Automotive Body Repair News

Audatex examines impact of lightweight carbon fiber on next-generation vehicle construction
Audatex North America released its summer 2010 industry trends publication, Audatex Directions, which examines the future of carbon fiber and its potential impact on global automotive insurance and collision repair practices.

Matrix System enhances website
Matrix System Automotive Finishes launched its newly renovated and refined website. The site provides more detailed information about Matrix System, and also features improvements to the Product Section, Matrix News, Testimonials, Sponsorships, Color Documentation, Regulatory Information, and Photo Gallery.

AkzoNobel upgrades Sikkens Mixit Pro
AkzoNobel Car Refinishes released the latest upgrade to its Sikkens Mixit Pro color formula retrieval system. Sikkens Mixit Pro 1.3 adds new features and functionality plus an array of advanced repair management and information tools.

House Judiciary Committee looks at competition and antitrust
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on Competition and Antitrust on July 27. The witnesses, the Hon. Christine Varney, assistant attorney general for Antitrust at the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Hon. Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, testified before the committee and answered questions about competition and antitrust issues.

Deadline approaching for NABC's Pride Award nominations
The deadline for nominations for the 15th annual Pride Awards, sponsored by the National Autobody Council (NABC), is Sept. 15.

Toyota issues new position statement on cabin reinforcement
Toyota issued a revised position on the repair of high-strength steel (HSS) and ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) occupant cabin reinforcements, according to I-CAR.

AMI accepting applications for six scholarships
The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) is accepting applications for the following six scholarships to be awarded this year: the Emil Stanley Merit Award, the BodyShop Business Magazine Scholarship, the Gale Westerlund/Richard Cossette Memorial Scholarship, the Tom B. Babcox Memorial Scholarship, the Automotive Video Inc. (AVI) Educational Scholarship and the Zurich "High Octane" Scholarship.

Automotive students complete more than 1.4 million S/P2 CCAR online tests in last year
During the recently completed 2009-10 school year, the Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair (CCAR) administered more than 1.4 million online exams to automotive students in its S/P2 Safety and Pollution Prevention e-learning program.

PPG welcomes Penske Racing to PPG Place
PPG Industries will host Penske Racing and Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, at PPG Place on Wed., July 28. Hornish will greet fans and sign autographs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. He will be driving the following weekend in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

I-CAR attributes successful event to industry sponsors
I-CAR thanked its sponsors for their contributions to the July 21 meeting announcing the I-CAR Professional Development Program, a performance-focused training program that offers the best in collision repair training for today's professional.

House hearing examines effect of counterfeit auto parts
The U.S. House Committee on Small Business held a hearing entitled "The Impact of Intellectual Property on Entrepreneurship and Job Creation." Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the committee, held the hearing to highlight the importance of protecting intellectual property and how this protection can "spur job growth."

TrueCar forecasts July auto sales, incentives spending
TrueCar.com forecast that July 2010 light vehicle sales in the United States is expected to be 1,042,543 units, an increase of 6 percent from this time last year and a jump of nearly 5 percent from June 2010 on an unadjusted basis.

Ford tests slam aftermarket structural parts at CIC
Ford Motor Company engineers picked up where Toby Chess left off at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting July 21 resulting in a stinging indictment of selected aftermarket structural parts.

Disaster preparedness: Plan to survive, Zurich says
Recent events have shown that if your company is to survive a disaster, you must develop a plan for business recovery. Many businesses have contingency plans in place to help them recover from floods and hurricanes; but who actually plans for computer viruses or anthrax? Zurich has opened the discussion of the elements of a Disaster Recovery Plan ? why you need a plan, how to get started, what to consider and where to find help.

DuPont posthumously honors March Taylor
Joe Jackson Industry Champion Award recipients were honored by DuPont Performance Coatings at a business conference for the company's Champion jobbers in Orlando, Fla., on June 21. For the past four years, DuPont has presented the Joe Jackson Industry Champion Award annually to recognize one or more individuals in the collision repair industry who represent the industry admirably to the public at large demonstrating outstanding leadership, heroism, charity, or humanitarian work.