House Subcommittee Considers Creation of Federal Insurance Office
The Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises held a hearing June 10 to discuss the creation of a federal Office of Insurance Information (OII). House Resolution 5840, the Insurance Information Act of 2008, was introduced April 17 by Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa., subcommittee chairman, along with four other members of the
Avery Says State Farm Still Overcapacity
State Farm Consultant George Avery made a few collision repairers nervous at the Paint, Body & Equipment Specialists Spring Conference when he said that State Farm was still overcapacity despite slashing the shops in its Select Service program from 20,000 to about 11,000. The logical question, then, which was asked by a repairer in the
Study Plans to Revisit Requirement for Annual Respirator Fit Testing
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has planned a study to re-evaluate the benefits of an annual fit test requirement for employees required to use a respirator at work. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will perform the study, which is currently in its development stages, to determine the necessary intervals
Ford Files Design Patent Infringement Complaint on Mustang
Ford Global Technologies recently filed a Section 337 complaint at the International Trade Commission (ITC) against manufacturers and U.S. distributors of automotive collision repair parts alleging infringement of design patents for certain exterior repair parts for the 2005 Ford Mustang. This follows a 2005 ITC complaint by Ford that alleged infringement of design patents for
State of the Industry 2006
State of the Industry 2006 Too many shops, not enough work, not enough profit, too much insurer involvement and not enough business expertise on the part of shop owners are all contributing to the sorry state that is the collision repair industry. When repairers are discussing the state of the collision repair industry, I’m always
Clean Your Air
The Duster 3000 Downdraft mobile prep station is lightweight, efficient and Hazloc certified, and operates on 110V. You’ll save time and money, increase profitability and have a cleaner, healthier shop. Call (800) 661-8211.
Reader’s Choice – Raising Rates Without Losing Business
“How do you raise rates and tell insurance companies what they should be paying for without losing business?”
— John Thompson, estimator, West Herr Collision Center,
Hamburg, New York
Talking to Body Shops that Have Made Waterborne Conversion
A check in with body shops on their progress in transitioning to waterborne paint reveals no major problems…as long as paint manufacturers’ guidelines are strictly adhered to.
Eliminate Dirt and Dust
The Eurovac I industrial grade system’s powerful turbine pump and cyclone re-move virtually all sanding dust at the source, leaving you with a cleaner and healthier work environment. Cyclonic filtration removes 99 percent of dust before the secondary filter. The remaining 1 percent of dust is removed by a secondary cartridge filter that’s automatically cleaned
CAWA Lobbies California Legislators on Business and Industry Issues
Members of the California Automotive Wholesalers’ Association (CAWA) met in Sacramento to actively lobby the California Legislature to ensure no laws are passed that harm a robust and competitive independent automotive aftermarket industry and to highlight important legislative and regulatory proposals impacting aftermarket businesses. CAWA members met at the state capitol on March 26 with