Shop and Product - Car Bench America

Transcription

Shop and Product
SHOWCASE
June 2014 // www.autobodynews.com
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Eckert’s Rod & Custom
Molalla, OR ...................26-27
Cypress, CA ......................6-7 Faribault, MN ...............12-13
2 JUNE 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | Shop and Product Showcase
Young Shop Owner Saving Time and Money
with Cromax® Pro
by Autobody News Staff
At 38 Bob Noaker of Noaker’s Auto
Body & Sales in Duncannon, PA, is a
veteran body shop owner with nearly
two decades of experience running
his own collision business. He’s pretty
young to be at the helm of a busy
shop and overseeing a staff of 33, but
by always learning and never resting
on his laurels, Noaker is succeeding
in a highly competitive market.
Noaker is an early adopter when
it comes to anything that will help his
flourishing shop and changing to
Cromax® Pro waterborne paint was
one of those proactive things he’s
just naturally driven to do. Other
things he naturally does is refurbishing cars and donating them to those
in need, as well as chairing his local
I-CAR Committee, something he’s
done for the past year.
Today, Noaker’s does $4 million
in annual sales, but in the beginning
things were a little dicey, according
to Noaker. “I really didn’t know what
I was getting into when I opened my
own shop and my sales that first year
were around $8,800,” he explained.
“I was 23 years old and it was a little
scary, but every year things got better and we expanded in 2008. We’ve
come a long way and this industry
has changed a lot, but by always trying to improve our processes and
pushing for a better product, we’ve
been able to pay the bills.”
Noaker is not afraid of changing
and surely not reluctant when he
can help other body shops, especially when it comes to Axalta Coating Systems. “I’ve helped to train
other shops about how to spray the
Cromax® Pro and it’s been very satisfying. I’m proud to do it, because I
believe in the product and the people at Axalta give us incredible support.”
After using Cromax® Pro from the
very first day he opened his doors,
Noaker decided to test the market
and study his options after he decided
that he wanted to start considering a
different waterborne product back in
2009.
“I did my homework and really
studied the different waterborne paints
out there,” Noaker said. “I visited at
least seven shops using waterborne
to see what they were doing and the
results they were getting with it. I then
wrote a two-page report to analyze the
Noaker’s Auto Body & Sales
Location: Duncannon, PA
Telephone: 717-834-6500
www.noakersautobody.com
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 33
In Business Since: 1999
Number of Locations: One
Combined Production Space:
20,000 square feet
Painter Matt Turns applies Cromax® Pro to a vehicle at Noaker’s Auto
Body & Sales in Duncannon, PA
pros and cons of each. What I discovered is Cromax® Pro needed fewer
coats to achieve the same coverage
that I was getting with the other waterborne products.”
On average, Noaker found out
that he needed only 1.5 coats with the
Cromax® Pro versus 2-4 coats with the
other brands, by polling painters and
spraying them himself. “I also found
out that with some of the hard-to-cover
colors, the other waterborne product
brands required as many as nine
coats,” Noaker said. “But, even in the
worst situation, these same colors only
need 2.5 coats with the Cromax® Pro.”
Noaker doesn’t like using too
much product on any paint job for obvious reasons, but what really stood
out for him was the cost of additional
labor to complete each job with more
coats. “Every coat is another 30-45
minutes to do it properly, so when
you add it all up, it can really put a
dent in your profit,” he said. “With the
Cromax® Pro, we use less paint, the
application process is faster and the
color match is great. Now, really vibrant colors and tri-coats match better than ever before and those
hard-to-match colors are no longer a
challenge. On top of it, we don’t have
to tint as much as we did in the past.”
Noaker switched to Cromax® Pro
long before it was en vogue, he said. “I
can safely say we were the first in this
area to go with waterborne and I’m
proud of that. Being a green shop is a
big deal, because it shows we care
about the environment, and that’s why
we also recycle more than 90% of our
waste. Waterborne is coming to Pennsylvania anyway, so why not start
using it and be good at using it now?”
Since Noaker’s was the first shop
in his region to switch to Cromax® Pro,
there was ample time to learn the
paint and work extensively with the
people at Axalta. “It was a great experience, because we had full access
to their team and we took advantage
of it,” Noaker said. “So, we had a ton
of help during the switchover and we
also gave them some advice in return.
We offered our input and told them
how we felt they could better train
shops in the future. They took some of
what we said and used it, which just
shows it’s a partnership that we have
with Axalta.”
For shops anywhere in the country that are currently dragging their
feet about converting to waterborne
paint, Noaker can alleviate their fears.
“Axalta set us up right and that’s why
the changeover went so smoothly,” he
said. “You don’t have to spend a lot of
money to spray water and it all comes
down to air movement, so you may
have purchase some fans. But, in the
end it could save you money and definitely time, so do your due diligence
and make an educated decision, just
like we did.”
Owner Bob Noaker is enamored
with the quality of the finished
product with Cromax® Pro
Noaker’s loves the color matches
they’re achieving with Cromax® Pro
Cromax®
50 Applied Card Way, Suite 300
Glen Mills, PA 19342
Phone: (855) 6-AXALTA
www.cromax.us
Shop and Product Showcase | AUTOBODY NEWS JUNE 2014 3
Tesla Drives Wisconsin Shop Straight to Car Bench
Marshall Auto Body
When a body shop owner bought a
Tesla, he was wowed by the vehicle
and its cutting-edge technology. His
next thought was ‘body shops will
need to work on these cars!’ That’s
how Scott Marshall and his son
Aaron, owners of Marshall Auto
Body in Waukesha, WI, made the
decision to become Tesla-certified
and purchase the necessary equipment from Car Bench America, one
of the world’s leading manufacturers
of high-end frame and measuring
equipment for the automotive repair
industry.
Aaron Marshall, now 43, began
working at his father’s shop when
he was seven years old, sweeping
the floors but also learning the business one part at a time. “My dad let
me take anything apart and put it
back together from lawn mowers to
all types of equipment. I helped in
prep and detail until I entered high
school, when I started learning
about refinish, body and frame work
from two co-workers that I still work
with today.”
After getting a degree from the
University of Denver in international
studies and political science, Aaron
returned to the family business and
painted cars at the shop for a couple
years. He decided to branch out,
landing a job in sales for a paint company for a time, then returned once
and for all to the shop world in 1994.
Aaron has increased the shop’s revenues every year by approaching
every aspect of the business with a
passion and purpose with the goal to
be more efficient and greener at every
turn.
Fixing more than 180 cars monthly
in a relatively tight production area
(7,800 square feet), Marshall has
learned a great deal by applying the
tools and teachings of the Toyota Production system from the manufacturing world.
When Aaron’s father Scott purchased his Tesla last year, both father and son instantly connected with
the car and its technology. “We
clearly see how this vehicle has the
potential to re-kindle the connection
that people used to have with their
cars. That connection has drifted as
cars have become to be seen as
more of an appliance. We immediately pursued Tesla Collision Repair
Certification, and although Tesla’s
penetration in our market was less
Location: Waukesha, WI
Telephone: 262-549-4300
www.marshallautobody.com
DRP Programs: 19
Number of Locations: 1
12,800 square feet
Aaron Marshall (left) and his father Scott Marshall are excited to be involved with Tesla and Car Bench, because they covet the car and the
equipment, respectively
than what it is in major metro areas,
Tesla welcomed our interest and allowed us to become involved. We
purchased the required equipment
and one of our lead techs was at
Tesla’s very first Aluminum welding
and structural Repair Class.”
“At the time we wanted to become Tesla Certified, Car Bench was
really the only structural repair equipment sanctioned by Tesla, so if you
wanted to be certified, you had to
have it,” Marshall explained. “We took
this opportunity to upgrade all of our
structural equipment, and that’s why
we contacted Car Bench and purchased three machines from them.
We got a Triton, their smaller driveover bench that sits only four inches
off the floor and doubles as a mid-rise
lift, with a 10-ton pulling capacity. You
can attach fixturing apparatus to it, so
that you can fixture a vehicle, allowing use of the greater pulling power. If
you fixture the car to the four points of
the torque box, you can pull that car in
half the time vs. pinch weld clamps,
because the car is so sturdily attached to the bench. Along with the
Infinity measuring system, purchased
from Car Bench America, we complete 95% of all dimensional correction at the very beginning of repairs in
the damage analysis phase.”
The larger bench that Marshall
purchased from Car Bench is called
the 5.2 Muraena Mobile Bench. According to Car Bench, this system
uses multi-point fixture anchoring
and holding required for proper repair of modern vehicles made with
HSS, carbon fiber, aluminum and
exotic materials requiring ± 1mill tolerance, and is available with numerous fixtures and laser measuring
options.
“This Muraena Bench is a fantastic piece of equipment and we love it
more every time we use it,” Marshall
said. “Going with Car Bench was a
wise decision and we’re glad it
worked out that way, because this
equipment is so versatile and so well
made. When we bought this equipment, we got rid of all our old measuring systems and frame machines,
all of them!”
Robert Stevenson is Car Bench
America’s National Sales and Training Support Manager and has seen
a spike in his company’s sales since
the recent resurgence of aluminum,
largely due to the Tesla and the new
Ford F-150. “We’ve done several
Tesla setups recently like the one at
Marshall Auto Body and seeing genuine interest in our systems from
shops all over the country.
“One of the real advantages of
Car Bench is that we have universal
fixtures, which is a big deal,” Stevenson said. “If you don’t have this option and you’re working on any
unibody repair, you may have to rent
your fixtures, which cost $375-$400
for the rental $300 in freight costs,
extended car rental costs and 1-3
weeks for delivery if the fixtures are
in stock. It becomes very inconvenient and it can impact the shops’
cycle times. Then, you have to ship it
back and it’s a hassle. We know that
aluminum is here to stay and Car
Bench America is leading the way.”
A Tesla sits on a Car Bench 5.2
Muraena Mobile Bench at
Marshall Auto Body
Marshall Auto Body’s 5.2 Muraena
Mobile Bench is on the job 24/7
Car Bench America
5251 W. 74th Street
Edina, MN 55439
Phone: (952) 392-6095
www.carbenchamerica.com
CCC One Makes Hansen Auto Body & Paint
a Better Shop
When it comes to customer service in
any business, the goal is “Image perceived. Mission achieved.” If you can
make a good impression with your
customer during that initial encounter
while finding a solution that leverages
your professional approach, you’ve
probably already won the game. An
excellent example of this standard is
CCC ONE™ Touch, a device that enhances and strengthens a shop’s relationship with its customers during
the estimate process.
One of the first shops to demonstrate the convenience and interactivity of the CCC ONE™ Touch was
Hansen Auto Body & Paint in Cypress,
CA. With two large buildings situated
on two acres, Hansen opened its door
in 1959 and currently repairs 75-100
vehicles every month.
Owner Karen Hansen said she
didn’t mind the fact that CCC asked
her to be a guinea pig for the CCC
ONE™ Touch. “They came to us back
in late 2013 and asked us to test their
Touch system and requested that we
make notes along the way,” Hansen
said. “They asked us questions about
how it could be better and they really
valued our input. They wanted our
perspective because they knew we
would be using every day.”
The crew at Hansen Auto Body
& Paint has been using the CCC
ONE™ Touch since last November
and it’s already an integral part of
their operation, Hansen said. “We’re
able to provide a better level of customer service by using this device,”
Hansen said. “It’s an estimating tool
that’s convenient, accurate and
easy-to-use. The VIN decoder saves
us a ton of time, because all we need
to do is take a photo of the VIN and
it immediately downloads all off the
vehicle’s information. At the same
time, we get access to all of the car’s
year-specific data, so that we know
what parts are needed for the repair.
It’s invaluable and it makes all of our
lives a lot easier, especially for our
manager, Moises Romero.”
Karen Hansen has been running
Hansen Auto Body & Paint since
2007, when her husband passed
away, after working by his side for
several decades. She treats all of her
15 employees well and that’s why
her people stay for 15-20 years and
take pride in their work, she said.
The crew at Hansen Auto Body
& Paint appreciates the time-saving
aspect of the device. “Logistically, it
just makes more sense,” Hansen
Hansen Auto Body & Paint
Location: Cypress, CA
Telephone: 714-828-1550
www.hansenautobody.com
DRP Programs: Two
60,000 square feet (two buildings)
Manager Moises Romero uses his CCC ONE™ Touch at Hansen Auto
Body & Paint in Cypress, CA, an estimating tool that’s convenient,
cutting-edge and easy-to-use
said. “Previously, we had to walk out
there with a cart, to hold our digital
camera and laptop. Now our people
walk out there with a small tablet device. Estimates that used to take a
half hour are now taking 10-15 minutes and the customer is right there
during the entire process. Before, we
would have to take a clipboard and
write down all the information accurately and then input it into the computer. Now, the CCC ONE™ Touch
has eliminated that step entirely and
we don’t have to ask the customer to
go wait in the front office while we do
the estimate.”
By using the CCC ONE™ Touch,
Hansen’s estimators can do just
about everything they need to during
that initial customer encounter, except
actually repairing the car, she explained. “We can find the parts we
need for the repair and compare pricing between OE, aftermarket and recycled parts—all right there with the
customer next to the car. We can
show the customer exactly what’s
going on and explain to them what will
be going into the repair. The average
customer does not know what’s going
on behind that bumper and has no
idea what parts will be needed to do
the job, so the CCC ONE™ Touch is
a great way to actually show them,
rather than just telling them what’s required.”
CCC’s Vice-President of Marketing Solutions Mark Fincher believes
that the CCC ONE™ Touch is going
to change the collision industry in
several ways. “This device will not
only improve your productivity and
the accuracy of your estimates by
being face-to-face with the damage,
but the customer engagement aspect of it is really an important factor,” Fincher said. “Estimators can
now sell the job from start to finish by
seamlessly using the CCC ONE™
Touch.”
Logistically, the CCC ONE™
Touch allows the estimator to work
more quickly, thereby speeding up
the entire process and educating the
customer as well. “Now when you
come out to greet your customer at
the car, you’re not encumbered with
a camera and a clipboard; you’re
carrying only a Windows 8.1 tablet
instead. It’s a more professionallooking approach and just another
way to attract and hold that customer.”
Hansen Auto Body & Paint was
one of the first to use the CCC ONE™
Touch and now approximately 150
body shops are currently using the
device, Fincher said. “We wanted to
see how it performed with multiple
cars and in a real-world environment
like a busy body shop. We let them
play with it for 45 days and then we
solicited their feelings about it. We
took that input from Hansen’s and
other pilot shops and refined the system. We brought it up slowly, just to
make certain that it was up to the task
and doing all of the things we wanted
it to do. Once other shops get to see
it and try it, I think more and more will
get onboard with the CCC ONE™
Touch.”
From left, Hansen’s Manager
Moises Romero, Estimator
Cheyanne Loy and Front Office
Manager Urbano Villalpando
are all adept at working with
the CCC ONE™ Touch
One of the first shops to demonstrate the convenience and interactivity of the CCC ONE™ Touch
was Hansen Auto Body & Paint
CCC Information Services, Inc.
Phone: (312) 229-3754
www.ccc-one.com
ANY REPAIR.
ANY METAL.
EVERY TIME.
ELEKTRON
MultiTool Aluminum Repair Station
and MultiMig 522 Welder
CHIEF GOLIATH
Pulling Rack
CHIEF LaserLock™
Live Mapping™
Fix any metal on any job with Chief collision repair equipment.
Vehicles are evolving, but so is Chief’s collision repair equipment. Pull full-size trucks, measure multiple points in real time
with Live Mapping™ and repair all types of metals – including aluminum – with the perfect weld every time. Plus, we have a
hands-on technician training program and the most precise and comprehensive vehicle specification database in the world.
Bring the dream team of Chief products to your shop.
Visit chiefautomotive.com/dreamteam/abn today to learn why
Chief is your single source for collision repair equipment.
Growing MSO Puts Chief Automotive Equipment
on Its Team
ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a leading
national collision repair company
with 218 locations in 17 states, uses
hundreds of pieces of equipment on
a daily basis, including many manufactured by Chief Automotive Technologies.
With so many moving parts in this
huge operation, including thousands
of cars being repaired monthly, ABRA
relies on its equipment to perform
every day. ABRA Executive Vice President of Operations Scott Krohn said
his team appreciates the reliable products and strong support Chief provides to this growing company. In just
the last three years, ABRA has nearly
doubled in size.
Krohn is a 25-year veteran of the
collision industry and has been with
ABRA for the past 18 years. He began
his career working in a small body
shop while attending Southwest Minnesota State University and worked
his way through college repairing primarily classic and muscle cars.
To meet the company’s high standards, ABRA utilizes Chief Automotive equipment in most of its locations.
“When we acquire a new location and
they’re already using some non-Chief
equipment, we will continue to use it,”
Krohn said. “But when we build a new
shop from the ground up or need to
upgrade the equipment at an existing
location, Chief is our preferred vendor.”
We asked Krohn if there are distinct differences between the brands
on the market. “There are some great
equipment suppliers out there, but
what really sets Chief apart from the
rest is their support and training component,” Krohn explained. “And that’s
why we chose Chief and made them
one of our preferred vendors. Sure,
we greatly value their equipment as
well, but in the end, we went with
them for all of the other things they
bring to the table.”
Krohn appreciates ABRA’s relationship with Chief Automotive and
knows it will grow as the company
grows. “It’s been seven or eight years
that we’ve been working with Chief
and we’re extremely happy with them
for a lot of reasons,” Krohn said. “The
measuring equipment changes every
five to eight years and we don’t know
what these machines will look like by
then, but we’re happy to be involved
in a forward-thinking company like
Chief.”
Krohn also appreciates that he
can deal with one contact when it
comes to Chief Automotive, which is
really a necessity when you have so
ABRA Auto Body & Glass
Location: East Bloomington, MN
Telephone: 952-888-0333
www.abraauto.com
18,000 square feet
Dennis Steinke, the Manager at ABRA’s East Bloomington, MN shop (at
right) works with Gary Simpson, an apprentice body tech, and shows
him how to use one of their Chief computerized measuring systems
many locations. “Chief works with
their local distributors in each market,
so we don’t need to have numerous
relationships. If we need support or
training, we can go directly to Chief.
That’s important for us, because it’s
all about saving time and of course,
money. Having the right people in
place and fully-trained on our equipment is definitely an important part in
our growth plan.”
Dennis Steinke manages ABRA’s
East Bloomington, Minnesota, repair
center. He’s been with the company for
13 years and his track record of using
Chief equipment spans two decades.
“The Chief computerized measuring systems are great pieces of equipment, because we can get down to
millimeters with them,” Steinke said.
“The first thing we do when a car
comes into the shop is perform a premeasurement, so we can determine
precisely how far the damage has
transferred into the vehicle; how it
moved the vehicle and how it was altered. It’s imperative we do a premeasurement, so we can pull it back
to pre-accident condition. Our theory
is to disassemble the car first and
measure it, so we can determine the
time required to repair it and then devise our actual repair plan. That’s why
we can justify our repair times while
avoiding surprises, as well as helping
us to identify where we can section a
car, if applicable.”
Echoing Krohn, Steinke values
Chief’s training and support. “When
we made this most recent purchase,
the people from Chief came to do
training twice—first right after the ma-
chines were delivered and then again
30 days later for some follow-up training. It was a great way to do it, because it gave us a month to use the
equipment and then they came back
to answer all our questions. They do
it this way with all our stores and it’s
very effective.”
If anything on any piece of his
Chief equipment needs to be replaced or repaired, Steinke knows
that Chief will always be there. “People break things, it happens,” Steinke
said. “Everyone is human and we use
these machines every day, so we’re
not surprised if someone breaks a
sensor, for example. But, all we have
to do is call the people at Chief and
the problem’s solved, usually within
24 hours. That way, it doesn’t slow us
down or impact our cycle times.”
The company was founded in
1984 and headquartered in Brooklyn
Park, Minnesota; ABRA is a leading
provider of vehicle repair services
specializing in collision repair, paintless dent removal, and auto glass repair and replacement. Just eight
months after opening its first location,
ABRA opened its second. In 1987,
the MSO launched a franchise program to manage accelerated growth.
In just two years, ABRA had added
certified glass installation services to
its collision repair centers.
Today, ABRA is the secondlargest MSO in the country and plans
to continue expanding in the future.
Its mission is to be the best auto body
and glass company in America by
providing quality repairs, in a timely
manner, with friendly, helpful service.
ABRA Executive Vice President of
Operations Scott Krohn greatly
values the reliable products and
strong support Chief provides to
his company
ABRA Manager Dennis Steinke
has worked with Chief equipment
for many years, so he knows the
integral role it plays in his shop’s
daily operations
Chief Automotive Technologies
Phone: (800) 445-9262
email: [email protected]
www.chiefautomotive.com
Dollies by DJS Fabrications Are Changing the
Automotive Industry
Shop Owner Bruce Newell is all
about utilizing new, innovative equipment and improved processes to do
a better, safer and more efficient job.
To this end, 1st Class Collision of
Murrieta, CA, was one of the state’s
first shops to use waterborne paint,
work on aluminum vehicles and incorporate ground-breaking lean production processes into his shop.
That’s one reason why Newell owns
wheel dollies made by DJS Fabrications in Menefee, CA. They give him
greater control to move any vehicle
safely and easily throughout his facility.
Newell is a lifetime innovator when
it comes to collision, so he knows that
the industry is constantly in a state of
flux. “I never get complacent, because
this industry is changing all the time,”
Newell said. “If we see a new product
or technique, we’re not afraid to test it
and see if it will work for us. If it can
help us to work smarter and be more
efficient my thinking is why not at least
try it? I tell my people change is ongoing, so never get too comfortable.”
As a third-generation shop owner
(Newell’s grandfather and father both
had shops starting back in the 1970s)
Bruce Newell has a perspective not
all can match. In 1980, Newell got
into the collision world and began
working as a prepper. “I followed in
my dad’s footsteps for several years
and worked my way up to become a
painter. After 11 years working for another company, I decided to make the
move and started my own shop.”
In 1991, Newell and a partner
started his first shop in Escondido, CA
and then opened a second location
12 years later. In 2007, he and his
partner split the business and each
took over one of the locations. “That
was our goal from the beginning,”
Newell said. “We wanted to get both
locations to where they were strong
and then split them up and it worked
out well.”
About 6-7 years ago, Newell
started hearing about wheel dollies
that worked better than anything else
on the market. “We brought them in
and immediately liked them. The DJS
dollies and their parts carts give us
more floor space to work with and help
us in our lean production processes.
Since then, we’ve purchased a lot of
their equipment, including another set
of dollies, bed racks and some of their
threshold ramps for our paint booth
and also some frame plates, so that
1st Class Collision
of Murrieta
Location: Murrieta, CA
Telephone: 951-834-9700
www.1stclassmurrieta.com
DRP Programs: Four
Doug Symiczek, the founder and president of DJS Fabrications (third
from the right) is here at NACE with his team. A former body tech,
Symiczek’s dollies and accessories are a huge hit with body shops all
over the world
we can safely put the cars on our
Chief rack. We realized rather quickly
that this equipment is excellent and
before long it all became a big part of
our production system. Now we have
eight of their wheel dollies; two dolly
stations; 30 parts racks; two sets of
threshold ramps and six bed racks.”
Newell can’t say enough good
things about DJS Fabrications, their
dollies and their accessories. “DJS’s
equipment is a piece of our total
puzzle here,” Newell said. “The parts
carts help us to be more organized,
and by using them we aren’t misplacing or losing parts. With the DJS
wheel dollies, we don’t need five
guys to move a car now. One technician can do it by himself, in a
pinch, but I prefer two for safety reasons.”
Safety is always a big concern at
1st Class Collision of Murrieta, and
that’s another reason why Newell
prefers his dollies made by DJS
Fabrications. “Some of these other
wheel dollies out there are kind of
Mickey Mouse, but the DJS dollies
are stable and the chance of someone getting injured by the car falling
off are slim and none. As the owner,
I appreciate the fact that it’s a safe
product for my guys to use, which is
huge for me.”
Doug Symiczek, the founder and
president of DJS Fabrications was a
body man for 27 years before inventing his line of dollies and associated
equipment, including a Universal Dolly
system, a mobile dolly station, car
dolly accessories, and even European
rocker and suspension adaptors (authorized by BMW, Mercedes-Benz
and Corvette vehicles); truck bed
carts; paint rail sets and folding and
stackable cars parts racks. And it all
began one day when an accident occurred in a shop.
“Back in 2006, we were using
some homemade jerry-rigged gizmo
and it wasn’t anchored securely,”
Symiczek explained. “The car fell off
it and one of the techs could have
lost a limb. At that point, I thought
hey there has to be a better way.
So, I started designing the Universal Dolly system right there and
then. When we tried it, we were excited, because we saw that it was a
very simple yet reliable dolly system. We put it on a car and it rolled
like skates!
“The following year, we went to
NACE with the dollies and we were
scared,” Symiczek said. “My wife got
a banner made and she had some
shirts embroidered, so that we would
look like someone. In those 2.5 days,
we sold $57,000 in dollies alone. I
looked at my wife and said it looks
like a lot of other people have been
having trouble moving cars.”
DJS Fabrications has done very
well already this year and Symiczek
believes his company has a bright
future. “I was able to retire as a technician and we haven’t slowed down
since that NACE show,” he said.
“We continue to grow at a rapid rate
and we’re very pleased that shops
are able to benefit from our products.”
21,600 square feet
1st Class Collision of Murrieta, CA
uses car dollies and accessories
made by DJS Fabrications every
day
1st Class Collision values DJS
Fabrications’ products because
they’re safe, convenient and
made to last
DJS Fabrications
30141 Antelope Rd. #D-334
Menifee, CA 92584
Company Contact: Doug Symiczek
Phone: (951) 698-4510
www.djsfabrications.com
Large MSO Saves Time and Money Using
Equalizer’s Glass Tools
With newer vehicles, glass work is
more sophisticated than ever, and
that’s why the glass technicians at
ABRA Auto Body & Glass use Equalizer® auto glass tools. They especially
prefer the Viper™, an omni-ratchet
device that can cut through some of
the toughest urethane in existence
with no resistance, while removing
quarter glasses and tough Dodge
pickup back sliders easily and dramafree.
If you’re not familiar with ABRA, it
is one of the country’s largest MSOs,
with 218 shops in 17 states. In addition to full collision repair, the company
also offers full-service mobile glass replacement and windshield chip repair.
And that’s where Equalizer® plays an
important role for this rapidly-growing
company.
Equalizer’s Founder and Owner
Ray Asbery started his career in the
auto glass industry in Louisville, KY as
a delivery driver for a local car dealership. After watching technicians work
on the vehicles he was delivering, Asbery switched jobs and became an
auto glass technician, moving up the
chain-of-command over many years
until being hired by Globe Glass & Mirror in 1986 to manage their location in
Austin, TX.
Always the inventor and self-proclaimed tinkerer, Asbery created Exclusive Tool Company in November
1987 and took a leap of faith when he
and his son Eric introduced their
newest invention to the glass industry.
Their first tool was called the Equalizer
and quickly it became a household
name in several industries, including
collision, according to the company’s
website.
Known as an encyclopedia of collision knowledge, Mitch Becker is
ABRA’s go-to guy in pretty much
every area when it comes to fixing
cars. He’s been an automotive collision instructor for more than 20 years
and has taught approximately 3,600
classes for I-CAR and ABRA during
that time.
Becker trains ABRA’s glass professionals about how to use Equalizer’s glass tools, because he believes
that they’re some of the best in the industry, he explained. “We just don’t tell
our people how to do something, we
show them why they do it and it works
well for us. We want our glass technicians to think for themselves and
solve problems they encounter out
there on the job and to question what
they’re doing, so they’ll get better. The
Equalizer glass tools are among the
best I’ve ever used and I tell people
ABRA Auto Body & Glass
Location: Faribault, MN
Telephone: 507-333-1255
Facility Employees: Nine
13,000 square feet
Glass technicians at ABRA Auto Body & Glass use Equalizer glass tools
to work quickly, safely and effectively (Pictured: ABRA’s Faribault MN
location)
about them all the time, because they
save time and are extremely efficient
once you become adept at using
them.”
If you’re not familiar with glass
repair terminology, the Equalizer
tools enable the ABRA glass techs to
perform what’s called Remove and
Install (R&I) procedures. “For painting purposes, we need to take these
windows off, because the moldings
come up on top of the paint and we
obviously can’t leave paint lines,”
Becker explained. “The windows are
getting more and more difficult to remove on these newer vehicles, because all of the moldings, trim and
hardware are attached to the window
now—it’s all one piece. Robots set
the glass at the factories, so everything is set in place and to remove all
of these accessories to get to the
paint is more difficult.
New materials require the latest
tools, Becker said. “With all of these
high-strength steels, if you damage
anything while removing a window, it’s
a more serious deal. We’re also seeing
more exposed edge glass and open
pinch weld areas. The paint is now visible under the glass, so we need tools
that won’t damage the glass or the
metal when we do these R & I procedures.”
Mistakes now can be more costly
than ever, Becker said, and that’s
why he likes the fact that teaching his
glass techs about how to use Equalizer’s Viper is not difficult. “If for some
reason one of our techs breaks a
window that can really set us back
and cost us money. A quarter glass
(side of the vehicle), for example,
can cost $900. So, it’s important that
I can get these techs up and running
quickly with these tools and in most
cases, we’re able to do it.”
The Viper is good for ABRA and
easier on their glass techs’ bodies as
well, Becker said. “One thing that’s
really great about the Viper is that it
makes it much easier on my technicians’ shoulders and backs. We’re
not having the neck, shoulder and
back problems we used to encounter
before, because now the techs don’t
have to get into these odd angles to
do the work.”
ABRA’s Joe Strong is a 25-year
veteran of the automotive glass industry and that’s why he was able to
give us a clear description of how
Equalizer tools enable him to work
quickly and efficiently when replacing
windshields and quarter windows.
“I just started working with the
Viper and I like it, but I will need to
use it more to get faster,” Strong said.
“I’ve been using Equalizer’s glass
tools for several years and they’re the
best in the industry, without a doubt!”
Aaron Kasparek is the manager
at the ABRA Auto Body & Glass location in Faribault MN and he has
continually witnessed Strong work
quickly and effectively using his
Equalizer glass tools. “We get a lot
of windshield replacement work here
and Joe is our go-to guy when it
comes to doing the job. It’s all about
the right tools for any job and that’s
why ABRA uses the Viper and the
Python to do this type of very delicate work.”
Mitch Becker, technical instructor
for ABRA said that Equalizer’s glass
tools are the best he’s ever used
ABRA Glass Tech Joe Strong (left)
performs a windshield Remove
and Install (R&I) procedure with an
Equalizer glass tool while Manager
Aaron Kasparek looks on at
ABRA’s Faribault, MN location
Equalizer®
Company Contact: Shauna Davis
Phone: (800) 334-1334
2611 Oakmont Drive,
Round Rock, TX 78665
www.equalizer.com
Rhode Island Shop Owner Sticks with IPG’s
American Brand Automotive Tape
Body shop owners want their automotive tape to be like a good tech—
reliable, predictable and tenacious.
They want it to stick in there on those
tougher jobs and put in the extra time
and effort to make the finished product look spectacular each and every
time. And that’s why more and more
body shop owners are making the
switch to American® brand PG27 automotive tape and their affordable alternative product called AquaMaskTM
(AM), both of which are manufactured
by Intertape Polymer Group® (IPG®).
“If it works, stick with it, that’s my
belief,” Mark Walsh, the owner of
Walsh’s Auto Body in Providence, RI
said, when recently discussing IPG
tape, the only tape he uses and proud
of it. “If a product does its job, that’s
just one more thing I don’t have to
think about.”
Mark Walsh and his sister Kim
run a body shop that fixes 100 cars
every month, so losing sleep over
things like whether their automotive
tape is going to stick or not is not on
their preferred list. A third-generation
shop, Mark and Kim’s father was the
first certified Volkswagen mechanic
in the state of Rhode Island and
wrenched on the German imports
until he started Walsh’s Auto Body
back in 1964, when Mark was a newborn. But as a teenager, he gravitated to the collision industry and
began learning from the bottom up
by working in his family’s shop.
“My dad was giving me simple
things to do at the beginning to get
my feet wet and learn the business
correctly,” Walsh said. “First it was
prep and then I moved on to doing
stuff like repairing bumpers and just
gradually progressing from there.”
In 1983, Mark took over the business from his father, a big step up for
an 18-year-old fresh out of high
school. But, by learning on the job and
changing as the technology and industry evolved, Walsh was able to succeed in Providence, where it’s a very
competitive market. Today, Mark’s son
Josh, 29, is working for the shop as a
painter, learning the business the way
he and his grandfather did starting 40
years ago.
Walsh’s approach to doing business is basic and time-tested. “I’m a
straight shooter and I back my word,”
he said. “We’ve built a solid reputation here by doing quality work and
this is not an easy business to be in.
It’s a battle every day, but all the insurance companies that work with us
Walsh’s Auto Body
Location: Providence, RI
Telephone: 401-785-3560
www.walshsautobody.com
5,000 square feet
Walsh’s Auto Body in Providence, RI, fixes roughly 100 cars every month
know that our word is 100% solid
and they can count on us.”
Walsh changed over to IPG tape
a decade ago, when his former tape
had big problems doing its #1 job—
sticking. “We get some pretty serious
humidity here in Rhode Island and
my old tape just wouldn’t adhere
when the humidity was high. It was
peeling back and I was getting overspray. That slows us down, because
we have to buff it or clean it or completely paint it, in some cases.”
After witnessing a pattern of poor
performance by his old tape, Walsh
tried the American brandtape and was
pleased with the results. “No problems, no issues and a clear line every
time,” he said. “It comes off cleanly
and makes all of our jobs a whole lot
easier.” Just like a good tech, a good
product makes everybody look good!
Made right here in the USA,
IPG’s automotive tapes have been
receiving amazing reviews from collision repairers from Alaska to Puerto
Rico and everywhere in between as
small mom-and-pop shops all the
way to enormous MSOs appreciate
it for its value and durability.
IPG’s American brand PG27 automotive tape is well-known for it
easy handling, smooth crepe backing, incomparable conformability to
uneven surfaces and its precise cornering capabilities andalso provides
resistance to paint flaking and a
clean, well-defined paint line. Lauded
for its good quick stick and holding
properties, this tape is designed for
paint masking that requires clean
and easy removal from a variety of
hot or cold surfaces. Its state-of-theart performance makes it a premium
tape for automotive refinishing applications.
For shops that want a little lesscostly alternative, IPG also makes
American brand AquaMask (AM)
asking tape, which is designed to be
used for a wide range of purposes in
the shop. The rubber-based adhesive provides secure adhesion to
both painted and bare metals and
plastics, yet removes cleanly without
adhesive residue, paint “flaking” from
backside or surface staining. AM is
an aqua colored, conformable saturated crepe paper masking tape with
pressure-sensitive rubber adhesive,
according to the company’s web site
at: www.itape.com.
IPG’s Automotive National Sales
Manager Monty Seawright believes
that the combination of both the
American Brand PG27 automotive
tape and the AquaMask (AM) are a
powerful duo for any body shop.
“Our PG27 is our high-performance tape and our AM is our
medium grade product, designed to
fill a need for shops are watching the
bottom line a little more carefully,”
Seawright said. “We introduced it to
the market three years ago and
shops like it because itcan save them
money without sacrificing a lot of
quality. It costs around 25% less, so
we’ve discovered that many shops
use both types of tape. For the more
high-end work, they use the PG27
and for other work that isn’t maybe as
crucial, they can save money with the
AM.”
Joshua Walsh, Mark’s son, uses
American® Brand PG27 automotive tape and IPG’s affordable alternative product called
AquaMask® (AM)
A third-generation shop, Mark
and Kim’s father Norman Walsh
(pictured here) was the first certified Volkswagen mechanic in the
state of Rhode Island and started
Walsh’s Auto Body back in 1964
Intertape Polymer Group
100 Paramount Drive, Suite 300
Sarasota, FL 34232
Phone: (941) 727-5788
www.itape.com
Matrix System Provides a Legal and Viable
Alternative to Waterborne
Because volatile organic compounds
(VOC) in paint have been recognized
as harmful to both painters and to the
environment, more and more states
throughout the country have enacted
regulations to reduce VOC emissions in many businesses, including
body shops. When several states including California mandated the use
of waterborne starting back in 2009,
many body shops switched over
without being aware of the fact that
a low VOC solvent paint was available to them.
Today, many collision repairers
know that there is a legal alternative
to waterborne paint and it’s called Matrix System’s MPB-LV Premium Low
VOC solvent basecoat. From small
independents all the way to large
MSOs, shop owners and painters are
gravitating toward this paint, especially in regions where they’re encountering problems associated to
the use of waterborne paint.
Curtis and Ann Duggan are the
owners of Duggan’s Collision Center,
located near San Diego, CA. It’s a
family business, with the couple’s son
Sean writing estimates and daughter
Katie running the shop’s front office
in a busy environment where a staff
of 10 repairs 70-80 cars monthly. In
addition to collision repair, the shop
also does automotive restoration and
for many years they were known for
their amazing paint jobs, performed
expertly each and every time, with
perfect matching and lifetime warranties.
Until January 2013, Duggan’s
Collision Center was using a waterborne product manufactured by a
well-known company, but when he
and his painters Alfonso Bravo and
Julian McGee kept encountering issues with the product, they started
looking around for an alternative.
After changing to the waterborne
paint five years ago, Duggan encountered issues with it almost immediately. “I didn’t know what to do,”
Curtis Duggan said. “We were having problems with coverage and it
was impacting our cycle times and
we were losing money by having to
re-do work. When the weather here
changes dramatically during the
months of September and October,
it even became more difficult to dial
in this waterborne. So, I finally went
to Alfonso and Julian my painters
and told him to go ahead and use
any paint line they felt more comfortable with. That’s when we decided to start using Matrix System’s
MPB-LV Premium Low V.O.C. sol-
Duggan’s Collision Center, Inc.
Location: Spring Valley, CA
Telephone: 619-465-5655
DRP Programs: Two
6,000 square feet
Painter Julian McGee at Duggan’s Collision Center enjoys spraying
Matrix System’s MPB-LV Premium Low V.O.C. solvent basecoat and
appreciates the amazing finished product
vent basecoat, which was an excellent move.”
After making the changeover to
Matrix System’s MPB-LV Premium
Low V.O.C. solvent basecoat, Duggan
discovered that he wasn’t sacrificing
productivity by using the new product.
“In fact, we not only improved our
overall efficiency by switching to Matrix System but also gained some considerable savings across the board,”
Duggan said. “We also now have literally perfect color matching, while
saving 35% to 40% and drastically improving our cycle times. Our painter is
happier and loves the fact that he’s
getting better coverage and using
fewer coats of paint. He feels more
confident and the stress we were experiencing with the waterborne product is gone!”
Now that Duggan’s Collision
Center is using Matrix System’s
MPB-LV Premium Low V.O.C. solvent basecoat, the shop is enthusiastic about backing every paint job
they do. “We pride ourselves on offering all of our customers an assurance of quality,” Duggan explained.
“When a customer leaves our facility,
we want them to know that we stand
firmly behind the finished product—
without question. The exceptional
quality of Matrix System’s products
allows us to comfortably offer every
vehicle with a lifetime warranty. We
want our customers to leave feeling
confident in the fact that their paint
will stand up and by using Matrix
System, we’re able to do that.”
Duggan’s Collision Center has
been able to achieve things he could
not do with his former waterborne
paint. “During this last year, we have
been able to see that Matrix System
is a perfect match for us,” Duggan
said. “It meets all of our needs, including improved efficiency, real significant savings and excellent color
matching. When the customer looks
at the finished product, we know that
the color match is dead-on and that
feels good.”
But maybe most importantly, his
new paint is helping to make his
shop more profitable in a big way,
Duggan said. “Our sales are up
about $300,000 and we can credit
much of it to our new paint. We also
use Matrix System’s AccuShade
color matching system and their FX
Series Line of custom products, so
we’re all in with Matrix and pleased,
because our paint costs us less and
we’re making more money.”
After switching to Matrix System’s MPB-LV Premium Low V.O.C.
solvent basecoat, body shops from
New York to Hawaii started calling
Duggan to ask him is this paint for
real and polling him about the results.
“They want my opinion and I’m not
afraid to share the news,” Duggan
said. “It works for us and it’s just as
good to the environment as the waterborne paint, so we’re in compliance and we’ve had no issues with it.
I tell these shop owners that you
need to try it yourself and see if it’s a
fit for your production process and
especially if you’re painters are comfortable with it.”
Duggan’s Collision Center is now
a happy place again, with a painter
that has his confidence back and his
pride intact, Duggan said. “In the
past, I used to tell our customers that
our paint made us look good. Now, I
can say that Matrix makes us look
good!”
The crew at Duggan’s Collision
Center is always ready to do an
outstanding job on every car and
for every customer
It’s a family affair at Duggan’s
Collision Center. From left, Sean
Duggan, Ann Duggan, Curtis
Duggan and Katie Duggan
oversee a shop that repairs
70-80 cars monthly
Matrix System Automotive Finishes
600 Nova Drive SE
Massillon, OH 44646
Phone: (800) 753-0303
www.matrixsystem.com
Mitchell is a Star Performer in New Collision Center
When a veteran of the collision industry gets the opportunity to play an integral role in the design and opening of
a new high-end collision center, he
looks for three things right up front.
Namely experienced, well-trained personnel; top state-of-the-art equipment
and a management system that can
take the whole operation to that next
level.
When Mike Gregorian, the body
shop manager at the new Nick Alexander Collision Center in Huntington
Park CA started the process of staffing
and setting up his 35,000 sq. ft, shop
for Nick Alexander Imports in Huntington Park, CA, he looked for the best of
the best, including Mitchell International.
This 35-year-old dealership that
sells BMWs and Mini-Coopers added
this state-of-the-art shop late last
year, but the design and planning of it
took five years, according to Gregorian.
“One thing led to another and
now we’re here,” Gregorian said. “I
met Nick Alexander years ago while
I was working with BMW as a consultant and he asked me if he could
pick my brain about a possible new
collision center. After providing some
suggestions about the design and
layout of the shop, Nick Alexander
asked me if I would be interested in
running it. I said yes, I’ve been waiting for you to ask me.”
“Mitchell Estimating and Repair
Center together are like a member
of my crew,” Gregorian said. “I’ve
been using them my entire career in
this business, almost 30 years, so
when I was considering a system for
this new shop, Mitchell was pretty
much the only way to go, in my
opinion. Over the years, other systems came on my radar, but I
quickly discovered that Mitchell was
so much more thorough and complete. Eventually, I met some of the
Mitchell people during a Mercedes
Benz training and then later again
when I met them during a BMW
training. When I saw them there,
taking notes and learning about
these vehicles, and the new repair
procedures, I was really impressed,
because I had never seen anyone
from their competitors at these manufacturers’ training classes. They
want to learn the right way to repair
these cars, so that they can put it in
their system.
Nick Alexander
Collision Center
Location: Huntington Park, CA
Telephone: 323-583-1901
www.alexanderbmw.com
Estimator Tom Nachreiner at Nick Alexander Collision Center in
Huntington Park CA uses Mitchell Estimating and RepairCenter
to write accurate estimates and track each repair
“I can write an estimate accurately, without doing extensive research, because it’s all in there.
Rivets, special materials, gluing,
bonding—they have a footnote in
there and in some cases, they even
have the product listed there. That
helps us to write a superior estimate the first time. Plus, most of
the insurance companies that walk
in here work with Mitchell, so that
also makes the entire process
much easier.”
Gregorian set up his shop to
make Mitchell available in every department. “We have a laptop that the
estimators can use and when we designed the shop, we made sure to add
workstation terminals in the parts department and another in the technician’s stall with multiple jacks that we
can plug-in just about anywhere within
the shop. We want Mitchell available
to everyone in the shop, especially for
when we grow and add staff.
“Mitchell RepairCenter works with
Apple products and the guys can actually look up information on their
iPhones or iPads,” Gregorian said.
“The entire repair is tracked from body
to paint and the iPhones and iPads
are ideal for taking photos and they instantly can be loaded into the work
order. It helps us to do our payroll and
it also assists us in documenting every
aspect of the repair. If we need a supplement, we have good photos of the
car in process. Also, some of the
customers like to see pictures of the
repairs in process, so we can upload a
photo to them and show them everything is going as planned. This is an
easy process with Mitchell’s RepairCenter.”
Alexander’s only estimator,
Tom Nachreiner, was already very
familiar and comfortable working
with Mitchell’s products when he
was hired, which made everything
seamless, Gregorian said. “He’s
got 30 years industry experience,
so he has worked with RepairCenter and Mitchell Estimating and
knows the system inside and out.
Through my experience, even an
entry-level estimator or CSR can
learn how to use this system rather
quickly. Over the years, I’ve trained
numerous people on how to use
Mitchell and some of them are
earning more money than me! How
did that happen?”
Gregorian likes the simplicity of
RepairCenter and Mitchell Estimating, because it makes it easier to
train people how to use it. “I always
tell people the estimating system is
so simple, because it’s very intuitive
and they can pick it up rather quickly,”
he said. ‘I make sure they understand
the included and not included operations and explain to them how important and vital it is, because that’s
going to be your bible right there.
That way when they’re writing an estimate, you can be sure your staff is
not overselling or underselling the
customer or insurance company, because they have accurate information
in their hands. Once you learn that,
the rest is easy. Usually, within three
months of using it, they’re proficient
with it and can write good, solid estimates each and every time.”
34,000 square feet
Body Shop Manager Mike Gregorian
(forefront), Office Manager Vivian
Sanchez and Estimator Tom
Nachreiner rely on Mitchell Estimating and RepairCenter every day at
Nick Alexander Collision Center
Nick Alexander Collision Center is
a new state-of-the-art shop, but it’s
already known for exemplary work
throughout southern California
Mitchell International, Inc.
6220 Greenwich Street
San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (800) 238-9111
www.mitchell.com
Major Collision Center Asks a Lot from its
PPG Paint System
Collision Director for David Maus
Collision Center, Charlie Smith, 61,
is a 40-year veteran of the body shop
business and one of the ways he’s
succeeded is by working with the
best-of-the-best when it comes to
people, equipment and products.
David Maus Collision Center is a
member of Van Tuyl Automotive
Group and located adjacent to David
Maus Toyota in Sanford, FL. The operation is enormous, repairing 450500 cars every month out of 42 bays
in a 38,000 sq. ft. facility and employing 52 collision professionals.
Smith is particularly proud of his
long and highly beneficial relationship with PPG—a partnership that
spans over two decades and is still
going strong.
“I’ve been associated with PPG
for more than 20 years and I’ve been
a member of their MVP Round Table
for a long time,” Smith explained. “So
I know the brand very well and appreciate my track record with them.
Their paint is excellent, but where
PPG really stands out is with respect
to support and training. They do so
much more than just selling paint to
body shops—they also set them up
for success. That’s why body shop
owners, techs and customers know
and respect the PPG brand.”
Smith entered the collision industry in 1974, when he discovered
that the best way to learn is by doing
it yourself, he said. “I was working at
a Chevrolet dealership in Kennett
Square, PA, and one day my boss
told me to take a 1974 Nova apart
and put it back together. So, I said
‘OK’ and that’s how I learned—
hands-on!”
David Maus Collision Center’s
Body Shop Manager, Anthony Villanueva, 42, is a hands-on guy who
has also learned the business by
doing it himself. Villanueva is a great
success story, because he started out
on the bottom and worked up to technician then management in nearly a
decade. “I started working for a body
shop when I was 15 and I always
wanted to learn as much as I could,”
Villanueva said. “I worked up to body
tech and did that for nine years and
now I run a large operation with a
huge amount of responsibility, but I
love going to work every day.”
Smith likes the PPG products for
many reasons and one of the major
ones is the green aspect of their waterborne product. “One of the main
things I really like about the PPG
David Maus Collision Center
Location: Sanford, FL
Telephone: 877-478-9692
www.davidmauscollisioncenter.com
38,000 square feet
Dave Havling, a painter at David Maus Collision Center in Sanford, FL
sprays PPG Envirobase®, a busy shop that fixes 400-500 cars monthly
Envirobase® High Performance system is the environmentally friendly
aspect of it,” Smith said. “We don’t
have to use waterborne because
laws in Florida don’t mandate it, but
we choose to do it for the right reasons. We want to be as green as we
can and this is a big part of it. It’s
safer for our technicians and there’s
less waste with the waterborne.”
In addition to running a greener
operation by using PPG waterborne,
Smith is also enamored with the finished product. “Some of the best
color matches I’ve ever seen are with
the Envirobase® High Performance
system without a doubt and the cars
coming out of here look spectacular.
This paint is perfect to get those
OEM finishes that we’re looking for
and the system has significantly improved our cycle times as well.”
As a result, the collision center’s
sales have grown from approximately $600,000 monthly to almost
$1 million every month and PPG can
be credited for much of the company’s switchover to Envirobase®
High Performance back in 2010, according to Smith.
To consistently make their numbers time and again, David Maus
Collision Center has two teams of
four people working out of two tunnel
booths simultaneously. Each team
consists of two painters, one prepper
and one buffer and one of the two
painters is the lead painter that plans
the day’s work and assigns projects
as needed.
Producing 20 pristine paint jobs
every day means you can’t afford to
encounter even minor issues with
your paint and your process and Villanueva is more than aware of this
fact. “It’s definitely one car right after
another without slowing down or
pausing. We push that PPG and it
performs for us. At the end of an
eight-hour shift, we take a moment to
look at the finished product, but then
we’re right back at it, preparing for
the next day,” he said.
Training for their painters at
David Maus Collision Center during
the changeover to waterborne was
drama-free, because the people at
PPG are seasoned pros and exceptional teachers when it comes to
learning the nuances of waterborne
versus solvent. “PPG takes the ball
on training, through a combination of
class instruction at their PPG training
center in Orlando, FL, as well as additional training performed here at
the shop. Of all the paint companies
out there, I believe that PPG really
excels at the training part. Our guys
were proficient with the Envirobase®
High Performance system in no time.
It was easy and as seamless as we
could have anticipated,” Smith said.
Initially introduced in 1999 to
meet low VOC legislation, PPG’s
Envirobase ® High Performance
system is one of the world’s mostused automotive paint. No longer
just a basecoat color platform, the
Envirobase ® High Performance
system provides a suite of undercoats and clearcoats that integrate
flawlessly with its advanced waterborne basecoat providing best-inclass color accuracy and durability.
Body Shop Manager Anthony
Villanueva said he pushes his
PPG Envirobase® system hard
every day and that it performs
for him spectacularly
Collision Director for David Maus
Collision Center, Charlie Smith,
has been associated with PPG
for more than two decades, and
that’s why he appreciates the
company’s products, training
and support
PPG Automotive Refinish
Company Contact: Cindy Schauer
Phone: (440) 572-2800
www.ppgrefinish.com
A Quest Automotive Brand
Pro-Spray® is a Perfect Fit for 3-Shop MSO
in Louisiana
Brock’s Collision Centers in Louisiana
has a four-generation history spanning 42 years. Matthew Johnson
and his mother Kellie Brock-Johnson run the 3-location MSO that was
started by Matt’s Grandfather Johnny
Brock, III, and with help from his father Johnny Brock, Jr. As you’d expect with this kind of legacy, there are
stories and anecdotes that could take
many days to tell. There was a lot of
fun to be had during these four-plus
decades fixing cars in the South.
“My father quit his job at a local car
dealership and opened a shop right
here on our property,” Kellie explained.
“He worked out of our garage and ran
a tow service right next to our house
until our first facility was finished. This
was 1971 and we were just outside of
the city limits of Shreveport. There was
my father, my grandfather, my mother
and all three of us kids and we all had
a job to do. We had five acres, so there
was plenty of room for us to grow a
young company.”
Matthew Johnson remembered
that running a body shop back then
was hard work, but it was also fun,
too. “My grandfather took a couple
smaller compact cars and put the
gas and brake pedals on blocks so
we could drive them around our
property. I learned how to drive when
I was about 5 or 6 years old. One day
I did drive out onto Interstate 20, but
other than that I stayed on the property. Growing up in a body shop as a
kid was always exciting, because
there were always new things to get
into.”
In the early 1990s, the Brock
family opened its second location in
Bossier City, LA, and then in the late
‘90s, they added two other locations
in Shreveport, LA. In the mid-2000s
they closed the original location. To
oversee three busy locations and 40
employees, is not an easy job, but
they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Today, my father is partially retired, but still comes into the office a
few times a week. I oversee the company from behind the scenes and
Matthew does everything else,” Kellie said. “We love this industry and
it’s in our blood. We could have sold
this business many years ago, but
we love what we do, and we have a
responsibility to our employees and
to our customers. It is hard work, but
it makes us happy, so why change?
It’s a way of life and we still enjoy
working every day.”
Brock’s Collision Centers
Location: Shreveport, LA
Telephone: 318-687-5070
www.BrocksCollisionCenters.com
Number of Locations: Three
165,000 square feet (combined)
Brock’s Collision Centers is a 3-location MSO in Shreveport, LA that
fixes approximately 500 total cars monthly
Literally living a life of collision
was a wonderful existence and a
great learning experience, according
to Kellie-Brock Johnson. “I always
worked for my father and that’s how
I learned how to do things the right
way. He taught me how to remove
the tape after a paint job without hurting the paint, which isn’t easy or obvious. He taught us the proper way
of doing things and part of that was
writing estimates by hand. Our computer systems have taken over and
do a lot of the thinking for us now,
which can be good, but learning this
way gave me a leg up when I was
starting out.”
After working with another paint
company for many years, the Brock’s
decided to start looking at alternatives, before selecting Pro-Spray and
its solvent product. “We were happy
with our former paint provider, but
we’re always looking around for new
things and that’s how we found ProSpray. We like the product’s flow and
the color matches are exceptional.
Over the years, we have sprayed just
about everything out there and this
Pro-Spray is probably the most userfriendly paint we have ever used.”
The Brock’s made the switch to
Pro-Spray for two main reasons.
“First, it costs less than our former
paint and that’s obviously a big deal,”
Matt Johnson said. “The other thing
that helped us to make the decision
was the training that Pro-Spray offers. They’re willing to come here
and teach the classes in-house,
which is so much more convenient
than sending our people to a school
somewhere. All of their product support classes such as color matching,
color tinting, estimating—they all
take place right here and we’ve been
able to put this information to use on
a daily basis.”
Brock’s Collision Center began
spraying Pro-Spray’s solvent production all of its three locations in mid2013 even though many have said
waterborne is nearly here. “We keep
hearing water’s coming, and that was
one of the reasons why we felt that
the changeover to the Pro-Spray line
would be good for us. When waterborne is mandated (Louisiana has no
date yet), we will be able to start
using Pro-Spray’s Low VOC product,
while still being in total compliance.”
With 500 vehicles to be painted
month after month without fail, Matt
Johnson needs his paint system to
perform consistently, he explained.
“We can’t afford to have comebacks
or color matches that aren’t dead on
each and every time. If you’re producing 25-30 cars every day as we
are, one misstep can set us back 23 days, which then impacts our cycle
times. To keep our DRPs and customers happy, we need to be able to
rely on the Pro-Spray and to this
point, I have absolutely no complaints with it. As for the back office,
well, they are more than pleased with
the bottom line.”
Rodney Born, a Pro-Spray jobber’s
rep from Collision Services, tints a
Pro-Spray color at the Brock’s
Collision Center in South
Shreveport, LA
Lead Painter Steven Green applies
Pro-Spray clear to a vehicle at the
Brock’s Collision Center in South
Shreveport, LA
Pro-Spray Automotive Finishes
Phone: (800) 776-0933
www.ProSprayFinishes.com
www.YouTube.com/ProSprayAutoFinishes
www.NavigatorColor.com
www.facebook.com/prospray
Mobsteel and SATA Shoot for Excellence
Location: Brighton, MI
Mobsteel in Brighton, MI, is renowned
for building menacing looking American-made inner-city hot rods with a
blue collar attitude that says, “Hey,
we’re doing it our way and if you don’t
like it—hit the highway!” Mobsteel
cars exude power and raw style, making them popular among celebrity car
collectors. What the celebs don't
know is that every paint job on every
beautiful Mobsteel design and build
goes through a SATA spray gun, resulting in an outstanding product
every time.
Mobsteel’s Founder and Owner,
Adam Genei, greatly values his involvement with SATA and not just for
their amazing spray guns. “Yes, they
sponsor us and we love their products, but it’s a lot deeper than that,”
Genei said. “They’ve wholeheartedly
supported us and our brand from
day one. We’ve been honored as
special guests at their annual dinners and it’s a big deal, because
many of their top people come in
from Germany for those. They see
the value in aligning themselves with
a company like ours and we feel the
same. Working with a company like
SATA is awesome because it validates what we do. It wasn’t long ago
that we were out there on our own,
trying to get our first car in a show,
slinging T-shirts and trying to build
brand recognition.”
Mobsteel started out of necessity
more than anything else, Genei said.
“The economy was tanking in 1999
and we were feeling it more here in
Detroit than in the rest of the country,
so we decided to turn our hobby into
a business. I figured it I’m going to be
broke, at least I’m going to be happy!
If you grew up in this area, you and
your family were involved in the automotive industry in some capacity.
My grandfather owned a LincolnMercury dealership and everyone—
my uncles, aunts, all my friends—
we’re all tied to the car business one
way or another.”
Mobsteel’s goal from the beginning was to take Detroit's finest vintage luxury cars and turn them into
modern day menacing street machines while integrating new technology and modern features into
each vehicle. “The cars we build are
a part of American history and
they’re made of steel, instead of
Mobsteel
Telephone: 714-828-1555
www.mobsteel.com
Type: Vehicle Restoration
18,000 square feet
Mobsteel creates cars that are well-known for their urban in your face
attitude
some fiberglass,” Genei said. “The
blood, sweat and tears of our family
and friends are in these motors,
frames and bodies. At Mobsteel, we
take it to the next level and are always looking to be better. That’s why
we just started a wheel brand and
are opening a new manufacturing facility right next door. It’s called Detroit Steel Wheel Company, where
we’re going to make some amazing
wheels.”
Genei isn’t a painter himself, but
he knows a premier high performance spray gun when he sees one in
action. “I’ve had a chance to play
with Ron’s SATA guns and all of the
newest things that SATA is coming
out with, such as their new mini-jets,
and their 4000,” Genei said. “By associating with SATA, I’ve been able
to learn the science behind the
equipment and the process and it’s
fascinating. These guys at SATA are
like rocket scientists and the depths
they go to perfect their products is
pretty amazing. There’s a big difference with SATA over the other guns
out there and it’s all about the touch
and feel and the performance is exceptional. SATA guns are the luxury
cars of the spray gun industry and
everything else is an economy car.”
SATA’s quality guns play a role in
Mobsteel’s quest for perfection, but
having a top painter on his crew is
the other half of the formula. “Our
painter Ron Coan has been using
SATA guns for 30 years and we’re
very pleased to have him working for
us.” Genei said. “Ron is legitimately
an amazing artist and he still surprises me with every car he paints.
I ask him to do incredible things and
he figures out how to do it. Ron is a
perfectionist and he wants to fine
tune every job until the end.”
Ron Coan has been painting
cars for more than 30 years and
today he’s considered one of the
best painters in the country. His career hit the fast track around 2000
when he started doing concept cars
instead of fixing them in a body shop.
In 2006, he came onboard at Mobsteel and began bringing his impeccable work to the company and
sharing his love for SATA with rookie
painters who come through the shop.
“I work with a lot of young painters
and help them to learn the business,”
Coan said. “When they’re ready, I
give them a SATA gun and tell them
to go out there in the world and do
quality work. They always call me
later and thank me, which is definitely
satisfying.”
Genei, 39, sees a great future
for the Mobsteel brand and loves
the life it offers him. “Building these
vehicles is more than a business,
it’s a lifestyle,” he said. “We’ve had
a great life and we really enjoy what
we’re doing. Hopefully we can continue to do it and keep working with
companies like SATA. It’s been a
great journey so far, that’s for sure.”
SATA is a Dan-Am Company
and the exclusive independent importer/distributor for SATA Spray
Equipment in the USA & Puerto
Rico, is well-known all over the
planet as a premier provider of highquality paint spray guns and is a
household name throughout the collision industry.
Mobsteel’s Ron Coan is considered
to be one of the best painters in the
country and greatly values his mutually
beneficial relationship with SATA
Every amazing paint job performed by
Ron Coan at Mobsteel goes through
a SATA spray gun, ensuring an
outstanding product every time
Dan-Am Company
One Sata Drive
P.O. Box 46
Spring Valley, MN 55975
Phone: (800) 633-7282
www.sata.com
For His Dream Cars, Oregon Rebuilder Relies
on Valspar
Companies that restore classic cars
can be successful by completing just
2-3 big projects every year, ranging in
price from $80,000 to $1.5 million. But
when you have that much money on
the line and your customers are chasing their dreams, you have to use the
very finest products out there. That’s
why David Eckert, 50, the owner of
Eckert’s Rod & Custom in Molalla,
OR, uses Valspar® Automotive paint
and De Beer products on each and
every creation he builds.
It all began roughly 40 years ago,
Eckert said, when he found his passion in old American-made cars. “My
older brothers were involved in drag
racing, so I just naturally jumped right
into it,” Eckert said. “I was raised on a
farm in New Jersey, so we were always wrenching on something and
eventually it became cars. One of my
brothers was into Corvettes and the
other one was into Tri Fives, so they
introduced me to those types of vehicles and I fell in love with them.”
Eckert then took his skills to the
workplace and was hired at Harvester International as a technician,
where he continued to learn as his
experience grew. “I worked on construction equipment and other commercial vehicles such as large trucks
and buses. It was a great experience, because if a weld failed or
something cracked for whatever reason, we could see how it failed and
learn to prevent it from happening
again.”
Eckert was still restoring vehicles
on the side and eventually he started
a restoration business. When he
moved to Oregon in 1992 he was
quickly hired at Steve’s Auto Body
Restoration in Portland. His very first
project at his new job was a 1966
Cobra that had been owned by rock
star Rod Stewart. Eckert did a
ground up restoration on that vehicle
and it was such a huge success that
it won several awards. As they say—
the rest is history.
Eckert’s Rod & Custom runs five
projects all the time, but usually the
shop produces only two vehicles a
year. “They’re big projects, but we
also get a good number of smaller
ones too that keep us busy. We have
a lot of clients who buy cars at auctions and they bring them to us to sort
them out and straighten them, if
needed. We completely restore every
Eckert’s Rod & Custom
www.eckertsrodandcustom.com
Type: Vehicle Restoration
Facility Employees: Five
15,000 square feet
David Eckert, the owner of Eckert’s Rod & Custom in Molalla, OR only
uses Valspar® Automotive paint and De Beer products on all of his
amazing vehicles. This incredible Mach 40 won Best in Show at
SEMA 2012
car mechanically and cosmetically
from the frame up. We want it to be a
100% OE car when we’re done, so
that it runs likes its brand new.”
To get a dream car re-created
by Eckert requires a love for automobiles and enough money to get it
done, he said. “I tell people that a
$1 million rebuild requires roughly
11,000 man hours so it’s not a
weekend part-time thing. It’s a huge
undertaking and all we think about it
and work on it until we get it absolutely perfect.”
Eckert started using Valspar Automotive’s products eight years ago.
He especially likes the epoxy primers
offered by Valspar Automotive. For
his top coats he uses De Beer (also
a Valspar Automotive brand). “We
weren’t happy with our former paint,
so we started looking around and
found Valspar® and their De Beer
products,” he said. “They cost us
less and the product is superior, so it
was a fairly easy decision.”
Eckert wants a paint that is reliable and can take abuse. “We’re
looking for a basecoat product that
won’t shrink back on us, because
that’s crucial. We’re buffing and cutting it a lot of the time to create that
finished look we’re always shooting
for. We’re also looking for a product
that can make repairs easily if the vehicle suffers damage or abuse.
When we’re doing striping, for example, we want something’s that really
forgiving that will lay out and then we
can come back in and touch it up and
blend it in rather easily. We get all
that and more from Valspar® Automotive’s products.”
Eckert is always testing the limits with his paint while pushing the
process and pursuing perfection.
“When it comes to the high solid De
Beer clears, we can abuse them
and get the results we want,” Eckert
said. “The recommended system is
a two-coat process, but sometimes
we’ll lay down six coats. We can really flow it on there big-time and not
have any problems with solvent
pops or shrink backs or anything
like that.
“Another great thing is the clarity
of the De Beer clear,” Eckert said.
“It’s so clear that you can put tons of
it on there and it doesn’t change the
color at all. In the past, if I was on a
silver or a white and I applied too
much clear, it would turn yellow, but
I don’t have those issues with this
clear. You can pour it out in a big
glass cup and it’ll stay clear, which is
outstanding!
When we asked Eckert which vehicle is the one that really stands out,
he hesitated. “We love all of them, because everyone has a unique story
behind it. If I had to give you an answer, maybe it would be the 1968
Mustang Shelby. That’s all pearl white
with blue stripes and all painted with
Valspar Automotive.”
Eckert is especially proud of this
’68 Ford Mustang Shelby, which
he built in 2006 and painted with
Valspar®
This 1954 Jaguar XK120 Drop
Head Coupe is another Eckert
creation that gets oohs and
aahs all over the planet
Valspar Automotive North America
Phone: (800) 845-2500
P.O. Box 1461,
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1461 USA
www.valsparauto.com
Autobody News produces the
Shop and Product Showcase
insert biannually.
2014 Schedule:
June and October issues.
SHOWCASE
Advertising Inquiries?
Email us at [email protected]
DOWNLOAD A PDF AT:
HTTP://AUTOBODYNEWS.COM/SHOWCASE/SHOP-PRODUCT-SHOWCASE.HTML
P.O. Box 1516 Carlsbad CA 92018 // 800.699.8251

Shop and Product - Car Bench America

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