Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. (IAA), a business unit of KAR Auction Services (NYSE: KAR), has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on February 22, 2016. The Memorandum provides the New York State DMV with daily electronic file transfers of information associated to each salvage […]
AASP/NJ Sponsored SkillsUSA Competition Successful
On Saturday, April 16, nine of New Jersey’s top collision repair students put their talents to the test in the state’s annual SkillsUSA competition. The contest, held this year at Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School, set the students to work on a variety of tasks associated with collision repair, including estimating, bumper repair, […]
Chief Announces 2016 North American Training Schedule
Chief University will offer over 60 updated training classes for technicians, estimators and insurance appraisers across North America this year. A complete schedule is available to download. “Due to the whirlwind changes in vehicle design, technology and materials, we have found that training is the most asked for aspect of collision repair in shops around […]
Independent Collision Repair Facility Population Increased in 2014
Latest data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms that trend of independent collision repair facility population growth that started in 2012. The latest available data from the U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns annual research series covering 2014 shows that the number of independent collision repair facilities with payroll increased slightly for the third […]
LKQ Finalizes Pittsburgh Glass Works Acquisition
LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) yesterday announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Pittsburgh Glass Works LLC (PGW). LKQ Corporation logo“With the acquisition of PGW and our entrance into the sizable automotive glass market, we continue to grow our industry-leading position and product offerings to further serve the needs of our professional repairer customer,” […]
Sullivan’s Equipment Opens Training Center
Car-O-Liner announced that its distributor, Sullivan’s Equipment Sales and Service in Danville, Ind., has opened an on-site training center. The 13,000 sq. ft. warehouse includes a remodeled training area that will feature live repairs, OEM training, proper sectioning processes and more, said Craig Sullivan, Owner and President of Sullivan’s Equipment. “Rather than telling a technician […]
NACE Releases Conference Program Details
The complete conference program, including the session and training details for both NACE and CARS, has been released for the 2016 event, taking place August 9 – 13 in Anaheim, Calif. The program features new developments, including the introduction of programs for heavy duty vehicles, expanded business management training and OE involvement, and the return […]
PDA Drives Appraisal Cycle Time to 2 Business Days
Property Damage Appraisers (PDA) announced that it has decreasing the amount of time it takes to produce an estimate following an assignment. “At PDA, we’ve reduced average cycle time for automobiles to 2.0 business days and 2.7 calendar days,” said Tom Dolfay, CEO of PDA. “We’re pleased with the improvement, but want to continue to […]
Advanced High Strength Steel Growth Exceeds Forecast
Steel Market Development Institute says AHSS fastest growing automotive material. Over the past three years, the amount of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) used each year in automotive applications has been 10 percent higher than forecasted by Ducker Worldwide, the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) announced. SMDI is a business unit of the American Iron and […]
DCR Systems Opens Dealer-Based Collision Repair Center in Massachusetts
DCR partners with Coastal Dealerships and The Gallery Group to form The Collision Center of Rockland DCR Systems announced its sixth dealer-based accident repair center near Boston in partnership with Coastal Dealerships of Norwell and one of DCR’s existing centers, The Gallery Group in Norwood and Rockland, Mass. The center was completed in early 2016. […]