Axalta Services announces new courses for its refinish customers in Australia and New Zealand

2018 Training Schedule for its Customers

Axalta Services has recently launched its 2018 training schedule for its customers in Australia and New Zealand. This year’s programme will provide several courses that focus on effective business strategies, customer relationship management and change management. From Repair Planning, Leadership, Recruitment to SMART Repairs, participants will be provided with valuable insights into the latest tools, techniques and methodologies needed to increase throughput and decrease cycle times within the auto repair process.

“We’re about working with refinishers to implement solutions that drive productivity and profitability in their body shop,” said Robin Taylor, Axalta Services Manager. “Our training courses are designed to help body shops who are busy working In their business to take the time to effectively work On their business. By leveraging the depth and breadth of our experience, participants will leave with a renewed focus on their businesses’ goals. And, as a member of I-CAR Training Alliance, all courses are I-CAR certified.”

Axalta’s Training Alliance with I-CAR

Axalta’s Training Alliance with I-CAR means that upon completion of any Axalta Services’ course you will be awarded credit hours that can be applied towards the I-CAR Gold Class Professionals, Platinum Individual designations, or be used to meet role relevant annual training requirements. Each credit point earned will be submitted to I-CAR and recorded on your personal training record.

Axalta Services provides value-added services, designed to help Australian and New Zealand body shops operate to their fullest potential. Services include personalised consulting and coaching, training courses on ‘best practice’ procedures using Lean and Pre-Lean concepts, industry networking opportunities and access to tools that can help improve the way a body shop manages their business.

 

To find out the latest training schedule for 2018 and how Axalta Services can help strengthen your bottom line visit www.axalta.com.au/AxaltaServices.

Class-action lawsuit hits GEICO over unsafe repairs

Lawsuit claims the insurance giant has routinely violated the terms of its auto policies

A lawsuit filed by Leif Hansen, founder and owner of Leif’s Auto Collision Centres, on behalf of GEICO customers claims the insurance giant has routinely violated the terms of its auto policies by refusing to pay for essential and critical vehicle repairs.

According to the lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status, GEICO has a nationwide, longstanding policy and practice of refusing to pay for electronic vehicle scans, which help determine the safety and repair status of a vehicle.

[column width=”50″ first=”true”]NCR GEICO

[/column][column width=”50″ last=”true”]

On average, these scans cost $100 and are required or recommended by nearly all major auto manufacturers to ensure auto repairs are safe and complete.

Consumer advocate and auto repair shop owner Leif Hansen is the lead plaintiff of the lawsuit, filed in US District Court.

The lawsuit seeks damages for losses incurred by all current and former GEICO policyholders that have suffered collision losses in the past six years.[/column]

“This is about seeking justice for the millions who have been bullied into claim settlements.

Many are left without appropriate compensation and may be unknowingly driving unsafe cars,” said Leif Hansen. “As many consumers already know, airbags, steering, braking and accident avoidance systems can be compromised after a collision. Electronic scans play a critical role in ensuring that vehicles are safe to drive.”

The lawsuit alleges GEICO used its superior knowledge and bargaining position to deprive policyholders from receiving the full benefits of their insurance policies.

“Astonishingly enough, GEICO actually may not know how many unsafe cars they’ve put back on our roads. However, they certainly know how many millions of dollars they’ve saved by not finding out,” said attorney Steven Olson, who is representing Hansen.

Holden flies the flag for Surf Lifesaving Australia

Thanks to Holden lifesavers will be better equipped

Volunteer surf lifesavers will be better equipped to keep Australian beaches safer thanks to a new three-year partnership announced between General Motors Holden (Holden) and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA).

Holden was recently announced as a new major partner of SLSA under a deal that sees Holden’s beach-loving Colorado 4WD becoming the official patrol vehicle of SLSA.

Graham Ford AM, President of SLSA, said the partnership represented an exciting alignment of two iconic Australian brands and a significant boost to the organisation’s ability to help save lives.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Holden as a major partner. Their investment will support our surf lifesavers to respond with assistance in emergency situations through the provision of Holden beach patrol vehicles that will become a familiar sight for beachgoers across Australia,” he said.

Holden’s support will extend to financial assistance to SLSA, as well as drawing on the company’s national network of over 200-strong dealerships to actively promote key SLSA public safety messages.

“A recent spate of drowning deaths over the holiday period has highlighted, more than ever, the need for better public understanding of the risks associated with any aquatic recreational activity,” Mr Ford said.

“Through Holden’s partnership supporting front line services, we will be able to reach more people with our public safety messaging campaigns and education programs, and that will help save lives.”

More than 10,000 people rescued 2016-7

More than 10,000 people were rescued by surf lifesavers or SLSA lifeguards during 2016–2017, with almost four million preventative actions taken. That equates to 30 rescues every day and 450 preventative actions each hour.

Mark Bernhard, Holden Chairman and Managing Director, said Holden was proud to become SLSA’s newest major partner.

“Safety is our top priority at Holden and we’re passionate about having a positive impact on local communities, so the chance to support such a vital service and an iconic organisation felt fitting for us,” Mr Bernhard said.

“Our Holden Colorado can handle the toughest conditions and loves Australian beaches too, so it’s the perfect support vehicle for hardworking and dedicated lifesaving volunteers.”

[alert style=”white” align=”left”]

  • Surf Life Saving Australia is Australia’s peak coastal water safety, drowning prevention and rescue authority..
  • Surf Life Saving is a unique not-for-profit community cause that exists through community donations, fundraising, corporate sponsorship and government grants.
  • Surf Life Saving is a unique not-for-profit community cause that exists through community donations, fundraising, corporate sponsorship and government grants.
  • Last year, Surf Life Saving services were involved in more than 10,000 rescues and nearly four million preventative actions. That equates to 30 rescues every day and 450 preventative actions each hour.
  • With 169,633 members and 311 affiliated Surf Life Saving clubs, Surf Life Saving Australia represents the largest volunteer movement of its kind.
  • Holden is SLSA’s newest major national partner.

[/alert]

Symach’s expands its production capacity with Trumpf equipment

Symach expands sheet metal processing automation

Symach logoSymach is designing a cutting-edge 3,000-square-meter technical department in the 16,000-square-foot facility at Calderara di Reno, Bologna, Italy.  It will be equipped with a complete TRUMPF machining line including a TruPunch 3000 Sheetmaster machine for cutting sheet metal and loading, unloading and selecting parts, as well as a TruBend Series 5000 bending machine.

“TRUMPF is the world leader in sheet metal processing automation,” said Osvaldo Bergaglio, owner and president of Symach. “We are making a significant investment of approximately 1.5 million Euros in this equipment, which will provide Symach with the best tooling for optimizing production and having direct control over the quality of our products.” In addition, it will increase production capacity by almost five times. Bergaglio said this will allow Symach to reduce delivery times and costs, as well as the ever-increasing quality assurance of the company’s product.

The machine installation is scheduled for this month and the department is expected to be fully operational in March 2018. Currently, the departmental staff is completing training at the TRUMPF headquarters in Milan, Italy, to learn how to best utilize the machines.

Symach has specialized in body shop design, construction and installation of its state-of-the-art technology and equipment worldwide since 2010. “We take pride in supporting our customers in the customization of their bodywork and in staff training,” said Bergaglio. “We plan to continue investing in technology and product research and focus on continuous innovation as a key to success.”

70 customers around the world utilizing the Symach FixLine model

There are now more than 70 customers around the world utilizing the Symach FixLine model. They work closely with Symach consultants to ensure their business goals are met. The new department marks a further evolution of Symach’s history in the direction of customer satisfaction.

“We support our customers in the achievement of increased production, efficiency, delivery of service and their profitability goals,” said Bergaglio. “The attestations of gratitude and friendship that come from them continue to give us the motivation and dedication to continue doing our work well.” He said the spirit and mission that drive Symach demonstrate how the company will provide tangible innovation to the collision repair industry in the years to come.

For further information contact: raffaella.censi@symach.com or visit www.symach.com.

Recalibration – are you really doing it right?

Doug Kelly, CEO of asTech parent, Repairify offered a harsh assessment of the collision repair industry’s calibration capabilities, predicting: “Many, if not most, are not doing it correctly. It’s not intentional but they just don’t know.” Kelly said that for those in the industry who thought scanning was a big deal, “you haven’t seen anything yet.” He predicted that calibration processes, in which a vehicle’s various cameras, radar and sensors are retrained to assess their surroundings after a repair, “will dwarf” the issue of pre- and post-repair diagnostics.

Calibration technically isn’t anything new. Toyota, for example, has warned shops to recalibrate the passenger airbag OCS since at least 2010, but the concept has drawn greater attention because of the rise of advanced driver assistance systems necessitating more elaborate calibration procedures. Jake Rodenroth, director of industry relations for asTech’s Collision Diagnostic Services, said his company is starting to see more ADAS calibrations.

Kelly, whose company is building a 4,500-square-foot calibration centre for shops who wish to outsource calibration, called it “doubtful” that many in the industry understood “the full scope” of the issue. He also spoke of the difficulty in keeping up with the requirements from various OEMs. “They’re all wildly different,” he said, noting that some OEMs’ use of “Stone Age” calibration technology like plumb bobs and measuring tape.

Even the Repairify team has been tripped up by calibration. He shared the example of a 2017 Toyota Corolla which lost its lane-keeping capabilities when the car was taken out on the road. A scan tool revealed no trouble codes. They ultimately realized that it had printed out Toyota’s targets at an incorrect size, warning repairers to double-check the scale the targets were rendered by their own printers.

Kelly also cited an example of a shop customer who had a comeback – the vehicle owner reported the lane-keeping feature didn’t work. Repairify found that the aftermarket bumper’s design ‘was a big determining factor,’ and the shop had to get an OEM bumper and then recalibrate the vehicle again.
Rodenroth advised the audience to pay particularly close attention to bumper covers and windshields, indicating that deviations from new OEM parts on either could throw off an ADAS device. (On a side note, Rodenroth challenged every repairer to look up full repair procedures involving just a bumper. He predicted you would be “amazed what you find.”)

Rodenroth also noted the amount of time ADAS calibration can take. Some vehicles aren’t bad, but others can require four to five hours, and “even eight hours.” He encouraged repairers to schedule ADAS calibrations in advance, rather than try and shoehorn it in on before closing time Friday.

In relation to how scanning and calibration fit into a piece-rate business model, Kelly said: “We are very much in the education mode and have extended an invitation to Motor to do a time study on scanning and calibration, but right now, the industry just faces the “Wild West” on calibration. Additionally, dealership prices for the work vary wildly, and the OEMs are still working on repair procedures for some cars and some OEMs don’t even know how to test their safety systems’ progression in real-world conditions,” concluded Kelly.

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 article on the collision repair industry.

Suncorp sponsorship of Auto Body Repair section at Glendale TAFE NSW

TAFE NSW Glendale Campus once again expresses its appreciation to Suncorp Insurance for supporting their apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training programs with the supply of two late model “written off” motor vehicles for the students to repair, a VE Commodore ute and a Toyota Corolla.

Under the excellent guidance of Adam McDonald, Auto Body Repair teacher the students began by installing the VE Commodore on the Car-O-Liner mark 6 and measured it to ensure it was within tolerance. After the measuring was completed the car was quoted, the repair manuals sourced from Holden and their engineers were contacted to discuss the repair of the rear quarter panel or the replacement of the quarter panel or indeed the entire LH body side panel. After reviewing photographic evidence, Holden’s engineers gave permission for the quarter panel (with all inner baffles) to be replaced, with a couple of small body filled repairs to be completed on the LH front guard and LH door. The car was then given to the Automotive Refinishing apprentices to seal all joints, prime and paint the car ready for presentation to the fictional customer. This whole process took approximately one week, which also included theory lessons as well as trying to represent real time repair times.

The second vehicle was a blue Toyota Corolla which was also installed on the Car-O-Liner mark 6 and measured and several different students prepared quotes on the vehicle. The front chassis rails were across and down about 10mm to the right. The chassis rails were realigned before being removed and replaced using the Toyota spec measurements. Student also replaced the radiator supports and both skirt extensions. The vehicle was presented to the paint shop students to seal, prime and paint before being refitted.

TAFE NSW Glendale Campus prides itself on being up-to-date with industry practices and conducting quality training and assessment – not just a tick-and-flick RTO. With the industry experiencing a major shortage in skilled technicians, the dedicated staff plays its part in assisting the industry with training their apprentices, although this would not be possible without sponsors such as Suncorp.  There is also a pre-apprenticeship program running every six months with two days at TAFE and two days in a smash repair workshop to give the students a taste of what the industry is all about. It also gives the prospective employer a chance to assess the young person’s skills, commitment and potential to fit within their apprenticeship program.

Suncorp also sponsors the institute awards and Glendale’s Try-a-Skill Trailer which is used at high school career events to introduce prospective young school leavers to the prospect of becoming an apprentice in the industry.

With the fast-moving repair trends in the industry one of the ways the Glendale teachers keep up-to-date is by doing I-CAR training and becoming I-CAR approved trainers, which in turn has developed into a balance of TAFE and I-CAR delivered training being taught at Glendale. This will contribute to the apprentice becoming a Platinum Level I-CAR young trades person. This program will ramp up in 2018 for all of Glendale’s apprentices and is in line with Suncorp’s industry approach to having their technicians and workshops I-CAR trained and up-to-date with the latest industry trends.

The current group of Auto Body Repair teachers are Adam McDonald, David Brown and Matthew Sullivan. The Automotive Refinish teachers are Craig Clarkson, Wayne Parkinson, Wayne Parker and Michael Steedman. Brain Johnson, Head Teacher summarised his appreciation: “Lawson Pratt from Suncorp and his staff have been a tremendous support with the acquisition of these smashed vehicles and any technical support we need here at Glendale TAFE College. We hope this encourages even more support of our industry in the future to assist in the development of our young apprentices, who are after all, the future of the industry.”

NCR BASF logo

BASF expands automotive coatings plant in China

[column width=”40″ first=”true”] [/column] [column width=”60″ last=”true”] BASF’s Coatings division inaugurated a new, world-scale automotive coatings plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) in Caojing, Shanghai, China. The €140 million project is an extension of the existing automotive coatings plant, a joint venture between BASF and Shanghai Huayi Fine Chemical Co., Ltd. [/column]

This expansion will further enhance the company’s local production and better serve the growing automotive market in China and Asia Pacific.

In 2016, 48.6 million light vehicle units were produced in the Asia Pacific region, accounting for 52 percent of global production. “The global automotive market is expected to continue to grow significantly, with China as the biggest driver,” said Dirk Bremm, President of BASF’s Coatings division. “The inauguration of this new plant in Shanghai will help us to support the growth of our customers and take an active role in developing the Chinese automotive market”.

The state-of-the-art facility will be a production hub for both solvent-borne and water-borne coatings, closely connected to the company’s existing infrastructure for automotive coatings, resins and electrocoat production as well as R&D laboratories.

“With the addition of this new automotive coatings plant to our production cluster in SCIP, we have further strengthened our local production capacity to support our customer industries. Together with our partners, we contribute to facilitating the innovative and sustainable development of China’s industrial sector,” said Stephan Kothrade, President, Functions Asia Pacific and President & Chairman Greater China, BASF.

The new plant will produce thinners, primers, clearcoats and waterborne basecoats. It will be supported by a new automotive application centre providing automotive manufacturers access to advanced R&D facilities, including a 3-D robot for coatings application at the BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific (Shanghai), by end of 2018.

Axalta’s 65th annual global automotive colour popularity report

[column width=”40″ first=”true”] [/column] [column width=”60″ last=”true”] Axalta Coating Systems released the findings of its 65th annual Global Automotive Colour Popularity Report, which shows white as the worldwide leader in consumer vehicle colour choice in 2017, followed by black in second place at 16 percent, with grey and silver tied in third place for the second consecutive year at 11 percent.

Axalta’s 2017 Colour Popularity report also found:

Worldwide: Building on white’s number one position, a trend has developed of pearl colours sparkling on luxury vehicles. White pearl hues increased four percent in 2017.
Africa: Up three percentage points, grey enters double digits at 11 percent. [/column]
Asia: White dominates and is the choice on 52 percent of vehicles sold in the region. China has the highest usage of white anywhere at 62 percent. Japan uses more pearlescent white hues at 28 percent.
Europe: At 20 percent, grey is more popular in Europe than in any other continent.
North America: Blue is gaining popularity, especially in the compact/sport segment where it rose six percentage points to total 16 percent.
Russia: The top colour, white, increased from 28 to 32 percent, while silver is also up three percentage points.
South America: Grey is the rising star in South America moving from eight percent to 11 percent.

“With its modern appeal, white continues to be the top seller worldwide,” said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta Global Colour Marketing Manager. “Pearlescent whites gained four percent in popularity this year as this multi-coat colour is used on all segments and has the highest usage in Japan. Overall, light and bright colours continue to gain strength as light grey and light to medium shades of blue have increased interest in the market.”

Published annually since 1953, Axalta’s report is the automotive industry’s longest running and most comprehensive colour account. It’s is compiled and designed by Axalta’s colour experts around the globe to provide OEMs fascinating and relevant insights into consumer preferences to help them make informed colour decisions.

“Automotive colour evolves over time,” says Elke Dirks, Axalta Automotive OEM Colour Designer, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Recently, blue has been trending in various versions from highly chromatic shades to light metallic colours, and grey has been on the rise as the next competing neutral.”

“White is the undisputed number one, but the story does not end there,” said Annie You, Axalta OEM Colour Designer, China. “Our customers value the subtle trends the report unveils. For instance, buyers in India prefer silver more than any other region at an amazing 30 percent. Overall, more white vehicles are produced in China than any other region, of which 47 percent are solid white, and 15 percent pearl white.”

“Axalta’s annual colour initiatives, which include this Popularity Report, our annual Colour Collection and the Automotive Colour of the Year are beneficial to car manufacturers who are interested in using these insights to innovate,” said Lockhart. “In addition, Axalta has more than 150 years of expertise with an international team of designers and scientists that are solely focused on the fusion of technology and design.”

For more information on Axalta’s Global Automotive 2017 Colour Popularity Report, please visit axalta.com.au/2017ColourPopularityReport