LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the holding company of Rhiag-Inter Auto Parts Italia S.p.A, a European distributor of aftermarket parts, for €1.04 billion ($1.13 billion). Rhiag has operations in Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland and Spain. The company operates through 247 distribution centers […]
ABRA Adds Franchise Location in Minnesota
ABRA Auto Body & Glass announced the opening of its newest franchise repair center in Worthington, on December 18. The company now operates a total of 335 repair centers in 24 states. The new franchise location is owned and operated by Aaron Marthaler, owner of Marthaler Chevrolet and Marthaler Ford of Worthington. Marthaler previously operated […]
3M Files Lawsuit to Enforce Paint Protection Films Patent
3M (NYSE:MMM) announced December 29 that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit in federal district court in Minnesota against XPEL Technologies Corporation. The suit alleges that XPEL Technologies Corporation’s XPF paint protection film product infringes 3M’s U.S. Patent No. 8,765,263. 3M develops paint protection film products which protect the finish of a vehicle from scratches, […]
Collision Repair Industry Business Conditions: Q3 2015
Shops reporting higher sales compared to previous year decreased during the third quarter. Repair facilities reporting higher earnings also down. The CollisionWeek quarterly survey of business conditions reported by collision repair facility owners and managers indicates that the overall percentage of facilities with higher sales decreased in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the […]
December Projected as Strongest Month in a Decade for U.S. Auto Sales
2015 Poised to Set New-Vehicle Sales Record of 17.5 Million New light-vehicle sales in December are expected to be the strongest of any month since 2005, with 2015 on track to set an annual record with 17.5 million sales, according to a monthly sales forecast developed jointly by J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. New-vehicle retail […]
New York State Recognizes NSF Non-OEM Crash Parts Certification
The New York State Department of Financial Services recently recognized NSF International as a qualified certifier of non-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) collision repair parts per New York Insurance Regulation 64: Unfair Claims Settlement Practices and Claim Cost Control Measures. NSF certified parts play an essential role in consumers getting a high-quality automotive repair. NSF International’s […]
Martin Senour Announces First Quarter Training Schedule
The Martin Senour Company announced its 2016 first quarter training schedule for collision repair professionals, with courses running from January 5 to March 21, 2016. “In particular, we have seen significant interest for classes on waterborne technologies and industrial refinishing, so we’re providing additional training specific to those practices with our famed Vortex waterborne premium […]
Australia – MTAA and AMBRA Call For Senate Inquiry into Insurer Role in Body Repair Industry
The Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) and the Australian Motor Body Repairs Association (AMBRA) have launched a petition through the new AMBRA website calling for a Senate Inquiry into the role of Insurers in the Motor Body Repair Industry. The petition was actioned following a recent AMBRA meeting where growing nationwide concerns were raised […]
Traffic Volume Continues to Increase in October
With gas prices declining, record levels of driving and growth continues across all five regions in the U.S. Travel for the month of October is estimated at 273.5 billion vehicle miles nationwide according to the most recent data released by the Federal Highway Administration. The October5 result continues the good news for the collision repair […]
Service King Breaks Ground on 35th Dallas-Fort Worth Location
Service King Collision Repair Centers yesterday held a groundbreaking ceremony for its future location in The Colony, Texas. Service King officials, including CEO Chris Abraham, joined representatives from the city of The Colony to officially commence construction of Service King’s future 22,600 square foot repair center located at 5270 Memorial Dr. in the quickly growing […]