September 2017

Joseph F. McDougall has been named Senior Vice President and President, Global Refinish at Axalta Coating Systems. In this new role Mr. McDougall will be responsible for Axalta’s global refinish business which provides coatings, application technologies and service and support resources to customers in the collision repair and vehicle aftermarket sectors in more than 130 countries.

“Joe brings a unique set of skills to this new position at Axalta including a strong knowledge of our business, our strategy and our customers,” said Axalta Chairman and CEO Charlie Shaver.

“The refinish marketplace, a key component of our Performance Coatings business, is evolving and creating opportunities for growth at Axalta.

Joe will be able to harness our global technology, product and human resources to fully take advantage of these trends and provide our customers with world-class support while enhancing Axalta’s productivity.”

Mr. McDougall joined Axalta in 2013 as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer and subsequently assumed additional responsibilities, which he will continue to oversee, for Corporate Affairs, Global Branding and Sustainability initiatives. He has been responsible for developing the company’s global organization structure, corporate culture, talent acquisition and development and has been part of Axalta’s leadership team. In his new position, he will work closely with Axalta’s regional refinish management organizations to increase synergies and support the development and execution of long term growth strategies.

For more information on Axalta, visit www.axaltacs.com.

[column width=”60″ first=”true”]

[/column] [column width=”40″]Tony Naughton and his MVP team went on the road in September to present business solution seminars to existing customers and other shop owners in Sydney, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. [/column]

In Sydney, more than 25 attendees were treated to some refreshments prior to the evening commencing, allowing for some great networking to take place. It is worth noting than Noelene Hanks from Emu Plains Smash Repairs was in attendance and she has been in business for more than 48 years!

It goes to show that by attending such industry events you will stay up-to-date with current issues, what the future may hold and of course, stay in business! Tony Naughton pointed out that Noelene was also the first person to register for their upcoming tour to New Zealand in November.

Tony Naughton was the first PPG presenter, with Greg Tunks also presenting at various times during the evening. The presentation was similar to those from last year but updated information on industry consolidation, insurer activity, benchmarking and process improvements, added up to a very informative and educational evening. Ample time was also allowed during the presentation for round table discussions on the many challenges facing the industry.

From all reports, the number of attendees from PPG shops and non-PPG shops in both Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie was also good, with some great ideas shared at each venue.

Anyone attending the Sydney, Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie presentations would have left with a lot of useful information to assist them in the day-to-day running of their business. Attend a PPG presentation near you in the future – you will not be disappointed!

In the US, the elite collision repairers may have a huge deficit between how much their staff trains and how much OEMs think they should be training, based on prior surveys by the Collision Industry Conference Education Committee. The committee is continuing to survey the industry for more comprehensive data. Detailers, estimators, painters, auto body technicians and those in front-office customer service roles are urged to fill out a short, anonymous online survey for the CIC’s Education Committee.

In January, the committee reported results from a survey of 159 shops, thought to represent some of the most elite shops in the industry. (The CIC audience agreed with that assumption.) Respondents, the majority of which were owners, estimated that technicians had about 11.7 hours of training a year and estimators drew 10.6 hours. “Administration” racked up 7.4 hours, and owners/managers posted about 12.6 hours. A poll of the CIC audience showed an overwhelming belief that the rest of the industry trained less than the initial survey participants, which raises the question of just how few hours a typical technician is training.

As Education Committee Co-Chair Jeff Peevy (Automotive Management Institute) said in April, the question then becomes: “How much training is really needed?” The committee asked OEMs how much training a technician would need to keep up on their brands. Nineteen automakers responded, according to Peevy. Some “struggled” with the answer and seemed “uncomfortable,” he said at the April Collision Industry Conference at which he presented the results.

Asian manufacturers felt technicians needed 20 hours of training annually to perform steel structural work on their respective brands, while US OEMs felt 27.5 hours would be necessary. European automakers, however, wanted technicians to have a whopping 76 hours of structural steel training. The Europeans also demanded more training for steel cosmetic work than the other two continents’ OEMs – 23 hours compared to 19 for those in the US and 16 for the Asian manufacturers.

BMW insurance manager Joshua Fahlbush said recently that BMW certified shops’ body technicians need 31 days of instructor-led training in addition to online courses. “It’s a heavy load,” but an important one, he said, earlier calling training “the foundation” of the BMW certified collision repair program. BMW wholesale, body and paint, insurance and R3 manager Marcos Ehmann agreed that the three most important parts of the program were “training, training and training.”

Interestingly, all three continents demanded fewer hours of training for cosmetic and structural aluminium work. Perhaps this reflects more replace-only aluminium parts, or perhaps it assumes a technician already has all those hours of steel training as a foundation. European OEMs felt 50 hours was appropriate for aluminium structural work and 20 hours for non-structural aluminium, while US brands required 21 hours for structural and 11 hours for cosmetic aluminium. Surprisingly, Asian manufacturers wanted 18 hours for non-structural aluminium and only 6 hours to repair structural aluminium. This might reflect an absence of structural aluminium among Asian automakers’ vehicles, at least based on the past couple of model years.

Asian OEMs did demand the most training out of estimators compared to their rivals across the globe, viewing 23 hours as appropriate compared to the Europeans’ 22 hours and the Americans’ 13.5 hours. The Education Committee data suggests that there’s a large gap between what the best shops do in training and what OEMs want them to have. (Or look at it another way: The National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s sample independent insurance adjuster licensing law demands 24 hours of continuing education per renewal term. If a license is two years, such as in California, then the best shops are training about as much as the worst adjuster.)

“That is an issue,” Peevy said. He gave the hypothetical of a shop focusing solely on one domestic brand and one Asian brand. Based on the survey results, a technician able to work on the steel structures predominant in either type of vehicle would need a combined 47.5 hours of training. But they’re only averaging 11.7 hours of training. “Our industry has a training issue,” he said, noting that such discrepancies might mean shop specialisation “may be in our future.”

This article courtesy of John Huetter of Repairer Driven Education (RDE). Check out their website at http://www.repairerdrivennews.com/ for this and many other informative and educational articles on the collision repair industry.

[column width=”50″ first=”true”] [/column] [column width=”50″ last=”true”] ACM Parts’ drag car project collaboration with TAFE Queensland SkillsTech students has caught the attention of the Palaszczuk Government as National Skills Week kicked into gear last week. ACM Parts and SkillsTech welcomed Minister for Training and Skills Yvette D’Ath to the Acacia Ridge campus on Tuesday to inspect project progress and meet some of the Race Ya Mate student crew. [/column]

The student drag car project – a staple of the ACM Parts-SkillsTech partnership that launched earlier this year – has aimed to transform an ordinary vehicle into a show-stopping drag racing machine. ACM Parts General Manager, Sales Ross Nicastri said he wasn’t surprised word had spread about the trailblazing collaboration, which has focused on helping students build and hone skills in automotive repair. “Improving access to, and quality of automotive education is at the heart of our partnership with SkillsTech,” Mr Nicastri said.

“This process of transforming the ACM Parts-donated car into a drag racer has inspired students to take charge of their own learning and allowed them to put their hard-won skills into practice. We are proud to have developed such a strong partnership with SkillsTech and we can’t wait to see where the students take this incredible learning opportunity”, he added

Minister D’Ath, who visited together with Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch and Member for Stretton Duncan Pegg, said National Skills Week focuses on the Vocational Education and Training sector and the countless career opportunities available. “TAFE Queensland SkillsTech is one of the premier trade training facilities in Queensland and I am so pleased I’ve been able to witness their great work first hand during this important week,” Mrs D’Ath said in a statement.

National Skills Week was on from 28 August to 3 September. The drag car will be completed later this year.

Manufacturing giant 3M ANZ has signed an exclusive agreement with Supercars as the official Innovation Partner for 2017.

To celebrate the partnership, world-renowned automotive artist Chip Foose will be travelling to this year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 to meet with fans and illustrate his famous renderings of custom cars. Chip is known around the world for his work on reality television program Overhaulin’ as well as designing characters for Disney.Pixar’s Cars films. He was personally selected by John Lasseter of Pixar to contribute paint schemes and graphic treatments to characters from the hit movie Cars.

Enter a special 3M competition for your chance to win a VIP experience plus a Chip Foose meet and greet the at Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

This relationship has since expanded to a showcase of original Chip Foose Cars artworks at Disney Theme Parks around the world and a role as a consultant on the Cars sequels. The Supercars partnership for 2017 continues 3M’s long-standing relationship with the category.

Previously 3M has supplied various teams with innovative products and was a partner with the Stone Brothers Racing and Erebus Motorsport teams. Supercars CEO James Warburton said this year’s partnership with 3M and the appearance of Chip Foose at this year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was great news for fans.

“3M is an international brand, recognised in over 200 countries,” Mr Warburton said. “For 3M to partner with us and bring Chip Foose, one of the world’s most well-known automotive artists and restoration experts to the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, it’s great news for fans”. “For many years, Chip had an association with the late Peter Brock, so he is well aware of the importance of this race and is looking forward to attending our iconic event.”

3M ANZ CMO, David Duguid, said the partnership will cover some of Supercars biggest events this year. “Bringing the science of racing together is the perfect match for Supercars and 3M’s five major business groups,” Mr Duguid said. “In particular, our automotive, industrial, safety and graphics businesses where we innovate and work tirelessly with Australia and New Zealand’s leading industry bodies and customers to bring the most innovative science based technologies to life”.

The partnership commences with the Bathurst Supercheap Auto 1000 and also cover the Vodafone GC600, ITM Auckland SuperSprint and the Coates Hire Newcastle 500.