The Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) has announced that it will host two meetings on Sept. 19 in Virginia and Maryland to discuss the potential issues related to parts procurement in the collision repair industry. Details on the two meetings are:
Virginia
When: 11 a.m.
Where: Springfield Hilton, 6550 Loisdale Rd., Springfield, Va. 22150
Maryland
When: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Embassy Suites BWI, 1300 Concourse Dr., Linthicum, Md. 21090
*Each meeting includes lunch or dinner for the attendees. Both meetings will be free for members and $25 for non-members.
In light of the recent pilot being conducted by State Farm for a parts procurement program with PartsTrader, the association has invited Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg to give an in-depth presentation to the repairers and parts vendors in Virginia and Maryland. Schulenburg will cover the current information in circulation about the pilot, historical data relating to PartsTrader in other markets, and SCRS’s views on potential ramifications for the U.S. collision repair industry.
"Due to the weight of the issue we’re discussing, we wanted to make sure there would be a meeting in both Virginia and Maryland to give more repairers and parts vendors an opportunity to attend," said WMABA Executive Director Jordan Hendler. "This is such an important topic and one that has the potential to change the landscape of our industry drastically. If you care about the future of your business and your freedom to control it, then you cannot miss this meeting."
Part of the presentation will cover historical data and feedback from other markets. The PartsTrader program has already been in use in the New Zealand market. An attempt was also made to implement the program in Australia, but according to SCRS, it has been unsuccessful so far. Repairers in those countries have provided much feedback on this program, and WMABA hopes to share it with repairers in the Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., regions.
"Understanding that not every repair facility can participate and hear the discussions taking place at national meetings, we wanted to bring the discussion to the local level and share with regional areas of the country," said Schulenburg. "These insurer-mandated parts procurement programs have the potential to drastically affect every repairer if our industry isn’t cautious about understanding the potential ramifications. This isn’t about one carrier, one process or one business model – it’s about insurer control over repair facility processes, and insurer intrusion into your business. If these programs are launched nationally and the repair industry watches it happen, business for repairers and parts vendors will be affected."
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