The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has announced that Doug Richman, Technical Committee chairman of
the Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG), will offer insight into the role
aluminum will play in collision repair businesses now and in the
future at the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
"The ATG is eager to share with SCRS session attendees key insights
on aluminum’s long history in the automotive industry," said Richman.
"Aluminum-intensive vehicles have been in the marketplace for many
decades and are regularly repaired as needed. Within the next 10 years,
seven out of 10 new pickups produced in North America will be
aluminum-bodied, according to a recently released survey of automakers
conducted by Ducker Worldwide. As aluminum use in auto bodies grows
exponentially in the next decade, we applaud the SCRS’ efforts to
educate and train repair professionals to be better prepared for the
change in status quo materials that come through their shop doors."
Richman will offer insight into the technological advancements
being made in the aluminum industry relative to the automotive market and give an overview of how their market is developing as a result of
increased integration into the modern fleet. He will share reasons
behind the automakers’ interest in – and use of – aluminum; and what their
industry is doing to aid in the development of that relationship.
In
addition to his role with the ATG, Richman is vice president of
Engineering and Technology for Kaiser Aluminum. He joined Kaiser in 1996
and was appointed to his current position in 2001. Before joining
Kaiser, Richman was vice president of Automotive Castings for Alcan
Aluminum, and his background also includes almost 20 years of experience
in development and design management at General Motors.
Richman
is a long-standing member of the ATG, serving as technical chairman of
the subcommittee. He also serves as co-chairman of the Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) Light Metals committee.
The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit is the first
issue-specific collision repair industry forum being held at the SEMA
Show. It will explore how automotive design and technology intersect
with repairability. It will also examine how developments in this area
impact the collision repair process and the professional businesses
planning for their future in the ever-changing landscape of this
industry. It will feature panel discussions with technology
experts representing the automakers, certified repair facilities,
equipment suppliers and certifiers/auditors.
The OEM
Collision Repair Technology Summit is made possible through support from
PPG Refinish Products, Ford Motor Company, BASF, Toyota Motor Sales and
The Hertz Corporation.
More information:
