The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has put together a lineup of educational offerings for collision repair businesses and refinish specialists that focuses on trends, issues and technologies in the industry today.
While the bulk of the sessions offered through the 2013 Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series are paid sessions held in classrooms in the upper level of the North Hall, SCRS has included a number of educational opportunities to be offered free of charge at the Collision Repair & Refinish stage on the show floor of the North Hall each morning of the show.
In addition, live I-CAR demonstrations will take place throughout the week at the Collision Repair & Refinish Stage, including a demo on a BMW i3 body/chassis. All show attendees are invited to stop by the Collision Repair & Refinish Stage to test their blueprinting knowledge during an interactive blueprinting contest.
"I think the programming SCRS has put together, both in the classrooms and on the stage, touches on virtually every topic that is of importance to professionals who are performing work on today’s fleet of vehicles," said SCRS Past Chairman Barry Dorn. "In my opinion, the stage has become a great resource to the industry. In the mornings, attendees can catch the SCRS sessions, and then in the afternoons there is an abundance of additional professional development training and technical presentations with I-CAR’s sessions as well."
Free sessions include:
Tuesday, Nov. 5 – 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
RDE FREE Session: Accessing OEM Repair Information
Toby Chess, SCRS
If you write estimates for a living, or run a business that requires you to know how to fix a vehicle properly, you won’t believe the amount of information that is available to you if you know where to look. Learn how to take advantage of existing resources to find the information you need when working on vehicles from Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford and more. The collision repair industry recognizes the OEM repair procedures as the standard of repair; know where to go to get the information you need to fix it right.
Wednesday, Nov. 6 – 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
RDE FREE Session: Dispelling Collision Repair Technical Myths
Mark Algie, Shawn Collins and Dennis Keicher, 3M
If you like the television show "MythBusters," you’re not going to want to miss this session. Break out the lab coats and safety goggles as you participate in a fun-filled exploration of proving (and disproving) common misconceptions surrounding repair methods used in the collision repair industry. Topics will include processes such as applying corrosion protection, body filler and panel bonding. Get ready to find out if what you’ve been told is "plausible," or "busted!"
Thursday, Nov. 7 – 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
RDE FREE Session: How Did They Do That?! Secrets of the Refinish Masters
Dr. Jane Valenta, Dr. Gareth Hughes and Jeff Matauch, PPG Refinish, joined by Charley Hutton of Charley Hutton’s Color Studio
As you walk the SEMA Show looking at the custom builds, or while spraying vehicles in your repair facility, have you ever wondered what was in the paint and how they developed the precise colors with so much depth and special effects? Learn how paint manufacturers use binders, resins, pigments and solvent to create car finishes that astound you. This is your opportunity to learn from coatings experts on the science behind the products, and from well-renowned master applicators on how they turn that science into art.
Friday, Nov. 8 – 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
RDE FREE Session: Equipping Yourself for Industry Certifications
El Huntington, Car-O-Liner
Collision repair certification programs have become increasingly more popular as a way for collision repair businesses to differentiate themselves within the market, especially as the proper repair processes become more complex. This session will provide an overview of some of the different certification programs currently available to the market, with a specific focus on the types of equipment your repair facility would need to consider to perform certain operations defined within the programs.
The free sessions offered by SCRS on the Collision Repair & Refinish stage are made possible with funding and support provided by PPG Automotive Refinish, GM Genuine Parts, BASF Refinish, Ford Motor Company and SEMA.
More information:
For a complete listing of RDE sessions, visit www.semashow.com/scrs.
