To help spread awareness of the intricacies of PPG Automotive Refinish coatings, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) hosted a special panel discussion on November 7 as part of the Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series at the SEMA Show.
Emceed by John Parran, director of marketing for PPG, the panel featured celebrity street-rod painter and TV personality Charley Hutton as well as representatives from PPG Automotive Refinish, including:
• Andrea Giunta, director of global science, technology and marketing
• Frank Jemiola, global technical manager, pigments – solventborne
• Jeff Matauch, manager/instructor
During the hour-long free presentation, the team of industry experts discussed various innovations entering the marketplace today and in the future, while providing a firsthand look at the science and processes involved in producing automotive finishes worldwide.
"It was great to let attendees in on our process for a bit and have an open discussion with the people ultimately using the products," said Jemiola. "Years ago, the custom and collision markets were so different than they are today – you had basically the same colors, over and over. Now, the industry is starting to really branch out into many different technologies."
PPG, which chose this year’s SEMA Show to launch its Charley Hutton Ridler Color Collection, once again showed its support for SCRS as the Doctorate Sponsor of the association’s RDE series throughout the week, with contributions including the RDE free session and additional educational content ("X-Ray Estimating, An Ace Up Your Sleeve For Performance" with Mark Mueller and "Elevating the Customer Experience" with Norm Angrove). The company was also the co-host of SCRS’ Sky Villa Afterparty on Thursday, welcoming attendees who participated in the education series and industry representatives to an evening of networking.
Domenic Brusco, senior manager, industry relations, PPG Automotive Refinish and SCRS national director, explained that this year’s partnership was the latest step in a longstanding successful partnership.
"Part of PPG’s vision is to provide leadership in innovation, sustainability and color," said Brusco. "SCRS is an association that focuses on creating leaders in innovation and advocacy through their yearlong efforts to strengthen the collision repair industry, and we couldn’t be more proud to support their focus on education and information. I think it’s great for the industry as a whole when companies like ours can partner with and support leading orgnaizations like SCRS to produce opportunity for the industry. By all measures, it was another successful year."
Added Jemiola, "SEMA and SCRS provide us an unmatched opportunity of visibility and exposure. The show is growing and changing every year, and there’s always something new and exciting. And SCRS is excellent to work with; they’re incredibly helpful, and their mutual support of us is constant reinforcement that what we’re doing is not only accepted but appreciated by the industry."
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