INDUSTRY NEWS (1245)
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The Society of Collision Repair Specialist will host a Repairer's Roundtable on Wednesday, April 3 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Roundtable is set for 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Phoenix Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency, 122 North Second Street in Phoenix.
Industry Gives $5 Million in Support of Collision Repair Programs through Education Foundation
Written by CREF staffThe generosity of the collision industry in supporting its’ future professionals was displayed in 2012 as over $4.9 million was donated to collision school programs and students through the Collision Repair Education Foundation. This level of support was made possible through 175 total donors in 2012. In addition to the record amount of support, the collision industry surpassed the $10 million mark in total giving through the Collision Repair Education Foundation since 2008, when the organization began its philanthropic focus.
Industry Gives 1,000 Uniforms to Collision Students
Written by CREF staffThrough the sponsorship of Bar’s Products, CARSTAR, Cintas, Ford Motor Company, I-CAR, PPG Automotive Refinish, and Sterling Auto Body, 1,000 Cintas collision student technician uniforms will be distributed to secondary and post-secondary collision students through the Collision Repair Education Foundation this spring.
Feds Spend $1 Billion on Repair Bill for Vehicle Fleet
Written by staffThe U.S. government spends nearly $1 billion annually maintaining its 588,000 vehicles, the Government Accountability Office said in an audit released March 7.
In the 2011 fiscal year, the administration spent $975 million on maintenance.
In four separate transactions, ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minnesota-based vehicle repair company, announced the acquisition of two corporate repair centers and the opening of two franchise repair centers in four states.
Vermont State Rep. Bill Botzow (D-1) introduced House Bill 362, a bill that regulates the use of aftermarket parts in automobile repairs covered by insurance. The bill has been referred to Vermont’s House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. The language of the bill includes the following provisions:
The upcoming Women’s Industry Network (WIN) Educational Conference will focus on recruiting talent to the industry.
“We know attracting talented people to the collision repair industry is a hot topic,” said Tina Clark, co-chair of the WIN Conference. “Understanding the myriad sub-issues related to recruiting, such as how to attract the best talent, and legal considerations during the interviewing and hiring process, enables our members to be smarter employers, managers and employees.”
This year’s WIN Educational Conference is scheduled for May 5-7 in Phoenix, AZ.
Certified Automotive Parts Association, (CAPA) provides aftermarket parts that have been certified by CAPA to be comparable to the car company brand part. The claim is based on the notion that if an aftermarket part uses the same materials, construction features, dimensions and geometry as the car company brand part, then it can be expected to perform in a comparable manner to the car company brand part.
Approved by CAPA’s Technical Committee in 2010, the CAPA 501 Bumper Parts Standard, like all other CAPA Standards, is based on comparative testing of an aftermarket part to the car company brand counterpart.
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) will hold its next annual business meeting April 19-20 at the Hurst Convention Center in Hurst, TX. The agenda will include an open meeting of the ASA board of directors on April 20. Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff executive, will deliver a state-of-the-association address during the Saturday luncheon, and a new chairman, along with other board members, will be sworn in. An open membership forum will also be on the agenda.
All ASA members are invited to attend the open meeting on Saturday, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes lunch. The official registration form for the April 20 events, and information about hotel options close to the meeting facility, will be available on the ASA website at www.ASAshop.org.
The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. ASA serves an international membership base that includes state and chapter groups from mechanical and collision repair segments.
Insure.com asked more than 5,600 insurance customers nationwide to rate their satisfaction with their auto, home, health and life insurance companies and 80% of auto insurance customers said they were ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied with their insurers’ customer service.
Insure.com awarded its top 2013 People’s Choice Award to USAA in the auto insurance category. The company scored a 96 overall out of a possible 100. Second place was awarded to Erie Insurance (91.7) and Auto-Owners Insurance (88.1).
Collision Billing Adds Desk Review Services to Client Offerings
Written by staffCollision Billing LLC assists collision repairers in obtaining full payment from insurers reimbursing on behalf of consumers for their billed repair activities and has now introduced desk review services.
The desk review service will allow body shops to send their completed jobs to Collision Billing for review to make sure they have included the necessary operations based on the repairs being done. Collision Billing Services (CBS) utilizes its claims database, which is comprised of information submitted by its subscribers that documents what was paid or not paid on each job, including labor rates, included and not included operations, and manual entries. CBS also uses its comprehensive knowledge of the databases to scrub the estimates to ensure proper profitability.
“Body shops are in the business to repair cars; they don’t want to have to be a database expert as well," said CBS President Chuck Gosney. "They need someone to review their blueprint for repair to make sure they have listed out all the items that they are doing on the job. Many times, they will do the task but forget to include it on the estimate. That’s what we are here for: to help them write a complete sheet.”
Collision Billing is headquartered in Jackson, MI, and can be reached at http://collisionbilling.com, or 517-489-4280.
