ACM PARTS AND KANGAN INSTITUTE JOIN FORCES ON AUTOMOTIVE EDUCATION

Mike Kirkman (left) and Kangan’s Joe Ballato
Mike Kirkman (far right) next to Kangan’s Gavin Cribb

ACM Parts and Kangan Institute have announced a new partnership that will focus on preparing automotive apprentices for real jobs in Australia’s automotive industry.
ACM Parts CEO Mike Kirkman says well-educated and highly skilled employees are critical to their continued success.
“Our commitment to Kangan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellence is not just an investment in its students, it’s an investment in the future of the automotive industry in Australia,” Mr Kirkman said.
“ACM Parts is dedicated to ensuring that the best people enter the automotive industry and that starts with the provision of high-quality education.
“We want to encourage students who are passionate about cars, quality and safety. We want them to have access to the best quality parts and car bodies as they learn about their trade.”
The partnership will see ACM Parts support the training program by donating high-quality parts and car bodies. They will also sponsor the Institute’s student awards and various industry events.
Kangan Institute Director, Joe Ballato, said both ACM Parts and Kangan Institute are leaders in their fields and that the collaboration will bring numerous benefits to automotive students.

“The Automotive Centre of Excellence at Docklands is the largest and most advanced training facility in the southern hemisphere,” Mr Ballato said.
“We’re constantly searching for new ways to strengthen ties between the automotive industry and the tertiary education sector so that we can give our students the best opportunities possible.
“ACM Parts are excited to be working with Kangan Institute and their generous support will help to better educate around 4000 apprentices and pre-apprentices enrolled at the Automotive Centre of Excellence.
“We are thrilled to welcome ACM Parts as a partner.”
ACM Parts is an Australian business committed to offering repairers an easy, affordable alternative for sourcing parts. It offers a wide range of high-quality parts to repairers and consumers, including quality-checked recycled parts, ACM Certified Parts, and OEM parts.

U.S Automotive A-Listers All Set For Meguiar’s MotorEx

The reach of Meguiar’s MotorEx extends far beyond Australia’s borders. And rightly so, given the event represents the very best of the Australian automotive enthusiast culture.

This years’ Meguiar’s MotorEx is certainly no different and in conjunction with exhibitor Mal Wood Automotive, the team are proud to announce that U.S industry heavyweights, Cherielynn Westrich and Ross McCombs will be bringing their experience, celebrity and industry knowledge for an exclusive down under Meguiar’s MotorEx experience.

Cherielynn Westrich
Brock Foose with Cherielynn Westrich Overhaulin

If the name Cherielynn Westrich rings a bell, it’s probably from her 10-odd years on the hit TV show Overhaulin’. Cherielynn’s role was car builder on the A-Team, working alongside the one and only Chip Foose. Cherielynn has pedigree, having built over 60 cars on the incredibly popular car restoration show. Her fame doesn’t end there, appearing as fabricator and builder on shows such as, Rock My RV with Brett Michaels and on Detroit Muscle with Factory Five building a racing Cobra on the ‘All Girls’ build. When not behind the camera, the passion remains, with Cherielynn working in her own workshop, ‘Mavin Associated’ in Orange California, building and restoring muscle cars and hot rods.

Cherielynn is no stranger to Australia, having spent considerable time on the east coast over the years visiting friends and enjoying the beach culture, but this will be her first time experiencing Meguiar’s MotorEx.

“After seeing the hard work and dedication on Overhaulin’ and Foose Design you become appreciative of hard work and talent on any level.  I know there are some excellent builders in Australia and that Meguiar’s MotorEx is a showcase for that talent.  I’ve had the pleasure of working with a few Aussie’s here in the US and I’m looking forward to seeing new things,” said Cherielynn.

Ross McCombs

For industry specialist and former race-car driver Ross McCombs, the aftermarket world is in his blood. Ross turned Quick Time Performance from start-up into the world’s largest manufacturer of steel bellhousings. Ross is also Senior Design Engineer at Holley Performance Products, and is intimately involved with the latest and greatest technologies and designs from the world’s premier automotive aftermarket company.

“We appreciated the invite by Mal Wood Automotive and Meguiar’s MotorEx and will be honoured to come out and be part of what I have heard is the biggest show of its kind in Australia. I’m looking forward to that crazy Aussie automotive spirit,” said Ross.

Cherielynn and Ross will be based on the Mal Wood Automotive stand engaging with fans from across the country, as well as offering their wisdom and insight. In between times, they will be exploring an Australian automotive showcase like no other.

It will be a massive weekend, with 25,000 thousand fans set to pour into Sydney Olympic Park. The wildest, never-before-seen block-buster builds will be unveiled during Saturday morning’s House of Kolor Inauguration. Get your horsepower fix in the Liqui-Moly Performance Garage, then marvel at Meguiar’s Superstars – Australia’s biggest gathering of super elite machinery.

For 2017, Muscle Car Marvel is featuring a huge celebration of Camaro’s 50th birthday and the 60th anniversary of the legendary 1957 Chevrolet. Combined this with gourmet food vendors, the best of the aftermarket industry and hundreds of the country’s best cars, Meguiar’s MotorEx is the car crazy experience.

Meguiar’s MotorEx Sydney takes place July 22-23. To find out more and to pre purchase tickets online to you avoid the queues, head to: www.motorex.com.au.

Editor: Another couple of good reasons to get along to MotorEx!

 

NCR PPG logo

PPG marks completion of 45 million euros Russian facility

Located in the Lipetsk region of Russia, PPG’s new state-of-the-art, 45 million euros (AUD$67 million) paint and coatings manufacturing facility is capable of producing around 25 million litres of coatings per year at full capacity. Along with manufacturing and distributing facilities to cater to coating for automotive, industrial, packaging and protective & marine applications, the facility also includes technical laboratories and administrative offices.

PPG Lipetsk

Much like PPG’s local manufacturing facilities (Clayton Victoria, Villawood NSW and Auckland NZ), it is about making a strong commitment to serving regional customers, according to Jean-Marie Greindl, PPG Senior Vice President Global Architectural Coatings and President PPG EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). “Having local manufacturing, distribution and technical operations will help PPG meet growing local demand for its innovative paint and coatings products.”
In addition, PPG has established itself as a supportive member of the Lipetsk community through various activities. For example, PPG employees volunteered at the Griazy orphanage in Lipetsk to help repair and update the building’s gymnasium, replacing materials on floors and walls with safer products donated by PPG and its local distributor. “As a community partner, PPG wants to support local organizations that are making a difference where our employees work and live,” said Jens Brackebusch, PPG General Manager Russia. “This is an important part of our global mission to be caring, responsible corporate citizens in our communities.”

FIX AUTO WORLD ANNOUNCES PLANS TO REGAIN RIGHTS TO FIX AUTO TRADEMARK IN THE US

Steve Leal, President of Fix Auto World and owner of the Fix Auto trademark globally announces the network’s plans to regain the rights to the Fix Auto trademark in the US, which has been licensed to a third party since 1997, and to directly enter the US market before the end of 2017.

Steve Leal

Leal said: “By regaining the rights to our trademark, we are asserting our commitment to the US market. We look forward to growing the Fix Auto brand in the US by directly pursuing aggressive new strategies that leverage our global track record of elevating the brand and developing insurance channels.”

Fix Auto is currently enjoying a period of rapid growth and has more than doubled the number of countries in which it operates over the last 3 years. “We see the potential for growth in the US automotive aftermarket space and we look forward to building on the momentum we’ve gained around the world”, added Leal. A former Fix Auto franchisee himself, Leal has created an entrepreneurial culture that is fueling Fix Auto’s accelerated global development. He explained: “The role of a master franchisor is to create value for its members; by aligning our global operations under one strong franchising model, we are better equipped to provide our members with the tools and support they need to evolve with the industry.” The recent acquisition of aftermarket services companies Novus Glass and Speedy Auto Glass USA represents a combined total of over 230 automotive glass locations in the United States. These numbers add to Fix Auto’s growing global network of over 450 collision repair centres in 8 countries outside the US.

As the leading global collision and aftermarket services network, Fix Auto’s approach to growing a market consists of either partnering with an experienced local master franchisor or entering the market as the master franchisor, as is the case with Fix Auto Canada, Fix Auto Australia and Fix Auto Germany. This regaining of the rights to the Fix Auto trademark will be a major opportunity to directly pursue new growth strategies in the United States, while creating synergies with Fix Auto’s newly acquired companies.

“We are in the business of developing trusted consumer brands in the automotive services sector,” said Carl Brabander, Vice President of Marketing for Fix Auto World. “This is an incredible opportunity to add value to both the collision and glass sides of the business, and ultimately provide a more complete service offering to our industry partners and end customers. We look forward to having a direct impact on the success of Fix Auto, NOVUS Glass and Speedy Auto Glass in the US.”

Fix Auto World will be making further announcements regarding changes to its US operations before the end of the year.

For more information about Fix Auto, please visit fixauto.com.

 

 

Regional talent to test skills in lead up to WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017

Skilled talent from around the globe will come together in Newcastle for the 2017 WorldSkills Australia Global Skills Challenge from 5th to 8th July. The event will pit young people from 15 nations against each other to determine the best in their chosen career by participating in a simulated competition environment.

Over four days, more than 100 young people will compete across 21 different skills – the Vehicle Painting competition is proudly supported by Glasurit.

Peter Jones, Glasurit National Head Trainer, said competitions like this were a great opportunity for young people to practice their skills. “WorldSkills is the biggest vocational education and skills excellence organisation in the world and truly reflects the size and scale of global industry. Through this, and its own training programs, BASF invests in developing the future workforce for automotive refinishing.”

Five competitors, from Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong and New Zealand, will participate in the Vehicle Painting section of the Global Skills Challenge event.

Earlier this year, Glasurit launched a tailor-made training program that uses a customized and flexible training approach to educate bodyshop workers in using the comprehensive Glasurit portfolio of paint systems for refinishing vehicles. Glasurit also works with local training institutions to develop and implement customised training programs under the Glasurit EDUCATE banner.

“The automotive repair and refinishing industry is growing in Australia and we want to show that automotive refinishing is a career with pathways, not just a job,” said Peter.

“Exposing students to programs such as WorldSkills, in addition to our training programs, demonstrates the depth and diversity of our industry.”

WorldSkills Australia is a social enterprise that passionately believes that skills drive our future and Australia’s prosperity. Since 1981, it has been the leading voice for skills excellence in vocational, technological and service-oriented careers in Australia and has raised the awareness of hundreds of thousands of young Australians, as well as their parents, industry and employers to the fact that our nation’s future depends on effective skills training systems.

“For the young Australians taking part in this event, this is the final selection process to determine their place in Team Australia Skillaroos. The Skillaroos will travel to the 44th WorldSkills International to be held in Abu Dhabi in October,” said WorldSkills Australia CEO Brett Judd.

Glasurit is proud to support the car painting challenge at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi where 77 member countries and regions will come together from 14–19 October to compete in 51 skill competitions.

In the car painting challenge, competitors must match the colour, shade and texture of the adjoining panels that are not being painted and apply the correct colour formulation. Under timed conditions, vehicles must be refinished to a high standard.

Editor: What a great opportunity for young people selected to represent their country to compete against their peers.

IAG ROAD TO GOLD UNDERWAY

 

As previously reported IAG has now put in place their “Road to Gold” program for their preferred repairer network which involves I-CAR Australia providing all of the training .

The program got underway last week with the first courses being presented at the IAG Research Centre in Newington.

The program was officially opened by Martin Kolderie, NSW Manager Motor Assessing Operations and Stephen Palmer, Senior Industry Development Manager for IAG both talking about the reasons why IAG put the program in place and how important it is to have vehicles repaired using the correct methods and equipment.

I-CAR CEO, Mark Czvitkovits talked about the programs to be offered and Jason Trewin, I-CAR trainer then conducted two courses for the preferred repairer representatives attending for the day. The courses were: Fundamentals of Collision Repair (FCR01) and Steel Unitised Structures Technologies and Repair (SPS07).

Martin Kolderie
Stephen Palmer
Mark Czvitkovits
Jason Trewin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attendees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editor: It was pleasing to be invited along for the official launch and also to see collision industry professionals embracing the program.

CAR whitepaper predicts future of body materials: Everything but mild steel

 

 

 

Trying to plan what materials you’ll need to know over the next two decades of auto body repair? A new Center for Automotive Research white paper suggests it really could be all of them — but with very little of the weaker steels which made for decades of easy and familiar auto body repairs.

In fact, CAR projects that the U.S. fleet of 2040 will have a smaller percentage of lower-tier steels (mild steel; high-strength, low-alloy; and high-strength steel) than it will have of carbon fiber and other composites.

To read the complete article go to: http://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2017/06/21/car-whitepaper-predicts-future-of-body-materials-everything-but-mild-steel/

This article is courtesy of John Huetter and Repairer Driven News . Check out their website at http://www.repairerdrivennews.com where you will find so much more information.

ChemSpec USA announces next generation professional colour selector system

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ChemSpec USA has announced the release of its second generation Professional Colour Selector™ (PCS). The redesign of the PCS system is a direct result of the company’s dedication to colour excellence and support for its customers in Australia and New Zealand.

Through working with its parent company, Axalta Coating Systems, ChemSpec USA has been able to gain access to Axalta’s renowned colour expertise and refocus its efforts on customers’ requirements. The New Professional Colour Selector is just one step ChemSpec USA is taking to strengthen its colour offering, supported by improved colour-matching capabilities and faster availability of new colours.

The Professional Colour Selector system consists of over 5,600 colour chips for solid and metallic colour refinishing, designed specifically to support the Metalux Basecoat System. Included within the system are 265 colour updates for 2017, as well as over 580 formulas for the Australian/New Zealand markets. The swatches are arranged in colour chromatic sequence, making it easy to compare the colour swatch to the colour directly on the vehicle’s surface. This allows for the painter to make a proper colour choice quickly and accurately for optimised efficiency in the shop.

Each swatch is manufactured with the original paint and applied with a spray gun to get a truer-to-life, accurate match. The chips feature a newly laminated coating for improved durability and prevention of solvent ingress.

The formulas have been added into the company’s latest release, Easimix Professional Software and Web Formula Tool. Coupled with the world-class Easimix Professional™ software, refinishers will find it much easier to cross-reference and match colour with a higher level of accuracy.

The colour selector is contained within a compact metal cabinet that comes with assembly brackets, enabling it to be firmly mounted on the wall – ideal for when floor space is limited. The panel doors provide open access to the entire colour box, allowing for easier handling and placement of additional colour updates.

“Our Professional Colour Selector System has over 5,600 colour chips, including over 500 specific Australian and New Zealand colours,” said William Chant, Director of Sales. “We have chosen to stay chromatic with the PCS because we felt that it was the easiest way to identify all the variants in the market segment.”

For more information on ChemSpec USA in Australia and New Zealand, contact Corey Smith on Tel: 0419 552 868, email sales@ChemSpecpaint.com or visit their new website www.ChemSpecpaint.com.

 

Meguiar’s MotorEx Supercharges Liqui-Moly Performance Garage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meguiar’s MotorEx is Australia’s favourite automotive spectacle. It’s like no other, featuring the wildest collection of jaw dropping hot rods, street machines and muscle cars plus the amazing Liqui-Moly Performance Garage, a world full of the aftermarket, performance and racing industries.

The Australian automotive aftermarket industry is an active community of high-quality and internationally renowned product suppliers, manufacturers and service providers. Meguiar’s MotorEx, Sydney 2017 is bringing together the best-of-the-best under ‘The Dome’ at Sydney Olympic Park, for what is guaranteed to be a spectacular Liqui-Moly Performance Garage.

The sprawling hall will be a colourful mix of exhibitors, providing serious enthusiasts a smorgasbord of mouth-watering modification and personalisation options for their own vehicles. The latest high performance parts, expert advice and technical information all come together in one place. Making it the easiest way to plan your current project, or provide inspiration for the next.

From top fabricators, tuners and refinishers, to engine and driveline specialists, the best brands will be offering supercharger and turbo kits, engine, clutch and transmission components, lubricants, exhaust, electronics and brake packages, along with paint, suspension, audio, wheels ‘n’ tyres, plus much, much more!

If you are looking to engage an automotive service business to help with your pride and joy, look no further with custom shops, metal polishing, trimming, mechanical, insurance providers, automotive photography and many other services on hand to discuss your individual requirements, with live demonstrations adding to the incredible vibe.

Alongside the best the automotive aftermarket has to offer, Liqui-Moly Performance Garage is also hosting a breathtaking array of race-bred machinery, from ballistic GT3 racers, circuit champions, drag racing heroes, burnout weapons and everything in between. High-octane aficionado’s will have the chance to marvel at, and explore these specialised machines up close and personal. There will also be motorsport stars making appearances throughout the weekend.

Automotive paraphernalia will be another well catered for area to enjoy and will include memorabilia, collectibles, model cars, video games and a variety of specialist automotive publications.

“For serious car enthusiasts, a visit to the Liqui-Moly Performance Garage is like being a kid let loose in a lolly shop,” said Managing Director of MotorActive/Meguiar’s MotorEx, Bruce Morrison.

“We’ve worked very hard at making Liqui-Moly Performance Garage more SEMA like, but for consumers rather than trade. This makes it the ideal opportunity for Australian enthusiasts to interact with top aftermarket companies and service providers all under one roof.”

Although a definite Meguiar’s MotorEx highlight, the Liqui-Moly Performance Garage is only one component of a massive, feature packed show catering to all automotive persuasions. Standouts include; Meguiar’s Superstars – the biggest gathering of the country’s best super elite machinery. On Saturday morning, the silk covers come off a collection of never-seen-before block-buster creations during the famous House of Kolor Inauguration. If that’s not enough, Muscle Car Mania will feature a huge celebration of Camaro’s 50th birthday and the 60th anniversary of the legendary 1957 Chevrolet.

If you are Car Crazy, you will go crazy with enjoyment at Meguiar’s MotorEx, while joining more than 25,000 other enthusiasts for a weekend to remember and an automotive extravaganza like no other.

Meguiar’s MotorEx Sydney takes place July 22-23. To find out more and to purchase tickets online so you avoid the queues, head to: www.motorex.com.au.

Editor: I am really looking forward to the return to Sydney of MotorEx. See you there!

 

PPG helps unleash the Beast IV

Elite US custom car painter, Darryl Hollenbeck, has chosen PPG products to give the recently-restored iconic 1953 Beast IV Streamliner its sleek blue and yellow finish. Built back in 1953 to compete at the Bonneville Speed Week and International Speed Trials, the aluminium bodied, Chrysler Hemi-powered racer had streaked across the Utah Salt Flats to hit a top speed of 246 mph and break eight long-standing performance records.

The Beast IV continued to run until 1992 in a number of configurations with a variety of engines and reached speeds up to 289 mph. After falling into disrepair, a major restoration project has now returned the low-slung vintage racer to its former glory and Beast IV is now on permanent display at the NHRA Motorsports Museum. Thanks to the vehicle’s age, replicating the exact colours was no easy task says Hollenbeck, but PPG gave his team the tools to achieve the outstanding end result.

“Colour was a challenge. There were colour photos of the original Beast and we knew the car was blue and yellow, but the colours looked different in every photograph. So, we compared the colours of other cars in photos with the Beast. We figured out the other cars’ colours and were able to come very close to equalling the Beast’s colour. Then we generated dozens of blue and yellow samples and tweaked them to match the paint. The museum made the final decision and we gave the Beast its proper design and colour scheme.”