilias who holds multiple management roles at MPSR Group in Marrickville NSW brought a decade in criminal law to the family business and says the industry has good support networks and this enabled her to keep challenging herself and her staff.

“That’s one of the benefits of being a female is you have that sympathetic ear and you’re able to manage personal interests with business interests as well,” Karavasilias says.

“You’ve got to have a thick skin, but I always, try and challenge myself and lead by example. But we are at

Erin Molan, Alison Turnbull, Carly Ruggeri, Andrea McCarthy, Sarah Karavasilias and Melissa Row.

16 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

work more than we are at home, so you’ve also got to really enjoy it as well.”

These leadership qualities were also echoed by the other business women who said it enabled them not only to focus on developing their teams but to look to more diverse workplaces in solving their own recruiting issues.

Melissa Row, managing director of Esperance Smash Repairs in WA is particularly passionate about the culture of her team, the community and how they can contribute to it.

“It’s joining that diversity of mature-age to younger staff. We found really good success with mature-age apprentices and found people wanting to do a career change especially after COVID. “But I think it’s about encouraging our staff to look beyond what they’re doing in the workshop and take on other roles.

It is about constantly helping our staff to learn more. The more they learn away from work, the more they bring back to the business and other staff within the organisation.”

Andrea McCarthy, who is a director of McCarthy Panel Works in Queensland and has more than 25 years of industry experience, agreed about the potential for diversity to add to the workshop culture and has had numerous successes with candidates with conditions like Asperger’s.

“It’s about not being scared of that difference,” she says. “It’s about embracing the difference and bringing that into the whole team environment.”

McCarthy believes to change perceptions of collision repair it is also critical to look at other industries.

“We want to have parents out there, and teachers for that matter, getting on board and helping to push that this is a grown-up industry. We’ve got to start looking at what other industries do better in engagement processes and how do we step it up?

“What I like is when I get out there, you start to hear about a lot more positive aspects within the automotive world and how it’s changing the mindset.”

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Future Technology

A lifeline of knowledge

As repairs become more complex and workshops more sophisticated, it is good to know there is technical advice available from experts in the field.

In the ever-evolving landscape of automotive technology, the integration of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has revolutionised vehicle safety and performance. As vehicles become increasingly equipped with sophisticated sensors and cameras, the proper calibration of these systems has emerged as an essential aspect for ensuring safety, accuracy, and optimal functionality on the road.

Workshops that proactively adopt ADAS calibration can distinguish themselves as industry leaders, attracting a broader clientele seeking comprehensive and up-todate automotive servicing for the modern vehicle.

However, with such changes it’s understandable that some workshops may be apprehensive to adopt these calibration technologies. Concerns often surround this transition, including the technical expertise required to learn and reliably perform ADAS calibrations.

Although relatively straightforward

once learned, ADAS calibrations can demand a certain level of technical knowledge and capability. Workshop technicians may have doubts about the skills required to effectively operate and understand these systems, especially in the initial stages of navigating the set up.

Hella Gutmann, who specialise in diagnostic and calibration solutions, understands these concerns and offer customers a local technical helpline as part of its support system.

The technical helpline is a valuable resource that offers assistance and guidance to workshops facing technical challenges or requiring expertise in utilising Hella Gutmann’s diagnostic and calibration equipment. Workshops can receive peace of mind with the following: 1. Expert guidance: The helpline provides direct access to local technical experts with in-depth knowledge about Hella Gutmann’s equipment and solutions. Workshop technicians can get immediate guidance and support for technical ADAS calibration demands high levels of expertise in the workshop.

issues, troubleshooting, or queries related to the operation, installation, or usage of the equipment.

2. Real-time support: The technical helpline offers real-time support, allowing workshops to minimise downtime due to technical issues.

Having immediate access to expert local assistance helps in swiftly addressing problems and reducing disruption.

3. Compliance and updates: The helpline may also provide information regarding industry standards, regulatory compliance, and updates on the latest technological advancements so workshops can be confident they remain up to date.

4. Training and education: The helpline can also serve as an educational resource. Technicians can seek guidance or clarification on best practices, techniques, or specific procedures related to ADAS calibration or diagnostic processes.

Alongside the ongoing support from Hella Gutmann, workshops can be confident in delivering efficient and accurate services for their customers.

Hella Gutmann customers who require access to the technical helpline should contact; hgscustomersupport@hella.com

The inital set-up of a calibration system can seem daunting.

18 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

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Don’t settle for just staying busy. Call 1300 349 2886 now or visit fixauto.com and discover how we can help your repair shop reach its full potential.

Special Feature

Changing lives The importance of community involvement cannot be underestimated according to AMA Group North Queensland area manager Martin Dickinson. It can mean a lot of work in challenging areas but it also has its own unique rewards.

Martin Dickinson refers to them as the goose-pimple moments. The stories about young people turning their lives around that have an inspiring and emotional impact on all around them.

These are the stories that continue to move him and keep him committed to a range of community programs backed by the AMA Group that are making a difference to Indigenous, and Torres Strait youngsters in far north Queensland, where the three workshops he manages are involved.

In one instance, it could be a program as simple but fundamental as developing young people’s confidence in getting a job when they come from difficult circumstances where there are few opportunities.

The On Common Country program is one such program which Martin

AMA Group apprentice Eli Taylor utilised the benefits of NRL Cowboys House while at secondary school.

20 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

and the AMA Group team in far north Queensland are involved. It is an Indigenous-owned and operated engagement program which seeks to empower Indigenous Australians through greater economic participation and employment opportunities.

“There was a great example of a young lady who was very shy initially.

She came through the two-week starter and afterwards she walked into Alexander Body Works on her very first day and just bombarded me with questions.

“I asked her where she lived, and she said she lived with her auntie. I think she said there was about another six brothers and cousins living in the same house and not one of them was employed. She said to me; ‘I’m going to be the one to make a difference

to the family and I’m going to be the inspiration of the family’.”

This same young lady has now commenced working with the AMA Group as an apprentice spray painter.

These turnaround moments are one of the reasons Dickinson is so deeply involved in so many programs, including his support for the NRL Cowboys House, which takes its name from its key sponsor, the Cowboys NRL team.

The house is a culturally-safe boarding facility for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women attending partners schools in Townsville.

“NRL Cowboys House is a home away from home, which is essentially a supervised boarding house for Torres Strait and Indigenous children who don’t have access to secondary school. They work with 13 different secondary schools locally to provide the schooling. And they also have the opportunity for this to transition into employment programs.

“It gives them a safe and stable place to live whether they are at a school or an apprenticeship, without the need to regularly return to remote locations.

“Getting accommodation in Townsville is very difficult and much of current available accommodation is shared accommodation and that comes with a lot of distraction, so it can come with a lot of sick days and challenges around that. The House provides a supportive alternative to this.”

For Dickinson just one of the proud outcomes of the career opportunities provided when accommodation support is available. One success story is Eli Taylor, who after having passed through the NRL Cowboys House program, now works as an apprentice at Gemini Townsville Autobody Repair.

He has since gone on to win notable awards including The National Collision Repairer’s Future Leader.

AMA Group’s COO, Mathew Cooper

at the time described his transition as exemplary.

“Eli’s rise from a shy, work experience student to a highly motivated apprentice has led to an even greater interest in our industry and our company in Townsville. He leads by example, which is a credit to his own dedication and the values instilled in him by his parents,” Cooper says.

AMA Group contributes financially to the NRL Cowboys House program, as well as playing an active role in providing work experience and apprenticeships.

Further, the Group’s far north Queensland teams participate in the 50/50 program which raises funds for NRL Cowboys House. Team members are involved with selling raffles tickets at Cowboys NRL games, with half the funds going to the winner and the other half to NRL Cowboys House. The team have so far broken their previous record each time they have participated, and recently raised $35,000 at a Broncos game.

“It’s just fantastic for the crew,” Dickinson says. “It’s all about our sense of community, internal and external and creating that community culture within your workplace.

“We have anything from 15 to 30 volunteers, every time we do it locally.

Our three sites in Townsville come together and have a great day with the game and with dinner together afterward.”

Dickinson, the recent winner of AMA Group’s Community Spirit Award, has found his involvement has led from one project to another.

“Because of the work I do, word of mouth gets around. From that we’ve created a whole package of programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait students.

We have people working to gets kids into secondary school and working with people who transition them into the workplace with Get Ready programs and then we have reward programs, like Racing Together.”

Racing Together is a program where indigenous young people are encouraged to get involved in motorsports. A team gets together for a weekly meeting at Alexander Body Works, striving to get a car ready to race on a new track south of Townsville where they will make up a complete team of drivers and support

staff. Dickinson has been using this as a reward program for Indigenous youth who have been excelling in the other programs.

This in turn has led to AMA Group embracing the On Common Country program, an eight-week readyto-work program that exposes 12 students to the workings of three local automotive businesses.

The students are then split into groups and experience workplaces, rotating over six weeks between Mike Carney Toyota, Carmichael Ford and Alexander Body Works.

“We really did find after they spend those first two weeks with On Common Country, the difference when they walked into the workplace. They were a lot more confident. You could see they had a better education to get ready to start work and understand the difference between school and a workplace.”

“Recently, we were also approached to run the Deterring Drivers program,” Dickinson says of yet another program.

“There is a lot of youth crime in Townsville total and a lot of stolen vehicles. This was about running a program for kids at risk, not necessarily that have committed crime, but it was for people surrounded by crime. We are trying to get keep them on the right path and help them understand

the opportunities out there in the workplace.”

The program involves six young people aged 15-21 over a course of three weeks where they are exposed to the workings of an automotive repair shop and shown possibilities for them within the industry rather than as outsiders committing crimes with cars.

The results of this difficult but critical step at redirecting at-risk kids are promising, with the real possibility of some youth from the program taking up rewarding jobs.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Dickinson has an even bigger project underway that he believes could be formative in changing young lives in the community; to expand the availability of accommodation and overcome one of the key impediments to their progress into fulfilling working lives.

“I have recently joined the board of Set to Succeed, which is an organisation which is focused on trying to get the funding to build a building with 30 one-bedroom apartments which will be fully managed and fully serviced, making sure the young people who are beyond secondary school get support and are not getting the distraction from shared accommodation. AMA Group’s FNQ team donated their prize from winning last year’s internal community award to Set to Succeed to get the

Raising funds for NRL Cowboys House has been a great team activity.

The National Collision Repairer 21

Special Feature

program off the ground and to start looking for government funding and corporate backing.”

When it comes to grabbing the ear of government and corporate sponsors, who will be key to get the $15 million project off the ground, Dickinson has the success of NRL Cowboys House and other programs as references, but most of all he is proud to talk about the individual stories that really support the importance of stable accommodation for young people.

“It all comes down to accommodation,” he says.

He cites the case of one fourthyear panel repair apprentice who is also up as a finalist for major industry awards, but at one point was reduced to couch surfing, so dire were the accommodation options.

“This kid just inspires me,” Dickinson says.

“We tried to assist him to find to find a home when he was couch surfing and there was nothing. There was nobody there to give him an opportunity, to give him accommodation. There’d be a place where he could stop for two three

nights, and then that’d be it. He was using all his wages in motels and paying more than rentals. He just couldn’t get a break.

“Yet he’s stuck it out. He never gave up. He excels in his job; he is in his fourth year now he can do the job and is efficient.

“Then I heard from him last week, he is speaking with the bank at the moment to purchase his first home.

To see him at the end and where he’s at now is just wonderful - seeing him change his own life when he could have easily just said it’s too tough.

It’s inspirational.”

The ambitious Set to Succeed project could fill a major support gap in northern Queensland and help more cases of people like him.

Dickinson believes the programs have a cyclical effect in creating a better community and this has had a flow-on effect to other groups including working with disability support partners, such as Down Syndrome Queensland.

The network of partners that come from all this work, including schools and employment services, have led to

major opportunities for AMA Group to fill vacancies, through engaging work experience students and developing a pipeline of apprentices.

“Word of mouth really gets around.

People start to understand that someone is willing to give everybody a go and give them that opportunity.

To put it in perspective and how passionately we fell about these kids, with seven sites in North Queensland, there are 48 apprentices.”

He believes these will be a great pipeline for future industry talent and will be the role models that show even further down the track the viability of these career paths.

In the end, proud as he is of the success stories, for Dickinson the work is about giving back.

“I didn’t get to where I am now without people believing in me and giving me an opportunity,” he says.

“I came to Australia 12 years ago as a spray painter and now I’m an area manager. I want to continue to grow because people believed in me and gave me an opportunity. It just gives me that drive to see people succeed.”

The plans for a 30-apartment building could help solve major accommodation issues in far-north Queensland.

22 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

Do you have the

Future Leaders

in the collision repair industry working for you?

The Future Leaders series run by The National Collision Repairer is a showcase of individuals in the industry who display outstanding future potential and growth.

We would like you to consider nominating people who fit this description.

It is a great opportunity to recognise emerging talent and leadership and give some high-profile recognition to your exceptional staff through our magazine and website.

To nominate someone, send us a name, contact details and a brief synopsis of their achievements to: eugene.duffy@primecreative.com.au or call 0412 821 706 for more detail.

Proudly supported by iag

Movers & Shakers

Opening the vital gateway to the future This year has placed recruitment issues as front and centre for many repair businesses but the new advocacy body, the Australian Collision Industry Alliance (ACIA) is looking forward to creating long-term solutions.

Founding member Rob Bartlett, who comes to the ACIA from decades of experience in the insurance industry, says the Alliance has generated some real momentum in its first six months, establishing a board and the multiple governance structures and systems that will ensure it is both representative and trusted.

For Bartlett these foundational necessities give them the clear range to pursue their defining purpose, addressing the industry’s issues specifically recruitment.

“Our role is to help attract a sufficient number of people into the industry to remain sustainable,” Bartlett says.

“We need to make sure that there’s a critical mass of people who are available to be trained, who are going through the training systems.”

Bartlett emphasises that the Alliance’s role in addressing what is more widely known as a skills issue is to take a big picture approach that is not necessarily concerned with the detail of skills training or delivery but rather an industry-wide approach to get more people channelled into the career pathways.

“It’s not our job to tell people how to fix a car. We don’t have enough time and resource to do that but what we do need to do is cooperate with the people who are doing that and if we can support them.”

The Alliance wants to reduce barriers that might prevent this flow of future talent choosing the repair industry over any other, especially when multiple trades sectors are suffering shortages.

“What we will be doing is predominantly working to change the perception of the industry, working to give career advisors, people who are thinking about careers, anybody

24 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

engaged with people who are looking at careers, the information they need to know that this industry and career actually exists. And that it’s well remunerated and that it’s getting more high tech every year.”

Part of this will be matching the competition to attract potential employees by promoting the industry as a preferred workplace that is clean, corporate, well-organised, with good workplace cultures and open to change.

Counteracting misguided or antiquated public perceptions of the repair industry’s conditions and pay will also be critical, particularly in an education system that is ATAR focused and strongly channels young people into university pathways.

“This is going to be a good job to have in the long term. It’s getting cleaner, it’s getting more technical and it’s getting better run,” he says.

He also stresses it is an essential industry.

“And it’s absolutely vital: If you can’t fix cars, you can’t insure them. And if you can’t fix cars, then the fleet rolls to a stop and the economic impact is just enormous and will start to put problems in the way of Australia’s commercial success.”

While this impact on productivity gives the industry some clout with governments, Bartlett believes the transformation of perceptions is both a slow and gradual job. He reiterates the recruitment shortages have been a long time coming and solutions will be equally incremental and gradual.

“It’s not going to change overnight.

But we’ve got to start, and we’ve got to work towards something where we can get meaningful change, slowly but surely and proactively. We must be very clear minded about what we’re doing

Rob Bartlett says the first six months have established the foundations of the ACIA.

and do it in a logical, researched, wellplanned way.”

“We don’t need to be perfect. We just need to be better than others. We just need to get slightly more than our share. At the moment, we’re getting less than our share. If we get slightly more than our share of recruits; we start to build back up, we start to get to a sustainable level.”

Bartlett reiterates that responses can’t be temporary or piecemeal and ACIA’s strength and authority will be backed up by the substantial research.

“One of the first projects will be a research project, backed by proper researchers such as university level capability. If we do that right, ultimately, we can plan to get some support through the ARC or the various other government research bodies.”

The focus of the research will be determined in early 2024, aiming to achieve the highest possible level of

verification and credibility to ensure it gains traction.

“There’s no reason why the ACIA can’t be a voice at the table in helping the discussion about awareness of the industry, the meaningful options, and possibilities for an industry to promote itself.”

Part of their investigation could look at solutions and steps taken by other industries, to synthesise the best approach for the repair industry.

“The sort of information careers people who are giving advice should have at their fingertips, not just in collision but in any industry. The sort of programs that help schools coach and inform young people. Every time somebody opens a young person’s mind to tell them about careers, one of the possibilities that needs to go in should be about automotive generally.

We would say collision is the best part of automotive, but you know, an automotive win is an automotive win.”

And Bartlett says the diversity of pathways, whether it is in a workshop itself or dozens of ancillary industries needs to be reiterated.

While the turnaround will be slow, Bartlett is optimistic about the Alliance’s future role having established its structure and governance over the past six months.

“Now we’ve got a real bit of momentum,” Bartlett says.

“The core of the establishing work is done. We’ve got a proper constitution.

We’re a properly set up company with the proper finance arrangements and we’ve got a well-functioning board which is very collaborative.”

They have also established a logo for the alliance and are about to launch a website to give them a more prominent public face.

“We needed to get the back-end connected to make sure that we are really strong from day one. So that it’s a proper industry representative association, with a membership system, which connects to CRM that connects to the accounting system and it connects to event management.”

The Alliance also has numerous working and action groups focused on a range of areas from marketing to finance, all made up of volunteers. So far, they have forty members generated through their foundational stage and capital city forums. Bartlett says already this number represents a significant percentage of repairs in Australia. They will also be looking to upcoming events in Canberra and Adelaide to further grow the representation of the industry.

One of the Alliance’s strengths is its membership has a broad representation of the industry from workshops to suppliers, consulting firms, insurers and other connected industries.

Bartlett stresses the Alliance’s success

will be in being a cohesive ‘whole of industry’ approach and representing all levels of businesses in the quest for increased recruitment.

“It’s not about the big end of town.

There are memberships for smaller members, it’s affordable and available to all sorts of shops and industry members,” he says.

“We want to see people come into the industry into well run, well organised, well-resourced, well-trained organisations and do whatever we can do to help the industry to know how to attract and retain people. Interestingly a lot of the small shops are really good at it and that’s because they have a good ‘ground game’, and we want to learn a lot from those little shops as well.”

If the smaller shops are at the heart of the industry, the recruitment issue has much wider implications because of the wide network of dependant businesses.

“There is a task of fixing about one and a half million cars a year and you need a lot of people to fix a million and a half cars. It’s all of those connected businesses, all the parts businesses, the paint businesses, the chemical businesses, the consultants and safety consultants and downstream to insurance. It is that kid coming through the front door of the workshop that is the only thing keeping that entire network of businesses actually operative.”

Career information needs to reflect that automotive trades are increasingly technical.

The National Collision Repairer 25

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Talking shop

Network value

In the fast-changing world of collision repair with plenty of fresh challenges to face, having a support network to turn to can be more than just a comfort, it can be the key to ensuring your survival and give your business the support it needs to flourish.

Friends in need may well be friends indeed, but it also helps to have support and advice in the everyday running of a business.

For the Fix Auto network of repair workshops, this is their mantra and one of its strengths in the increasingly complex operations of managing a repair business.

One franchise outlet who has been on the Australian journey of Fix Auto from the beginning is Fix Auto Mulgrave.

Owner manager Lana Pagiamtzis says the support of the network has not only helped with the day to day challenges, but has helped them grow.

“When I first started, we had a staff of five employees,” she says.

“And now we’ve got 25. We’ve quadrupled the turnover that we had when I first started with them. It’s been a blessing every year and just gets just better and better. We keep moving forward in so many ways. We’re hitting new milestones constantly, not just as a network but also in my own business.

Pagiamtzis says the contrast of the current support and her past business life in the repair industry is most stark when she thinks about what she doesn’t have to worry about now.

“Before I was part of the Fix Network, I used to have to constantly reach out to try to generate business, reaching out to insurers, to fleet organisations, to anybody in your local area. But once we joined Fix Auto, they took that burden away from me, so I was able to really concentrate on running my business and developing the staff to get the most out of the increasing turnover, volume and capacity.

“They do all that liaising for us on an insurer level and advocate for each individual location and the network as a whole. They are constantly in the background driving opportunities for growth to our shops.”

Before 2016 and joining Fix Auto things were not so easy for Pagiamtzis, and a combination of business and personal pressures almost brought to an end a career she

For Fix Auto Mulgrave owner manager Lana Pagiamtzis says the support of the network has been invaluable.

28 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

has worked so hard to establish.

“As a repairer on our own in this industry, I found things were changing rapidly back then, it was obvious the industry was consolidating and if you were not part of a group or network, you would eventually be left behind.

This has been the case for many repairers in the years since I joined Fix Auto, so, I’m really, really glad that I made the decision to join.”

Rather than deter her from building a future in the industry, the difficult times she experienced before joining Fix Auto inspired her to see what support options existed for repairers out there.

“I was one of the first people to join Fix Auto in Australia, so like anything new it takes time to get established and for people to recognise the brand, but I had faith in it.

“Before I signed with Fix Auto, I took a trip to Canada, and got to see how the brand operates at scale, with over 300 franchisees in the country, I saw the true potential of the business and I was very impressed. I know it will take us time to get to that size here and to me it doesn’t matter how long it’s going take. I get massive support and value already and this will only grow as the network does.”

One of the crucial ways Fix Auto continues to help businesses like Fix Auto Mulgrave is to free up time for business owners like Pagiamtzis by taking on the responsibility of management and reporting tasks.

“I’m so busy. We’re taking in 10 to 15 cars a day, so it’s a lot of day-to-day tasks that keep me busy. Fix Auto are constantly reviewing the business and how its performing and we sit and review that together in a way that helps me make great decisions, efficiently. They then support me by implementing changes into the shop to make sure we perform at our best in terms of production, quality and of course profitability.”

As change continues in the industry, Pagiamtzis says Fix Auto helps in other ways including keeping her business up-to date with new equipment options and subscription services as well as the critical steps in training staff.

“We are heavily focused on training, Fix Auto tap into the best providers in the industry whether that is through VACC, I-CAR or other industry suppliers.

Right now my focus is EVs. We are seeing so many different brands of electric vehicles starting to come through and we want to be well prepared for that. I don’t want any of my guys left behind.”

Fix Auto Mulgrave also has not been immune to the recruitment issues facing repair businesses and the difficulty

finding locally skilled labour and the Fix Network has helped by investigating sourcing overseas skilled labour including from the Philippines.

“They’re working all that in the background as well, which is brilliant and it’s just up to us as a business owner to make sure that we’ve got all the adequate credentials and whatever we need to be able to bring in people from overseas to work with us.”

The support of a reliable network becomes key in ensuring and handling the stress that can come from managing a hectic business, she says.

“I don’t stress about anything that I need to try to achieve in the business because I know that I just make a phone call to them and they are there

The team at Fix Auto Mulgrave benefits from the best training.

Fix Auto Macarthur joined the group in 2021.

to back you up in any way they need to.

“The support they provide is fantastic.

We have Steve Taylor, who’s the Victorian State General Manager who provides us with all of the “On ground” support we could wish for. He is supported by Scott Croaker who heads up National Operations for the Fix Network with a real focus on process, data and driving performance for the franchisees at a national level.”

For Pagiamtzis, the human scale of Fix Auto is both reassuring and inspiring for her business to keep succeeding.

“It’s like an extended family business,” Pagiamtzis says.

“Stuart Faid, vice president for Fix Network in Asia and head of the Australian business always reminds us that we are family, not just a network, and they live that statement every day.

“It’s like everybody’s part of a big family. And we live by our genuine belief that we are Better Together.”

Another more recent business owner on the journey is Fix Auto Macarthur’s Aaron Samphier who rebranded in 2021 and described the transition to the Fix Auto family as ‘seamless’.

“It is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and the business has seen the benefit of it from day one,” Samphier told NCR. Now more than two years down this path, Samphier is seeing the benefits and ongoing support across many aspects of his business.

“The network looked through our day-to-day business and helped fine tune and improve on small things like customer interactions, estimating, repairs and quality checks to handing over customer vehicles,” he says.

“Since joining, we have found there is always someone from the network who is happy to speak with us about any struggles or be a sounding board on the business’s growth.”

This enabled them to take the best elements of the business formerly known as AAA Malibu Paint & Panel and develop a new culture that resonated better with customers, he says.

“Having the backing of a corporate company made a difference in the success of our business. The focus on customer experience and service has been instrumental in enhancing the shop’s reputation and attracting more clients.”

The National Collision Repairer 29

Industry, Training and Events

Looking to the future Training is critical to the future of the collision repair industry and I-CAR has wrapped up a busy year. Now the leading trainer looks at its plans for the year to come.

I-CAR Australia has had a very successful year by continuing to provide the industry with a range of training deliverables with online courses maintaining their popularity. We are seeing a big push towards more hands-on training now that COVID restrictions have been made obsolete. Our Tesla Japan aluminium welding program has seen continued success and is not slowing down anytime soon and our general aluminium welding certification program is also in high demand due to the increased use of aluminium in modern vehicles including hybrid and electric vehicles.

Our Brisbane facility is now fully operational with continued plans for equipment and facility upgrades, while our Melbourne facility has employed more trainers and educators due to our growing demand for virtual classes and hands-on training.

The hands-on training from I-CAR Australia has not just been a great way Formal training is critical to the future development of the industry in many areas.

30 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

to learn and gain valuable knowledge within the collision repair industry, but it’s also a great team bonding experience for students while training and outside class hours. Students have enjoyed meeting new people within the same industry, coming together and learning new skills and knowledge while bonding during our multi-day training sessions.

This provides much needed change from the time when COVID lockdowns were in place. It improves mental health and well-being for a lot of students, providing interaction and a new mentally stimulating environment during training sessions and social interaction outside of class times.

Next year’s calendar is looking jam packed with a large range of hands-on training throughout the year. For those who can’t make it to our hands-on training sessions, we also have a large range of virtual classes scheduled which will be delivered live by I-CAR Australia’s

training instructors. So, stay tuned for our upcoming online calendar which will be available next year.

I-CAR Australia has been listening to market feedback and in doing so we have increased our course offerings this year with more than 14 new online courses and a range of new instructor led classes.

We will be increasing our range of handson course offerings and online courses next year to meet the needs of this demanding and ever-changing industry.

This will provide the industry with the latest information and technological training platforms through our various training deliverables.

We will continue to build on our Industry Training Alliance Program by supporting our existing relationship and expanding our partnerships. This allows us to provide more complete training experience by partnering with other training providers who have very specific industry knowledge and expertise.

Another big focus is the continued development of our Gold Class Professional accreditation programs for collision repair businesses and insurance companies. We will also be providing better awareness and support for technicians in our Platinum Individual Professional Accreditation Program and those looking to gain this accreditation.

We see the platinum individual program as the ideal pathway for individuals to not just gain individual professional accreditation but to also provide better job security and employment opportunities within the industry, especially individuals who want to align with Gold Class businesses. We will be providing new incentives and programs to help foster students wanting to achieve platinum individual professional accreditation.

We’ll have a big presence at the Collision Repair Expo in April 2024, being the seminar sponsor for the event. We will have a range of speakers presenting

I-CAR offers training in formal and practical settings.

The I-Car team at the collision expo.

on various topics during the three-day event. Our exhibition space will have a new look with better information and promotional material geared towards the general public and newcomers looking for training and up-skilling technicians within the collision repair industry.

I-CAR Australia continues to strengthen our partnerships with the US, New Zealand and Canada. Collaborating with our international partners to reaffirm agreements aimed at delivering educational programs, technical information and resources to collision repair businesses and professionals.

This collaborative effort is geared towards fortifying a shared vision for comprehensive, safe, and high-quality repairs, ultimately enhancing the overall benefit for consumers.

Overall, we will be continuing with our mission to provide up-to-date knowledge and technical repair training to the collision repair industry and look forward to the future.

Two New Online Courses UNIBODY MEASURING, ANCHORING, AND PULLING (ST086E01) FULL-FRAME MEASURING, ANCHORING, AND PULLING (ST087E01) Overview of courses Measuring, anchoring and pulling will allow technicians to measure a vehicle with collision damage and focus on the anchoring and pulling strategies. Through simulation, by securing the vehicle and placing it onto a frame machine, students will measure, anchor, and attach the pulling attachments needed to simulate a pull.

Topics consists of the following: Module 1 - Measuring, Anchoring & Pulling • Topics: Video Presentation and introduction • Overview | Introduction | Safety Precautions • Research, Inspection, and Preparation • Full-Frame SUV (ST087E01) • Full-Frame Pickup (ST087E01) • Front Damage | Sedan (ST086E01) • Rear Damage | SUV (ST086E01) • Car-O-Liner Tolerance Settings • Tools • Measuring Is Essential • Documentation • Anchoring • Stress-Relieving • Course Test • Post Course Test Course Codes: ST086E01 & ST087E01 Course Format: Online training with post-test.

Points: 0.5 each course.

Estimated duration: 2 hours per course.

The National Collision Repairer 31

Future Leaders

Growing the next generation NCR caught up with Capricorn’s 2023 Rising Star winner Chelsea Bowers and found at John Edwards Automotive there was more than one future leader, along with a workplace dedicated to fostering industry ambassadors.

After Chelsea Bowers won Capricorn’s Rising Star award six months ago, the then apprentice highlighted wanting to mentor others in the automotive industry as one of her top priorities and personal goals.

Since qualifying as a mechanic, she is not only staying on at John Edwards Automotive but is fulfilling that wish in a workplace that supports and fosters her love of the industry and ambition to keep giving back.

“It’s just the industry where I want to be,” she says.

“And I’ve always known that, but I’ve turned it into a passion of mine, so I really wanted to stick with it. You have all this knowledge and you want to put it to use and better yourself as a technician.

“I think no matter where I am, whether it’s owning a business or becoming a mechanic somewhere else, I think no matter what happens, I will always have that part of me that wants to share my knowledge with the next generation.”

As she develops as a professional and a leader, Bowers has the advantage of knowing what good mentoring looks like at John Edwards Automotive, although she is aware it is not so supportive everywhere in the industry.

“Mentoring and being able to teach the next wave of mechanics is probably one of the most important parts in my role,” she says.

“I want to be the person that I wish

I had back when I was in a dealership.

The person who has patience if you make mistakes, how you overcome them and not do it again, rather than just getting yelled at.”

Bowers says a key element in developing a mentee, so they too can give back as a leader, is being shown trust as they learn.

“I think it’s a sense of independence as well. You know, you’re not just the one that follows the mechanic around with a torch. You have your own jobs that you can do and you are trusted – I think that’s a really important development.”

Alongside this success story at John Edwards Automotive is another young leader, Sam Lawson who completed his apprenticeship there, beginning in 2015, and has been with the company ever since.

Lawson now returns the faith shown in him by developing and guiding the next generation of automotive workers, including Chelsea.

Lawson says being in a great workshop for fostering talent has given him perspectives on both sides of the mentoring relationship.

“I came here very green, with basically no experience in the automotive industry prior,” Lawson says.

“I was lucky in getting a good workplace, a good boss and a good work environment, and community that was able to facilitate the best in you.”

He says the effort put into developing tradespeople not only helps them

“It makes sense

because that’s the way that you’re going to get the most out of people.”

SAM LAWSON

flourish but enables them to give back their best to the business.

“There was always that community of constant encouragement; ‘We want to see the best in you’. That’s the mentality that I’ve clung onto and want to pass that on to any work experience kids or the apprentices that come through the door here as well.

“I’ve always had this experience and it makes sense because that’s the way that you’re going to get the most out of people.”

Lawson says this fostering approach works well in making beginners valuable members of a team that works for the business.

“We’ve got an apprentice we need to train and train them up to a standard where you can just let them loose and let them do their own thing. Because the sooner that you can train them and train them well, the sooner that you’ve got someone who’s productive and is making the business money.”

Owner of the business John Edwards

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.

32 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

said the culture of support and guidance has turned beginners into great team members and assets, pointing out that Chelsea and Sam are already playing active roles outside the workplace in fostering the next generation of tradespeople.

“They’ve gone to four or five schools for their careers days. We set up a table and Sam and Chelsea are there and they’ve encouraged young people to come into the industry,” Edwards says.

“Part of my philosophy is that it’s no use some crusty old fellow trying to tell 16 and 17-year-old students to come into the automotive game. It’s just not going to work.

“But young people telling young people (about it) does. I trust Sam and Chelsea to go in my name and

do those things. And they’ve been really good at that.”

Trusting young employees to be ambassadors for his business and the wider automotive industry makes sense to Edwards because it is about developing the culture he wants within his own workplace.

“We have to be able to empower those young people to do that and let go. It’s not just a business where everything is about me. It’s about a team environment and an enterprise endeavour to try to have the whole workplace working in one direction, rather than everyone sees it as the route to get the best for themselves.”

This workplace culture extends to everyone from experienced technicians to the work-experience students.

Leaders present and future make up the team at John Edwards Automotive in Geebung; Sam Lawson, Chelsea Bowers, John Edwards and Clare Crisp.

“I think that comes across the way they treat anybody coming in from school during the holidays. The way they treat him and build him up. There’s just a culture here.”

“This is about balancing the guidance you show junior staff and giving them responsibility,” Edwards says.

“Most of our first-year apprentices become a first aid officer, so we give them that sense of responsibility early in the piece, and that they’re an important part of our team, not just an add-on to the side. They are integral to the team and this is passed on to everyone.”

The philosophy of the business is also one Edwards extends to workplace behaviour to ensure it is civil and respectful place but also to ensure this extends to a professional approach to all the customers and delivering the best service to them.

“We run a relationship business, not a transactional business and this then feeds everything as well,” he says.

“And we try and maintain the good quality of workplace. There’s just a culture in our place to try and encourage people to be the best person they can be, not just as a technician, but in other areas of their life as well.”

Both Bowers and Lawson are optimistic about the how this professional culture will serve them in a fast changing and complex industry, but they would all like to see a different approach in the way automotive trades are communicated in schools and career forums.

They also want to be realistic, recognising there are still elements of the job which are physically hard but that it is also an increasingly complex technician’s role that should have a higher certification level.

The team at John Edwards were also unanimous in supporting future talent in automotive trades and that it needed to be a respected choice of career and not just the last option for those who couldn’t make it into other more academic professions.

However this new face of the automotive trades looks in the years to come, Bowers and Lawson will be taking an active interest in it and business owners like John Edwards will be eager to nurture that culture to ensure it flourishes.

The National Collision Repairer 33

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Four major players pursue hydrogen fuel ecosystem Four major players in the automotive and energy sectors have joined forces to pursue hydrogen refuelling for future cars in Australia, beginning in the nation’s capital.

Ampol, Hyundai Australia, Pacific Energy and Toyota Australia have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

The agreement brings together four proponents of Australia’s growing hydrogen economy who are committed to building a more sustainable future.

Hyundai and Toyota currently have fuel cell electric vehicles fleets operating in Australia today, while Ampol and Pacific Energy are heavily investing in energy solutions to support customers through the energy transition.

The goal of the agreement is to combine the expertise and capabilities of each of the partners to help develop hydrogen refuelling stations for FCEVs in Canberra.

Ampol managing director and CEO Matt Halliday says the MOU was about

collaborating to develop a system to make hydrogen use as a transport fuel feasible.

“Hydrogen can play an important role in delivering decarbonisation benefits for transport and developing the right infrastructure to support a successful rollout is key,” he says.

Hyundai Australia CEO Ted Lee says Hyundai had already deployed 23 NEXO Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles into Canberra as a partner in the ACT Government’s hydrogen station project since 2021 – the first hydrogen refueller of its kind in Australia.

“Our consortium partners have a great track record of deploying energy and refuelling infrastructure, along with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” Lee says.

“Hyundai looks forward to working with our experienced partner companies and the broader government and business community in the ACT to help the transition to a cleaner and greener transport future.”

Pacific Energy CEO Jamie Cullen says the company was pleased to be a part of the consortium of like-minded

organisations, which he said is driven to decarbonise the transport sector and make Australia’s H2 ecosystem a success.

“Our purpose at Pacific Energy is to transition the world to a clean energy future. To be successful, we know we must collectively lean into bold opportunities that help accelerate our journey towards net zero, and we know hydrogen and zero emissions vehicles play an important role in this approach.”

Toyota Australia president and CEO Matthew Callachor says Toyota has been developing hydrogen capability since 2018 in Australia.

“First with local trials of our Mirai FCEV sedan and then with the establishment of Victoria’s first hydrogen production, storage and refuelling facility,” Mr Callachor says.

“This month, we announced plans to locally assemble and distribute the EODev GEH2 fuel cell generator in Australia and this joint collaboration announced today provides further opportunities to explore and grow this vital technology.”

Walking away with prizes and finely-honed skills Building subtle but precise colour skills for the future is all part of the longterm benefit of exposing young spray painters to competition.

South Metropolitan TAFE Carlise Campus has teamed up with global paint producer PPG and its WA distributors, to put on a memorable event at the annual WA Colour Matching Competition.

PPG commercial transportation and refinish training manager Ray Bondarenko said along with giving apprentice spray painters a chance to win great prizes, while honing their skills in a competitive setting, the latest running of the WA Colour

Matching Competition also highlighted a commitment to developing the tradespeople of the future.

“PPG and the lecturers at South Metropolitan TAFE Carlisle Campus have run the WA Colour Matching Competition for many years and we were determined to put on another great event,” Bondarenko says.

“Our two Perth based PPG distributors, Platinum Auto Paints and Shacks Motor Group, provided close support and we had Eddie Fitzgerald as guest judge. I believe Eddie has put 75 apprentices through his business, Stokes and Renk Panel & Paint, up until his retirement – how good is that!”

“The day ran beautifully,” he says.

“WA has some really talented apprentices coming through the TAFE.” Winner Lewis Mason (West Perth Panel and Paint) won a SATAjet X 5500 Future limited edition spray gun. Second place went to Reagen Bidefeld (Under XS Panel & Paint) and third place went to Dee Htoo (Gemini Balcatta).

The level of competition brings benefits to all those who take part.

The National Collision Repairer 35

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A little distance could cut half the pain With almost half of car crashes occurring from behind, Victoria’s peak motoring body and insurer is hoping a little distance might save motorists a whole lot of pain.

RACV has released figures showing Victoria Police issued over 10,000 fines for tailgating over the last five years along with making up 41 per cent of crash claims.

In Victoria, tailgating, or ‘failing to drive a sufficient distance behind a vehicle,’ has a penalty of up to $248.

A total of 2108 infringements for this dangerous practice were given to drivers in Victoria in 2022, up five per cent from 2001 infringements in 2021.

The financial costs of tailgating went beyond getting caught, as the rear driver was more likely to wear the insurance costs after a collision.

RACV Policy Lead Safety Sam Lynch says many motorists underestimate the distance needed to stop their vehicles.

“Keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you isn’t just a safe driving technique, it’s required by law,” Lynch says.

“The bigger the gap between the two vehicles, the more time you have to break or react to avoid a serious collision.”

“Although a ‘sufficient distance’ can change depending on the road conditions and circumstance, it is recommended to keep at least a twosecond gap between your vehicle and the vehicle in front,” says Lynch.

“To calculate the two-second gap, pick a fixed object on the side of the road and as the vehicle in front of you passes it, start counting. If the front of your car reaches that object before you get to two, you’re travelling too close.

Slow down and increase the distance between the vehicles.

“If you’re driving in low visibility conditions, if it’s wet or foggy, at night, if you’re tired, towing a caravan or driving a heavy vehicle, that gap should be extended to at least four seconds.

Lynch also says the rear-end collision claims could have different causes including tailgating, the front driver not breaking in time or the rear driver accidentally pressing on the accelerator.

“In addition to the obvious safety reasons, motorists should also remember that in the event of a collision, it is often the motorist who runs into the back of another vehicle that is at fault from an insurance perspective,” he says.

“The at fault driver may be required to pay the excess on the policy, which will depend on what the policyholder has chosen.”

Lynch says aggressive and intimidating tailgate driving should not be tolerated but drivers affected should prioritise safety.

“Being tailgated can be intimidating and can divert the concentration of a motorist, resulting in collisions or leading to unsafe driving speeds,” Lynch says.

“While some drivers may be tempted to box the tailgater in and even tap on your brakes to send a message, it’s simply never worth the risk to put yourself in harm’s way.”

The RACV recommends staying calm, maintain a safe speed, prioritise safety and let the car behind pass when safe.

Push to capture girls’ interest in spray painting careers Axalta has continued its presence and support in helping to shape a new generation of repair tradespeople with a particular focus on females in trades.

Axalta Coating Systems has partnered with Training Services NSW and the Apprenticeship Network Provider, VERTO, in delivering programs to introduce female school students in NSW to a diverse array of trades.

VERTO hosted a hands-on Try-ATrade Event at Muirfield High School in North Rocks, Sydney, NSW in October where the school specifically requested this event to assist female students in pursuing careers in traditionally maledominated trades.

Five organisations, each representing different trades, participated, with Axalta providing valuable insights into the collision repair industry.

One highlight was the ‘TradieBot’ Virtual Spray-Painting Simulator, allowing the girls to virtually paint a mudguard, starting from the primer and progressing through the basecoat to the clear coat.

Additionally, Axalta has supported Training Services NSW and VERTO with their recent ‘EmpowerHER’ Trade Days at various schools in Southwest Sydney, including Moorebank High School, Broughton Anglican College, and Bass Hill High.

Following a similar format, this program

aims to provide female students with hands-on experiences to kindle their interest in pursuing a career in the trades. The high school girls, in collaboration with the Axalta team, enaged in virtual spray-painting and took spectrophotometer readings.

Introducing secondary students to career options is vital for future talent.

The National Collision Repairer 37

Local News

Million milestone hit as supply chain frees up car market Another 20 per cent sales surge of new vehicles in October means Australia has passed the one million mark for 2023, as the growth in the automotive sector continues.

After four consecutive monthly records of new sales, October was also up 22.3 per cent or on the previous year, a total of 106,8009 sales, making it the fifth month of the year where sales of new vehicles have passed the 100,000 mark.

The total of 1.006 million vehicles means this has become the new average of sales over the ten month period.

Passenger vehicles took the biggest jump up 32.2 per cent but SUVs continued to dominate the market with more than 55 per cent of all sales made.

Electric vehicles lowered slightly to be 5.7 per cent of vehicles for the month.

FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber says the milestone figure was evidence of the unwavering demand for a wide array of vehicles across various price brackets.

“The Australian market has demonstrated incredible strength and vitality throughout 2023, culminating in Australia reaching one million sales in October for the first time,” Weber says.

“After some challenging years through COVID, this milestone speaks to the range of vehicles available to consumers, affirming Australia’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic and competitive markets. It also reflects vastly improved supply chains.

“In the past six months, five have broken all-time sales records compared with previous years and in October 106,809 new vehicles were delivered to Australian customers.”

Ute sales also continued to show so no signs of abating, with two out of five vehicle sales were either in light commercial utes, large, or upper large SUVs vehicle categories.

The Ford Ranger was the top selling vehicle recording 6,215 sales. It was followed by Toyota HiLux (5,766), Isuzu Ute D-Max (3,198) Toyota RAV4 (2,598) and Toyota Landcruiser (2561).

Toyota was the highest selling marque with 20,298 sales. Mazda followed with 9,316 then Ford (8,605), Hyundai (6,620) and Mitsubishi (6,395).

Sales across every State and Territory increased this month compared with October 2022. Sales in the Australian Capital Territory were 18.9 per cent (1,552); New South Wales 22.8 per cent (33,001); Queensland 16.4 per cent (21,937); South Australia 20 per cent (6,677); Tasmania 20.8 per cent (1,996); Victoria 32 per cent (30,740); Western Australia 12.3 per cent (10,166) and Northern Territory 1.9 per cent (740).

The Ford Ranger is proving continually popular and now comes as a hybrid.

New CEO to lead MTAA in a time of change The policy director from the FCAI will take over the helm of the Australia’s leading automotive industry advocacy body from January with a key focus on advocacy and policy at a time of change.

Matthew Hobbs will move from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries where he is director of policy and advocacy to take over the chief executive role at the Motor Trades Association of Australia.

The MTAA represents the Motor Traders’ Association of New South Wales, the Victorian and Tasmanian Automobile Chamber of Commerce, the Motor Trades Association of the ACT, the Motor Trade Association of South Australia and Northern Territory, the

38 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

Motor Trade Association of Western Australia, and the Motor Trades Association of Queensland, where Geoff Gwilym has been filling the role as Interim CEO. Hobbs brings a breadth of experience in the automotive industry, including senior executive roles with GM Holden, General Motors and Nissan Motors internationally.

MTAA Chairman, Frank Agostino welcomed Hobbs to the role and said he would bring experience to the organisation including securing substantial government incentives, developing restructuring plans, asset disposal, business savings, and obtaining favourable

industry trade and regulatory settings.

“Mr Hobbs has a great automotive industry pedigree and brings a wealth of experience in policy and advocacy work for the industry,” Agostino said.

“These attributes will be critical for MTAA, particularly given the anticipated changes and disruption the industry will experience as we transition to an electric vehicle fleet.”

The role will have a central focus on working with its member bodies, and with the industry and government.

The creation of high-quality policy and industry submissions to governments, along with building strong relationships between MTAA and policy makers, will be priority actions for Mr Hobbs.

Push to share crash data sharing An almost five per cent increase in crash deaths in Australia, has led a peak motoring body to call for better publication of road safety data to find solutions.

The Australian Automobile Association has launched its Data Saves Lives campaign following the deaths of 1,240 people on roads across Australia in the 12 months to 30 September 2023.

The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics data show deaths rose by 17.2 per cent in NSW, 28.4 per cent in South Australia, 7 per cent in Western Australia and 6.7per cent in Victoria over this period, with cycling deaths up 30.3per cent and pedestrian deaths up 11.3per cent.

Despite a commitment from governments to halving road fatalities by 2030 in the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, deaths are now 13 per cent higher than when it was adopted.

The association’s calculations also show this number is 25 per cent or more than 300 lives above where it should be if the combined governments had adhered and met the targets of the strategy.

The AAA is calling for the publication

of crucial road safety data and better centralised examination of causes to better understand current failings and to guide development of future interventions.

The AAA wants federal road grants funding, such as the Blackspot program, to be dependent on the states’ compliance with the reporting and publication.

The AAA wants the data the states to specifically report on data including describing the causes of crashes, the state of our roads, and the effectiveness of law enforcement.

Currently there are major gaps in the national collection of crash data around whether they are CBD roads or national highways and relating to serious injuries.

AAA Managing Director Michael Bradley said the current reporting was “shockingly inadequate” given much of the data was already collected.

“This is low-hanging fruit that must no longer be ignored,” Bradley said.

“Not only do our governments neglect to report, share and use data that they hold, but three of the strategy’s five headline targets remain either unmeasured or unreported.

“Australia’s current approach to road safety is not working and data transparency is needed to allow an examination of the factors responsible for current failings,” Bradley said.

“Data transparency and evidencebased policy will cost next to nothing and will save lives. It would also provide a new level of funding transparency and assure voters that their political representatives are spending taxpayers’ money where it will be most effective in making our roads safer.”

The AAA is calling on the Commonwealth and states to include data sharing obligations in the next fiveyear National Partnership Agreement on Land Transport Infrastructure Projects, currently under development and set to take effect from July 2024.

The Commonwealth already attaches similar data sharing requirements to national funding in agreements related to health, education, and housing.

The Data Save Lives campaign is supported by Australia’s state and territory motoring clubs, as well as 17 industry and community organisations focused on saving lives and preventing injuries on Australian roads.

Leading retail player joins AAAA board The general manager of a major retail player in the automotive industry is the latest addition adding experience to the board of the aftermarket’s peak advocacy body.

Executive General Manager Steve Drummy of Bapcor Trade, the group responsible for many household names Steve Drummy from Bapcor Trade has joined the AAAA board.

in the aftermarket industry, including Burson Auto Parts, Autobarn and Midas has taken up the role of director on the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association board.

His role will add to the ten nonexecutive directors led by chair Mark Pedder from Pedder Suspension, and CEO Stuart Charity to guide the strategic direction of the AAAA and the aftermarket industry.

AAAA CEO Stuart Charity welcomed Drummy to the board at the 43rd AAAA Annual General Meeting, on October 23 in Melbourne.

“Steve brings a strong business acumen to the board and great passion for the industry and will be another valued voice on a very strong and diverse

board guiding the strategic direction of our industry,” Charity said.

Drummy says he was delighted to be joining the board and to continue Bapcor’s support of the AAAA. “The AAAA has a vital role to play in the aftermarket industry, which employs over 40,000 people nationally and includes businesses of all sizes across Australia,” Drummy says.

“I look forward to contributing to the Board and working with my fellow directors to ensure we continue to have a thriving and robust aftermarket industry in Australia and that the AAAA is the best possible representative for our industry.”

Three existing AAAA Board members, Adam Pay, Janelle Gonzales and Wayne Bryant were also re-elected.

The National Collision Repairer 39

Stateside with John Yoswick

Returning to full strength The annual industry SEMA show in Las Vegas was back close to capacity and was bursting with optimism at every meeting, John Yoswick reports from the US. The 2023 SEMA show returned fully to its pre-pandemic size, with more than 2,200 exhibitors and about 160,000 attendees filling virtually every space in and around the Las Vegas Convention Center. The collision repair industry was well represented, and nearly every meeting included one or more speaker conveying a high level of optimism about the future for those repairing crashdamaged vehicles.

“I don’t think there has been a better time in history to be an owner in the collision repair industry,” Cole Strand of Focus Investment Banking, said during a panel discussion about consolidation at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC). “I think your options are incredible.

Whether you want to sell now, whether you want to grow, whether you want to specialise, you only have great options.”

Strandberg, whose firm works on

The crowds have returned to the SEMA show in large numbers.

40 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

mergers and acquisitions within the industry, agreed with another panelist who said that while multi-shop operations will continue to grow – in the U.S. and internationally – the future of the industry will never be fully dominated by just a few chains. Cole said he thinks it will look more like the restaurant industry.

“You have the national players, you have the regional players, and you have the local players who are typically really good at one thing,” Strandberg said. “I think that’s an opportunity for smaller operations to specialise.”

Rex Green, the managing director of automotive aftermarket investment banking at Jefferies LLC, agreed, saying most shops are full and no one he’s talked to sees any change in that for the foreseeable future. Speaking at another SEMA week event, the “MSO Symposium,” Green recalled seeing a

“preposterous” slide presented at an event in 2015 predicting an imminent and massive drop-off in claims because of autonomous vehicles. The decline could never happen as quickly as the chart indicated, Green said, if only because of how slowly the make-up of the vehicle population changes.

“What’s clear and what’s important is that ‘existential threat’ was an empty threat, but it did leave us this wonderful gift of ADAS, which is probably the best thing, in the last 10 years, that we’ve had,” he said. “And it’s going carry this industry greatly both in profit and sales going forward.”

A decade ago, he said, economic growth in the industry was all predicatedon building scale and efficiencies. “There wasn’t anything that was propelling the revenues of the industry per repair vehicle like what we’re hearing now,”

Frank Terlap wants ADAS certification.

Green said. “ADAS calibration, the digital side of the repair industry, is simply giving this industry organic growth that it didn’t have 10 years ago. Some of the numbers that I’ve seen, some of my clients, are showing in a properly operated shop, 10 per cent of revenues can be calibration revenues. And add a hundred basis points, maybe more, to margin. And God bless it. There is just no end to this for the foreseeable future.”

Frank Terlep, chairman of CIC, had opened the prior quarter’s meeting this past summer with a call for the industry to address the issue of supplement processing, which he calculated was costing the industry in the US alone US$3.3 billion a year. At CIC during SEMA week, he turned his focus to transparency within the industry, saying vehicle technology is too critical to driver and passenger safety not to be “completely, 100 per cent transparent in terms of what goes on in the repairs, what goes on in the whole process.”

He also said there’s a need for certification of the technicians performing ADAS work.

“Right now, we’re at the beginning of what I’m calling the wild west of ADAS services and calibrations,” Terlep said.

“We have an opportunity to shape the future of that segment of our business right now. We’ve got to find a way to get people who are repairing ADASequipped vehicles, calibrating these vehicles, to make sure they’re doing it right and make sure they’re trained to do it right. It’s critical in my opinion. We’re at the stage of this business where we can do this. We’ve got to stop people from calibrating vehicles in parking lots.

We got to stop people from calibrating vehicles in wash bays. We’ve got to stop people from calibrating cars in any other place other than a place where they need to be calibrated. I challenge this industry to do that.”

Another panel at CIC offered an update on the “Collision Engineering

Program,” now in place at more than a half dozen colleges around the around the country; the two-year program trains students by rotating them every eight weeks between school and working in a shop. Graduates and instructors who have experienced the program talked about why it works so well, and two shop representatives who have helped trained – and eventually hired – students through the program also raved about it, encouraging the industry to help the program expand to even more schools.

While many speakers during the week’s event focused on the good news for the industry in the short-term, Green also took a shot at looking at the longerrange outlook. In 20 to 30 years from now, Green said, those influencing (if not dictating) vehicle service and repair – insurers, fleet operators, OEMs – will want even more consolidated “curated networks” of service providers.

“As you think about it, almost all automotive repair today is done in specialty locations: tyres, general repair, collision, glass,” Green said.

“What would be best would be if there was someone who could provide multiple of these services. What would a provider of comprehensive service in the future look like? National – and eventual international – scale and reach. Location density. Large locations not in high rent areas because you don’t need to be seen. A business-tobusiness service focus. Well-invested in-service technology. And then a range of technicians, including the very highly skilled. Now, who can think of a class of service provider that has all of these things? I can’t think of any other class of service provider that has all of these things except collision.”

The CIC panel at SEMA focuses on some of the key issues facing the industry.

The National Collision Repairer 41

Europe Insight with Barry Edney

The view from up here Wherever in the world you operate, the industry serves up many challenges. Barry Edney takes a look at the European situation and some of the issues Australian repair businesses will recognise and some they may not.

In my last article in May 2023, I looked at how the repairers here in the UK were managing the current challenges in the industry. This month, I have an update on the UK market and look at the key challenges being faced by the repairers in two key European markets, Germany, and France. These two markets interestingly show many of the same issues being faced by UK repairers despite the very different market structures.

Parts availability

In my last article for NCR, I covered the UK parts situation in quite some depth and reported the growing trend to use recycled parts. This is not only to reduce costs but also being driven by the urge to recycle and scrap less, along with the ongoing parts availability issues. In a recent survey by Der Zentralverband Karosserie - und Fahrzeugtechnik (ZKF) Germany’s Central Association of Car Body and Vehicle Technology, 28 per cent reported that jobs were delayed due to parts availability and 72 per cent said that rising parts prices were squeezing margins on jobs. Interestingly I reported that parts pricing was under pressure in Europe 5 years ago and this is still the case today. In most cases, the repairers complain about declining purchasing power which reflects Europe wide trend of parts discounts being squeezed as vehicle manufacturers consolidate their parts distribution.

Although there is no hard data available, my contacts in France are reporting similar issues with parts availability. This seems to be affecting the independent repair sector more than the dealership-based repairers. Independents are usually smaller repair shops than we see in the UK or Australia. Larger shops are typically part of a dealer site and repair single makes, giving them access to the manufacturers parts system where they can source from across the EU. Even so, there have been challenges obtaining parts made overseas, particularly for Asian sourced items.

The latest feedback from shops in the UK, France and Germany is that parts availability has eased recently, but it is too soon to tell if this will lead to a consistent improvement of Work in Progress and reduced cycle times.

Skills and skills training

Skills and skills training has been a challenging topic across our industry for as long as I can remember. No matter what country I visit or research, the feedback is always that there are a lack of trained technicians and a lack of new trainees coming through training pipeline.

In the UK, we are seeing a real skills crunch. Insurers are pushing repair over replace to keep costs down, but also to ensure cars are not part finished as they wait for parts to arrive. This has highlighted the shortage of fully trained and experienced technicians and caused

Some of the typical damage repair shops are seeing.

42 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

a surge in wages as body shops compete for new workers. Of course, this just adds to the cost pressure on the business.

A lecturer at one of the UK training providers complained to me recently, that there are not enough experienced technicians in the body shops to fully train the apprentices in practical repair techniques. This means that even when they complete their apprenticeship, they lack the comprehensive hands-on skill to focus on the repair instead of replacing of parts. Two large consolidators, Steer Group and Gemini have both set up their own training academies in an attempt to address this challenge.

France is facing the same challenge and competition for skilled and experienced tradesmen is driving up wages there as well, also contributing to the pressure on profitability. To address this, many repairers are approaching trade schools directly to recruit newly qualified repairers, settling for trained but not experienced workers in an attempt to remain fully staffed.

An issue that I wrote about in an earlier edition of NCR was the lack of skills available to install and calibrate the multitude of ADAS equipment found on modern vehicles. This is also seen as a key challenge for the independent repairers in France who are generally smaller and are unable to invest in the equipment needed or the skills development required.

In Germany, I hear similar reports but

with a different structure to the market and an active industry association, they seem to be managing the skills development. The key challenge is attracting young people to a career in car repair in the first place.

Cost pressures

All businesses are facing increasing cost pressures, seemingly from everywhere.

The most common themes are wage growth, fuelled by high inflation and the skills shortage, high interest rates, energy costs and parts costs. Wage growth and interest rates have probably been the least recoverable costs for all repairers as insurers pay the same rate to all repairers regardless of their cost base.

In Europe, we are all feeling the impact of the Ukraine war on energy costs both domestically and in businesses. For quite a few years, many EU countries were encouraging businesses to take advantage of green energy schemes and install wind turbines and solar panels to reduce dependence on the grid. Interestingly the recent ZKF survey suggested that 68 per cent of repairers have already, or are planning to, install alternative energy solutions. Of those already using alternative energy sources, 80 per cent are using solar panels. Take up in France and UK is much lower and no data is available to fully understand the trend.

I have reported before how the vehicle manufacturers have restructured their parts distribution networks across Europe, making them more streamlined and focussed on specialist distribution.

The effect of this is reduced discounts and rebates which pushes up prices that cannot always be passed on to insurers.

The collapse of Nationwide in late 2020 and further car dealer closures since has made UK banks nervous of the industry and they see independent repairers as a credit risk and that makes cashflow tight, limiting flexibility.

in UK capacity is the requirement to repair over replace, as it just takes more labour hours and relies on experienced technicians. Many shops found during Covid, that they could repair fewer cars and remain profitable, reducing capacity when they reopened.

For most UK repairers, getting cars in the door is not a problem. Work providers push their work into around 75 per cent of body shops, trading volume for price.

The remaining shops are managing to fill their shops with work from local fleets, contracts with local businesses, and vehicle remarketing work. As there is no sign of claims rates falling, the capacity problem in the UK will only get worse in the UK as the skills shortage continues to bite.

The market is structured quite differently in Germany. Car dealerships take the lead in all repairs as they are seen as the experts. In most cases they will subcontract the body repair to a local body shop and subcontract the painting to a separate paint shop. As a result, there is good access to the parts and repair data but little chance to make a margin on parts and consumables. This is leading many of these businesses to consider their future and the ZKF survey indicates that 40 per cent of shops plan to downsize or handover their business at some point. 31 per cent of all respondents indicated they would exit their business within 5 years. Only 4 per cent said they are considering selling to a consolidator which would suggest these shops will be lost to the industry.

In France, most car dealership sites include a full collision repair centre.

There are quite a number of independent

shops, but these are generally smaller.

The split between dealer based and independent is currently estimated as 40 - 45 per cent independent – 55 - 60 per cent dealership based. With the rapid growth of electric vehicles and the reduced levels of servicing these vehicles need, there is a lot of concern that many car dealerships sites will close, taking the collision centres with them.

Independents are also concerned that as ADAS technology advances, requiring more skills, more equipment and more space, it will simply make repairing cars too difficult in their smaller shops. With the added complexity of handling EVs and the growth of collision avoidance systems, they fear they will be forced out of the market.

Some bright(er) spots

It’s not only bad news. As always, I try and look for the positives and make sure to highlight them where I can.

The UK government recently pushed back the deadline for eliminating 100 per cent fossil fuelled vehicle to align with the EUs target date. They have also loosened restrictions on domestic oil and gas extraction to reduce the reliance on overseas sources, which they hope will ease price pressures. Many insurers across Europe have increased rates a little, although it’s not clear yet whether this is enough to relieve all the cost pressures repairers are facing.

There will be some more failures and some of our colleagues will decide to hang up their collision repairer’s hat.

But as always, the great people in our industry are finding a way to succeed and will come out the other side.

Capacity crunch

All these pressures have really made the independent repairers rethink their options and we are now seeing decisions made that really impact capacity of the market.

We did see a few body shops close during and just after Covid, but that seems to have settled down for now, with no recent examples coming to my attention. The key reason for the squeeze

In the UK there are sometimes not enough experienced technicians in a workshop to fully train the apprentices in practical repair techniques.

The National Collision Repairer 43

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Global News

Plant marks the start of next 50 years Hyundai has embarked on the next stage of its massive push into electrification with the start of its billiondollar dedicated EV plant in Ulsan.

Hyundai Motor Company will invest US$1.5 billion into the South Korean plant where it began its motor production journey 56 years ago as part of wide scale push into future mobility that includes EVs, hydrogen fuelled mobility, automated driving and other future innovations.

The Hyundai Motor Company 2023 strategy called ‘Hyundai Motor Way’ is aimed at raising its global sales of EVs to 2 million vehicles per year by 2030. It will spend $10 billion per year globally in a bid to be a global mobility leader in the brave new world of transportation and meet the 34 per cent demand of all cars expected by 2030.

The EV-dedicated plant in Ulsan will form part of a 548,000 m2 site with a capacity to produce 200,000 EVs per year with full-scale construction set to be completed in 2025, and vehicle mass production to start in 2026. The electric SUV from luxury brand, Genesis, will be the first model to be produced.

The new plant also aims to continue the investment in the city and Hyundai’s role as an innovator that was the legacy of founding chairman Ju-yung Chung who chose Ulsan as the heart of Korean automotive manufacturing.

Ju-yung Chung (1915-2001), believed the car industry would become the cornerstone of the Korean economy and underpin the country’s industrial development.

“We have the world’s greatest strength, and that strength is the world’s best craftsmen. I am confident that thanks to their ability and dedication, Korean cars, our cars, will soon take the world by storm,” Ju-yung Chung was quoted at the ceremony.

The Ulsan plant began as an assembly plant in 1968 before the first mass production of Hyundai Motor’s first unique model, the Pony, in 1975 from where the company quickly grew onto the global market.

The Pony’s mass production also led to technological independence, with local automotive parts production where the company had been previously reliant on overseas markets. Now Ulsan is the largest single plant in the world, the centre of the company’s finished vehicle production and the birthplace of the Korean automotive industry.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung said the sod turning at Ulsan was a milestone that looked forward to the company’s future.

“The new EV-dedicated plant in Ulsan is the beginning of a promising future for the next 50 years and the era of electrification. I am honoured to share our dream of a 100-year company here,” said Executive Chair Chung.

“Just as the dream of building the best car in the past made Ulsan an automotive city today, Hyundai will work together to make Ulsan an innovative mobility city that leads the way in the era of electrification, starting with a dedicated EV plant.”

The EV-dedicated facility will be

An artist’s impression of the new plant in Ulsan that will be completed in 2025.

Hyundai Motor’s first new plant in Korea in 29 years, following the opening of the Asan plant in 1996.

The plant will also aim to fulfill Hyundai Motor’s human-centred values to providing people with the experience of free movement and striving for harmonious coexistence, aimed at customers and employees.

The new EV-dedicated plant will feature a nature-friendly design to reduce worker fatigue and encourage interaction with each other, a departure from the dreary factory environment of heavy machinery, the company said.

Natural light will be maximised inside the factory so that workers can feel the warmth of the sun, and the group lounge, which will be used as a rest and office space, will be organised in an open format so that people can gather naturally.

The plant’s Central Park, which brings the nature of Ulsan into the facility, is expected to become a rest area and a hub connecting each building.

Solar power panels and upcycled concrete panels will be applied to the building façade, making it a sustainable plant that minimises carbon emissions.

The South Korean location is the home where Hyundai Motor developed global models as Sonata, Accent and Elantra. In 1991, Hyundai Motor’s first EV prototype, Sonata (Y2) EV, was developed, and the following year, the first driverless car successfully completed its initial test drive on the Belgian Road test track.

“For the past half-century, Hyundai’s Ulsan Plant has evolved as technicians on the production line have learned, created and challenged new things,” said Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “Inheriting the heritage of the Ulsan Plant, which has turned grand dreams into reality through the power of people, Hyundai will do its best to become the first mover in the electrification era with the pride and responsibility to create mobility innovations for people.”

HMGICS’ manufacturing innovation platform includes demand-driven, AI-based intelligent control systems; eco-friendly, low-carbon construction methods to achieve carbon neutrality and 100 per cent renewable energy use.

The National Collision Repairer 45

Global News

Is EV ‘noise’ distracting repairers from ADAS skills uptake?

A leading UK motoring advocacy body has warned of a dangerous gap between the uptake of ADAS technology and trained technicians able to service the cars.

The Institute of the Motor Industry released its Tech Safe Report, estimating one in ten cars on UK roads feature level two autonomy, a rate that will grow to almost half by 2030 but that there were currently only about 3,500 ADASqualified technicians in the UK, The IMI says this leaves a void of 18,000 technicians to meet the current requirement of servicing ADAS functions on cars. While Australia’s uptake of ADAS systems has not been as advanced and laws regarding higher levels of automated driving are several years away, the UK example points to another potential future gap in the industry skills.

It is estimated some form of basic ADAS safety system, up to level two, is in 20 per cent of the current Australian car parc but the Department

of Transport and Infrastructure predicts this will increase rapidly to 65 per cent of cars by 2050 incorporating level four and five ADAS. In the UK, IMI CEO Steve Nash says he was concerned the high-profile publicity of electric vehicle emergence and technology has distracted the repair sector and government from this more urgent and immediate need.

“Adapting a workforce to meet the rapidly evolving needs of an increasingly advanced car parc is no mean feat and certainly there has been plenty of focus on getting ready for EV,” Nash says.

“However, at the IMI we fear this could actually mean the sector has taken its eye off the ball in relation to upskilling for ADAS. “This technology is already present in vehicles on UK roads. But with only 3,500 technicians ADAS qualified there’s a real risk that repairs and recalibration is taking place without the proper skills – and that is a serious risk to road safety.”

The IMI believes this skills gap could create a postcode lottery when it comes to finding a qualified technician, forcing motorists to resort to using garages that do not have the right equipment or qualified ADAS technicians for safe repairs.

“The void in ADAS qualified technicians also highlights a lack of focus on training by aftermarket businesses for this safety-critical technology, despite the considerable earning potential it offers.

“We understand that high vacancy rates and ongoing economic pressures are making investment in additional training more difficult for businesses”, says Nash.

“However, futureproofing the workforce is essential for continued profitability as well as road safety.”

The IMI is concerned problems with the electronics, sensors and software within these vital systems could lead to serious safety breaches or even dangerous collisions.

PPG backs atlas of ‘change and unity’ Global coatings giant PPG will boost its sustainability credentials by teaming up with a small Czech organisation to publish better data in English on climate change.

PPG will invest US$5Mil into environmental sustainability education by 2030 across the globe and is partnering with Czech organisation ‘Facts on Climate Change’ (Fakta o klimatu) to publish the Atlas of Climate Change in English.

The flagship project was formerly only offered in Czech.

Facts on Climate Change is a team of independent analysts and experts who aim to create educational resources on climate change which are based on factual, constructive and science-based data.

PPG is also involved in Facts on Climate Change’s other initiatives, including a podcast series centred on the social and human aspects of climate

46 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

change and the creation of educational materials for teachers.

“As a business committed to environmental responsibility, we recognise the significance of organisations like Facts on Climate Change as educators,” PPG Czechia, Architectural Coatings sales director Jan Šipan says.

“Its work demystifies climate impacts and promotes unity in addressing it through education. Supporting it helps create a future where facts, understanding and collective education drive positive change.”

Facts on Climate Change founder and director Ondráš Přibyla says the organisation provides a basic and clear data framework for discussion, through which meaningful and long-term solutions can be found.

“Finding and promoting solutions to the rise in global average temperature and other environmental problems is not

a simple or easy task, so we are thrilled to partner with PPG and receive its generous support.

“PPG’s commitment to sustainability aligns with our mission to make climate knowledge accessible for all. This partnership helps us expand our initiatives, ensuring more people have the facts to contribute to a more sustainable future.”

The atlas will now appear in English.

Automated vehicles bring mixed decisions A US court decision could have interesting implications for the future rollout of automated driving systems and the responsibility OEM’s have when things go wrong.

In the latest test case, electric car giant Tesla won its first U.S. trial over claims an Autopilot driver assistant feature led to a death.

Tesla still faces numerous other legal battles over the same autopilot technology, but the allegations made at the Riverside County case that the technology was defective were rejected by the court.

International news agency Reuters reported that the civil lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court alleged the Autopilot system caused owner Micah Lee’s Model 3 to suddenly veer off a highway east of Los Angeles at 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour), strike a palm tree and burst into flames in 2019.

The 2019 crash killed Lee and seriously injured his two passengers, including

an eight-year-old boy, Reuters reported.

The plaintiffs had also asked the jury for $400 million plus punitive damages, it said.

But the defence for Tesla argued Lee had consumed alcohol prior to driving and that it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash.

The jury found 9-3 the vehicle did not have a manufacturing defect after four days of deliberations.

Tesla responded after the case in a statement and said its cars are well designed and make the roads safer.

This is the second big win for Tesla this year following a trial in Los Angeles in April arguing it tells drivers that its technology requires human monitoring, despite the “Autopilot” and “Full SelfDriving” names.

That case involved a Model S swerving into the curb and injuring its driver, but the jury said distraction may have been involved. How the decisions affect future court cases remains to be seen but the

civil court outcomes back Tesla’s position that when accidents occur on the road involving their vehicles the ultimate responsibility rests with drivers.

By contrast in the UK a decision to make manufacturers of automated cars legally liable for crashes will be included in a new raft of proposed laws.

Britain will make the makers rather than the owners of self-driving cars liable, arguing it would protect users and promote safety.

The government would bring forward an Automated Vehicles Bill as part of the government’s legislative agenda outlined by King Charles in a speech to lawmakers.

“My ministers will introduce new legal frameworks to support the safe commercial development of emerging industries, such as self-driving vehicles,” King Charles said.

Earlier reports had signalled that unless the legislation was enacted the UK stood to miss out on technology investment.

Pakistan added to diverse juror list The dedication to diversity at a leading car award continues with the inclusion of a Pakistani journalist the latest to join the varied group of jurors.

The Women’s World Car of the Year have announced Fariha Aftab has joined its international jury now making features 75 judges from 52 countries.

Fariha Aftab is a motoring freelance journalist in Pakistan where she enjoys a widespread reputation for a keen insight into technology innovation and will now join the ranks of the exclusively women motoring journalists who make up the jury of the awards.

She started her career as a project engineer at a Chinese automotive company FAW as and decided to become freelance to keep in touch with journalists and influencers from all over the world.

“It is an opportunity that a regular 9 to 5 job wouldn’t have provided me,” she says. “Moreover, being a car enthusiast brings so much motivation to add value

to everyday readers’ life by crafting engaging articles.”

She says her love for automobiles reaches back to her childhood, but she never thought of becoming an automotive writer.

“I think it is my destiny”, she says.

“Joining as a freelance automotive writer has now provided me a window to showcase my passion for the latest car technology, innovations, and trends”.

Peugeot, MG, and Proton have been introduced to Pakistan to compete with Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Kia and Hyundai.

Fariha Aftab joins the WWCOTY jury.

The National Collision Repairer 47

Industry Awards

HELD ANNUALLY, THE RECIPIENTS OF NCR’S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS ARE INDUCTED AND HONOURED FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY.

Join us in Melbourne on Wednesday 10 April 2024 for the annual National Collision Repairer Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Held annually, the recipients of The National Collision Repairer’s Lifetime Achievement Awards are inducted and honoured for their outstanding service to the collision repair industry.

In 2024, the awards evening will see two further awards presented on the night: the Woman in Automotive Award and an award for the young achiever from the repair industry.

The special event will be held next year in partnership with the Collision Repair Expo making it an unmissable event for anyone involved in the industry.

The National Collision Repairer Lifetime Achievement Awards began in 2007 and 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”.

The criteria for induction are a minimum of 20 years in the collision repair industry, contributions to the industry beyond the scope of their local area, contributions to the industry beyond the scope of their direct employment and nomination from within the industry.

We extend our congratulations to the recipients of the Life Achievement Awards, acknowledging

48 www.nationalcollisionrepairer.com.au

their invaluable contributions and recognising that their lifetime dedication to the industry has played a significant role in shaping it into the vibrant and cutting-edge field it is today.

The gathering each year represents a who’s who of the repair industry, including sponsors, collision repairers, suppliers, insurers, and previous inductees who gather to celebrate the people that make the industry strong, innovative and supportive.

The Roll also includes five international recipients from New Zealand, the United States, and Sweden, who have 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.

This award recognises the recipients’ perseverance, contributions, and experience, which amounts to a staggering total of over 1,900 years.

Importantly, we continue to attract sponsorships from 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” and now, recognises the industry’s bright future.

The awards in April 2024 will celebrate the best in the repair industry.

Proudly Sponsored by:

2007 Richard Nathan

2013

Tom Vukelic

2018

Michael Wilkinson

2007

David Weatherall

2013

Robin Taylor

2019

Mark Czvitkovits

2008

Terry Flanagan OAM

2013

Ray McMartin

2019

Martin Stone AM

2008

Marshall Duncan

2013

Colin Edwards

2019

Julie Wadley

2008

Graham Winter

2014

Ian Wilkinson

2019

Walter Zuber (Int)

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Jeff Hendler (Int)

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Julie Thomas

2020

Brad Franklin

2009

Max Chanter

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Brian Johnson

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Jim Vais

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John Howes

2014

Terry Feehan

2020

Jeff Williams

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Robert Renwick (Int)

2015

Owen Webb OAM

2021

Steve Economidis

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David Newton-Ross

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Phil Nixon

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Garry Maher

2010

Wayne Phipps

2015

Trevor Parkes

2021

Peter McMahon

2010

Richard Pratt

2016

Tony Warrener OAM

2021

Rob Mildenhall

2010

Bob Rees

2016

Brenton Abbott

2022

Tony Cafasso

2011

Lance Weiss

2017

Michael Killen

2022

Michelle Morgan

2011

Mark Brady

2017

Carl Tinsley

2022

Peter Ruggeri

2011

Don Wait OAM

2017

Per Madsen (Int)

2022

Darren Wales

2012

Tony Farrugia

2017

Rex Crowther (Int)

2023

Ben Chesterfield

2012

Bob Christie

2018

Garry Clear

2023

Scott Donnelly

2012

John Zulian

2018

Cec Simpson

2023

Morry Corvasce The National Collision Repairer 49

Custom Corner

When yank tanks were top of the class Lovers of classic cars will know their pedigree, but these Aussie derived versions of the famous American car were the envy of many in the 1960’s.

IN 1960S Australia, if you wanted to create an impression and flaunt personal success, an American car was almost essential.

The tradition of building local versions of US designs dated back to the 1920s, but the currency- strapped 1950s, saw the proportion of North American car sales fall in our market.

The words ‘North American’ were important, because most of our USdesigned cars came from Canadian factories where they were built in right- hand drive. They were also sold

under Commonwealth Preference agreements, which made Canadian cars cheaper than the same models sourced from US factories.

Corporate and government sales were vital to local survival of large American cars. Look at new footage of Federal Parliament in the 1960s and there would be lines of Bel Airs, Dodges and Galaxies awaiting their ministerial cargo.

Slightly smaller models such as the ‘compact’ Ford Fairlane, Rambler Rebel and Studebaker Lark,

also sold in significant numbers but for less glamorous existences, becoming ambulances and police pursuit vehicles. Owning an Aussie-assembled American car remains affordable and convenient.

Maintenance costs won’t starve you and a lot of repairs can be done in the home garage.

Parts are mostly compatible with items being made for multiple suppliers to the US collector market, and scarcity shouldn’t become a problem for years.

PONTIAC PARISIENNE 1963-70 Aussie built Pontiacs look very different to Chevrolets of similar vintage, but under the skin they were remarkably similar.

Canadian-sourced Pontiacs used the Chevrolet ‘B Platform’ chassis which was shorter than the US chassis.

They also shared 4.7-litre (283 cubic-inch) and 5.3-litre (327 cubic-inch) Chevrolet motors, not Pontiac’s more potent 6.6-litre V8. Local cars used the two-speed Powerglide transmission in place of the North American, Hydramatic three- speed.

Local Pontiacs were still seen as more prestigious than Chevrolets and were also more expensive. In 1966 an Impala Hardtop cost $5836 against the Parisienne Sport at $6076, but equipment and fittings were very similar.

Local Parisiennes are now harder to find than Chevs in the current market, with US import Bonneville two-doors generally easier to source than a late-1960s Parisienne four-door.

Values are up on the levels of 10 years ago and it is now reasonable to pay $40-45,000 for a local Pontiac in excellent condition.

RAMBLER REBEL/MATADOR 1967-78 These products of American Motors rank as the most ‘Australian’ of all the big US imports, but will generally cost less.

Ramblers were assembled since the 1950s by Australian Motor Industries in Melbourne and with progressively increasing levels of Australian content.

Kits from the American Motors plant in Wisconsin came with body panels, mechanical components, suspension and electrics. Other parts including trim, tyres and glass were sourced from local suppliers.

Local Ramblers – the name remained in use for a decade, after US versions were renamed as AMCs – were also painted in a range of colours not offered in the USA; colours found on Toyotas and Triumphs, which were also assembled by AMI. Ramblers have, for many years, been the most affordable of American-sourced cars. However, greater awareness of their capabilities has increased demand and helped push prices of well-kept cars to around $30,000. Matador wagons with seating for eight can make even more.

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DODGE PHOENIX 1960-72 Show your Phoenix to an American and the reaction would very likely be, ‘nice Plymouth.’

When sourcing cars for CKD (Complete Knock Down) delivery from North America, the local Chrysler operation had to take whatever was available and alter what arrived, to suit local market needs.

During the early years of the 1960s, Phoenix styling changed regularly and was usually based on the previous year’s Plymouth. Four new shapes in five years would have sent spare parts departments nuts, however from 1969-72 the sheet metal remained consistent, with only the grille and hubcaps changing.

Our 1960s Dodges struggled with standard 5.2-litre engines and threespeed Torqueflite trans. The year 1967 brought a stylish Hardtop with a 383 cubic-inch (6.3-litre) V8, but weren’t available in sedans.

Front disc brakes were a welcome addition too; fitted as standard from 1969, but able to be retro fitted to earlier cars.

Pre-1965 models have, over the past 15 years, become significantly more expensive, with some in the current market topping $50,000. The 1965-67 models are generally cheaper, although 1967-68 Hardtops exceed $35,000. That’s where you should find 1969-72 ‘Limited 400’ cars.

FORD GALAXIE/LTD 1965-73 In 1965, Ford began assembling the Galaxie in Australia, making changes to suit local conditions and adding as much local content as possible.

In common with Holden dealers selling Chevs and Pontiacs, big American Fords came from Canada and sold through the Ford dealer network.

Local assembly ceased during 1969, with US-sourced cars converted to RHD prior to sale. Government and fleet business kept Galaxies viable until 1973, when the Fairlane-based LTD took on the flagship role. Galaxies built here came with 4.7-litre engines, but anyone wanting to tow a big boat or van could opt for the 390 cubic-inch, 6.4-litre V8.

Galaxie sedans were Australian-assembled, however two-door Galaxie Hardtops, convertibles and wagons have arrived over the years as private imports.

Today they cost only a little more than local products, in similar condition.

Values during the past 10 years have surged and taken the cost of a good, mid1960s sedan from around $16,000 in 2013-14, to over $30,000 by 2023.

CHEVROLET BEL AIR/IMPALA 1960-69 For decades, Australia assembled US-made Chevs before sourcing them from Canada, due to RHD availability and to preserve Australia’s limited stocks of US currency. By 1960, all Australian-assembled Chevs had V8s, a 283ci (4.6lt) in Bel Air sedans and 327ci (5.3lt), after 1964, in the pillarless Impala Hardtop.

Marketed as prestige models, some had leather upholstery, but few other luxuries.

Features included a heater/demister, a cigar lighter, but they had wind-up windows and no air-con, unless buyers bought an aftermarket system. Disc brakes appeared in 1966 after appearing on lower-priced Holdens. There are many locally built 1960s Chevs available, plus fully imported Impala two-doors and Caprice versions.

Values have climbed steadily during the past 15 years, gaining around 50 per cent during that time. A late 1960s Impala in excellent and largely authentic condition should currently cost $50-60,000, however, they can be harder to find than two-door imports, of similar age.

Shining with classics

One of the country’s biggest gatherings of classic cars, the Australian National Show and Shine turned on a perfect day in Euroa, for the 800-plus cars that rolled up for the event.

Run by a local crew of volunteers and led by club president Ian Langlands, the show takes over the small rural town in Victoria in October, covering the massive Seven Creeks parkland and a couple of the local streets.

It’s now been running for over 20 years.

Some 40 awards were on offer, covering pretty much every imaginable class of car, from hotrods through to Australian, European, Japanese and American models.

Motorcycles are not forgotten, with several awards on offer. There is also a special award, nominated by town Mayor Laura Binks.

Choosing the ultimate winner of the show, from over a dozen category winners, turned out to be surprisingly tough decision, in the end won by an exceptional late-model Citroen DS23.

TOP: Another highlight, the XY limo LEFT: The star of the show was a Citroen DS23.

The National Collision Repairer 51

OEM News

Renault hopes access points will cut fire times Renault is hoping the introduction of new safety features on its EVs will defuse motorist concern and speed up effective action times for emergency services.

EV battery fires following crashes, although rare are harder to extinguish because the lithium-ion battery burns so hot and can last for hours and reports have raised safety concerns as the number of EVs increases on our roads.

Renault says it has utilised its decades working with firefighters to introduce new features to its EVs and hybrids, including a critical water input point the will extinguish fires much faster, automatic battery isolation and QR codes for Renault safety expert Claire Petit Boulanger says they have been working with fire services.

emergency services.

The safety program launched to coincide with the release of a Renault Megane E-Tech electric, is called Human First and includes the development of ADAS systems and other research into safety equipment.

The principal behind the Human First safety program is to maximise the first 60 minutes after a crash, the times when the likelihood of survival becomes most critical.

Working with fire rescue services around the globe and the World Rescue Organisation, the partnership with Renault has developed fire access points in each vehicle.

Renault says the point lets water be introduced at the centre of the traction battery (for electric and plug-in hybrids) and fire to be extinguished in less than 10 minutes, compared to the usual 3 hours.

The special QR code, to be standard on all electric Renaults from 2023 provides immediate access to the vehicle’s technical information, strategically located and allowing up to 15 precious minutes to be saved during their intervention.

The SD switch disconnects the

Toyota wins most trusted award for second year Toyota has come out on top again in an annual survey on trusted automotive brands.

The Roy Morgan’s research uses a cross-section of nearly 25,000 Australians and asks, without prompting, to name brands they trust and is compiled from monthly surveys over the past year. The category analysed vehicle manufacturers, dealerships and servicing, among other factors.

Toyota’s reputation for manufacturing reliable vehicles and offering outstanding customer service were some of the responses for why people had named the brand.

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Toyota was also judged as one of the top 10 most trusted brands across all industries.

Toyota Australia vice president sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley said the award was a clear indication of the trust consumers have for Toyota’s wide range of products.

“To be judged Australia’s most trusted automotive brand for a secondyear running is a great honour and acknowledges Toyota’s engineering prowess and inherent quality; important factors given the tough and varied environments found across Australia,” Hanley says.

battery from the high-voltage electrical network and does not require specific tools or having to remove the driver or passengers from the vehicle.

“As well as gaining a coveted 5-star EuroNCAP safety rating in Europe, the upcoming all-new Megane E-Tech is the first beneficiary of this unique ‘Human First’ safety programme,” said Renault Australia General Manager Glen Sealey.

“This program is a collaboration of over 600 engineers, safety experts and, uniquely, fire and rescue services from across the world including Australia and allows Renault to partner directly with those on the ground to develop innovations to make the roads a safer place.”

Renault safety expert Claire Petit Boulanger says they are also looking at numerous other innovations that will save time in a rescue.

“We’re investigating the possible modification to our seat backs that would allow firefighters to fold them back more easily and thus perform a quick and safe extraction of road accident victims,” she says. “This is close to development and will lead to the drafting of a patent.”

“It’s a testament to the work and commitment of our Toyota dealers and the broader Toyota Australia team, who work hard to support our customers, products and services.

“A testament to the exceptional quality, durability and reliability of Toyota products which have cultivated a decades-long reputation for helping Australians traverse the harshest climates and conditions the country has to offer.”

Supermarket giant Woolworths took out the top award for the most trusted brands across the 20 categories in the Roy Morgan research, along with other 12 other repeat winners.

Partnership aims to improve battery reuse A major OEM and battery reuse specialist are teaming up to help alleviate one of the EV uptake’s thorniest questions; what to do with old batteries?

Infinitev, an emerging leader in the electric vehicle battery sector, has partnered with Kia Australia to step up electric vehicle battery reuse, repurpose, and recycling solutions.

Infinitev and Kia Australia have joined forces to address the critical challenges associated with the entire lifecycle of EV batteries and develop sustainable and scalable solutions for EV battery management.

It is part of Kia’s sustainability strategy to mitigate the environmental impact of a car, from design through to end-of-life disposal.

Infinitev has developed a comprehensive suite of battery lifecycle management solutions including tests and evaluations to ascertain what grade it is and whether it can be re-used in other EVs, repurposed for battery energy storage systems or recycled by Infinitev’s partners to recover valuable materials.

When a traction battery experiences diminished functionality within a vehicle, Infinitev initiates a SafetyCheck— encompassing both a physical and

electrochemical safety assessments of the EV battery.

Infinitev’s engineers then employ their proprietary HealthCheck diagnostic tools to conduct thorough performance evaluations of the battery pack and its individual modules. This comprehensive assessment yields a precise characterisation, placing the modules into one of the three distinct grades that determine its use.

Infinitev general manager Dickson Leow says he is enthusiastic about the battery reuse and repurpose program.

“We are proud to have a holistic solution that addresses the environmental concerns associated with electric vehicle batteries,” Leow says.

“Our innovative reuse approach ensures that the transition to a circular economy is not only sustainable but also reduces waste and preserves valuable resources. Through responsible battery management, we can accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and build a greener Australia.”

Damien Meredith, Kia Australia CEO says what happens to EV batteries at the end of their life was an important consideration for buyers.

“We are currently in the very early

The partnership aims to reduce the impact of EV production.

stages of developing a solution tailored to Kia customers that will allow their electric vehicle batteries to be refurbished instead of discarded,” he says.

“This collaboration between Infinitev and Kia Australia marks a significant milestone in the quest for sustainable transportation. By combining their strengths, these two industry trailblazers will pave the way for a cleaner, greener future, revolutionising the way electric vehicle batteries are utilised, repurposed, and recycled.”

Kia Australia’s line up of electric vehicles started with the introduction of the first-generation Niro in 2021. Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variants of the large SUV Sorento followed along with the second-generation Niro.

Ioniq aims to be more accessible Hyundai have taken a major step in the battle to win the hearts and minds of potential EV owners with a reshuffled offering of their award winning Ioniq-6 promising more range and lower prices.

In 2024 the entry level Ioniq 6, which was the 2023 Car of the Year, will begin with a standard battery model that has a floor price of $65,550 and a new range of 429km.

The 77.4kWh Extended Range model which comes in at $71,500 has a range of 614km with the 18 inch wheel variant.

There is also a mid-range Dynamiq beginning at $77,500 and above this the luxury Epiq range where the longer-range

battery comes as standard and there are multiple options including, rear wheel or all-wheel drive.

This will add almost 50km of range to the standard entry level vehicle in 2024 compared to the Inoq 5 promoted this year.

The power efficiency is gained from features including a heat pump, battery heating system and battery conditioning functionality that are now standard in the range.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia CEO Ted Lee says the lower prices also mean the model will improve eligibility to the various government subsidies and stamp

duty exemptions available in selected states and territories across Australia.

“The revised and upgraded line-up for 2024 Ioniq 6 enhances the accessibility and value of our reigning World Car of the Year, while bringing our vision for clean mobility ever closer,” Lee says.

Hyundai have reshuffled their range to make them more accessible.

The National Collision Repairer 53

Tech Talk

AI off to a bumpy start The use of artificial intelligence may have started slowly but it has benefits.

Australia is currently lagging behind within the artificial intelligence automation processes compared to the US and Europe. The US has been leading the industry for the last few years with AI business automation processes and autonomy.

But during the pandemic, insurers accelerated the use of AI automated tools to estimate repair costs and since then it has not slowed down.

Australia, while slow to adopt technological change for business scaling and improvement, has recently seen an uptake in AI automation and implementation during and after COVID, with global companies now pushing to implement AI automation processes within Australia.

One of these new global companies is Solera with its AI Powered vehicle life-cycle management SaaS (softwareas-a-service).

Companies like Solera and Ravin AI (iag) are helping Australian collision repair businesses digitise and provide AI automation tools for business utilisation.

There are a range of sectors within the collision repair industry where AI can be useful now and in the future, as well as improve processes and efficiencies. These can include: • Improved cycle times • Automated claims processes - days not weeks • Automated parts ordering AI can bring benefits to repair businesses

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• Automated salvage • Complete vehicle-repair database • Damage capturing So, will this automation ultimately help my business? Well the easy answer to this is yes. But when will all this happen?

Currently there are huge benefits for insurance companies to push these technologies to increase profits and streamline processes. Where adjusters could inspect three to eight cars per day, they can now assess 10 to 20 cars a day with AI software.

In the US prior to COVID, it was estimated that less than 15 per cent of claims used photos to generate claims but that estimate has now grown to around 50-60 per cent and that number is reported to reach over 80 per cent by 2025.

Insurance companies are pursuing new AI products, saying that insurers can boost productivity 15-30 per cent with AI. By contrast, some body shops are saying that the technology is producing issues and inaccuracies.

For Australia, being slow to adopt new technology can be a blessing in disguise as we can sit back and see how newer technologies play-out in other countries before launching fullscale business processes.

AI is not just for insurers or estimators

As we have seen, a lot of the current AI implementation is focused around the insurance and estimators sectors but this is only because it Is the easiest to implement.

The sector where AI is least being implemented within the collision repair industry is within the technical repair processes itself. This is probably also the most needed and most difficult sector to implement AI. AI and OEM proprietary repair data access is currently an issue and dealership service centres would most likely be prioritised over general collision repair businesses accessing and implementing such data.

But this will change over time as

manufacturers will need to implement data sets for mechanical repairs and collision repair procedures. Technicians will have better tools such as AI implementation included in diagnostic processes and automated fault-finding procedures and vehicle specific repair procedures.

This could be achieved with AI implementation with the IoT (internet of things) for future collision repair data and integration. Data and documented repair procedures access could be based on various skill levels and training qualifications of the technicians.

This can be useful for a range of situations like finding various sensors and complicated calibration procedures and for a range of technical computer issues in regards to autonomous driving features for future vehicles.

This in turn can help ease labour shortages, currently a big issue within the collision repair industry. AI can also help with more remedial and simple repetitive tasks, which in turn will help streamline business processes.

AI can also be implemented with augmented reality in conjunction with diagnostic technical repair procedures and will super streamline a technician’s workflow. This can minimise repair errors and diagnostic mistakes with guidance from AI tools.

As with all things new, we need to understand the limitations and expectations of how well new technologies claim to improve efficiencies. It’s important to monitor and take a cautious approach with any new technology and making sure it is the right fit for your business operations and procedures. Implement a free trial period if possible for any new AI implementation before any major business systems integration are set in place.

Is your business ready for certain business change processes and can it improve staff and operational efficiencies?

Find out more at i-car.com.au

48:32 AM

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