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2006-12-12 News Release
Body shops change from replacing to repairing plastics Experience proves that if body shop technicians gain confidence in plastics repair procedures, it is a win for everyone.
The bumper coming off the damaged vehicle almost always has a better
fit than the replacement, the damaged bumper can often be repaired more
quickly than the shop can take delivery of the replacement, and damaged
bumpers can usually be repaired at a lower overall cost than replacement. According to founders Farzam Afshar and Mark Olson, VeriFacts_Automotive “We are an industry that requires continual training because of the advances in products and processes as well as the need to guard our standing with insurance direct repair programs,” said Afshar, president of VeriFacts. “Unfortunately, this often results in training being thought of as a necessary evil and it is not embraced in a positive way. Further, unless practical application of the training is supported in the shop’s culture, technicians lose what they learned. That is why our program is based on implementing existing training, enhancing the overall training process.” Olson continues, stating that while some of the largest and/or most dedicated shops spend approximately one percent of gross sales on training, this is the high end of the spectrum. “We recognize the importance of fine-tuning existing learning efforts by following up on-site with realistic real-world practical applications,” said Olson. VeriFacts visits a shop once a month to measure, benchmark as well as coach technicians and estimators. They also conduct annual clinics, the intention of which is to promote a triple win. This triple win includes providing the shop with more efficient and profitable techniques, delivering a safe and proper repair to the consumer, and ensuring that the insurer only incurs necessary costs. Olson said that VeriFacts believes in performing the safest and least intrusive repair that is backed by the OEM or other recognized organizations. Clinics begin with Verifacts conducting a pre-survey of technicians to measure their knowledge base. Then, Verifacts follows up after the clinic with a post-survey to measure the delta and the effectiveness of the session. The proof that this approach works is in the numbers. While plastics repair educational programs have been offered for many years, there still remains quite a bit of controversy at the shop level as to whether plastics repair is viable, said Afshar. That is one of the reasons VeriFacts dedicated a recent clinic to the plastics repair topic. When they introduced the topic to the marketplace using their unique educational model, interest was high. It was evident that many technicians were still unsure about the process until they could receive qualified training with quality products. According to Afshar, the increase in assessment scores from before the workshop and then after was more than 19 percent. “I have been known to go pick up a discarded plastic bumper out
of the trash to show the technicians how to repair it,” said Olson.
“Not only do we take the mystery out of the new repair process,
but we show the shops how to make a better repair and earn more money.”
Bob Keith, Director-Environmental, Safety, and Production for CARSTAR, Inc. “The monthly coaching visits provide technical information and support in the actual shop environment,” said Keith. “They work very hard to enhance the team building efforts of our organization. The monthly reports also provide a look into our stores from a third-party perspective that is extremely valuable to our management staff.” VeriFacts worked with LORD Corporation, maker of Fusor** Automotive Repair
Adhesives — the leading metal and composite bonding solution for
automotive body repair –— to develop the plastics repair program.
LORD was the first adhesive company to offer curriculum by I-CAR through
the Industry Training Alliance program. To date, more than 11,000 students
have graduated from the LORD Fusor 001 Metal and Plastic Bonding/Repair
program. (Automotive
Repair Adhesives “Through our cradle-to-grave philosophy, Fusor adhesives are now applied on the assembly line, used for in-plant and port repair, as well as for dealer warranty and collision repair,” said Jim Perritt, Global Marketing Manager and North America Sales Manager for LORD Corporation. “We are committed to providing the latest adhesive products and repair techniques to the industry to enable collision repair professionals to reduce cycle times while providing repairs that match OEM performance specifications and cosmetics.” Up next for VeriFacts is a campaign on rivet and weld bonding, which
will capitalize on LORD Corporation’s extensive efforts with OEMs
as well as broad usage of Fusor products at the shop level. According
to Larry Johns, Manager of Multi Shop Operator Programs for LORD Corporation,
LORD recently worked with ProSpot to develop a rivet bonding and weld
bonding training course. OEMs are using these processes more frequently,
Johns said, yet the concept is still relatively new for many in the collision
repair industry. Future topics will include suspension diagnostics, PDR,
frame diagnostics, intelligent estimating and more. ** Fusor is a registered trademark of LORD Corporation.
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