The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced that Diamond Standard Parts is its newest corporate member.
Diamond Standard Parts is a U.S.-based parts manufacturer. For over a decade, the company has been a champion for aftermarket parts quality, exemplifying its commitment by applying the highest possible standards to its own set of products, SCRS says.
"The reputation of the aftermarket parts industry suffered for years because of inconsistent or non-existent manufacturing standards," said Diamond Standard President Mike O’Neal. "Increasing use of high strength steels, foams, and other new vehicle construction materials at the turn of this century made poor standards even more of an issue, motivating us to establish Diamond Standard as a brand meaningfully associated with quality."
Today, Diamond Standard submits all its parts to a testing and certification procedure, the results of which are fully documented. Tests are conducted according to federal standards of crashworthiness and carried out at MGA Research Corporation, an independent test facility used by many OEMs. Results are validated by former crashworthiness experts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Volpe Center, a federal fee-for-service organization that is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
SCRS says it has long advocated for branded standards in the aftermarket and welcomes Diamond Standard’s efforts in helping advance that goal.
"Diamond Standard has been forthright in their stated objective of producing parts held to a higher standard of quality through testing and focused research," said SCRS Chairman Barry Dorn. "It is imperative to us and our membership that parts suppliers invest in enough research and testing to ensure that end users are confident in the ordered part; that they are certain it has met stringent requirements before being made available for purchase."
O’Neal believes a close association with SCRS will benefit his company.
"The collision repair industry is the most important link between our organization and the vehicle owner," he said. "Repairers perform hands-on work with our products, which makes their feedback on testing and interpretation of test results critical to the development of our manufacturing protocols. In addition, SCRS has the ear of the industry, which exposes us to the industry’s concerns and perceptions and makes it easier to spread the word about what we produce and how we produce it."
SCRS says it’s thankful for Diamond Standard’s support.
"The pursuit of solutions to industry issues often brings together organizations that compliment each others efforts," states SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. "It is our hope that with the support of Diamond Standard Parts we can accelerate progress toward solutions that benefit the collision repair professional and our customer base. We appreciate Diamond Standard’s belief in what SCRS accomplishes on behalf of the collision repair industry."
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