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  April 2007

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Monday - April 30, 2007

Friday - April 27, 2007

Thursday - April 26, 2007

Wednesday - April 25, 2007

  • PPG Launches Partners In Education Program - PPG Automotive Refinish has launched an exciting new program, intended to create a partnership with the top post secondary technical schools and colleges across North America - called the PPG Partners in Education Program. The program is a collaborative initiative between PPG and the leading technical schools to develop skilled entry-level technicians for employment at PPG customers.
  • Automotive industry loses 40-year veteran Al Bresnahan - Alfred (Al) Bresnahan, an active industry professional with 40 years in the automotive aftermarket, passed away March 25 after a long fight with cancer, in Highland Beach, Fla.
  • UK’s Auto Industry competitions shift up a gear in 2007 - SkillAuto, the national organisation that manages Auto Industry skills competitions in the UK, has announced a dynamic new corporate identity to support the forthcoming 2007 competitions cycle. -- A brand new redesigned website is also launched today, giving details of the 2007 competitions including the Craft Awards for Young Painter of the Year and Young Panel Technician of the Year, and the Light Vehicle Repair competition.
  • eAutoclaims sets executive pay levels - eAutoclaims.com Inc. has entered into employment agreements with Jeffrey Dickson, chief executive officer, and Larry Colton, chief financial officer. -- The company also announced the appointment of Don Thomas, as the new chief information officer.
  • LKQ Corp. 1Q07 Earnings Preview - Jerry Marks (AutoRetailStocks.com) submits: Before the market opens on April 26, 2007, LKQ Corporation will issue a press release telling us how many recycled and generic auto parts they sold in January, February and March of 2007 (first quarter).
  • OEConnection Relocates to New Headquarters - OEConnection LLC, a technology leader in parts exchange and analysis solutions for the automotive original equipment (OE) replacement parts business, today announced it has moved in to its newly constructed headquarters, at 4205 Highlander Parkway.
  • Car restoration project earns senior coveted award - Her senior project won Josvette Colon a $1,500 scholarship and provided a car in mint condition for her father. -- Colon, a senior at William J. Dean Technical High School, has been studying in the auto body department for four years. Her senior project this year was to fix the trunk area of her father's Mitsubishi Eclipse, which was leaking and had rusted.
  • Reinventing the Corvette - The custom chassis that Dawson’s shop builds are double-rail frames that keep the “body flex” out of the auto body. “It drives like a uni-body car, and the design keeps the squeaks and rattles out,” Dawson said.
  • Washington Law Major Victory for IGA - GlassBytes.com: On Wednesday April 18, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signed legislation that severely limits the ability of an insurer or its third-party administrator (TPA) to steer business away from independent glass shops.
  • Washington State Passes Anti-Steering Legislation - GlassBytes.com: The new law requires that a third-party administrator (TPA) inform customers that they have the right to choose a retail glass shop. It also mandates that call center representatives tell customers that the TPA is a separate entity from their insurer with an arrangement to process automobile glass claims on the insurance company's behalf. In addition, under the new law, any glass retailer owned by an insurer or TPA will have to inform the consumer of that relationship through a written notice posted at the facility.
  • Valeo says studying bid approaches - French car parts group Valeo said on Wednesday it had received several expressions of interest by various funds and added it was studying these approaches.
  • Snap-on Announces First Quarter 2007 Results - Net earnings up 76.5% over prior year on 19.6% sales increase
  • Refocused Akzo Nobel reports strong first quarter results - The combined Coatings and Chemicals business posted autonomous growth of 6%, while operational results before incidentals were 18 percent higher than the corresponding period last year.
  • Akzo weighs up acquisition targets - Akzo Nobel , the world's biggest paint maker, on Tuesday said it was willing to spend "a considerable amount of money" on an acquisition, sparking renewed speculation that it may be mulling a move for ICI, of the UK.
  • Hella Receives World Excellence Award from Ford - For the third successive year, the Ford Motor Company has given the "World Excellence Award" to Hella.
  • Visteon Wins Top Quality Award from Hyundai - Two Visteon manufacturing plants, Visteon Climate Control Beijing (VCCB) and Visteon Automotive System India Chennai Plant (VASI), recently received Hyundai Motor Company's coveted Quality Five Star Certification. The award recognizes Visteon's continuous efforts to deliver outstanding quality performance.
  • Reality Check for the Automotive Market - What the Industry's Top Bosses Need to Know!
  • Soft sales may hurt Big 3 - Low demand in April will be tough on turnaround plans
  • DCX unions open to Magna - But they tell Zetsche they don't want Chrysler sold
  • UAW member perks cut - Tough times force Big Three, union to scale back tuition, other programs
  • An Insider's Take on How Toyota Dethroned GM to Become the World's Top Carmaker - During my brief time as a GM insider, I saw first-hand how it was only a matter of time before Toyota would overtake GM as the world's top carmaker.
  • Automakers Plan Safety Training in China - General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler announced Wednesday they will provide training for their suppliers in China on how to keep their working conditions safe, health and legal.
  • Toyota Driving Expectations Program Attacks Deadly Teen Accident Rates - Unique Safe Driving Program Targets Teens AND Parents with Real-World Scenarios
  • Goodyear Recommends Giving Tires Some TLC During National Tire Safety Week - With the Observation of National Tire Safety Week, Goodyear Urges Everyone to Show They Care ... about Their Tires
  • Is Roadside Assistance Safety Net Or Gamble? - Phil Reed with Edmunds.com said roadside service plans are exploding in popularity, so it is no wonder that some of the largest auto insurers are now getting into the driver’s seat. -- Many in the insurance industry said these new plans are offered at a fraction of the cost of traditional motor clubs. -- Four out of five of the top insurers offer safety service, while two said they do consider roadside claims a risk.
  • LoJack-Equipped Mobile Assets Lead Police to Four Chop Shops, One Illegal Export Operation in One Week - In less than one week in April, LoJack Corporation's Stolen Vehicle Recovery System was instrumental in helping police uncover four chop shops and one international theft operation in five different states, recover 17 cars, four motorcycles, numerous pieces of construction equipment and arrest 11 suspects.
  • Car Thieves Take the Bait - Modesto, CA Records Dramatic Vehicle Theft Reduction; Las Vegas, NV Now Ranks as Country's Number One Metro Area With Highest Theft Rate
  • Insurance institute: Lafayette safest in Indiana in car thefts - A report issued today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau shows Lafayette had the lowest per capita rate of auto thefts of any Indiana city in 2006.
  • Men plead guilty in car fraud - Two men pleaded guilty Tuesday to their involvement in a car “chop shop” that dates back nearly eight years
  • House committee passes new auto insurance plan - Florida House Republicans offered their first glimpse at how they want to rewrite the state's mandatory automobile insurance laws by pushing a bill through a committee that doesn't normally deal with policy.
  • e-insurance: law, security slows industry’s evolution - Though insurance industry websites offer electronic services, most companies avoid direct electronic communication when it comes to letting customers apply for insurance.

Tuesday - April 24, 2007

Monday - April 23, 2007

  • Insider advises on auto claims - Ex-lawyer for insurers offers industry secrets, tips to help consumers
  • Internet Usage Extensive, Popular Among Independent Repair Facilities - E-mail communication, accessing service information among top uses.
  • Dealing With Personnel Changes (Pt 1) - AutobodyOnline: Plan an exit interview to gain valuable information…
  • Shop pushes students to apply skills sooner rather than later - Two plus two will always equal four, but, for the most part, a carburetor is no longer the device that regulates the air-fuel mixture in a car engine. With that in mind, Gary Maune knew nine years ago when he accepted a position instructing in the auto technician program at Four Rivers Career Center that his job teaching an auto repair class would be different than other teaching positions.
  • Probe continues at Bridgewater auto shop where Hanover man was crushed to death - MA: Chuckran's is a destination for backyard mechanics and automotive repair shops looking for used parts. The company has no complaints on file with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, spokesman Ted Fitzgerald said Wednesday.
  • Community leader, businessman dies - IL: The family of Walter S. Herrick Sr. remembers him as a man who always was active in his community, but not the kind of person who craved the spotlight. -- Herrick opened Herrick Auto Body, now named Herrick Auto Rebuilders, in 1947. It now is run by his son, Skip Herrick, and son-in-law, Gary Riegler. -- “He always believed that if you treat people right, they will treat you right,” his daughter said of his business philosophy.
  • PPG might unload operations - PPG Industries Inc. is talking with investors and potential buyers of its automotive glass and fine chemicals businesses, CEO Charles Bunch told shareholders Friday. -- Tom Uutala, an analyst with Cleveland-based Victory Capital Management, which holds more than 2.7 million PPG shares said many investors still look at PPG as a "sleepy glass company, producing glass for the automobile and housing industries." He calls it a manufacturing company that wants to be known for its coatings and optical businesses.
  • PPG Automotive Glass Helps Drivers Stay Cool and Save Fuel - NREL study shows the benefits of Sungate EP automotive glass
  • Belron US Announces New Field Management Assignments - The recent merger between the two largest vehicle glass repair and replacement companies in the United States has resulted in new staff assignments in the field leadership structure of the new company, Belron US.
  • ADESA Announces Closing of Acquisition by Private Equity Group - Insurance Auto Auctions is Contributed to Surviving Corporation
  • Chemical firms met challenges in quarter - DuPont, Dow Chemical seen weathering tricky quarter. PPG already has shown lower prices can eat into earnings.
  • Collins & Aikman Signs Agreement to Sell its Soft Trim Business to International Automotive Components Group - The Company will file a motion seeking approval of the Agreement subject to higher or better offers through a bankruptcy court-monitored auction process.
  • Employees of American-owned car parts company strike in Cadiz - MADRID, Spain (AP) — Workers waving banners and handkerchiefs went on strike in southern Spain Wednesday to protest plans to shut down an American-owned car parts factory at a cost of 1,500 jobs. -- Unions said workers honored the one-day stoppage in 14 towns in the coastal Cadiz region over the plan to close the Delphi Corp. plant in Puerto Real.
  • Chrysler bidding heats up this week - Suitors to jockey for position with 'refined' offers as DCX board meets in Germany.
  • The Ultimate Road Test - Consumer Reports magazine, looking forward again after an embarrassing mistake, keeps putting cars and car products through every imaginable trial at its 327-acre facility near Hartford.
  • State Farm(R) Lowers Georgia Auto Insurance Rates - State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, the largest insurer of autos in Georgia and in the nation, is lowering its overall rate level in Georgia an average of 4.0 percent.
  • Keep an eye on car & home loss file - your insurers will - When you buy car insurance, it makes sense to be honest. As a result of centralized databases, any insurer can quickly discover your history of accidents and traffic convictions. However, it's up to you to make sure the information on file about you is both accurate and complete.
  • Insurance Premiums Drop After a Very Profitable Year - Insurers are cutting rates in Western New York and elsewhere to capture new business, after the nation's property and casualty carriers posted their best underwriting results in nearly 50 years.

Friday - April 20, 2007

Thursday - April 19, 2007

Wednesday - April 18, 2007

  • Gary Wano Assumes NABC PRIDE Committee Chairmanship - The National Auto Body Council (NABC) has announced that Gary Wano, of GW & Son Autobody in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been appointed Chairman of the NABC PRIDE Committee. He assumes his responsibilities following two years of exemplary leadership from Janet Chaney, outgoing Chair.
  • United Estimatics Announces New Claims Management Solution - United Estimatics has released its latest product, Estimatics Claims Management Solution (ECMS). This feature will work in conjunction with Estimatics Independent Appraisal Network (EIAN), and allow the use of a dispatcher in the claims assignment work flow. -- United Estimatics has also revised its total loss processing to simplify the process for both adjusters and appraisers.
  • Ohio seminar covers insurer issues, cost accounting and more - Auto body repairers from all over Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky converged on the Marriott North in West Chester, Ohio on Wednesday, April 11 for a seminar sponsored by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Ohio Body Shop Owners Association Inc. (OBOA).
  • Missouri Collision Industry Forum to be held in June - The second annual Missouri Collision Industry Forum, co-hosted by the Automotive Service Association of Missouri and Kansas (ASA MOKAN), the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Missouri (AASP MO), and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists of Missouri and Kansas (SCRS MOKAN), will be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Select in Columbia, Mo., on June 13.
  • IGA Conference Pre-Registration Deadline Approaching - Those planning to attend the 2007 Independents’ Days and Spring Auto Glass Show™ have a little more than two weeks to pre-register. Pre-registration closes Friday, May 4. Attendees can save $50 per person by pre-registering.
  • I-CAR presents award at SCRS 25th Anniversary celebration - In honor of 25 years of excellence in the collision industry, I-CAR presented the I-CAR Industry Excellence award to the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). I-CAR President & CEO Tom McGee presented the award to SCRS Executive Director Dan Risley, Wednesday, April 11, at the SCRS 25th Anniversary Celebration at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, GA.
  • Friday storms leave big bill - TX: Hailstones cited for bulk of insurance claims -- Ronda White, co-owner of Perfection Auto Body in Haltom City, said 50 people called her shop Monday to make appointments for estimates.
  • Free Car Maintenance for the Families of Soldiers in Combat - The Ford Doctors at Beechnut Auto, a local auto repair shop, launch an inventive cost-free program to help deployed soldiers and their families care for the family vehicle.
  • Audatex and Spies Hecker Provide Estimating Standards Initiative - Recognising the importance of accurate estimating, Spies Hecker, in partnership with Audatex UK, is providing its Colors Unlimited International (CUI) member bodyshops with advanced estimating initiatives for 2007 and beyond.
  • Vehicle Side Structure Concept Presented with AISI/SAE Sydney H. Melbourne Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Automotive Steel - The authors studied the advantages of rollforming technology using ultra- high strength steel -- a new vehicle side structure concept -- which can satisfy the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) side impact crash test criteria while also achieving considerable weight reduction.
  • PPG Closes Glendale, CA Call Center - As part of a long-term business plan, PPG Industries recently closed a call center located in Glendale, CA, which housed employees in the company's auto glass and aerospace groups.
  • PPG Industries Acquires Champion Assets - Glass, paint and sealants maker PPG Industries said Tuesday it acquired certain assets of Champion Coatings Inc. for an undisclosed sum.
  • Cerberus hits snags at GDX, Delphi - Car-sealing products firm may be sold; talks with UAW on pay cuts facing stiff opposition.
  • Ford: Quality equal to Toyota - In survey of 31,000 new vehicle owners, Ford beats industry average for problems.
  • Toyota Named Official Vehicle Manufacturer for 2007 SEMA Show - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., announced today that Toyota will be the official "Vehicle Manufacturer of the Show" for the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas from October 30 to November 2.
  • Magna's Chrysler bid gains steam - Auto supplier has strong ties to DaimlerChrysler, Canadian union
  • Convention offers look at future vehicles, aids - Automakers and suppliers from around the world who converged for the annual conference of the Society of Automotive Engineers showed off gizmos that seem out-of-this-world today, but could become as common as power windows or anti-lock brakes tomorrow.
  • Buick offers new GM safety-enhancing technologies - Buick will offer two new safety-enhancing technologies that could serve as an extra set of “eyes” for drivers, helping them to avoid a collision caused by an inadvertent lane change or by colliding with a vehicle in the side blind spot while changing lanes. The technologies will be available on all 2008 Buick Lucerne sedan models this summer
  • Autoliv’s New Safety Vent Airbag Wins Prestigious Industry Prize - Autoliv Inc., worldwide leader in automotive safety, today announced it has received a 2007 Automotive News PACE Award for its innovative Safety Vent Airbag technology developed at the company’s North American technical centers.
  • Critics rap 'pay-as-you-go' auto insurance - BOSTON: A proposal to link the mileage drivers put on their cars to the amount they pay for insurance is drawing criticism from those who believe the move unfairly favors those in cities.
  • Senate Judiciary Committee Reviews Insurance Antitrust Repeal - With the strong backing of key senators, new legislation in the U.S. Senate - with companion legislation in the House - seeks to further competition in the insurance industry.
  • NAMIC Launches McCarran-Ferguson Online Resource Center - The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) unveiled a resource center dedicated to addressing the concerns and misconceptions about the McCarran-Ferguson Act.
  • NAMIC Applauds NCOIL for Cautioning Congress on McCarran-Ferguson Repeal - The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) today praised the National Conference of Insurance Legislators for warning Congress of the potentially devastating consequences of repealing the limited antitrust exemption enacted by the McCarran-Ferguson Act. In a letter sent to key members of the House and Senate, NCOIL cautioned that legislation to repeal the Act could lead to less affordable and available insurance for consumers.
  • Insurance claims facility heads for final approval - PA: Upper Moreland commissioners on Monday night passed out of committee a request to build a Progressive Insurance claims facility at 2380 Maryland Road. -- The proposal calls for a one-story automotive insurance claims and processing center.

Tuesday - April 17, 2007

Monday - April 16, 2007

  • How to Multiply Every Customer by 10 - AutobodyOnline: Suppose every customer that brought a vehicle to your shop for repair brought along ten more customers for you.
  • I-CAR And Sterling Autobody Centers Announce Gold Class Professionals Initiative - Sterling Autobody Centers has announced a new training initiative to earn the I CAR Gold Class Professionals designation in all 60 locations throughout the United States. Currently, Sterling Autobody Center employees are completing I-CAR training to achieve the designation by August 31, 2007.
  • Collision Wages on the Rise - According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and ASA's annual "How's Your Business?" (HYB) survey, collision repair hourly wages are on the rise.
  • Doing a bang up job - PA: When Kenneth W. Sperring Jr. moved his auto body and repair shop from King of Prussia to Limerick seven years ago, he never expected his business to take off the way it has.
  • Salvage yard a salvation for auto parts seekers - MI: Welcome to the do-it-yourself salvage world of Airway Auto Parts.
  • AutoLign Manufacturing Group closed its doors - MI: AutoLign Manufacturing Group, formed in 1998 from the joint acquisition of Colonel's, manufactured aftermarket plastic bumpers on South Platt Road in Milan.  -- One of the company's largest accounts, according to sales staff on site Friday, was Keystone Automotive Industries. Gary Maier, a public relations consultant for Keystone, confirmed that the business had been taken away from AutoLign but said the bulk "was being moved to other U.S. manufacturers."
  • PPG to Announce First Quarter 2007 Results April 19 - PPG Industries will release its first quarter 2007 earnings before the New York Stock Exchange opens Thursday, April 19.
  • Magna reviewing Chrysler sale - Canadian auto supplier is working with buyout firm Onex Corp. on a joint bid for automaker.
  • Toyota's secrets: Excellence and efficiency focus - Toyota Motor Corp. is doing so well in the United States, it seems to defy gravity.
  • GM program makes used cars more attractive to shoppers - IN: Last month, General Motors began covering its Certified Used Vehicles with a 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. -- According to Dale Aaron, assistant sales manager at American Chevrolet Cadillac, Muncie, GM's decision is the latest in a series of automobile market developments making used vehicles increasingly attractive to buyers.
  • Auto companies teaming up to improve computerized crash tests - Crash test dummies are making way for virtual humans. - Detroit's three domestic automakers and six foreign companies say they will work together to develop computer models that better represent humans and simulated crash injuries. -- The announcement comes today at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit.
  • ARA Urges Senate Commerce Committee to Support Legislation Aimed at Curbing Vehicle Title Fraud - In prepared remarks submitted for the record to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA), yesterday, outlined the growing national problem of vehicle title fraud, and the subsequent need for Congress to pass legislation requiring the insurance industry to report essential total loss information to a national Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) database.
  • Hurricanes have passed, but the cars may remain - Vehicles damaged in Gulf storms show up in dealer inventory
  • Tri-State Couple Sues Auto Maker - OH: The auto maker Hyundai may be facing tough questions after an Independence couple filed a lawsuit claiming that the airbags in their car failed to deploy.
  • Allstate Says New Claims System Puts Customers In Good Hands - The new technology will lead to faster claims processing and help ensure Allstate pays out the "right" amount to every claimant.
  • Allstate to Discuss First Quarter 2007 Earnings with Investors - The Investor Relations department of The Allstate Corporation will conduct a conference call on Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) to discuss first quarter 2007 earnings. The company will issue a press release announcing the results the day before on Wed., April 18, 2007 at or after 4:05 p.m. EDT.
  • Two State Farm employees honored as volunteers - OH: State Farm employees Tom Ash and Ginny Grady have been selected as Volunteers of the Year for 2006.
  • Farmers Insurance Promotes Jim Westerman to Senior Vice President—Sales - Paul Hopkins, chief executive officer of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, has announced the appointment of Jim Westerman to Senior Vice President—Sales.
  • Auto insurance premiums expected to dip in '07 - OH: US drivers are expected to pay less for auto insurance this year compared with 2006, the first decrease since 1999.
  • Pa. auto insurers clash - The good news: Pennsylvania's largest automobile insurer, State Farm, has asked the state Insurance Department for permission to reduce its rates by 1.2 percent, effective May 7.

Friday - April 13, 2007