ABRA Opens Fourth Repair Center in South Dakota
Minneapolis-based ABRA Auto Body & Glass announced the opening of its newest franchise in Watertown, South Dakota. This repair center, formerly known as Sharp Collision Center, is the 23rd franchise operating under the ABRA brand. Doug Sharp, owner of Sharp Automotive, will continue as the owner/operator of ABRA-Watertown. “We have had a great team in
TV Report Claims Aftermarket Parts Are Unsafe
An investigative report by a Columbus, Ohio, TV station claimed that using aftermarket crash parts could interfere with airbag deployment and possibly prevent airbags from deploying in crashes, and the station warned consumers against having their vehicles repaired with anything but OEM parts. Phil Mosley, general manager of Mercedes-Benz Collision Center in West Chester, Ohio,
STRANGE BUT TRUE: Dog Takes Van for Ruff Ride
A dog left unattended in a parking lot in his owner’s running van apparently didn’t know the meaning of the word “stay.” The 50-lb., boxer-Shar Pei mix named Bentley managed to put owner Bryan Maher’s 1992 Ford into drive and crash it into the front of a Long Island, New York coffee shop on Nov.
FTC Moves to Block Merger of CCC and Mitchell
The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit today to block the merger of CCC Information Services Inc. and Mitchell International Inc., charging that the merger would hinder competition in the market for electronic systems used to estimate the cost of collision repairs and the market for software systems used to value passenger vehicles that have
RDF Introduces ‘Green’ Paperless Transaction Process
RDF Enterprises LLC introduced “Xpress Checkout” at NACE 2008, which enables collision centers and other businesses to go “green” and paperless. Companies can send documents, repair authorizations, credit card authorizations and warranty information through a safe and secure encrypted e-mail. They can also secure electronic signatures and speed up the delivery process. “Xpress Checkout” provides
Florida I-CAR Group Raises $2,000 for Local School
More than 200 industry professionals from roughly 100 Palm Beach, Fla., collision repair businesses met for an industry awareness event titled “Collision Industry Night of Discovery” in mid-September. Organized by the Palm Beach I-CAR Committee, the over $2,000 raised by the event will benefit a local career and technical school. The event featured a presentation
DuPont Refinish Introduces ChromaPremier Pro System
DuPont Refinish has introduced ChromaPremier Pro, a new product system that DuPont says can reduce booth cycle time and consume less energy due to efficient bake cycles. “This new system shows that we actively listen to our customers and continually work on providing an innovative offering for their success,” said Fred Wissemann, DuPont Refinish brand
Florida Autobody Collision Alliance Newest SCRS Affiliate
The Florida Autobody Collision Alliance (FACA), a new statewide association, is now a Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) affiliate association. There have always been successful regional associations in Florida, but until recently, no large-scale attempt had been made to coordinate their efforts or facilitate communication between them, FACA says. That began to change in
AASP Elects New Leaders
The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP) elected Massachusetts shop owner and educator Rick Starbard to lead the association when it voted for its executive committee Nov. 7 in Las Vegas. Starbard is president of Rick’s Auto Collision in Revere, Mass., and a collision repair instructor at Lynn Technical High School in Lynn, Mass. He
CAR-O-LINER Enters Operating Agreement with DCR Systems
CAR-O-LINER Company and Mentor, Ohio-based DCR Systems, which offers turnkey collision repair facility operations to dealerships, signed a long-term global business partner operating agreement during NACE 2008. Under this agreement, CAR-O-LINER Company, with its 26 distributor locations in North America, will work closely with DCR Systems by supplying and installing CAR-O-LINER collision repair systems in
Solera Holdings, Inc. Acquires Inpart Servicos Ltda.
Solera Holdings, Inc., has completed the acquisition of Inpart Servicos Ltda. (Inpart), a leading electronic exchange for the purchase and sale of vehicle replacement parts in Brazil. Inpart has developed an extensive network of parts suppliers as well as a customer list that includes some of Brazil’s leading insurance companies and collision repair facilities. "We
New Web Site Tracks Employee Training and Certifications
Illinois-based Optima Worldwide Limited has created a new Web site, BodyShopTracker.com, that can assist shops in tracking staff training and certifications. The data collected will be kept online and will provide at-a-glance overviews of training and certifications earned by technicians, painters and other employees – information that’s normally available from several different sources. BodyShopTracker.com can