Advisory firm says smaller private equity-backed platforms grew five to seven times faster than the Big Four while EBITDA multiples on premium assets held firm. Collision repair acquisitions slowed sharply in the first half of 2026, with the industry’s largest consolidators, established regional platforms and new entrants adding a combined 81 locations — down from […]
Surventis Signs Cooperation Agreement With Robot Maker NST to Automate Refinish Painting
Surventis has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese robotics manufacturer NST to develop automated painting applications for the automotive refinish market, the companies said Aug. 13, formalizing a collaboration that has already put the coatings maker’s products into robotic paint booths at collision repair facilities in the Asia-Pacific region. The agreement is the first […]
Collision Repair Industry Production Up Slightly in June
June production edged above May as both hours worked and employment increased, but remained below year-ago levels. Wages set records for production employees and for all employees. An analysis of the latest data released from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) covering the preliminary June collision repair employment, hours worked and […]
Crash Champions Service Advisor Program Passes 300 Graduates
Crash Champions on Aug. 17 said 304 associates have graduated from its Associate Service Advisor Program, the company’s internal development track for employees moving into full-time service advisor positions. “Surpassing 300 graduates is an exciting milestone because it represents hundreds of associates who have taken an important step forward in their careers,” said Matt Ebert, […]
Solera Launches Qapter Direct Dispatch
Solera announced the launch Qapter Direct Dispatch, a feature that allows insurers, third-party administrators and independent appraisal companies to send estimate assignments to any collision repair facility or independent appraiser with an email address, regardless of that recipient’s estimating platform, software provider or network affiliation. The feature reaches repairers operating outside a carrier’s direct repair […]
NOAA Raises Odds of Below-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in early August sharpened its forecast for a quiet 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, raising the probability of below-normal activity to 75% from the 55% it assigned in May and trimming its storm-count ranges as the season approaches its climatological peak in early September. Major hurricanes rank among the costliest […]
Auto Insurance Shopping Growth Slows in Second Quarter as Exclusive Agents Retake Channel Lead
Nearly half of all policies in force were shopped in the previous 12 months even as year-over-year growth cooled to 1.4%. U.S. auto insurance shopping grew 1.4% year over year in the second quarter of 2026 and new policy growth eased to 3.3%, according to data released Aug. 17 by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Both slowed […]
Crash Champions Opens Sixth South Carolina Location
Crash Champions has opened a collision repair center at 1640 Airport Blvd. in West Columbia, S.C., its sixth location in the state and part of a national network the company says now exceeds 650 repair centers in 38 states. The 16,000-square-foot facility sits near Columbia Metropolitan Airport and extends a South Carolina footprint the Chicago-based […]
Car ADAS Solutions Adds East Tennessee Calibration Center to Network
Car ADAS Solutions has added a licensee calibration center in Maryville, Tenn., its second Tennessee location, operated by National Calibration Alliance at 1725 William Blount Drive. The center is owned by Zach Stinnett, who operates Stinnett Collision, a family-owned East Tennessee collision repair business, and is led by Wesley Wilkerson, a collision repair veteran with […]
GCIA August 20 Online Session to Examine Supplement Approval Delays
The Georgia Collision Industry Association will host an online discussion of delays in the supplement approval process Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The session, titled “The Supplement Bottleneck: How Delayed Approvals Hurt Shops, Customers, and Insurers,” runs on Zoom as part of the association’s GCIA After Hours series. Micki Woods, chief executive officer […]