New chairman comments on plan for results-oriented process for CIC. Although the results of the recent crash testing of non-OEM parts by Ford and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, previously reported on CollisionWeek, were among the topics at the most recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC), the quarterly gathering focused on a variety of other […]
DuPont Names Vanlancker VP of Performance Coatings for EMEA Region
DuPont named Thierry Vanlancker as Vice President of Performance Coatings for the company’s Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) region, effective December 1. Vanlancker, 46, currently global business and market director for DuPont Fluorochemicals since 2006, has held a range of business leadership roles in sales, marketing and technical capacities since joining the company in 1988. His assignments […]
Sterling Autobody Completes System-Wide Waterborne Conversion
Sterling Autobody Centers announced it has completed its network-wide conversion to waterborne paint. The transition began in June and took less than three months to complete. All 62 Sterling locations are presently using the waterborne system. Sterling President Nick Notte said “I am pleased with the speed of the transition. I commend Sterling leadership for […]
NSF Certifies First Aftermarket Parts Through New Program
NSF International has completed the certification of the first group of parts through its new Automotive Aftermarket Parts Certification Program. NSF’s Parts Certification Program was launched in order to offer independent, third-party testing and certification of only those aftermarket structural parts that replicate the safety and damage criteria design of the original vehicle part. Diamond […]
Three Massachusetts Repair Associations Unite
On May 24, three Massachusetts collision repair and automotive service associations became united in a historic undertaking. During a special industry dinner meeting held in Marlborough, Ma., the three associations – the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts (AASP/MA), the Massachusetts Auto Body Association (MABA) and the Central Massachusetts Auto Rebuilders Association (CMARA) – […]
Aftermarket Parts Certification Program Launched by NSF International
ANSI accredited certifier expects tested bumper parts to be available in 6-8 weeks. NSF International today announced the launch of a new Automotive Parts Certification Program to address concerns regarding consumer safety and compromised automobile crashworthiness from the use of untested aftermarket structural parts. NSF says the one-of-a-kind program verifies both the quality and performance […]
Diamond Standard Announces Safety Parts Certification Program
In response to the alerts raised by recent presentations at NACE in November 2009, and the Collision Industry Conference in January 2010, Diamond Standard announced that it has accelerated the time frame for its planned launch of a full certification program for safety parts. The company is itself a US based manufacturer of high strength […]
New EPA Rule for Body Shops: Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Every shop in the country has less than two months to comply with the initial notification requirement of the EPA’s new surface coating rule, but there is free help available if you know who to call. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working to implement a new rule to reduce pollutants emitted by the collision […]
Connecticut AG Calls for Federal Review of Auto Insurer Practices
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal held a press conference on Tuesday during which he called on U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. to investigate and stop insurance company practices that may deny consumers the right to choose their own automobile repair shop. Holding petitions from auto repairer associations from across the country, Blumenthal said […]
Testing is the Real Measure of Aftermarket Part Equivalency
Aftermarket parts manufacturer Diamond Standard is one company that takes issue with the idea that aftermarket parts cannot equal OEM. The company says there absolutely are some aftermarket parts that are the equivalent of OEM, and they have the testing to back it up. According to Geoff Crane, Business Development Manager, Diamond Standard, the company […]