The first Collision Industry Conference (CIC) of 2024 took place Jan. 17 in Palm Springs, CA, drawing hundreds of attendees from around the country.
A new Technical Task Force kicked off the meeting with a hands-on live demonstration of tech tips and tools that can help shops reduce costs and increase productivity. Committee Chair Toby Chess brought two apprentices from Selman Collision Center to assist with the presentation.
The Estimating & Repair Planning Committee walked attendees through recent changes in all three estimating companies’ systems.
The Industry Relations Committee reviewed the results of its survey on post-repair inspections to highlight the waste that improper repaired vehicles causes the industry.
The Parts & Materials Committee discussed paint shop issues related to radar-reliant advanced driver assistance systems. During that session, Ryan Brown of AkzoNobel noted many refinish technicians don’t have easy access in the paint shop to OEM refinish procedures related to underlying radar sensors.
“We really haven't had a time in years past where the responsibility for refinish technicians has been the safety of the people driving the car,” Brown said.
Jeff Wildman of BASF said following the paint manufacturer procedures is critical as well.
“If it says two coats of base coat, it’s two coats of base coat, not a third coat because I have some paint left on the gun,” Wildman said. “It’s two coats because that third coat could make the radar not work.”
A full report on CIC by Autobody News writer John Yoswick will be posted to our website and printed in a future monthly issue.
