automotive refinisher september-october 2014

In the last two decades the South African collision repair markethas really come of age as right across the country top independentrepair concerns have moved forward to embrace the changingtechnology of todays complex modern vehicles.

One of the foremost concerns in recent years has been theconstant bottom line profitability erosion partially due to the lackof standards which has lead to a over-traded repair environment.Top class independent shops have been left with only policies ofa reactive nature and much difficulty in finding a proper return ontheir investment through a lack of recognition of the standardsneeded to run a professional repair facility.

The Collision Repairers Association has adopted an entirely newapproach to the industry and some of its challenges by recruitingthe cream of the crop of the repair industry who have invested instandards and continue to put out quality repairs with the aim toplease customers. The vast knowledge of the officials and staffwill drive forward a strategic plan to improve repairer profits andgain recognition for the vast number of independent key roleplayers in every area of activity in collision repair in South Africa.

Enjoy the recognitionyou deserve.

T h e b e n c h m a r k o f q u a l i t yC a l l u s o n 0 8 6 1 7 2 6 2 7 2 o r V i s i t w w w . c r a s a . o r g . z a

The CRA over the past year have worked closely with somemajor insurers in putting together guidelines to progress theneeds of both the insurance and repair sectors. The time hascome for major structural repairers and the smaller non-structural repair shops to have a dedicated voice at thenegotiating table. Not only do we have to understand theinsurance industry and some of their unique challenges, but weneed to also offer long term sustainable solution to problemsthat have existed over the past 3 decades.

The CRA is also driving a recognizable legislated standardvia the DTI that will become compulsory for any repairer to tradein South Africa. This should see the repairers that have alreadyinvested in standards gain the recognition they so rightlydeserve.

The industry has certainly been begging for change andchange has arrived in the form of the CRA. So call us soon togain your place on the road forwards with the new tradeorganisation of the future in collision repairs.

JOIN THE CRA AND GET THE RECOGNITION YOU DESERVE!

COLLISION REPAIR ASSOCIATION 2_Layout 1 2014/03/19 11:25 AM Page 1

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENTJoint Hollard and Telesure Venture 12STARTINGLINE SPRAYGUN Entry Level DeVilbiss Equipment 13BASF COATINGSMerger Update 14IBISConference Report 16LATEST TRADE NEWSMotor Traders Organisation 22NEW JAGUAR XE Construction 31DE BEERTechnical Centre 38TTI GLOBAL TRAININGA Step Change 46R-MWorkflow Seminars 60AMID BIKE SHOWReport 72NEW PRODUCTSWhat’s Hot? 82

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ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENTJoint Hollard and Telesure Venture 12STARTINGLINE SPRAYGUN Entry Level DeVilbiss Equipment 13BASF COATINGSMerger Update 14IBISConference Report 16LATEST TRADE NEWSMotor Traders Organisation 22NEW JAGUAR XE Construction 31DE BEERTechnical Centre 38TTI GLOBAL TRAININGA Step Change 46R-MWorkflow Seminars 60AMID BIKE SHOWReport 72NEW PRODUCTSWhat’s Hot? 82

CONTENTS SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/29 2:37 PM Page 1

INSURANCE WRITE OFFS -IT’S A MINE FIELD FORCOLLISION REPAIRERS

4R E F I N I S H E R

UTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

For over a year now some of our local key insurancecompanies have moved to a level of writing off a damagedvehicle at around 50% damage to the retail trade and sellingprice. These levels are in many ways not sustainable in an

overview against the South African motorists and their personalloss for often they become a big time loser in this accessed-losssituation. High cost models are often in a blatant position of beingdiscriminated against for they will, in most cases, lose the most inan insurance write-off situation at these levels.

Like normal, it’s not such a simple matter as many insurers willstill offer up to 60-65% of the cars value in order to keep the clienton the road with a repaired vehicle. There is a new move by keymotor companies like Hyundai, Honda, Peugeot and others whoare now actively engaged through their approved body shoprepairer networks to save a car on borderline cases that occur.These concerns are working closer and closer with insurers toovercome the write-off end result in some cases, in order toreduce client turnover and improve customer retention.

Quoted figures show that a car owner whose vehicle is totalledin some 90% of cases never purchases the same brand again forvarious reasons. One of the biggest concerns for the motoristinvolved in many cases would be the fact that they have forinstance a 70-month purchase period to fund in finance charges.This often leaves them stranded with huge financial amountsoutstanding and unpaid at vehicle loss time.

With the latest addition of some automotive auction housesnow moving up to close to 1 000 code 2 write-off vehicles eachmonth, the situation looks very depressing for the collision repairtrade.

There appears very little in the way of client transparency takingplace in the area of vehicle loss due to accidental damage. This maybe the time to question a customer’s rights. The ConsumerProtection Act in some ways, seems a little grey when levelledagainst the total loss trend pursued by a handful of insurers rightnow in South Africa.

Another key area of concern must be for car makers that offerextended service and warranties on their models. Just imagine theramifications of literally thousands of code 2 cars and trucks beingrepaired in back yards with no standards, re-appearing on theroads after repair and claiming there’s a diff-whine or body rattlesthat need attending to.

Who would pay for that when the manufacturer was neverinformed the car was totalled under the code 2 package of lossand the diminished value that the car may see for a fouled uprepair that another purchaser must endure without the knowlegehis new vehicle is a major rebuild.

Collison repairers who are increasingly asked to make moreand more investments into equipment and output standards seemto be on the outside looking in.

The push towards not repairing a vehicle damaged on the roadis in full motion. In this option some insurers seem to have an eyeon increased profits coming from removing the clients car at thecheapest cost with claiming excesses in place, while enjoying ashare in the upside sale proceeds of the vehicle auction salesprices with the auction sales houses in place.

It’s a win-win in some ways for the insurance but everyone elseis left with a poor outcome as this trend to rid themselves ofproblem vehicles and clients gain momentum.

We may have to advise you not to travel anywhere on theroads as it’s a bit too scary for words as the vehicle damagemarket takes a giant step to the left. Is it a move designed toincreased insurer profitability purchased from the luckless insureddriver once again? It all adds up to a fairly short term quest forprofits at all costs in this model of vehicle salvage and a very shortterm view of loyal client retention.

PUBLISHER’S BIT - by Ian Groat

UTOMOTIVEAUTOMOTIVEAT H E V O I C E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

R E F I N I S H E R

September - October 2014 Edition 175

Telephone: +27 (0)11 949 4091Facsimile: +27 (0)11 252 6844Email: [email protected]: www.autoref.co.zaPublisher: Ian Groat +27 (0)83 290 2967Editor: Claire Macfie +27 (0)83 260 1826Accounts: Val Groat +27 (0)83 541 8878Design: Jay Groat +27 (0)60 501 7450Assistant: Nataschja FerreiraCT Journo: Dave Fall +27 (0)73 021 3076European Technical Editor: Andrew Marsh

The views expressed inarticles in AutomotiveRefinisher are those of theauthors and shall not beconstrued to represent thoseof the Editor or the Publisher.Accordingly, AutomotiveRefinisher accepts noresponsibility for claims andstatements made byadvertisers and independentcolumnists. Further, theappearance ofadvertisements herein doesnot necessarily indicate theapproval by AutomotiveRefinisher for the productand/or service advertised.Material may not bereproduced in any formwithout the written consentof the Publisher. AutomotiveRefinisher is dedicated toservicing the businessinterests of the collisionrepair industry.

WHAT’S HOT?

AR S-O 2014 CLAIRE_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/08/29 2:20 PM Page 21

New Criminal RacketThe SAICB said it was aware of nine instances thus far, two

vehicles were recovered and three arrests made. Service providersmust ensure that the correct owners/clients take delivery of thesevehicles, and insurers should alert auto body repairers to thissituation to prevent such crimes from taking place.“We suggest thatyou advise your preferred panel of repairers to request identificationfrom the insured before handing over their vehicle,” the SAICBrecommends. One insurer stated that it has had five SUVs and aluxury sport car stolen in this manner, while a vehicle trackingcompany confirmed five similar cases reported in April.

4. The parts pricing should be based on VWSA’s recommendedretail price.

In this regard:l The individual dealer and/or motor body repairer remains

entitled to decide on the price at which parts and labour areprovided to the relevant customer and/or insurer.l VWSA remains entitled to decide the extent of its

contribution.5. Correspondence, quotations and other documentation must

be on official letterheads.6. The assistance request submission process specified by VWSA

must be followed7. All documentation must be completed in full.8. After the vehicle has been saved, the successful applicant must

provide VWSA confirmation from the insurer that the vehicle hasbeen saved as a result of the programme.

The repair will be subject to VWSA’s terms and conditionsrelating to the vehicle’s warranty, service or maintenance plan to theextent that the terms are still applicable.

We are hopeful that this initiative provides an additional tool toassist in the reduction of insurance company vehicle write-offs, andencourage you to make use of the programme.

Volkswagen have introduced a novel Save-A-Car programmeto avoid the total loss of one of their vehicles involved in aborderline write off type of accident. After a successful pilot,where they discovered learning points and improved on the

concept, they are ready to roll out nationally.The programme is designed to reduce vehicle repair costs to an

acceptable level in relation to vehicles deemed as damaged beyondeconomical repair by insurers.

Repair cost reduction will be achieved through contributions byMotor Body Repairers, Dealers and VWSA.

Through the programme we hope to save vehicles byencouraging repair as an alternative to disposal where repair isfeasible.

To ensure a successful application for assistance the followingcriteria applies -

1. The repair value should exceed the vehicle insurer’s write-offthreshold.

2. The insurer must be considering writing the vehicle off.3. A motor body repair quoting system recognised by the insurer

must be used. In this regard a repair quotation recognised by theinsurer must be provided.

CRA have put together work group committees in all theregions. The following groups have been put together:Audatex, Training, Complaints, Branding, EnterpriseDevelopment, Parts Procurement, Insurance contracts,

Communication, Social media. The work group committees feed into a national committee who

will be dealing with the industry stake holders.The members can use the following email addresses should they

have enquiries: [email protected], [email protected],

[email protected], [email protected],[email protected], [email protected]

INDUSTRY NEWS

NEW FROM CRA

VW MOVE TO SAVE-A-CAR



LOCAL UPDATE

WHAT’S HOT?

AR SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014 NAT_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/08/29 2:35 PM Page 24

Founded in 1883 as Pittsburgh PlateGlass by Captain John B. Ford andJohn Pitcairn near Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, PPG Industries today is

a global supplier of paints, coatings, opticalproducts, specialty materials, glass andfibreglass.

Through leadership in innovation,sustainability and colour, PPG helpscustomers in industrial, transportation,consumer products, and constructionmarkets and aftermarkets to enhance moresurfaces in more ways than does any othercompany.

PPG is composed of 11 global businessesin three major segments:

l Performance Coatingsl Industrial Coatingsl GlassWorldwide, PPG has more than 42 000

employees, manufacturing facilities in nearly70 countries, and primary research facilitiesbased in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.The company’s global headquarters arelocated in Pittsburgh.

PPG shares are traded on the New YorkStock Exchange (NYSE: PPG), and thecompany is ranked 190 on the Fortune 500with reported net sales for 2013 of$15.1 billion.

From its founding in 1883 through thepresent day, PPG’s history reflects itsdedication to enriching the communitieswhere it has a presence. PPG’s globalcharitable contributions programs continueto evolve and grow in alignment with thecontinued success of the company. As PPGgrows through innovation, expansion andproduct success, and as it broadens its globalscope, so do its charitable programmes. In2013, PPG’s global charitable contributionstotaled more than $5.3 million.

In South Africa, PPG has a strong andactive presence countrywide. Trading underthe PPG Industries banner, you will findarchitectural (PROMINENT PAINTS®brand), Automotive OEM, Automotive

Refinish, Industrial, Packaging, and Protectiveand Marine coatings.

PPG Architectural Coatings (ProminentPaints Brand)

From its inception in 1981, ProminentPaints has grown into a leading architecturalbrand in the South African market. The headoffice and manufacturing plant is situated inAlrode, Johannesburg, and employs morethan 400 people. This modernmanufacturing plant enjoys full integrationand synergy with PPG’s research anddevelopment infrastructure and benefitsfrom the more than US $400 million that isspent annually companywide on researchand development.

The Prominent Paints brand is built onstrong partnerships with dynamic retailersand an ever-growing complement of tradecontractors and painters. Throughexceptional service delivery that stems fromthe internal drive and passion of our people,the Prominent Paints brand not only hasbecome trusted in the market, it also hasbeen acknowledged as one of the preferredarchitectural brands in South Africa.

PPG Automotive OEM CoatingsSince its beginning in 1924, PPG

Automotive Coatings has focused ondelivering innovative solutions. The first tointroduce many coatings products to theautomotive marketplace, such as cathodicelectrocoat, powder clearcoat, compactpaint systems and factory-applied spray-inbedliners, PPG remains at the forefront ofinnovation.

Today, PPG Automotive OEM Coatingsoffers a complete line of products toautomotive original equipmentmanufacturers worldwide. PPG colourexperts combine extensive knowledge ofcoatings and special effects technologieswith analysis of industry trends to aidautomakers around the world in enhancingthe images and identities of their vehiclebrands.

PPG Automotive RefinishPPG’s automotive refinish coatings

operations began in 1926. Regardless of theapplication, you can expect PPG to meet orexceed the most demanding requirementsfor gloss, durability and ease of use.

Today, two out of every three carsbenefit from PPG technology and know-how. Bringing OEM expertise to the refinishmarket enables PPG customers to stay onestep ahead, ensuring they consistentlyachieve high-quality repairs, enhancedproductivity and profitable growth..

PPG Industrial CoatingsPPG Industrial Coatings has earned a

reputation as a leader in the marketplace forinnovative, high-performance products,world-class service and colour expertise.PPG continues to build this reputation ofexcellence, working with the world’s topdesigners and manufacturers to ensure theirprojects are nothing short of exceptional.With an unparalleled range of products forevery industrial market, PPG guaranteessubstrates will receive exceptionalprotection that exceeds goals in style,sustainability and budget.

PPG Packaging CoatingsPPG is a leading producer of packaging

coatings, with research laboratories,manufacturing facilities, commercial andtechnical centers strategically located inEurope, Africa, the Middle East, Australasiaand the Americas. This global presence givescustomers an important advantage –convenient access to the mostcomprehensive range of internal andexternal coatings, decorative inks,compounds and pre-treatment solutionsavailable, for virtually every end-use: • Beerand beverage cans and ends • Promotionaltins • Food cans and ends • Paint cans anddrums • Three-piece and aluminiumaerosols • Caps and closures • Plastic andaluminium tubes • Peelable ends.

PPG Protective And Marine CoatingsPPG Protective and Marine Coatings

(PMC) is a world leader in the field,dedicated to developing, manufacturing andsupplying coatings that anticipate thedemanding challenges of protectingcustomers’ assets in the global energy,infrastructure and marine industries.

Bringing innovation to the surface is atrademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

Prominent Paints is a registeredtrademark of Prominent Paints (Pty) Limited.

REFINISH UPDATE

PPG INDUSTRIES -LEADING COATINGSAND SPECIALITYMATERIALS COMPANY



COMPANY PROFILE

AR S-O 2014 CLAIRE_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/09/04 9:45 AM Page 19

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PEUGEOT AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:45 AM Page 1

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Durban based automotive spares wholesaler, Gaydonshave become a major force to be reckoned with withinthe motor industry by concentrating on serviceexcellence and parts and product availability for over 23

years, while general manager Yusuf Kajee says that his team ofprofessionals offer built-in combined skill and knowledge of note,delivered around a personal service to meet every customer need.

Their client base extends to the whole of southern Africa acrossthe wholesale sector of the auto trade with a great many leadingbrands on offer. Part of this formidable range has been the Loctiteand Teroson offerings from Henkel South Africa, says JasonStevenson. Based in River Horse Valley, close by, they have focusedtheir attention on the new range of auto body repair specialityproducts to improve their availability nationally stocking the latestadhesive technologies for vehicle repair and maintenance divisionfrom Henkel.

“Having a bit of a rethink on our role with Henkel and theirpassion for excellence philosophy, to keep pace with increasingcustomer demand for the range, Gaydons have increased theiravailable stock on hand to service continued growth and

Audi will accept punishment fromChinese authorities for breachinganti-monopoly laws in the world’slargest car market. An

investigation by Chinese authorities foundthat Audi’s dealer arm, FAW-VolkswagenSales Co. had “violated national anti-monopoly laws,” the automaker said in astatement. Audi said that it and FAW-VW“closely co-operated with the investigationand will accept a penalty.”

The statement came after China’sNational Development and ReformCommission (NDRC), that polices violationsof anti-monopoly law, said it had beeninvestigating the sector, dominated byforeign companies and their joint ventures,for more than two years.

It is the latest sweeping probe China haslaunched into alleged wrongdoings byforeign firms in multiple fields, among thempharmaceuticals, technology and baby milk.

Audi parent Volkswagen Group set upthe FAW-VW venture to manufactureAudis and other models.

“Management processes in the sales anddealership structure are much improved toprevent similar incidents in the future,”according to the statement.

The statement did no explicitly state thatAudi acknowledged any wrongdoing. But itadded, “Audi and FAW-Volkswagen attachgreat importance that all applicable antitrustand competition laws are adhered to.”

China’s antitrust crackdown signals a newera of regulatory scrutiny in the country andthreatens to end the days when productsfrom Audi sedans to Starbuck’s lattes

customer demand.”If you need any help or deliveries as a wholesaler or reseller of

the Henkel brand call Gaydons on +27 (0)31 319 4000 or [email protected]

generate fatter profits in Beijing than inLondon or New York.

In the past few months, Chinese anti-trust authorities pressured at least sevencarmakers to cut prices and raided theoffices of software maker Microsoft Corp.

The probes, combined with signs thegovernment is shunning some UStechnology companies for security reasons,have left foreign businesses struggling tofigure out the evolving laws and regulationsin the world’s most populous country. Thoseseeking to adapt face the challenge ofinterpreting vague rules in an economy that’sno longer as reliant on foreign investment asin past decades.

“We may be seeing a paradigm shiftwhere the rules of the game are changing,”said David Loevinger, former US treasurydepartment senior coordinator for Chinaaffairs and now an analyst at TCW GroupInc in Los Angeles. “Until people figure outthe new rules it will create a much more

uncertain business climate.”Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land

Rover, Chrysler, Toyota and Honda haveannounced price cuts of vehicles or spareparts in the wake of an investigation by theNDRC into more than a dozen automakers.The NDRC, China’s main economic planner,takes primary responsibility for oversight ofpricing and is one of three governmentbodies that enforce the nation’s anti-trustlaws.

“There’s a concerted effort on the part ofmultiple regulators in China to aggressivelyenforce the regulations,” said Kent Kedl,managing director for Greater China andNorth Asia at Control Risks Group Holdings.“They are being much more aggressive nowthan we have ever seen.”

For Volkswagen, China is so profitablethat its earnings there, along with those ofAudi, generate all of its cash flow, accordingto analyst by Max Warburton, an analyst atSanford Bernstein.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

HENKEL AND GAYDONS’VENTURE

AUDI ACCEPT PENALTY IN CHINA



WHAT’S NEW?

MANUFACTURING NEWS

Jason Stevenson from Henkel Adhesive Technologies (left) and Yusef Kajee,general manager of Gaydons are driving better brand availability at wholesalelevels across South Africa.


HENKEL AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/09/02 9:52 AM Page 1

It’s taken over two years of painstaking development from twoindustry giants in motor insurance, but Hollard and Telesure pooledtheir resources to drive the initiative of supplier skills developmentwith legislation to be met regarding the BEE levels of work supply.

Needing a serious change in thinking the companies set about putting inplace a number of collision repair centres across South Africa to complywith the Financial Sector Code with regard to enterprise development.

It took a great deal of time and effort to get through the 200 or soinitial applicants for the programme which has strict levels of qualitystandards and customer care that have to be delivered. A big part of thesuccessful candidates on the supplier development initiative also sees aneed for the companies to be financially viable. All in all there are onlyseven successful operations that are currently in the new roll out that metall the key performance criteria needed from Hollard and Telesure.

It’s all about a cry to give work to the BEE body shop sector but theshops will also need to become much more professional in terms of theway that they market their companies with clients going forward. This,plus each body shop has to have an excellent management system inplace to contend with today’s immediate business environment. Ingeneral terms many of the aspiring companies enjoy excellent skill levelsbut had a long way to go on customer skills levels. A few body shops onthe programme were able to get discretionary grants to drive theprocurement programme with key staff in place.

Malcolm Schnaid, group procurement manager from Hollard and NickJacobs, general manager supplier management from Telesure, welcomedall the successful body shop repairers to a glittering function held in SirHerbert Baker’s grand designs at the Villa in Parktown. The overalloutcome and success of the whole initiative has been absolutely superband the successful applicants should now move on to enjoying a growingsuccessful relationship with both insurance service providers goingforward. The programme of upskilling this sector of the collision repairmarket is in full motion. The whole initiative of developing the rightsupplier programme will accelerate into the future plans of both insurersin this initiative.12

The successfu l co l l is ion repair f ina l is ts were: Canal Panelbeaters ,C lubman Panelbeater , PAD Panelbeaters , Lehlobo Autobody Repairers ,S leen Panel and Paint , Shenge Autobody and Smiths Autobody.

A joint enterprise development venture

LOCAL NEWS

HOLLARD AND TELESURE SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENTPROGRAMME

INSURANCE INITIATIVE




DeVilbiss have recently introduced a newStartingline spraygun with a new design nozzle andair cap which delivers optimised performance anddurability for the tough everyday conditions

experienced in todays busy spray shops.This low cost lightweight gun offers a comfortable

ergonomic fit and feel in the hand. Coupled to this is alightweight trigger-pull and easy fluid and air controladjustments for the spray fan. There is also the ability to adjustthe spray guns incoming air volume with a built in air valvecontrol at the base of the spray gun.

Startingline by DeVilbiss comes equipped with two set upoptions. The 1.3 model offers busy professional spray paintersa high efficiency option to give great layout on top coats,waterborne and solvent base coats and clears with the highefficiency air cap design.

The larger 1.8 nozzle size is designed for use with highbuild primers for it offers top levels of atomisation for themore viscous automotive refinish products at the body panelpreparation stage of a repair. These set up applications, saysDeVilbiss, cover all conventional automotive and industrialpaints delivering a smooth flow and excellent pattern shape.

The Startingline’s lightweight and strong constructioncomes complete with a 550ml acetal gravity cup plus a paintfilter, cleaning brush and spanner in the kit. All this comes atthe best ever price from DeVilbiss. It’s designed to cope forthe deserving spray painter who will value the DeVilbissquality but wants a great entry level price on the brand’sperformance.

For more information please call BASF Coatings, TonyCarling on +27 (0)21 930 3233 / Mark at Tunzi Automotiveon +27 (0)11 867 7887 or visit www.devilbissu.com for moreinformation.

PRODUCT PROFILE

NEW STARTINGLINEGUN FROM DEVILBISS

CONSUMERS DEMANDREPAIRERS ADOPT NEWTECHNOLOGY

Customer demand is changing the automobile repairindustry, according to a recent survey by AudaExplore, adata-driven solution provider for insurance carriers,repairers, dealerships, fleet owners and suppliers.

More than 135 repair and insurance professionals toldAudaExplore in a survey given at the 2014 NACE/CARS Expo andConference in July that digitally empowered customers are drivingthem to adopt new technology and communication methods. thethree most “disruptive technologies” that more than half of therespondents said their businesses adopted were mobile, social mediaand data analytics technologies.

In addition, nearly half of the respondents said that new vehicletechnology was a real issue for their business.

“It was not a surprise to learn that shops are worried aboutevolving vehicle technology,” said Adam Vasquez, VP of marketing atAudaExplore. “Advancements in aluminium, vehicle connectivity andanti-collision technologies are forcing the repair industry to adapt andconverge offerings at an increased pace. These changes can costbusinesses both a significant amount of time and money.”

Other key findings of the survey included:l 35% of shop owners ranked estimating accuracy their mostimportant technology capability

WHAT’S HOT?

US NEWS

l 24% of respondents said real-time customer communications aretheir number-one technology capabilityl 22% said employee productivity technology was the mostimportant to theml 12% of respondents said business analytics was at the top of thelist for their technology capability needsl 4% of respondents said parts efficiency was their most importanttechnological capabilityl 79% of those surveyed reported that their technology is up todatel 9% of repair professionals said cloud computing played asignificant role in transforming their business.

It’s expected that this well priced newStartingline spraygun range will ramp up salesof Devilbiss sprayguns in the local market.


The merger of the BASF CoatingsService’s Wynberg branch withthe Centurion branch on 1l July,2014, made for exciting news, as it

formed a single distribution platform thatservices the entire Gauteng region.

The decision for the merger wascarefully considered based on an internalresearch that began in 2012. The evaluationfindings pointed to how BASF CoatingsServices South Africa could be betterpositioned to deliver better services to itscustomers.

The core business of BASF CoatingsServices is the sale of automotive refinishpaints and paint process supportingproducts. Therefore, it made good businesssense to have one point of distribution andto have these essential services under oneroof. “A renewed energy and purpose iswhat you feel at any team meeting,” said

Puren Thathiah, national operationsmanager, “and good energy is important toinspire and sustain growth.”

The Centurion branch has becomemore focused as sales and operations havebeen split. This will allow the team toconcentrate on the core business, and isgood news for customers as they are givenimproved service.

The new building in Centurion is of ahigh standard in terms of current safety andhealth regulations. As a result those whowork there have a sense of pride in theirnew surroundings. “The safety of ouremployees is paramount to us and in thisnew facility we have achieved Europeanstandards in warehouse safety,” saidSanjeev Ramnath, branch operationmanager.

To add to the benefits of the merger,the delivery schedules remain unchanged.

Twenty delivery vehicles make twodeliveries a day to each area. They coverthe whole of Pretoria, Johannesburg North,South, East, West and the central businessdistrict, and Vereeniging.

Communication has been vital duringthis move. “At BASF Coatings we see ourclients as business partners,” said VicusHerbst, regional sales manager. “We offercomplete business solutions. It’s not onlyabout a quality product but the specialservice we provide in helping our clientsreach maximum profitability along the way.

“Our body shop audit programme hasbeen a successful tool in accomplishing thismilestone. We conduct a three-day analysisof a customer’s business and then providefeedback on areas where they have donewell and also give suggestions on how tostreamline their business to maximiseproductivity and their bottom line.”

LOCAL NEWS

BASF COATINGS SERVICESMERGER - FIT FOR THE FUTURE



WHAT’S HOT?

AR S-O 2014 CLAIRE_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/08/29 2:19 PM

Glasurit, Division of BASF Coatings Services www.glasurit.com/za

GLASURIT EFFICIENCY AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:41 AM Page 1

g

16 R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

IBISBARCELONA

CONFERENCE BARCELONA, SPAIN

by Jay Groat

The annual IBIS event was met by a full house of delegatesagain this year, who were treated to insights from industryexperts in Barcelona Spain, where a ‘best practice’ themedominated talks.

Lesley Upham, director of commercial development at ThatchamResearch, considered the body shop of the future. There is rapidglobalisation of our industry, with respect to vehicle design andmanufacturing. The fact that 10 global platforms will be the base forover 30 million vehicles by 2018 might make things a little easier forthe repairer, as manufacturers look to capitalise this globalmanufacturing model.

The harmonising of their products will help us as it means lesscapital outlay for the collision repairer. As vehicle models becomemore modular and more formalised, the method of repair to OEMstandards will become easier across the world.

Another reason for this consolidating and modular design couldbe due to sociatal behavioural changes in Europe. Patterns of vehicleownership are dropping. For instance new car sales to 21-34 yearolds fell from 38% in 1985 to 27% in 2010. In recent polls 46% of‘millennials’ (also known as the millenium generation or generation Y)prefer spending their money on smart devices and education orcheaper forms of transport like rentals if the need to drive shouldarrive.

Other reasons driving these figures could be new car pricing andthe deteriorating economic climate they have grown up in, or

possibly a greener footprint. The fact remains they are slowly fallingout of love with private automotive transport.

Be that so, manufacturer’s are still trying their best to drive downpricing, emissions, weight and fuel consumption to accommodatethese behavioural changes and to reach aggressive governmenttarget. One thing they are driving for sure is change within theautomotive industry to new innovative heights.

Take for instance our greener electric cars. This now adds moreweight to vehicles than ever before with the introduction of heavyfuel cells. Engine downsizing requires more weight reduction and isresulting in the biggest engineering challenge – balancing the two.Safety features have to become a part of the package too. What thismeans for repairers is there will be a lower number of panels in thefuture car, meaning higher panel cost. Carbon is becoming the idealingredient for components, be it mechanical, interior structure ortrim.

With all these new manufacturing techniques it can be said thatthe repair process will not always mirror the production process.The body shops will need some kind of damage diagnosis or on-sitematerial identification in order to understand the repair techniquechoice. Just one of the challenges to repairers recently is how to re-set radar technology replaced to OEM standards.

All these factors mean that repairers will find themselves in needof a multitude of skills such as fully trained assessors, who will useadvanced technology to set a correct repair path - a kind of collision

IBISBARCELONA

AR SO 2014 JAY_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/08/29 2:24 PM Page 1



repair method consultant. The shop will also need multi-skilled technicians using model

specific repair methods A high calibre of technicians capable ofdealing with advanced IT and electronic skills will be required. Thebiggest question being asked from Lesley was, ‘Do you have a definedjob or person specification to match the skills and mind set you willneed for this future shop?”

All these requirements are mixed in with the demands set bycustomers and the diversity of models. Added to this is the severityof repairs and time for those non-insurer funded repairs or the fixingof elite high-end exotics, which all culminate in one resolution, therise of the ‘Super Shop’.

These are the main choices being made today due to economiesof scale (mass output + cost saving by body shop which is in turntransferred to customer) and flexibility of space. The super shop, dueto the size of operation and production, employs technical skilledlabour and mirrors manufacturing production flow. These are allaspects to consider when focusing on what to do for your shop’sfuture.

Olivier Wood of Innovation Group France then gave insight onthe French accident repair market. France still remains a key countryfor motoring, with a density of cars above the European average.Olivier said that France too was suffering from a significant drop inmotor registrations, 5.7% above the decreased European -1.7% mark.He said however that their next door neighbour Spain had recovered

with +3,3% average last year. “Such a decrease in new modelpurchases leads to the general car park getting older by 8,2 years’,said Olivier. Besides all the challenges France has faced, the industrystill remains a large sector of the industrial environment with Renaultand PSA.

The country has 14 000 body shops, of which 85% of them haveless than 10 employees working for them. The split betweenindependents and OEM networks is exactly 50/50 with mostinsurers operating internally with approved repairer networks tonegotiate conditions of service and labour rates. Much the same aswe see on our side of the world, except some legislation that wasimplemented this year in favour of the consumer was the ‘La loiHamon’. The law see’s a reduction of contractual obligation andduration in order for the customer to be free to choose anyprovider at any point of time, during the contract.

This has had enormous consequences in the insurance industryas everyone bolsters their service delivery and competitive cost forconsumers in order to keep clients and differentiate themselves toprospective ones. This new law has radically changed the market infavour of the client. much like our own Consumer Protection Actwe see in South Africa.

The trends where the client is key to your company’s well being,is becoming more prevalent globally. Who knows how long it willtake until our legislation follows suit as we head towards a globalnorm.

AR SO 2014 JAY_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/08/29 2:24 PM Page 2

Messe Frankfurt, one of theworld’s leading trade fairorganisers, will have a permanentpresence in Africa in future. The

Group is acquiring a 56% majority stake inSouth African trade fair organiser SouthAfrican Show Services (SASS), based inJohannesburg.

The SASS portfolio includes trade fairssuch as the Johannesburg InternationalMotor Show, the Rand Show, the AMIDMotorcycle Expo, the Johannesburg BoatShow and the SA Outdoor Lifestyle Show.The new portfolio also includesAutomechanika Johannesburg, which hasbeen organised under licence by SASS since2009.

African shareholders. The company is tobe renamed South African Shows MesseFrankfurt. The previous South African ShowServices management team – RaymondBurke, Pula Dippenaar and Phillip Otto – willremain on board, to be joined by UteSchuchardt, who is to transfer from Frankfurtto Johannesburg.

Uwe Behm, member of the executiveboard of Messe Frankfurt: “This transactionallows us to further expand our globalpresence. Our activities in southern Africademonstrate our firm belief that the futureoffers a wealth of opportunities for theAfrican continent. We are pleased to bejoining forces with such a successful SouthAfrican company that is ideally acquaintedwith the local market conditions.”

With regard to Messe Frankfurt’sparticipation, Raymond Burke, chairman ofSouth African Show Services, explains: “Weare delighted to be working together withone of the world’s leading trade faircompanies. With its events all around theworld, Messe Frankfurt is a prime example ofinternationality in practice, and it is excitingto be part of this international company. Webelieve that this partnership has majorgrowth potential and will open up manyopportunities for us to grow our existingexhibitions and also to attract additionalexhibitors to our country.

“Messe Frankfurt has in the region of 50international sales partners throughout theworld, which will be of considerable benefitin growing our business.” Pula Dippenaar,CEO of South African Show Services, adds:“With this move, we are solidifying thepartnership that was established with theAutomechanika event in South Africa.”

Messe Frankfurt sees South Africa ashaving great potential for developing into atrade fair centre for the African continent –not unlike the role fulfilled by Germany inEurope. The trade fairs in the portfolio ofthe new company complement the existing

worldwide range of events in the “Mobility &Logistics” business field. For instance, theJohannesburg International Motor Show isthe most important automotive fair in Africaand a constant fixture in the global trade faircalendar for the automotive industry.

Messe Frankfurt has been active in Africa

since 1954. It was the first German trade faircompany to open a representative office inJohannesburg, the Group being representedall over Africa by its sales partners. With itsnew venture in Johannesburg, MesseFrankfurt is now opening up a subsidiary ofits own in Africa.

INVESTMENT NEWS

MESSE FRANKFURTTO HAVE OWNSUBSIDIARY IN SA



BRAND BUILDING

The skills competition was a great success at the previous Automechanika in Johannesburg. It was sponsoredby 3M, Balco, PPG and Hurricane Equipment and they have plans to make it an even more spectacular affairat next year’s show.

The new directors group are seen hereRaymond Burke (back left), Ute Schuchardt(front left) from Automechanika in Germany

and Phillip Otto (back right) and PulaDippenaar. The team have great plans for

the extenstion of the business.


AUTOMECHANIKA AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/29 2:50 PM Page 1



Egypt’s international coatings company Kapci Coatings haverecently launched a new entry level Latico range to thecompany’s offer of refinish brands. Formulated to cope with anincreased demand for value for money by their repairing body

shop distribution chain, the Latico brand offer is backed up by botheasy application, good wet look finishes as well as fast through times.

“It answers the market needs in South Africa,” says CEO of Kapci,Nizam Ally, “and the Latico refinish line is already boosting sales inAfrica for Kapci refinish.” It has also had great reception in the MiddleEast.

The Latico brand includes a range of basic toners plus highperformance clear and hardeners in the top coat refinish line up andnew formulations on high build primer.

It is known for its:l Competitive pricel Easy application, fast dry timesl Established, proven performance The Latico 5200 lightweight universal putty is specially designed at

the body preparation stage for filling both large and minor dentdamage on many surfaces like bare steel, galvanised steel, aluminiumsubstrates and soundly prepared old paint finishes.

Latico is also backed-up with a full Kapci lifetime warranty and isavailable right now from Kapci and all of their full national distributors.

National training sessions were held recently. Reda Mostafa andMedhat Ramadan were on hand from Egypt for the hands on training.They spent a great deal of time with local distributors showing themhow to gain optimal results with the Latico value range.

To find you nearest dealer please call Kapci on +27 (0)11 834 1252or visit www.kapci.com for more information on the Latico productrange.

PRODUCT PROFILE

KAPCI LATICOREFINISH RANGE

The Lat ico va lue brand is the latestintroduct ion in the Kapc i Coat ing’s

stable of products .

NEW REFINISH BRAND


KAPCI AD J-A 2014_Layout 1 2014/06/26 11:29 AM Page 1

This year has been a year of turmoilwithin the South African motortrade. Small, medium and microenterprises are estimated to

employ 660 000 people in various sectorsof the trade.

The challenge to answer some of themany and varied complex problems andissues that face a modern day company areset to be answered with the introductionof an all new official body to championtheir rights. The Motor TradersOrganisation (MTO) is an employers bodyregistered under the labour relations actand is geared to represent with varioussectors of Government and on the wellbeing of SMMEs. It has also developedplans to advance the Collision RepairAssociation (CRA) to act as an umbrellabody within the motor industry.

Fighting the good fight with the latestprotracted NUMSA strike inflictingunnecessary hardship on operation andnegatively affected profits within the trade,a big part of MTO’s success story will bewith a specialised legal team to guidemembers regarding existing laws andregulations, particularly in the light of theConsumer Protection Act.

MTO Chairman, Noel de Robillard says,“It’s very important to seek to fight thegood fight on gaining ground for smallbusiness owners. We will be on record asstriving to keep MTO membership fees atlow levels, with the prospect of delivering amore comprehensive offering and greaterservice delivery levels.

“As the MTO develops in the secondhalf of 2014, one of the main functions willbe to engage and negotiate with tradeunions on labour matters. The MTO aimsto gain ground in the various areas ofvehicle dealerships, forecourts, franchiseworkshops and motor body repairers anda dedicated call centre will handle memberqueries.

“To date, close to 300 members havealready signed on. This fantastic responseshows,” says De Robillard, “that our driveto lift MTO membership to 1000companies and individual suppliers is totallyachievable.”

As an alternative organisation in theindustry we distinguish ourselves becausewe care and are dynamic and forwardthinking in our approach.

In the short life span of MTO, they havemanaged to bring together these benefits:

l We are currently the cheapestassociation, fees ranging from R300.00 permonth.

l BEE Certification assistance atpreferential rates.

l We have a panel of lawyers availablefor our members at any time at the lowestrates.

l MTO is currently negotiating on anaffordable medical aid for our members.

l Motorite has endorsed the MTO toensure that your warranty work cancontinue and are at the final stages with allthe other warranty companies.

l MTO has undertaken a hugemarketing campaign to ensure we driveconsumers to our members.

The MTO understand the value ofbelonging to an associating and what anassociation needs to do for their members.We are striving to ensure that ourmember’s benefits are taken seriously. Ourvision at the MTO is more for less ensuringthat members get value for membershipand that we deliver on our services.

For more information call them on0861 298 009. You can send them anemail to [email protected] or see theirwebite www.mto.org.za

LATEST NEWS

MOTOR TRADERSORGANISATIONLAUNCHED



WHAT’S HOT?

Noel de Robillard heads up the new Motor TradersOrganisation (MTO). Their recruitment for

members is forging ahead across South Africa.Meet the new sales team from MTO who are set to ramp up the new group’s motor trade membership in theyear ahead. From left to right are: Mandy, Daniella and Robyn.


DRIVINGTHE MOTOR INDUSTRY

DRIVINGTHE MOTOR INDUSTRY

The Motor Trade Organisation is a new organisation which exists to support and promotethe interests of the South African motor industry. We will be working closely with membercompanies and plan to become the ‘Voice of the Industry’ promoting its position to bothgovernment stakeholders and the media. It has been formed to address your concerns andneeds as business owners. For far too long business owners in the SMME market have beenon the recieving end of additional costs, higher wages, stricter, tighter legislation andcompliance, all aimed at the betterment of consumers, workers and even at times oursuppliers. This is true because the trade unions have a strong voice and fight for theirmembers. Government wants to address consumer needs hence the consumer protectionact. BUT WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES, who is protecting the interest of business owners?

Visit our website www.mto.org.zaEmail : [email protected]

Call 0861 298 009

COLLISION REPAIR ASSOCIATION_Layout 1 2014/09/02 2:30 PM Page 1



The Volvo Concept Estate car thatmade its debut earlier this year atthe Geneva Motor Show has beennamed the year’s best automotive

design by Auto Express readers. Theconcept, which previews Volvo’s new designdirection and its forthcoming all-new XC90SUV, was named Best Design award winnerduring its New Car Awards 2014 ceremonyin London. The Volvo Concept Estatetriumphed in a hotly contested category,beating competition from 14 rival designs,including the Jaguar F-Type, BMW i8 andLand Rover Discovery Vision Concept.

The interior of the car attractedparticular praise for its simple, elegant design,which removes visual clutter from the cabinby minimising the number of buttons on thefascia and replacing them with an intuitivetouch-screen located in the centre of thedash. This, together with the use of highquality, natural materials, including anOrrefors crystal gear lever, are all themesthat will be reflected in the luxurious designof the new Volvo XC90, to be revealed laterthis year.

British born Robin Page, director ofinterior design at Volvo Car Group,accepted the Best Design award trophy atthe ceremony says: “I am delighted to

receive this award, on behalf of the designteam, in recognition of the successful designof the Volvo Concept Estate. This conceptwas created to illustrate our new designlanguage, enabling the world to have aninsight into our future design vision.”

Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of AutoExpress said, “Our readers’ reaction to therecent Volvo concepts, especially the VolvoConcept Estate, bodes well for the nextgeneration of Volvos starting with the newXC90. And we have to agree with ourreaders, the Concept Estate is one of themost striking cars we’ve seen for a very longtime and certainly one of the best designed

Volvo’s.”The all-new Volvo XC90 will be the first

car built on Volvo’s new SPA (scalableproduct architecture) platform and willfeature the new range of efficient four-cylinder Drive-E petrol and diesel engines.

The flagship model will be a new, twin-engine, plug-in, hybrid model, badged T8,that is an electric car, a hybrid car and highperformance car all rolled into one. It willoffer up to 400hp but have carbon dioxideemissions of around 60g/km (NEDC cycle),making it the world’s most powerful andcleanest SUV.

INDUSTRY NEWS

VOLVO REAPDESIGN AWARDS

NEW METALUXPLATINUM SERIES

ChemSpec is proud to launch theirnew flagship clearcoat system, theoutstanding Metalux PlatinumSeries. The breakthrough 9150

medium solids clear uses the latest urethanetechnologies to create a new level of diamondfinish for vehicles.

The Platinum Series MS Clear is a user-friendly, 4:1 acrylic urethane clear coat systemdesigned for professional refinishing shops andother production environments where speedand dependability are essential. It providesexcellent flow and levelling, superior glossretention, and distinctness of image.Exceptionally easy to use for either partial orcomplete refinishing jobs, with superiorreisstance to shrinkage and dieback, MetaluxPlatinum Series medium solids clearcoat alsoremains easy to buff for day-after applications.

Faster and easier to apply than high solidsclearcoats the new Platinum Series offers youthe choice of fast, medium or slow hardenersfor spot, panel or overall refinishing.

AWARDS

PRODUCT NEWS

The latest XC90 Volvo will use scalable product architecture inits design directions and it’s already a winning formula.


METALUX AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:44 AM Page 1

Celette South Africa recently introduced the very latest inRupes polishing systems. Rupes have an innovativeapproach in developing new process technology thatstarted way back in 1947.

This Italian company believes there is always a better way to getthings finished faster in collision repair so using the company state-of-the-art research centre, the computer designed tools areperfected and tailored to each respective market demand.

Their Random Orbital LHR15ES models were capablydemonstrated to a number ofspecialist refinishing companies inthe trade at the Celette SA headoffice recently.

“It’s a total system from Rupes,”says Richard Gajic, “for along withthe 150mm size large area polishingmachine a new TA 50 MiniRandom Orbital has beendeveloped for denibbing andpolishing small area defects.”

The Big Foot design sees up tosix speed adjustments and a largetrigger switch with a lock on setting.The handle helps to reduceoperator fatigue as the polisher hasminimum vibration levels. It workswith great balance. Also on offer isa special slow start-up facility toreduce polish fling from the polisherin motion.

A number of pads make up the

system. They are air ventilated to reduce work build-up. TheZephir grades of polish offer a unique way of getting the job doneright the first time from the heaviest polishing job up to a one-timeprocess of polishing.

From 3000 grit up to full gloss in a one process basis with eitherthe Zephir ultrafine gel or Keramick fine polishing gels that areavailable from Rupes in the latest deluxe Big Foot random polisherkit from Celette.

RUPES MIRACLE -BIG FOOT POLISHING SYSTEMS



INDUSTRY UPDATE

PRODUCT PROFILEMarco from Rupes demonstrates the actual scratch marks from 3000 gritabrasives that will have be removed with the Big Foot machine back to full glosslevels.

Rupes’ large area Big Foot LHR 15 model avoids heat build-up and polishing failures. The Blue sponge is quitebrilliant at restoring failed paint finishes.


Carbon is ultra-light and strong.When it comes to reducingvehicle weight carbon fibre isbecoming more popular as a

solution, but it rules itself out as a choice inmost cases, unless price is little concern as itis incredibly expensive.

Whether Audi A8, Bugatti Veyron orMcLaren MP4-C12, there is hardly a vehiclewhose style is not increased with Mansory.The look and feel is also made moreindividual and luxurious with the Mansory,company who have two locations in theCzech Republic, a range of carboncomponents are manufactured in theirfactory.

A Clear ViewCarbon fibre, when coated with a clear

paint, is good looking as the inserted mats offabric appear three dimensional to the eye.

Getting the mats to lie so precisely is an artin production itself as each mat must haveno defects. To know which should bepassed over and what can be used is a resultof production knowledge.

To obtain a paintable surface, thematerial has to be ground. To ensure thatthere are no tiny holes or pores, a filler canbe used. “To begin with painters had to sandthe carbon fibre area repeatedly, but thiswas an enormous effort,” said ThomasWeppner, director business unit CarsystemAutomotive. “The second clear coat wasn’ta good idea on the first layer of substrate.”

Carsystem is the parent company ofVosschemie, one the world’s biggestmanufacturer of fillers. They have developeda practical solution to the problem calledCarbo Tec-Line and it was launched in 2012.The system consists of two fillers, the CarboPutty – a polyester putty for straight surfaces– and the Carbo Spray – a polyester sprayfiller. To complement this is a range ofmatching hardeners, thinners and a carbonclearcoat.

UV Protection“Both putties are transparent and no

yellowing will occur as they have UVinhibitors built in for UV protection”, says

Weppner. The filler can be coloured withpigment pastes and adapted to the polyestersystem. Mansory use the Carbo-Tec line onthe visible carbon areas and enjoy the factthat the surface is quickly insulated andprotected. A high film thickness can be builtup and the product offers 60% on timesavings.

Weppner says that more and moresporty designed vehicles are showingexposed carbon fibre areas – from wingmirrors to spoilers – and as such Carbo-Tecis the answer to job efficiency and a highquality look and finish at the end.

Collision repairers will be faced with thetask of fixing any damage on these parts andthe transparent filler helps in this regard.

The most important component of thesystem is Carbo Spray – a polyester sprayfiller for carbon parts. It is very successful infilling irregularities, such as grinding marksand pores. It is fast drying and see-throughon a non-porous surface and is easy to sand.The 2K clearcoat is suitable for respray andspot repairs and can be mixed to what youneed with the various hardeners. It is fastdrying and cures well. The 2K Carbo Clearhas a brilliant gloss finish and can be polishedeasily. It is also UV protected and hasexcellent scratch resistance.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

THE CARSYSTEMTM

CARBO-TEC SYSTEMFOR CARBON FIBREREPAIRS



WHAT’S HOT?

The Ca rbo -Tec l i ne f r om Ca rsys temmakes work ing wi th carbon f ibre eas ierand ensures a h igh qual i ty g loss f in ish.


CARSYSTEM DPS AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:38 AM Page 1

CARSYSTEM DPS AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:38 AM Page 2

Contact Deon on 083 628 2288, [email protected], www.hurricaneauto.co.za

WIELANDER AD NEW S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:50 AM Page 1

NEW ALUMINIUM INTENSIVEJAGUAR XE BREAKS COVER



The innovative new Jaguar XE redefines the standard in itssegment. Designed around Jaguar’s modular vehiclearchitecture, the XE is the only car in its class to use analuminium-intensive monocoque chassis, with lightweight

aluminium accounting for 75 % of the structure.This milestone in body engineering, a product of Jaguar’s world-

leading expertise in high-volume production of aluminium vehicles,ensures that the Jaguar XE combines outstanding design withbenchmark levels of ride and handling – it will be the true driver’scar in the segment.

Lightweight construction is a core element of Jaguar’s DNA andJaguar is at the cutting-edge of aluminium technology within theautomotive industry. The Jaguar XJ, XK and F-Type have all beendeveloped using exceptionally stiff bonded and riveted aluminiumstructures: now the XE becomes the latest model to use thisaerospace-inspired technology.

The weight reduction realised ensures that the XE is the mostfuel-efficient Jaguar yet with fuel consumption and CO2 emissionson the NEDC combined cycle of less than 4 litres/100 km andunder 100g/km respectively.

“The Jaguar XE body uses over 75% aluminium content, whichfar exceeds any other car in its class. This gives us a body structurewith unrivalled low weight: it’s light but also immensely strong with

extremely high levels of torsional stiffness. We’ve made sure ouraluminium-intensive body structure exceeds all global safetystandards without compromising on vehicle design orrefinement.” said Dr Mark White, Jaguar’s chief technical specialist;Body Complete.

The Jaguar XE’s aluminium-intensive body is beautiful to lookat, but the structure also delivers exceptional torsional stiffness.The light but strong architecture incorporates highly advancedsuspension systems delivering unparalleled levels of ride quality,handling and steering.

The Jaguar XE is also the first car in the world making use of anew grade of high strength aluminium called RC 5754 that’s beendeveloped specifically for the XE. This new alloy features a highlevel of recycled material and makes a significant contribution toJaguar’s goal of using 75% recycled material by 2020.

Designed and engineered in the UK, the XE will be the firstJaguar to be manufactured at a new purpose-built productionfacility at the company’s Solihull plant in the West Midlands in theUK.

The world premiere of the new Jaguar XE will be held inLondon on September 8, with a South African on-sale date of late2015.

FUTURE TECH JAGUAR XE BREAKS COVER

TECHNICAL




South Africa, the Eastern Cape and the Coega IDZ are set forrapid growth as FAW Vehicle Manufacturers SA (Pty) Ltdofficially opened its vehicle manufacturing plant. July marks amomentous event in SA’s automotive industry history, as the

first FAW commercial vehicle, built in South Africa, rolled off theassembly line at the FAW Vehicle Manufacturers SA (Pty) Ltdproduction plant at Coega, in the Eastern Cape. With President ofthe Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma in attendance, togetherwith numerous dignitaries from the Government of China, thecountry saw the culmination of a US$60 million investment in theEastern Cape.

President Zuma said, “Following our BRICS trade agreements, thismassive investment by a Chinese Corporation augers well for thefuture of this partnership between our countries. “Today’s FAWCoega plant opening has the added advantage that South Africa isseen as an investment destination of choice. This is an example toother global companies, which can rest assured that the SouthAfrican government is doing everything possible to maintain itsworld-class offering as a springboard into unlocking the potential ofthe African continent.

“Our focus in the next five years is to provide a sustainable energymix for the country. Energy security is key to enhancing SA’s globalcompetitiveness.

“Today, opening the FAW plant here in Coega, is a remarkableexample of the positive co-operation that we as South Africans canattract from foreign investors. It is imperative to job creation, ourgrowth and future prosperity,” Zuma concluded.

The decision to build the FAW plant in South Africa is verysignificant from a global perspective, as it is one of the mostimportant and largest investments made by a Chinese entity in SouthAfrica to date. The total investment has been financed by ChinaFAW Group Corporation, the China-Africa Development Fund(CAD-Fund) together with FAW Africa Investment Company Ltd.This collaboration speaks volumes to the growing interest fromglobal Chinese Industry in unlocking the true Africa potential.

Leaderquip, the HD fully integrated alignment system for truck and busrepairs. There are many new features to the US-designed piece ofequipment for the user. One feature is that no jacking is required whichis a big time saving point, along with the ability to compensate all the

measuring sensors at once as the alignment takes place live on the repair screen.All measurements are completed at once to be able to diagnose tyre wearconditions with built-in auto locking turnplates along with the built in turn-platebridge for rolling compensation analysis.

The units in alignment are also able to get their alignment taken withoutunhooking from the cabin or horse. All this can be achieved, say Leaderquip, whoare the sole importers for the brand, in just four minutes to check tyre wear andangles in under three minutes.

The package also includes a special mobile truck pulser to easily move thevehicle for rolling compensation measurements and the unit, which is optional,doubles as a wheel chock to stop rolling of any type while alignment is beingdone.

To get more information call +27 (0)11 334 1680 or [email protected] and their sales team will contact you on the HD system.

A number of firsts for FAW Vehicle Manufacturers SA (Pty) Ltd *At a cost of US$60 million towards the establishment of this

modern, high-quality vehicle production plant and its associatedinfrastructure, this is truly the single biggest recent vote of confidencein the local vehicle industry.

*The Coega plant with it’s build-up capacity of 5 000 units perannum, represents the first high-quality Chinese manufacturer to set-up and contribute on this scale, in the Eastern Cape region.

*FAW Vehicle Manufacturers SA (Pty) Ltd will be the first OEMto build locally its entire range of commercial vehicles sold here, 14models spanning the medium, heavy and extra-heavy commercialvehicle segments. Henceforth all FAW trucks in SA can carry the‘badge of honour’ of “Made in South Africa.”

Originally announced in 2012, the decision to construct the localFAW plant was not one that was taken lightly, explains FAW VehicleManufacturers SA (Pty) Ltd, “We could have gone to Kenya, orTanzania where FAW has been present in sales and service for over30 years, but in the end we chose South Africa because of theinfrastructure. It then came down to a choice between East Londonand Coega.” In the end Coega was chosen, because as Leiter says:‘the infrastructure is perfect.”

FAW is positive about the future and the growth plan that hasbeen formulated for the FAW brand in South Africa. FAWinternationally, rose as a result of the political dispensation in Chinathat allowed more free-market enterprise and encouraged overseasexports. As China grew then so will Africa grow now, and FAW isideally placed to benefit from the demand for vehicles on thecontinent as FAW has established a solid presence, where it counts.

INDUSTRY NEWS

FAW OPENSNEW PLANT INSOUTH AFRICA

NEW HUNTER WINALIGN HDTRUCK WHEEL ALIGNMENT

WHAT’S HOT?

ALIGNMENT FOCUS


PHOENIX EXCHANGE AD M-A 2013_Invoice TOYOTA 16-8-05 2013/03/18 1:38 PM Page 1

Hyundai Automotive South Africahas launched the enhanced 2014Elantra, incorporating a refresheddesign and improved product

features, with the aim to further strengthenthis award-winning model’s presence in one ofthe most competitive market segments. Ahost of new features have been added, whilemaintaining the roominess, warranty andsafety that has helped Elantra to become awinner in its market segment.

The newly designed front bumper, radiatorgrille, fog lamps as well as adoption of LEDlight guide and projection headlamps add adynamic, high-tech feel to the Elantra.

Interior design elements were modifiedwith the aim of improving usability, reflectingfeedback from customers of the previousElantra model. Such research and feedbackresulted in the centre air vent position beingmoved upward on the dash, while the frontcentre armrest position was also raised.

The lightweight, all-aluminium 1,6 litreGamma MPI four-cylinder engine is used forthe 2014 Elantra, equipped with D-CVVT toboost power output of 96kW at 6 300 rpmand allow lower exhaust emissions whiledelivering class-leading fuel economy. Peak

torque delivery is 157Nm at 4 850 rpm.Fuel consumption of 6,4 litres/100km has

been measured officially for the manualtransmission derivative, while the automaticversion recorded 6,9 litres/100km in acombined (urban and open, rural roads) testcycle. The CO2 emissions are 152 g/km and163 g/km respectively for the manual andautomatic derivatives.

Hyundai’s commitment to making theElantra highly fuel-efficient continues with asix-speed automatic transmission withSHIFTRONIC manual control or a standardsix-speed manual transmission.

Developed and manufactured entirely in-house, the six-speed automatic transmission isdesigned for engine applications in small mid-sized passenger cars. The suspension andsteering components of the Elantra areanchored to a chassis of outstanding rigidityand strength that permits more precise tuningof the final ride and handling settings.

The Elantra boasts a long list of standardfeatures including safety escort headlamps thatremain turned on for 30 seconds after thedriver leaves the car, an auto defoggingsystem, and rear park assistance sensors. TheElantra features airbags for the driver and

front passenger, ultra-high tensile steel used toreinforce safety-critical areas of the car’s bodystructure such as a stronger centre memberunderneath the dashboard, added protectionfor the driver’s knees in case of an accidentand hot-stamping technology used tomaximise body rigidity of the side structures.

Seatbelt pretensioners complement thepassive safety features of the Elantra. ISOFIXchild seat anchors are also standard safetyfeatures.

An Advanced Brake System (ABS) withElectronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) andBrake Assist forms part of the Elantra’s activesafety system.

The spare wheel of the Elantra is a full-sizealloy, stored under the floor of the 485-litrecapacity luggage compartment.

Included in the price of the 2014 Elantra isHyundai’s ground-breaking five-year/150 000km warranty, with a five-year/150 000kmroadside assistance deal adding further peaceof mind. A five-year/90 000km service plan isalso part of the standard package. Serviceintervals are 15 000km.

The prices of the Elantra 1.6 Premium(manual) is R247 900 and the Elantra 1.6Premium (automatic) sells for R262 900.

DRIVEN HYUNDAI ELANTRA




STANDOX AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:47 AM Page 1

HOW TO FIND A SUPER HERO



No matter what activity we find ourselves engrossed in,there is an optimism that one – or more – of us will beworld class, world beating. Quite simply, brilliant. Becausemost of us are not immediately or obviously brilliant at

most of the things we do, the most frequently ‘issues’ used to explainthe gap between optimism and reality are:

• Company culture• Communication• Time management• TrainingEach one of these subjects is perfectly valid, but is applied like

paint all over the organisation without too much thought. The baldfact is, most of us work for a group of people inside an organisationfor which we gain reward for our efforts. Along the way we usuallyfind some pretty remarkable people and some folk we would rathernot see again, but for the most part in terms of doing something thatthe company needs to function to make money to give us thereward we have earned, we get on with the job in hand. Some of usdo a job because we love – or perhaps obsessed – about the activity.

The Blight Of Blind OptimismFor the collision repair business blind optimism translates as paint

specialists who can repair even an area the size of a hand withoutusing half the store contents, panel people who can remove themost subtle damage without turning it into a month long activity andmechanical/electrical/trim specialists who can take things apart as wellas put them back together without any ‘spare’ parts left over – oh,and it works perfectly afterwards too. In all cases these people shouldbe able to prepare full management accounts in real time and beprepared to present at a conference if required. For the owners ormanagers they would always be in a great mood, always invest in thelatest ideas and always listen to other team members – whilstpreparing those management accounts and providing 24/7 webcastson their vision of the future. What happens when these grandobjectives and superlative performance are not achieved? Thequestions start to be asked.

Take a look at any athlete. They prepare methodically to buildtheir capability day by day, extending a specific raw talent from beinggood to world class. Their success in the instant they win a race canbe traced directly back to the previous months or preparation, usingthe skills of other specialists to ensure that their diet, daily activity andmuscle condition all build towards the one goal. The objective istightly defined and every single activity around it is aimed at gettingthe athlete to perform as close to the point of serious physical injuryas possible. A finely honed balancing act, but success is rarely afortunate accident. One missed training session, one mistake in thediet, could mean the difference between winning and coming last.

Let’s look at that corporate whinge list again:• Company culture – the result of many complimentary and

systematic business activities.• Communication – utterly dimensionless. Used as a sticking

plaster for ill-defined issues. Usually this is a symptom of processesthat does not work.

• Time management – usually levelled at the individual, but usuallyburied deep in the business operates as well as the individualapproach to use of time – usually complex.

• Training... the magic box to solve all known problems fromfamine to world peace.

The Dfference Between Training And LearningThe fundamental core of learning is to be able to apply

knowledge to new situations. For example we learn language fromthe start of basic sounds, then phrases and on to a basic set of words.From that we quickly expand the number of words we know, usingthe core principles to construct ever more elaborate communicationpurely from our own minds. No matter what our ability to uselanguage, when we need to be understood, we usually succeed. Theprocess is via building knowledge, information that is retained andleaves us with the ability to use that knowledge in our own way.

Training has a rather more specific purpose. On the one hand it

has to involve all the processes of education with retainedknowledge as the mark of success, but it also can be somethingimposed on the person being trained. The training may be animportant part of reducing insurance liability, or legal compliance…or a way to ensure people behave in a certain way.

What? One of the oldest automotive companies in the world thatalso happened to operate franchises as a means of quickly expandingits global reach, Daimler AG, used to have a mantra: Engineer thevehicle to survive the worst abuse of an owner – or even morecritically – the service support. The provision of training by theautomotive sector from consumable suppliers through to vehiclemanufacturers is immense and rather expensive.

The prices charged to delegates barely cover the true cost ofputting these courses together, but serve the rather useful purposeof ensuring those who are trained get a big slice of corporate‘culture’. This ensures that those who receive the knowledge areinformed about a very specific view of any given technology.

Come Fly With MeIf we look towards aerospace we can see immense learning

programmes that need to be fulfilled before anyone – no matterwhat the job role – is allowed to move onto specific aircraftknowledge courses. In turn, as each technician completes andsuccessfully passes the course tests they gain the right to use thatknowledge to work on that specific aircraft model across major areasof the world. Further, that work access is automatically deleted unlessregular additional learning is undertaken. The aerospace ‘training’ isan integral part full traceability/accountability – from raw materials,manufacturing processed, delivery and operational/service records ofa specific aircraft, which might be more than 30 years old. In effectpeople are licensed to work on aircraft models (referred to as‘types’) in the same way pilots have to learn the basics (practical aswell as theory) before being able to then advance to another model.

Does The Automotive Training Model Fly? Long ago training was born as a walk through the parts manual,

with extra time dedicated to areas of vehicles that were safety criticalor even ‘problematic’. So the courses were heavily structured aroundwarranty return data to address issues that might be managed byspecial maintenance routines to limit further liability on the part ofthe vehicle manufacturer. Attending a course is taken as a major partof ‘success’, and assessment is rarely used as a means to assess howmuch the delegates have learnt – even if it was used this way,delegates are free to leave the building and start work on any vehiclethey choose – with or without expertise.

There’s the problem in a nutshell: no enforcement of thefoundation learning (the apprenticeship) that will make surecandidates who failed, do not work on vehicles. Having become anactive technician there is no enforced professional learningprogramme, so that when some new technology appears thetechnician has to find out about it or not work on parts of vehicleswith that new technology. For the paint, panel andmechanical/electrical/trim specialists to the outside world there is nodifference between someone who has just picked up the essentialtools for the first time and a person who invested in a structuredcareer – of course, the reality is rather different.

Now to the training antics of the vehicle manufacturers: For thosewho will only deal with a particular make the courses on offer makesense, but they are (naturally) heavily orientated towards modelspecific information. In addition the course material is much closer toa huge instruction rather than training. The question – does this allowfor learning?

Let’s go with a technician who only works with models from onemanufacturer. A problem arises – how many times have we heardtales of endless part swaps or disputes about panel condition wherethe fault remains and the outlet claims it does not? Frequentlydiagnostics are thrown into the equation, a powerful tool that withappropriate agile minds can help trace all kinds of issues. Just pluggingin the diagnostic tool and reading the display is going to deliversomewhere around 70% of the possible successful outcome.

TRAINING AND LEARNING - by Andrew Marsh


Learning vs TrainingThe problem outlined shows how blindly following the flawed

logic that anyone or anything has all the answers all the time resultsin a professional process that can be challenged too often becausethe person involved is not thinking. If the core information abouthow a paint system is prepped/applied/cured, the limits of particularpanel materials along with the critical nature of the load pathapplication or the way a sub-system should work on any givenvehicle model – is missing, well what a surprise… The decisionstaken to repair will be flawed.Training does not solve anythingwithout learning, and although some commercial courses offer acertificate to show the delegate turned up there does need to bemore rigour. Training courses really should test the candidate’sunderstanding to ensure the most important parts are learnt. Thatmakes candidates understandably more nervous, but then again thesense of achievement is greater because the outcome meanssomething.

None of this will happen overnight. Just like the athlete everysingle member of the company needs to hone their skill continuously.On the part of the company there is little point to spending anymoney on training courses without considering the overall goal andthe very specific targets that need to be completed to achieve theoverall goal – that applies to the individual as much as it applies to acompany. Thinking is sometimes difficult, but is usually a very costeffective way to get around problems because it draws on what wehave learnt – even if it shows we need to do some fact finding inorder to make a better decision.

Some team members may not have had much or any formaleducation. So, the learning process will need to be closely matchedto how the person learns which could range from working with acolleague through to class room based training. Successfulcompletion of a course should be recognised, to allow the person to

take on a wider variety of work or to permit continued work onmore elaborate vehicles. In the absence of a national or regionalrecognition of skill level, this could be set up within the company.There is the subject of additional payment, but the primaryrecognition should be for the increased skill/knowledge to accessmore of the available work in the business.

The automotive sector globally has progressed for too longwithout national or internationally recognised levels of attainment.The current process of model specific information is fine, but the up-to-date base knowledge material giving an overview of what is goingon is missing. Our company wrote such a document for a multidiscipline collision repair apprenticeship programme and filled it withthe latest information – because that is the snapshot that forms thebase line for our new talent. Just attending a handful of manufacturertraining courses would give great information on a model specificlevel but not the overview to allow candidates to see what featuresare common and what features are unique. The automotive industryattracts people who in the main love vehicles. So, having teammembers ask for material to take away and read in their own timebecause they want to find out more should be the mark of businesssuccess, because the learning process is well and truly underway.Retained knowledge with the passion to find out more is a very, verypowerful business tool.

Auto Industry Consulting is an independent provider oftechnical information to the global co llision repair industry. Productsinclude EziMethods, our online co llision repair methods system andA uto Industry Insider , our co llision repair industry technicalinformation website. For more information please visit the websites:www.ezimethods.com and www.auto industryinsider.com or contactben.cardy@auto industryconsulting.com

37

www.autoindustryinsider.com

JHB: 011 908 5446lCT Tonie: 083 458 0699lKZN Wayne: 073 048 [email protected]


Kia Motors Europe (KME) hasentered into a partnership withValspar Automotive whichinvolves, amongst other services,

that the Kia dealers in Europe will be able touse the Valspar De Beer Refinish andOctoral paint brands for all level ofbodywork repairs. The agreement also givesKia dealers access to the extensive trainingand support programme of ValsparAutomotive.

“The partnership offers Kia dealersopportunities for improving theirproductivity and increase customer loyaltyand satisfaction in a competitive market”,says Dr Heiner Schwan, director ofautomotive key accounts at ValsparAutomotive.

The partnership with Valspar Automotivesupports Kia’s growth plans in Europe.Valspar Automotive – a supplier of colourtechnology – combines in-depth knowledgeof the market with innovative aftermarketconcepts.

The high level of supply reliability – basedon a broad representation across Europe –

would have been key factors for Kia decidingto enter into a partnership with Valspar.

In the coming decades the number ofcomplex cases of vehicle damage isexpected to decline due to the increase intraffic safety and technical automotiveinnovations.

At the same time, minor damage such asscratches will remain the same or perhapseven increase. This market segment inparticular offers car dealers opportunities forachieving an extra return and customerloyalty.

Uwe Hannes, vice president KMEaftersales: “The Valspar Smart RepairDamage Indicator is a simple and easy-to-use tool which allows local Kia dealers tooffer customers a repair service for minordamage and to undertake this in-house. Thisincreases sales and profitability and alsostrengthens customer trust which leads to ahigher level of customer satisfaction.”

GM Approve Waterbase 900+General Motors, a global leader in vehicle

manufacturing including well known makes

such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC,Holden, Isuzu, Opel and Vauxhall, has givena global approval for De Beer RefinishWaterBase 900+ Series by ValsparAutomotive. This approval is based on theGM Specification GMW15406M. Allcountries where General Motors vehiclesare manufactured, sold or repaired can nowutilise the De Beer Refinish WaterBase900+ Series for General Motors warrantywork.

“General Motors performed meticulousand thorough testing of the 900+ productfor global use and we are excited to reporta successful approval.

This approval shows ValsparAutomotive’s continued dedication to ourcustomers and our products. Valspar’s visionis to be the best coatings company in theworld; this is another step in demonstratingour commitment to excellence in thecoatings industry,” said Carl Wierks, globalvice president of Valspar Automotive.

For additional information about ValsparAutomotive, visit www.valsparauto.com

Valspar Automotive has opened anew Business & Technical Centre inLelystad, the Netherlands. The carrefinish manufacturer offers car

refinishers a company-wide range of trainingcourses at this centre; from technical andcolour training courses to courses on sales,marketing and organisation. Users of Valsparbrands such as De Beer Refinish, Octoraland Valspar Industrial Mix (VIM) can use thenew centre’s modern facilities.

About 200 customers, suppliers andemployees attended the spectacular openingof the Business & Technical Centre (BTC).The official opening was in the good handsof Carl Wierks, vice president GlobalAutomotive, who directed a colourfulfireworks display. All those who attendedwere then given a tour of the new building.At the heart of the BTC is a state-of-the-artspraybooth that meets all technical andsustainability requirements.

The spraybooth is surrounded by severalclassrooms for practical and theoreticaltraining sessions. The colourful furnishing andcomfortable layout will serve as aninspiration for the students coming here

from dozens of countries for their training.The BTC is equipped with every imaginablemultimedia, communication andpresentation tool.

Knowledge And SupportThe Business & Technical Centre

crystallises Valspar Automotive’s ambition tosupport customers by sharing knowledgeand skills across the board. Developments inthe automotive sector have resulted in car

refinishers facing an increasing number ofquestions and demands.

A company’s success depends onwhether or not it has a thorough knowledgeof colour and, in particular, colourdetermination. Valspar shares more than acentury of colour and car refinish experiencewith its customers, thereby helping them towork more efficiently and increase theiroperating profit.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

NEW VALSPARAUTOMOTIVEBUSINESS ANDTECHNICAL CENTRE



TRAINING

DE BEER GET APPROVAL FROM KIA MOTORS EUROPEAND GENERAL MOTORS

WHAT’S HOT?

The new state-of-the-art Valspar Automotive Business & Technical Centre opening was celebrated in fine stylewith approximately 200 customers, suppliers and employees. Cowley and some of their key distributormembers were on hand to witness this special occassion.


Call for distribution opportunities in your area.Sole Importer Cowley Automotive Products Tel: (016) 933 2233 email: [email protected] AUTOMOTIVE & INDUSTRIAL COATINGS (PTY) LTD

DE BEER BEROBASE S-O 2011_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:39 AM Page 1

SPIES HECKER AD DPS S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/29 3:01 PM Page 1

SPIES HECKER AD DPS S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/29 3:01 PM Page 2

DEVILBISS AD N-D 2013_Layout 1 2013/11/06 9:42 AM Page 1

Perfect finishing is part of theDeVilbiss way of offering highlytechnical answers to premiummotor making sectors where

process requirements are driven byperformance and product back-up. The newinnovative smart pump range sees a wholelot of smart technologies built into a singleunit to provide a low cost optimumperformance with running costs achievedthat are much lower than compressed airdriven models.

It works with conventional hardware andan optional smartcard to achieve high savingsin running costs while delivering the paint tothe user point at the correct pressure andvolume only when needed.

Durability is a key area in manufactureand only high quality materials and surfacetreatments are used in the smart pumpconstruction to ensure an extendedoperational life.

The flow rate is controlled withadjustable operation speed with the use of aspecial inverter AC frequency to achieve aspeed range of 16 to 40 cycles per minute.It is suitable for pumping paint solvents and

other suitable material. It also reduces paintshear due to positive displacement pistondesign that fully utilises a cam-to-cam fulloverhead combination to cut surges.

“OEM companies have been testing thesmart pump range for an extended period,”says international DeVilbiss export salesmanager Adrian Perry. “In South Africaalone we have already had official orders for

over 20 of the smart pump range. “This is a major step for the new pumps,”

says DeVilbiss. The range is on offer fromTunzi Automotive who now field specialistback-up for the technical running of thesmart pump range.

Going forward you can obtain moreinformation by calling Tunzi AutomotiveSupplies on +27 (0)31 205 3091.

The Maple Smart Pump range isdesigned for use in commercialapplications. This new lightweightunit features state-of-the-art

designs that deliver lower surge in paintdelivery by the use of an integrated fluidregulator.

A special intelligent charge overmechanism means it is flexible to be able tooperate in any position of installation. Thenewly designed diaphragm technologydelivers a much longer life compared to thestandard operating designs.

It also uses a combination ofreciprocating action with rubber PTFEcomposite diaphragm designs with a specialchange over mechanism of air supply whichassures a non-sealing feature as well as thepossibility to run the pump at very low airpressures along with a build in fluid regulator.

The Maple DX pump always delivers theperfect appearance on a refinish or industrialrepair unit.

You can get it from Tunzi AutomotiveSupplies on +27 (0)31 205 3091.

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

TUNZI AUTOMOTIVESUPPLIES ADD TOTHEIR RANGE

MAPLE SMART PUMPS FROM DEVILBISS



WHAT’S HOT?

LOCAL NEWS

Adrian Perry, expor t salesmanager for DeVilbiss, says truckand bus builders can save big onboth solvent use and fast clean-up purging times.

The Tunzi team of Rene Roux (left) and Bernie Davenport are seeing great interest in the new DeVilbissE2-30 for motor makers and other bulk paint users. They come in a full range of performance pump sizes toenable big cost savings on time and materials. Major energy savings are one of the big advantages for motormanufacturers using the Smart Pump from DeVilbiss technology. Tunzi have demonstration units available withfull technical back up.


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A STEP CHANGE IN BODY SHOPTECHNOLOGY



A STEP CHANGE IN BODY SHOPTECHNOLOGY

Altus has opened an absolute state-of-the-art training centre,built in record time with the assistance of Aer-o-Cure.Based on the old Pretoria Road, at number 727 PretoriaRoad, Wynberg in Gauteng. It is set to revolutionise both

the trade and OEM systems of collision repair education.The facility has just about everything any body shop would ever

need with a specialised aluminium repair bay, two post lifts, Car-O-Liner benches and Evo Jig systems. It has a metal working room, spraybooth and preparation zone areas for body preparation. Trainingcourses will feature both technical classroom sessions plus practicalsessions.

Visiting MD, Kevin Perks, is on record as saying with Aer-o-cure’sdrive to complete the centre it’s been an absolutely amazingdevelopment for TTi Global who have for many years been trainingJaguar Land Rover technicians on new aluminium welding, rivetingand bonding techniques. The need for changing methodology hasnever been driven more strongly with car makers now making unitswith aero industry methods for both strength and the pursuit oflightweight construction. Everything is changing.

Perks has long-term industry experience. He worked for motormakers such as Bentley and Jaguar, establishing repair standardsbefore arriving to head up TTi Global’s international training andconsulting business.

“With this in mind, the expected launches of the new RangeRover, Jaguar F-Type and upcoming all new Discovery, the sub-Saharan market for major car makers is set to change in a dramaticway,” said Kevin. “We will be helping dealers in body repair andvehicle construction repairs from Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe,Tanzania, Zambia and many more SADAC countries to keep pacewith the technology to uplift skills levels with the electric CANBUSwiring on understanding testing methods with phase 1 and 2 trainingmodules.

With the changes in technology, there is a huge need to supportour South African body repair staff by developing and enhancing theirskills. Altus has been in the industry for many years and this passionhas been the driving force behind him setting up the facility. The TTiGlobal team is now hard at work, establishing modules for theindustry to gain traction with the new methods in use on many new

vehicles being launched.“All in all,” says Van Wyk, “as TTi Global, we are set to

revolutionise local training in all its forms.”

How It All StartedIn 1976 a husband and wife team named Shirley and John

Brzezinski founded S&J Tech Data Service Company out of a smallhome office. The company provided services as a subcontractor forvarious suppliers to the automotive industry, focusing on researchand development of service manuals and publications. Habitualinnovators always seeking new avenues to explore, Shirley and Johnsoon expanded the company to include training programmedevelopment.

S&J Tech Data grew rapidly, both in size and reputation. Andwith the tremendous growth trainers and numerous technicalwriters were added to the staff; the company moved its operationsto an office in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and Technical Training, Inc.was duly formed.

Outsourcing its technical talent allowed TTi to absorb S&J and, in1994, the corporation was re-organised as a full-service provider oftraining resources and support services. Never too comfortable withits successes, the company continued to seek new ways to add valuefor its clients. The result was an international expansion that has ledto offices in China, Japan, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, Chile andVenezuela. In 2008, regional offices were added in Europe and newterritories continued to be explored as the company brought itspioneering spirit to India and the Middle East.

In 2010 TTi Global acquired Lorien Connect, further enhancingits global footprint, capabilities and position as a truly globalorganisation.

Today, you will find TTi Global staffing, training, research andconsulting experts hard at work, every day, driving change anddelivering results in more than 24 countries on five continents. Asthe world continues to change, TTi Global will continue to lead andadapt, never forgetting where they have come from, but believingthat there’s no limit to where they can go.

For more information please call Altus van Wyk on+27 (0)82 561 4687 for information on the training initiative.

INDUSTRY NEWS TTI GLOBAL TRAINING FACILITY

“Can a bus iness partner promise you the wor ld i f they onlyoperate in ha l f o f i t , we do not th ink so,” says A l tus van Wyk.




The paint preparation deck works with thelatest Aer-o-cure energy efficient infrared.

Visiting MD Kevin Parks of TTi Global,said nowhere in the world had they

received the commitment andimplementation speed that Aer-o-cure

had delivered in the start-up phase.

The Car-O-Liner repair section has a 3D measuringCar-O-Tronic measuring system installed.

All new Aer-o-cure 3400 aluminiumbay is fully equipped and now in use.

Practical training in progress.

Dubai based trainer VernonVidamouler shows how it’sdone with theory sessions.




For over 25 years Aer-o-cure have been at the cutting edge of body shopdesigns. Now Walter (left) and Alex Lenaerts have taken things one stepfurther with the new TTi Global Training Centre in Wynberg, Johannesburg.

WORLD CLASSBODY SHOPCONCEPTS

WORLD CLASSBODY SHOPCONCEPTS


R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

Automotive Refinisher went behind the scenes to talk toAlex Lenaerts from Aer-o-cure about the all-new TTiGlobal Training Centre to see how it all started andhow they helped with the state-of-the-art concept.

“As a company at Aer-o-cure we specialise in package turnkeybody shop installations and have always wanted to have our ownin-house training centre where we would be able to showcase thelatest technology available internationally from ourselves.Realistically though we’re in no position to supply the accreditedand approved training that TTi Global are able to offer, so theopportunity to become involved started in earnest at thebeginning of the year to establish with key role players acontinuous training academy,” said Alex.

“Aer-o-cure have been able to put the new centre together inrecord time with a fully operational facility which will include, as italways does with our turnkey philosophy, a full spray booth,aluminium repair bay, preparation deck with infra-red drying alongwith all the lifts and Car-O-Liner body straightening bench racksto meet standards set by Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Ford and VWfor specialist training on any new type of aluminum and highstrength steel body repair.”

Walter Lenaerts designed and installed the operation in justeight weeks which was an absolute record start-up for thecompany. “In pulling out all the stops for TTi Global in our latestinternational body shop installation, Aer-o-cure have redesignedmany of the spray booth electrical cost saving motors, touchscreen, micro processing and service installation service offers.Each motor maker, particularly with aluminium repair, specify arange of approved small tools to avoid cross contaminationbetween aluminium and high strength steel. For example, sealedtool stores house the special tools separately in the aluminiumrepair room.

TTi Global has already put through a number of trainingcourses. The number of delegates per course is set to six so thathigh quality transfer from trainer to each candidate can take place.These courses can take up to two weeks in some cases, so aspecialised canteen room and a theory classroom have beeninstalled into the building.

“With TTi Global’s expertise and their professional approach,we are extremely pleased that as a company Aer-o-cure can now,become a major role player in the upliftment of trade knowledgeand vital methodology changes that are trending internationally.

“Right now it’s early days for the centre, but I must say certainmotor constructions locally have shown a big interest in ourinitiative to ramp up training with TTi Global already,” concludedAlex.

Designed with ultra low energy consumption in mind and with a turnkey approachin layout, Aer-o-cure is becoming highly successful locally and across the Africanmarketplace with concepts like this new shop in Cape Town.

INDUSTRY NEWS - AER-O-CURE

WHAT’S HOT?

Training Expertise Now In AfricaTTI Global are proud to announce the opening of a

new state-of-the-art collision repair training centrein South Africa.We plan to deliver specialist model specific training

modules now being used in the new world car designsand production.The centre features international trainers as well as

a proven syllabus developed globally with localauthoring to help improve your company’s businessperformance. We offer our tools, technology and talent to bring

world class training to your staff.

Call Altus van Wyk at TTi Global+27 (0)82 561 4687


Sole importer Visit our website

www.vermontsales.co.zaFor trade enquiries(011) 314 7711

NEW GENERATION

4500X T R E M EIs At The Forefront of Design,Technology, Ergonomics & Quality

Advantages:Ultra Fine Pattern Large Spray PatternExcellent Results

Technology:No internal rubber O rings or gasketsSingle piece self adjusting packing glandNo service kits or maintenance required

Ergonomics:Perfect ergonomics reduces stress onpainter’ s arm and hand

SAGOLA NEW_Invoice TOYOTA 16-8-05 2013/01/30 12:12 PM Page 1



INDUSTRY NEWS

PRODUCT PROFILE

Making life easier on the repair of aluminium bodiessuddenly took a step forward with the all new XPress800 machine. Its innovative design has developed theriveting tool one stage further on ease of use when

removing or piercing with self-piercing rivets or flow form rivets steelpanels and blind rivets.

The compact design has taken a full five years of intense researchand development, working closely with motor makers to perfect theXPress 800 ability and performance. The full kit comes with anumber of components to get the job done correctly. It has apowerful pneumatic operation that has been boosted with a push-pull facility PP90 for fast removal of stubborn rivet centres. Alongwith a special riveting arm the tool box is also easily transportable. Italso carries a full Mercedes-Benz approved certification accreditationand comes complete and ready to work with both 0.6mm and0.8mm blanking bits.

With the use of aluminium structures expanding considerably onJaguar Land Rover products, BMW, Audi and many more specialistmodels the Wieländer+Schill XPress 800 supplies a workingproduction tool that will have good everyday working performance.Its flexible design enables it to be used in any one of five methods toremove rivets with its modular design and high power.

A special component allows the XPress 800 unit to be used invery confined areas with up to nine tons of blanking force. The unitsweighs around 1,65kg and comes complete with calibration stamps,die plates, back shaping tools for all car manufacturers and works well

WIELÄNDER+SCHILL NEW MODULAR XPRESS 800

on flow form rivets with speed regulation and air pressure regulationvalving built in. Local agents Hurricane Equipment have recently beenintroducing the new XPress 800 into local top level collision repairoperations.

You can get more details on both cost and sundry equipment onthe riveter from Deon Joubert on +27 (0)83 628 2288 or [email protected] or [email protected]. You canalso visit the website on www.hurricaneauto.co.za

Using the latest XPress 800 at Alfa Trioin Vereeniging proved a great success.

The unique push-pull riveteris easy to use and comes witha complete kit.


Price comparison sites for insurancecoverage have made a big impacton the collision repair industry inthe UK, could it come to South

Africa? Whether you believe globe-trotting is a

gratifying part of your job or a chore, thereis one thing that it does highlight, peopleare very similar wherever you go, with thesame needs and desires we all have in ourlives. This similarity enables those hugecorporations such as Coca-Cola,McDonalds, GM and Ford to be able to sellalmost the same product whether in theUS, Uruguay or Uzbekistan.

What I do find interesting as aninternational traveller is how differentmarkets have had entire industries changedby some products, whereas they aren’teven heard of, or recognised, in othercontinents. I guess this is whereopportunity comes from, where businessescan make real money when trading modelsare proven and can then be replicated.

Over the last five years, automotiveinsurance and collision repair have beentransformed by one such business idea, theimplementation and uptake of which hascreated catastrophic challenges andchanges within motor insurance and thebody shop market sectors.

The automotive insurance buying publicwithin Europe, and in particular Britain, washit hard by the global financial crisis and haschanged its behaviour from loyalcustomers to price-driven, chop-and-change shoppers in this mandatoryinsurance category.

So what’s the driver for this incrediblechange? It’s called the price comparison site(PCS), websites similar to those thatcompare flights and medical insurance, butnow in the automotive insurance industry.

A simple one-off entry of your vehicle,personal and location details into thewebsite, and within a couple of minutes

you are presented with a list in price-ascending order, the cheapest first, of mostinsurance carriers’ quotes for you tochoose from. Typically consumers will scandown this list and find the best price, butfrom a brand they are comfortable insuringwith.

From a consumer’s perspective this isutopia, you get the cheapest price from atrusted brand without having to phonenumerous companies, or fear being upsoldon the telephone. It changes people’sbehaviour from dog-like (loyal) to cat-like(predatory) and changes the wholedynamic of our market. There is, like mostthings, a downside, and it seriously affectsyou and me within the collision andinsurance industries.

People cease buying insurance time andtime again from the same company,meaning pricing has to become morecompetitive and insurers have to competein a more volatile and transparentmarketplace. Insurers have to strip out the“value” of their policy to compete on price.

In the UK we saw a 40% drop inpremiums as these sites started to becomepopular to the point where about 65% ofinsurance is now purchased this way.

To add another twist to the tale,comparison sites became savvy andallowed consumers to change thevoluntary value of their deductible to beable to be increased, up to a value of aboutR15 000. The net result of course is thatthe premium paid is significantly reduced.Most purchasers of motor insurance donot consider they will ever have anaccident, therefore, they bump theirdeductible higher.

This creates a number of significantchallenges and changes to the collisionrepairer. You are quite unlikely to see thesame customer again in a DRP scenariobecause the following year they will haveinsured with somebody else, so building a

repair business and relationships is moredifficult.

Fewer people will claim when they havea collision because they suddenly realise thatthey have a R15 000 deductible, and it’sunaffordable. This means fewer repairs beingcarried out. The smaller, more profitablework is being taken away, and statistics wewitness show annual claims percentagesdown in about five years from 14% to just8%, almost half of the work being repairedunder the DRP model.

Because insurers are now under extremepressure to be competitive in a transparentmarketplace, they have to reduce costswithin their own businesses. This typicallymeans significant internal staff culling and,inevitably, a squeeze on the supply chain,that’s you. If you think the insurer isdemanding today, consider what it might belike if the PCS gains traction in the US.Insurers will start to demand much more.

In the UK market, this has manifesteditself with free courtesy vehicles, shopsowning tow-in trucks, reduction in paint andmaterials charge-out, and insurersdemanding better management informationaround the whole vehicle repair, oftenresulting in a 1:1 ratio of production to frontoffice staff. In simple terms, the costs to thecollision shop are escalated dramatically,charge-out is capped and margins aresqueezed.

Will this happen in North America? Ican’t say for sure, but a couple of these siteshave emerged in the US in the last year. Inthe UK, these sites are very profitable fortheir owners, with massive growth and value.Insurers almost have no choice but to playball with them, as it encourages new insurersto enter the market because of theincredible reach they have through televisionadvertising. In many European countries,PCS advertising is twice that of traditionalinsurers. It will only be a short time beforethe PCS begins gaining momentum.

INDUSTRY NEWS

INSURANCE PRICECOMPARISON UK -THE SEARCHEXPANDS



TRENDS

by Jon Parker


General paints have a very successfultrack record and supply over 56 countriesacross the globe with a full range of 92toners - 39 standards, 16 pearls, 6xyralics and 29 2K. These high covertoners ensure a perfect result everytime.General Paints also offer a completecolour support package with their colourbox of 8000 colour formulas backed-up byGPC pro computer software which hasclose to 70 000 international car colourformulas in different variable shades. TheGeneral refinish range includes rapidprimers and high solid clearcoats whichhave been extensively researched toprovide you with a ‘One Stop Shop’philosophy. General paints are designedto improve body shop profitability andshorten process times.

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VW Aktiengesellschaft and VWGroup China have signed a jointdeclaration for two new vehicleplants in China.

In the presence of German chancellorAngela Merkel and Chinese premier LiKequiang, Prof Dr Jochem Heizmann,member of the board of management ofVolkswagen Akitengesellschaft and presidentand CEO of Volkswagen Group China,signed a joint declaration for two newvehicle plants in China, together with XuJianyi , Chairman of FAW.

“China has become our largest and mostimportant market. To satisfy the demands ofour customers in the country we areengaging in a further substantial expansion ofour capacities in China, together with ourChinese partner FAW Volkswagen,” saidProf Martin Winterkorn, chairman of theboard of management of VolkswagenAkitengesellschaft, who witnessed thesigning of the declaration.

“With these investments, Volkswagen isclearly expressing its commitment to theChinese market. Following two decades ofsuccessful cooperation, Volkswagen willfurther intensify its strategic partnership withFAW with a view to bringing innovative,sustainable mobility solutions onto theChinese market,” said Heizmann.

The two new vehicle plants are to bebuilt step-by-step on the East coast of Chinain the cities of Qingdao in ShandongProvince and Tianjin. The decision in favourof these two locations was taken togetherwith the joint venture partner FAW.

The key site factors were highqualification levels and the infrastructureavailable. Furthermore, Tianjin is the locationof a new production plant for dual-clutchgearboxes (DSG) for Volkswagen in Chinathat is due to be inaugurated at the end of2014.

Together, the two partners are to invest

about two billion euros in the expansion ofproduction capacities.

Volkswagen has been active on theChinese market for 30 years and is one ofthe Western pioneers of the automobileindustry in the country. Together with itstwo joint ventures FAW-Volkswagen andShanghai-Volkswagen, the Group deliveredabout 1.51 million vehicles between Januaryand May 2014, representing a rise of 17.7%compared with the corresponding period ofthe previous year.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germanyalso visited the Volkswagen plant inChengdu, southwest China, Prof. Dr MartinWinterkorn, chairman of the board ofmanagement of Volkswagen AG and Prof DrJochem Heizmann, president and CEO ofVolkswagen Group China, welcomed theguests, together with the guests Xu Juanyi,chairman on FAW and Zhang Pikie,president of FAW-Volkswagen.

“Our objective is to work substantially ona long-term basis throughout the world.Here in China, we are setting highenvironmental stands at our 17 locationsand investing more in eco-friendlytechnologies and plants than ever before.Volkswagen is banking on China’s innovativepower because this market provides keyimpetus for our industry though ground-breaking new trends,” said Martin.

During her visit Merkel also inspected theproduction area of the Chengdu plant. Here,sustainability is practised right down to thelast detail. About 90% of the materials used

in vehicle production come from localsuppliers. In addition, the paint shop atChengdu is the first facility in Asia to beequipped with the ‘EcoDry Scrubber’ anevironmentally friendly technology thatreduces water consumption for the paintingprocess by up to 90%.

Chancellor Merkel also visited thetraining centre and the assembly shop of theChengdu plant and expressed specialinterest in the possibilities of vocationaltraining in China. Apart from six differentvocational training courses, FAW-Volkswagen also offers the possibility of adual course of studies at Chengdu. Merkeltalked to young trainees and learned abouttheir experience within the professionalfamilies. Each year, about 20 000 courses arecompleted by employees at the trainingcentre, to improve further the quality ofproduction and to raise educationalstandards.

By opening training centres at all its plantsin China, Volkswagen was the first companyto introduce the principle of dual vocationaltraining in China. “People are the key to oursuccess. That is why we are committed toeducating young talents,” said Heizmann.“Our objective is to offer innovative, eco-friendly products and reliable service.Efficient use of resources and environmentalcompatibility are also among the toppriorities at our plants. In such a fast-growingmarket as China, a well-trained workforce isessential for mastering these challenges.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

VOLKSWAGENEXPAND IN CHINA

54

WHAT’S HOT?

Volkswagen Scirocco


The 1.6 litre four-cylinder direct injection twin turbo petrolengine jointly developed the PSA Peugeot Citroën andBMW Group has won the key 1.4- to 1.8-litre category atthe International Engine of the Year Awards for the second

year running.Following its success, the 1.6 litre 4-cylinder 175hp engine was

judged best in class by a panel of 65 motoring journalists from 32countries across the globe. The engine came away a clear winnerwith a total of 333 points, 60 points more than ever before. It alsofinished in the top five of the overall IEotY award.

Currently fitted in the Peugeot 207 and 308, this engine is thelargest of a family of engines ranging between 120 and 175 hp. Thisengine family will equip other compact models in the Peugeot andCitroën ranges.

Announced in July 2002, the co-operation between PSA PeugeotCitroën and BMW Group has applied the strengths of each partnerto successfully solve the conflict between advanced enginetechnologies and cost pressures in the small and compact carsegment.

All major components for these engines are made at a dedicated330 million Euro, 60 000 square metre production facility at PSAPeugeot Citroën’s Francaise de Mécanique plant in Douvrin,

Northern France. PSA Peugeot Citroën’s Charleville and MulhouseMetallurgy Division plants supply the raw castings, whilst finalassembly is carried out at Douvrin for Peugeot and Citroën models.

The International Engine of the Year Awards are the automotiveindustry’s most sought after accolades. Judges apply their impressionsfrom driving the latest cars to identify the powerplants that offer thebest driveability, performance, economy and refinement.

The Awards have underlined the Group’s broad capabilities inengine design and manufacture, as well as the success of its co-operations policy. Ken Gibson of Britain’s largest selling dailynewspaper, The Sun, said, “Collaboration between manufacturers onengine development has never made so much sense.”

Hollard and Telesure havelaunched a pilot programme tolower the barriers to entry forsmall motor body repair (MBR)

companies and put them at the forefront ofpreferred suppliers.

The generally larger preferred MBRsuppliers claimed the bulk of the millions ofRands spent every year in the saturated MBRindustry and by empowering the smallerplayer to meet the requirements ofpreferred supplier status, a steady flow ofbusiness could be cemented.

The two insurance giants aimed to train,develop and mentor seven selected MBR

companies in human resource management,vision and leadership skills, financialmanagement, marketing and other keycompetencies essential to developing aneconomically viable and sustainable businessoperation.

Following the conclusion of a businessdiagnostic exercise to determine specificinterventions, the MBR companies wouldundergo a business assessment, theidentification of specific business needs and acustomised mentoring programme.

The development programme would rununtil early 2015.

“The promise of a regular flow of cars to

the MBR [companies], together with theirincreased capacity to properly service thosevehicles and customers, will lead to theirsustainability and increased employmentopportunities,” said Hollard personal linesGM Anton Botha.

Telesure MD Tom Creamer hoped thatthe programme would become abenchmark for enterprise development inthe insurance industry to enable otherentrepreneurs to benefit from the “rightnurturing and mentorship. Together, wehope to develop sustainable businesses thatwill continue to grow long after the pilot isover,” he concluded.

LOCAL NEWS

PSA PEUGEOT CITROËNVICTORIOUS AGAIN



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WHAT’S HOT?

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Teknikloth high-tech lint free surface cleaners are an absolute must for all paint shopsand provide less wastage and linting than other systems of preparation. Teknikloth is available from: l All BASF Branches l All ABS Branchesl Auto Colour Matching Centre, DBNl Auto & General, Jacobsl Auto & Industrial Supplies, PMBl All Balco Branchesl All PPG Branchesl Cape Auto Paints, Montaguel Capricorn Parts, DBN

l City Paint & Tool, PEl Cape Paint & Panel, Maitlandl Global Auto Colour, Benonil Herbert Evans, JHBl All Intercity Paint Branchesl Kwalta Paints, Klerksdorpl Marouns Auto Colour Branchesl Mix ‘ n Match, Jacobs

l Car Spares & Paint, Vereenigingl Auto Paint Centre, Centurionl PMB Paint Centre Pietermaritzburgl SA Auto Paints, Newlandsl Car Auto Paints, Primrosel Super Auto Paints, Phoenixl Chem Spec Branchesl All RSB Autogroup Branches


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EN Products from Greece have been in South Africa recentlypromoting the refinish brands of their all-new ultra-fast curing4400 HS filling primer that has an amazingly quick drying timeof around one hour before it can be reworked. “This

feature,” says Vasillis Sarafidis, international sales manager for ENChemicals, “makes their latest formulation a real time productionboosting product.”

Spokesman Suleman Joosab says that this is part of a package thatis seeing the Auto Paint Centre group, who are importing anddistributing the EN product range across southern Africa, enjoy everincreasing sales. The company recently held many livedemonstrations on the practical advantages of using the high buildproduction primer in many panelshops and other refinish end usersin KZN.

EN ProductsFounded in 1982 in Thessaloniki, Greece, this family-owned

company started as a manufacturer of bituminous products for thelocal market. Within a few years, the company grew up and beganto extend its range by introducing innovative products such as nitrocellulose putties and surfacers. With those new products EN gaineda reputation for quality and reliability. It was the moment to gofurther and expand into new markets.

By the end of 2008, a group of entrepreneurs acquired the ENbrand and founded the EN Chemicals SA. The company’s missionwas clear from the beginning. Transform EN to a worldwiderecognised brand of the automotive refinish market. Up to now thegroup invested a lot in the company’s restructuration and todayrepresent one of the faster growing auto refinish brands in Europe.Our products are distributed in 15 countries while the company ispreparing to launch a new series of innovative and environmentallycompatible products.

For more information on the range call +27 (0)31 902 7666 orvisit www.automotivepaint.co.za

INDUSTRY NEWS

BACK TO BASICS FOREN PRODUCTS

WHAT’S HOT?

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NEVER MISS OUT ON THE LATEST COLLISION REPAIR TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION. THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY FOR 29 YEARS.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

ALUMINIUMREPAIRACCELERATES

ALUMINIUM

We’ve been writing about the growing use of newmetals and aluminium in vehicle production foryears now. We’ve watched the topic progress from“this might be the next big thing” to “this is just

around the corner” to “This is here now” in what seems like a veryshort span of time, covering procedures, tools and equipment shopsneed to properly repair these stronger, lighter vehicles.

At times, it has felt as though these advancements were eonsaway, but things have heated up recently, beyond the use ofaluminium in more exotic vehicles, like the Teslas that our case studyshops repair.

These last couple of months, when Ford started makingannouncements about its aluminium-bodied 2015 F-150 and plansfor training shops to fix the new truck, really illustrate how far vehicleconstruction has come. The new F-150, which Fords says will beroughly 700 pounds lighter than its steel-bodied predecessor,represents the dawn of a new era in vehicle construction and repair.

These mass-produced trucks, and other aluminium-bodiedvehicles that are sure to follow, will be in shops in no time. TheAluminium Association expects an average of 550 pounds ofaluminium per vehicle to be the norm by 2025. If you’ve been waitingfor a good reason to prepare your shop for aluminium repairs, thereit is. The country’s most popular pick up is kicking off the movement,

and if you can’t fix it, the vehicle will soon be heading to shops thatcan.

According to a January estimate by Automotive ServiceAssociation chairman Darrell Amberson, less than 10% of shops inthe US meet the certification and equipment requirements necessaryto work on aluminum vehicles. I’m sure we’ll see that numberincrease dramatically in coming years.

And as this change unfolds, there are others to watch, such as theloudening buzz around carbon fibre’s greater presence in vehicleconstruction. This still seems to be in the “this might be the next bigthing” stage, but with pressure on automakers to meet strict CAFEstandards, we could see the material go mainstream in a hurry.BMW’s i3, for instance, is made largely of carbon fibre.

The rapid increase of bonding and riveting methods taken from the aerospaceindustry is now busy cascading down to high production models. Training bodyrepair technicians will become a vital part of survival for the future.


The R-M brand is continuing tostake their claim of becoming therefinish premium system of choiceas they strengthen their position in

the collision repair industry.A recent specialist workflow seminar

held at Wynberg by Jason Jurams focusedon all round profitability and was deliveredto a number of key account body shopsfrom across the country.

“This is just one of the R-M value addedservices,” says Warren Tollman, CEO ofthe RSB Autogroup. “In todays market youcan’t just carry on pushing tins, it’s muchmore difficult than that. Your missionbecomes one of realising the promisedsavings and delivering the body shopimproved profitability as a service provider.We’re determined to extend the servicelevels that our customers will need tobecome sustainable in the long term fortheir businesses.”

Jurams, who conducted the push andspecialised training towards a betterunderstanding of overall profitability for the12 delegates, has been trained on variousbusiness development programmes inEurope.

“We start by showing how importantkey performance indicators are in theoverall business measurement of a bodyshop operation. After establishing special

measuring performance criteria in themanagement of accounts and the profit andloss side of the operation can be monitoredin a much more accurate way.

“When used extensively in the way thatforecasting business performance can beachieved by management and byintroducing fast tracking of things like hoursthat are available to be sold by a repairerand actual achieved hours sold per workingday or week, this labour rate of sale canbecome a vital part on any company’scalculation on profitability.

“This plus the latest internationalmethods seen in use across the world allhelp to smooth out operational bottleneck

production and loss of profitability. It’smostly about optimising all the basicoperational areas of service andmanagement to achieve a better outputand improved workflow and bringing downthe customers key to key time in thedelivery of the repair until the collectionpoint of the repaired vehicle.”

All this effort from the R-M brand isdesigned to strengthen the position of thecustomer by concentrating on the successof the group’s affiliation with its key endusers. This is just one of the ways that RSBAutogroup are driving up value addedservices to optimise efficiencies within bodyshops.

BUSINESS UPDATE

R-M WORKFLOWSEMINARS



TRAINING

“If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it,”says Jason Jurams. He has attended variousbusiness modules in Europe.

Held at the RSB Training Centre in Wynberg, the all new business management system from R-M was rolled outto some national high profile body shop owners of the RSB Autogroup. It has met with great success as theyhighlighted new management philosophies now seen in world markets.


R-M AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:46 AM Page 1


In a special conference poll atthe annual Insurance Institute ofSouth Africa (IISA) conferenceat Sun City, only about 55% of

the 1 000 strong audience knewhow many outcomes werecontained in the TreatingCustomers Fairly (TCF) legislation.

TCF is an outcomes-basedregulation from the FinancialServices Board that seeks to embedthe fair treatment of customersthroughout the insurance valuechain.

Peter Todd, president of the IISAand the former CEO of Mutual andFederal said while insurers oftencomplained about the regulatoryburden they faced, more self-regulation was needed.

“We shouldn’t wait for theregulator to point out unfairpractice to us,” Todd said. Headded it was clear moretransparency in explaining insurancepolicies was needed.

Deputy director-general of National Treasury Ismail Momoniat saidpolicy wordings needed to be clearer and contain less legal jargon,where legal liability was not always clear. He suggested standardisedpolicy wording.

He said the industry needed to devise standardised products forlow-and middle-income South Africans and that, while compulsory carinsurance had merit, “it must be linked to more affordable insuranceproducts.”

INSURANCE NEWS

INSURERS UNFAMILIAR WITHTREATING CUSTOMERS FAIRLY

BROKER’S FEES UNDER REVIEW

Commissions paid to brokers who distribute insurance policieswill not be prohibited in the risk space, which includes short-term insurance and life risk cover, but will more than likely bescrapped in the investment space, according to the Financial

Services Board (FSB). However, commissions paid by insurers tobrokers in respect of the distribution of risk insurance polices will becapped, noted Caroline da Silva, deputy executive officer for FinancialAdvisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) at the FSB.

Addressing delegates at the Insurance Institute of SA Conference,Da Silva added that fees paid for advice would not be capped butshould be agreed between brokers and their clients.

She said insurance companies would further act as a ‘safe harbour’to ensure advice fees were not too high.

“Commission on insurance policies is often hidden, so thatcustomers think they are receiving intermediary and advice services forfree, which in turns leads to a perceived lack of value in the role thatfinancial advice plays,” Da Silva emphasises.

She said that capping commission paid to brokers was problematicwhen it meant they were then paid the same amount as call centreagents, despite often doing more work to provide advice to customers.

Justus van Pletzen, CEO of the Financial Intermediaries Associationof Southern Africa (FIA) said Retail Distribution Review (RDR) wouldpromote a consumer centric business model, but could see the furtherexit of experienced advisers from the industry.

Da Silva said the FSB aimed to release the RDR discussion paperduring August.

CONFERENCE

LOCAL NEWS

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HD KOREKAn all new straighteningsystem for heavy dutyvehicles

The compact Korek HD floor frame features adouble layer ground frame for robustperformance and easy set-up. The flexibletower assemblies are highly mobile. It offersextended cab tower pulls with traction pulls of20 tons per basic tower.

The towers are simple to fix as they operateon rollers and are fixed to the HD Korekframe by four wedges with three main standson offer. This is coupled to 30 ton compositionhydraulic sets. The options for a perfectchassis cab and frame straightening job areendless as well as painless.

As far as speed of output and profitability areconcerned, the HD Korek offers majorprofitability at a reasonable entry level cost. Itis ideal for both CV repairers and large fleetoperators as an investment in Truck repair.

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Peter Todd told delegates that theyshould not wait for regulators to point

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based around insurance policies.



Andre Froneman has introduced a new range of alternativeheating solutions. Altheat Burners have become worldleaders in cost effective solutions on current energysources. Body shops already using this new burner from

Altheat, some for 18 months already, have consistently showed asavings of approximately 60% on their previous diesel account.“Used oil costs just R6.00 per litre on average.” says Andre.

The unit is made to be very flexible as it is specifically designed touse and burn used oil straight out of the bottom of a tanker withoutdelivering any smoke residue into the atmosphere. It is able towithstand tough African conditions. The unique Venturi Effect usedby the burner allows for fuels that would otherwise block normalburners nozzles to flow easily through this burner.

The flame is also fully adjustable and allows for a maximumpower, or it can be adjusted to ‘idle’ while maintaining the heat. Forsafety, the Altheat series of burners come fully equipped with safetyfeatures that operate fail to safe modes. This means the burner shutsdown to a safe mode and thus prevents any potential risk of firedamage.

Types of oil that can be used to generate are:l Engine Oill Gearbox Oill Diff Oill Hydraulic Oill Vegetable Oilsl Creosotel Diesell ParaffinBy using and reclaiming waste products, the environmental aspect

of the burner works well in disposing of potential catastrophicpollutants. It burns with no visible smoke pollutants with extremelylow ash content. All this is achieved with the generation of goodgradient heat properties and in todays cut throat collision repairbusiness there is also a much lower element of risk of theft with noblack market value.

You can kiss the up and down costs of crude oil prices goodbyewith the Altheat method of generating heat for your spray boothonce and for all. Time the value of the flame output is some 80kWto 249kW approximately.

To get the full list of potential cost savings please call Andre on+27 (0)72 463 9570 or email [email protected]

BURNER NEWS

ALTHEAT BURNERS CAN CUT YOUR BOOTHHEATING COSTS BY HALF

WHAT’S HOT?

63

The eco burner usesmany types of used oilsand is a big source ofenergy at around R6 alitre. Body shops canslash their spray boothheating costs.

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The life of a motoring journalist in the 21st century is awonderful kaleidoscope of automotive variety, particularlywhen one’s involvement extends to trucks – as is the casewith me.

This resulted in me going to Germany to witness a self-drivingMercedes-Benz truck in a simulated autobahn-driving situation with20 other Merc models making up the traffic. This was a real peep intothe future as the new technology is only scheduled to go intoproduction in 2025, hence the name of the advanced Actros-basedtruck-tractor as Future Truck 2025.

Then, a few weeks later, I was off to Cape Town to experiencethe latest iteration in the growing range of Porsche passenger cars inthe form of the new, mid-size Macan SUV, which is another amazingpiece of German engineering.

These two memorable experiences certainly served to underlinethe manner in which the Germans are setting the global pace in termsof automotive technology developments.

Mercedes-Benz, which has been renowned for more than acentury for its innovations in automotive technology, certainly stole amarch on its competitors with the public display of its self-drivingtruck.

Future Truck 2025 is seen as a forerunner of the trucks that willbe able to drive autonomously on the motorways and highways ofEurope and certain other countries where road signs and roadmarkings meet the critical standards required for a self-driving truck.

The driver will be able to relax and do other work while the truckdrives itself, staying on the planned route and running at themaximum permitted speed while remaining a safe distance behindvehicles in front.

The driver will have to drive the truck onto the motorway beforeengaging Highway Pilot and will have to take the wheel to overtakeanother vehicle and to leave the motorway, but for much of the timeon the road he or she will be able to do the duties of a transportmanager and not just a driver. This system is expected to makedriving a better career choice, which is important in view of thegrowing shortage of qualified drivers in Europe. It will, of course, alsobe much safer and there should be fewer traffic jams too.

The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 incorporates many newcomponents and systems, but also includes several that have beentried and tested and are already in use in passenger cars, for examplein the self-driving S-Class luxury sedan, which could be on the marketby 2020.

The overall title for the inspiring one-day event with Mercedes-Benz was Shaping Future Transportation and the scope was

extensive. What was impressive was the way the Daimler teamdemonstrated how wide-ranging the project is, stretching from thetechnological aspects to the need to change driving laws to permitthe use of autonomous vehicles on public roads, as well as thenecessity to get the buy-in not only of the authorities but also of thepublic at large.

The diversification that has happened to the hallowed Porschebrand in the past decade is amazing. Originally known as a maker ofsleek two- and 2+2-seater sports cars, this German manufacturerextended the range by adding the Cayenne large SUV in 2002 andthen introduced a big luxury sedan, the Panamera, in 2009.

These newcomers rocked the boats of many purists, but theyhave made a huge commercial impact as Porsche’s sales has soaredglobally and particularly here in SA. Last year, Porsche sold morethan 160 000 units worldwide and expects to get close to the200 000 unit mark next year.

The reason for the expected growth in sales is the addition ofyet another derivative, the Macan compact SUV/cross-over. Thename Macan, pronounced “Ma-kaan”, is derived from theIndonesian name for a tiger. This beautifully engineered five-doorhas just arrived in SA and I had an opportunity to enjoy its veryimpressive dynamics on the sweeping roads of the Western Cape.

The Macan is a distant derivative of the Audi Q5 with thePorsche SA team in Cape Town hastening to inform us that theplatform has been widened and strengthened while more than 60%of the components have been redesigned or modified for thePorsche application.

On a personal note I had expected the Macan to be a bit smallerthan it is and more affordable. However, it is very spacious insideand is a versatile load carrier too, while having plenty of power andmind-blowing driving dynamics.

This is sure to be another winner for the brand and one wondershow long it will be before a slightly smaller SUV, spawned from theAudi Q3, will join the Porsche line-up, along with a rumoured,slightly smaller sedan of proportions apparently similar to the BMW5-Series.

While in Cape Town for the Macan launch I was fortunate to sitopposite Porsche SA CEO Toby Venter at dinner and during theevening he informed me that he was going to bid for Kyalami threedays later. I was overjoyed as he is a real petrolhead with a deeplove and understanding of motor sport. Then I had the opportunityat the auction at Summer Place to lead the cheering when Porschewas announced as the successful bidder at R205-million. So glad itwasn’t a property developer!!

NEWS FROM THE ZOO - by Roger Houghton

AMAZING GERMAN CONTRASTS

The Porsche MacanMercedes-Benz `future truck 2025.


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The highest requirements for qualityand performance are the basis forthe SATA® Filter 200TM modularfilter line. The modular system

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The system is best used alongside theSATA guns, and especially the HVLP (HighVolume Low Pressure) Technology. Extrasavings are had with this gun as there ismaximum transfer efficiency and minimumproduct consumption.

A transfer rate of above 65% is obtainedby using an air cap pressure maximum of0.7 bar. In order to obtain excellent paintresults with the HVLP guns, a higher airvolume is required for atomisation, andthat’s where the SATA® Filter 200TM comesin.

Testament to how well this systemworks together is the fact that a very thicklayer of dust had to be cleaned off of thefilter system at the back of the spray boothin order to take photos at CenturionPanelbeaters. When you don’t noticesomething, it means it is working really welldelivering time after time on every job.

“The system is so easy to use and it hasworked incredibly well with ourwaterborne system,” said WesselLouwrens, co-owner of CenturionPanelbeaters. “It has definitely saved us onour bottom line too as there is excellentpaint transfer from the SATA Spray gun.The excellent finish that the systemprovides means it has been a greatinvestment to our body shop.”

PRODUCT PROFILE

SATA SPRAY GUN AND FILTER SYSTEM A GREAT ADDITION



TESTIMONIAL

The SATA HVLP gun range deliversexcellent efficiency and its brilliant materialtransfer is enhanced with the SATA® Filter200TM modular filter.

The SATA® Filter 200TM modular filteris an effective behind the scenesfiltration system. It feeds almost100% clean air making compressedair problems a thing of the past.


SATA AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:46 AM Page 1


On Thursday 24th July at 1.40 pm, Lot 25 fell under theAuctioneer’s hammer for R205m to make it the highestfigure ever paid for a single property in South Africanhistory. Lot 25? Kyalami Race Track, which was bought

on auction by Porsche South Africa and their CEO, Toby Venter.600 people-plus attended this auction that disposed of 24 other

property lots (No 24 had already been sold) until it hit the big onefor Kyalami. It took all of one minute and 49 seconds to sell this iconof South African motorsport, which over the years was arguablybetter known than Johannesburg or even South Africa! In its earlydays when you went overseas people spoke about Chris Barnard,Gary Player, the Springboks and Kyalami. (Later it was Mandela, Tutuand Apartheid.)

The circuit couldn’t have gone to a better company or a manmore passionate about motorsport than Toby Venter, whocompeted in Moto-X in the Golden Years for the Shell Suzuki WorksTeam and also shone in Porsche racing here and overseas.

Plans for the circuit are already being made. First a CEO will beappointed. Then starts the long and expensive slog to restore Kyalamito its former glory as “The Greeks” who asset-stripped the propertyleft everything but the pits and circuit itself looking like an apocalypsehad struck.

Venter says “We must make Kyalami viable as a business and thenwe will get promoters to organise events at the circuit and bring backsome of the glory days of this legendary Grand Prix track withspectators closer to the action and watching racing in the good oldSouth African manner – next to the fence with braais going in thebackground.” Many of you may well remember going to Kyalami andexperiencing this. Well done to Toby Venter and Porsche SouthAfrica.

Honda and Mercedes led the way when a survey conducted byALG went checking for quality and value. Amongst luxury brands,Mercedes-Benz placed first ahead of Lexus, BMW, Porsche and Audi.JD Powers Quality Study also placed Mercedes-Benz plant in EastLondon amongst the top motor manufacturers in the world.

Ford and their partners Complete Pet Food collected eight tonsof pet food for charities in South Africa. So it isn’t only cars andbakkies they sell – they get their Ford Dealerships to donate as well.18 charities benefited from this collection. The charity workcontinues. Bridgestone Tyres donated 110 sets of beanies, scarvesand gloves to keep the winter cold away for residents of SunfieldFortuna Home.

One of the quietest cars you have ever driven is the new HondaAccord. It has even got two mikes in the roof lining to ensure that

everything is kept quiet. It is a luxury car to compete with theGerman cars – but with no options. What you see is what you get.There are three models. They start at R389 000 and go up toR549 000 for a 3.5-litre V6. It has got lane-watching cameras, rearcameras, automatic dipping headlights, advanced LED lights, lane-assist and a collision braking system. You name it and the newHonda Accord has it all. Also what is nice in their 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre engines they have long life, chain driven (not belt driven)overhead camshafts. The V6 also goes onto three or even twocylinders when not much power is needed. It takes affordableHonda’s cars to entirely new levels and certainly worth putting tothe top of your shopping list.

French cars are on the way back. DS, the French premiumautomotive brand from Citroën, sold 63 800 in the world in the firstsix months of this year. Bestseller was China accounting for 60% oftheir sales with 468 000 units sold since the launch of the DS3 inMarch 2010. Sister Company, Peugeot, has recorded 853 000 unitssold in the first half of 2014. They are also going to enter into theDakar with a two-wheel drive vehicle next January. Porschedelivered 87 800 in the first six months of 2014.

Ford Motor Company in South Africa got together 1 000 of theirdealers, press and VIP’s at the Sandton Convention Centre recentlyto highlight their plans for the future, not only in South Africa but upsub-Saharan Africa as well. They also brought out Mory Callum,their chief designer, (whose brother is Iain, is chief designer atJaguar). Both of them hail from Scotland.

32 Macan premiere SUV’s made by Porsche were sold evenbefore they launched in the country. Truly a luxury SUV they comein three models with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, a 3.6-litre V6 bi-turbo or a 3.6-litre V6 bi-turbo with mega power.

People in attendance caught sight of the new Fusion, which couldbe coming our way shortly, along with the new Ford Mustang inright-hand drive for the first time, both coming our way for 2015.Not forgetting the Focus ST, which is part of the biggest sellingnameplate in the world. Better service coupled with even betteraffordable motoring are all part of Ford’s thinking.

General Tyres are back in business as a brand. Continental Tyresin Port Elizabeth will be highlighting both Conti and General Tyresin the future and dropping some of the lesser-known brands such asBarum, which Conti bought in the Czech Republic. They launchedsome of their new on- and off-road tyres to show the press whatthey have on offer. Could be that we will hear more from this tyrecompany in the not too distant future. All the tyre companies seemto have gone very quiet recently on what products they have to

DID YOU HEAR? by Roger McCleery

Listen to Roger McC leery every Tuesday on Radio Today (1485 A M) at17h30 for everything about SA motor ing.

DID YOU HEAR? by Roger McCleery

70

Professional Portable SprayerProfessional Portable SprayerNow you can aerosol just about any paint finish for instant touch-ups. Use with acrylic, basecoats, dyes, enamel, epoxy, inks, primers, polyurethane, varnish and solventbased and water based coatings.

EPT SystemsTel: 021 556 1991083 488 1593

EPT SystemsTel: 021 556 1991083 488 1593


43

The compact Korek HD floor frame features adouble layer ground frame for robustperformance and easy set-up. The flexibletower assemblies are highly mobile. It offersextended cab tower pulls with traction pulls of20 tons per basic tower.

The towers are simple to fix as they operateon rollers and are fixed to the HD Korekframe by four wedges with three main standson offer. This is coupled to 30 ton compositionhydraulic sets. The options for a perfectchassis cab and frame straightening job areendless as well as painless.

As far as speed of output and profitability areconcerned, the HD Korek offers majorprofitability at a reasonable entry level cost. Itis ideal for both CV repairers and large fleetoperators as an investment in Truck repair.

offer, and just concentrate on production.Renault South Africa sales have gone up 92% since 2013.

New models such as Clio, Duster and Sandero have put Renaulton a new sales level.

A distinguished career in the South African marketing andadvertising world and also one of the founding fathers of ToyotaSouth Africa, Hennie Klerck, passed away recently at the age of83.

Mahindra’s MGP3O Moto3™ racing motorcycle claimed abest-yet result and second top-three podium finish in a row inthe German GP, in front of capacity crowds at the atmosphericSachsenring, closing the first half of the 2014 season on asuccessful note.

South African Brad Binder, riding for Ambrogio Racing, puthis customer 250cc Mahindra in the fight for the win throughoutthe 27-lap race, and crossed the line in second spot, just 0.180seconds behind victor Jack Miller (KTM). This made Binder thefirst South African in 29 years to achieve a podium placing in amotorcycle world championship Grand Prix. The previousperson to achieve this honour was Mario Rademeyer, who tookthird place in the 250cc race at the South African motorcycleGrand Prix in 1985.


Brad Binder the first South African in 29 years to achieve a podium placingin a motorcycle world championship Grand Prix.

71




The annual bike blitz put on by the Amid Motorcycle importers was once again an all go-and-show event with literally every newmodel launched across the world seen on the numerous makers show stands. Along with this came the public announcement thatthis year’s contenders, some nine models are to be tested in the Pirelli Bike of the Year Competition, by Matt and Hairy Harryfrom the Bike Show. Hall 5 played a big role this year in entertaining enthusiasts out to view the model of their choice. Backed

with a myriad of accessories, all squashed in for the three short days. It all proved to be the epicentre of all things bike as the adrenalinejunkies weren’t left out whizzing around the 4x4 track and super motor racers put on a fine show for spectators.

So it made no difference if you came to just see your mates or take time in a retro-classic or even a huge V-twin new model cruiser. Itwas just a case of choosing your own personal eye candy and enjoying the weekend’s entertainment for this year. Fun for one and all –courtesy of Amid.

AMID BIKE SHOW REPORT

WHAT’S HOT?

1

3

8

4

2

The Superb ike magazine teamwere on show a l l weekend.

Mike Puzey wi th h is ownbrands l ike the I ta l ianBene l l i Supe r T r i p l eb ikes.

This confederate warrior ran on theBonneville Salt Flats in record breaking mode.



One of Bulldog Abrasives’ top selling range ofproducts is the Mirka Gold Family! Available indiscs, sheets and rolls – the Mirka Gold productshave become a classic abrasive which give a great

performance within a lot of different applications. The tough latex coated paper base makes Gold a balanced

flexible product with a good initial cut and fantastic durability.The full resin bonding and even grain coating provide aconstant stock removal and excellent surface finish.

This durable, all-round sanding material is very well suitedfor tackling all kind of applications within the automotivesector. Gold features semi-open and special stearate coatingsdesigned to prevent clogging and pill forming which helpsachieve an optimal sanding result.

For more information on this chart topping product as wellas the rest of the Mirka range, contact the Bulldog Abrasivessales team on +27 (0)11 786 5991 or visit our revampedwebsite: www.bulldogabrasives.co.za

PRODUCT PROFILE

MIRKA GOLD CLASSICSTILL TOPPING THECHARTS

ABRASIVES


Status Panelbeater’s entrance to thecompany says it all. This SouthCoast Panelbeater in KZN turns outto be a nationally recognised top

collision repair centre in Port Shepstone. It is run by Danie Steyn and his sons

Martin and Gerhard. Their control of thebusiness is exceptional. They literally havea system in place for all the sections ofrepair within the company.

Accompanied by Ryan Matchett fromBulldog Abrasives we are here today toget a graphic overview of the great costsavings they have achieved in the polishingsection of Status Panelbeaters.

The figures make for good reading ifyou’re a profit minded owner. In July, thetime sheet and polishing performanceshows their exact polishing costs perpanel. Martin explains, that in producingaround 171 repainted vehicles, whichincludes a panel repair count of some 966panels, their overall cost using the Prestapolish system is just R2.34 per panel.

This represents a significant saving ofclose to 60% over some of the previoussystems used at Status Panelbeaters.

The two operating section polishershave gained this result since starting withthe Prest Ultra Cutting Creme, which cancapably remove up to 2 000 to 3 000sanding marks when used with the doublesided yellow medium wool buffing pad.

“By using the foam pad, we’re able toreduce our panel heat up levels and haveless swirls on freshly painted solid ormetallic refinisher materials,” says Martin.

Stage 2 sees the use of the special, blue,foam polishing pad. It’s designed toremove swirls fast and works rapidly inproducing a high gloss level on the finishedjob. The Aurora Hand Glaze, which issilicone free, is used on all types of refinish.

On dark colours Status Panelbeatershave seen and achieved great successwhen using the Chroma Swirl removerwith the blue soft foam polishing head.

“The Presta polishing system is a waycheaper option, it is very concentrated anddelivers great mileage for the polishingsection. Just a drop goes a long way and it’snow proved in our cost savings since usingthis product.

“The whole polish and final glaze bodyrepair section is achieving profitability likewe have never seen before at StatusPanelbeaters,” concluded Martin.

LOCAL UPDATE

THE PROOF OF THEPOLISHING SYSTEMIS IN THE COSTING


WHAT’S HOT?

Status Panelbeaters in PortShepstone, KZN, operate one of thefinest repair centres in South Africa

Mar tin Steyn (left)says that there ismuch moreprofitability with thenew Presta polishingsystem.

By using one swirl removerand the Presta hand glaze,Ryan Matchett (left) fromBulldog Abrasives says thatthe overall cost per panel isonly R2.34 on average.

74


HURRICANE AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:43 AM Page 1

The vehicle safety requirements stipulated by institutes such as the New CarAssessment Programme (NCAP) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS) are becoming more and more stringent and the associated test proceduresmore complex. As a result, vehicle manufacturers such as Chrysler need to install

cutting-edge testing equipment in their own crash test facilities, allowing them to developproducts that meet the full range of requirements of vehicle testing authorities in the futureas well as build safer, more reliable cars.

For this reason, in spring 2013 the Group commissioned the company MessringSystembau GmbH based in Munich to comprehensively modernise and upgrade the centraltesting facility in Chelsea, Michigan, the world renowned Chelsea Proving Grounds (CPG).The testing grounds have a size of approximately 3 800 acres and the CPG were foundedin 1954. Messring is the world’s leading supplier of crash test facilities and their componentsand has already implemented more than 100 large-scale testing centres.

Chrysler ordered the cutting-edge MicroTrack system from Messring, including a drivesystem with electric motor, M=Light Led lamps, curb test equipment featuring a special sled,and two new film pits. First, the existing track system for accelerating test vehicles wasreplaced with the tried-and-tested MicroTrack system. The system offers a major benefit, theguide channel is much thinner than in conventional systems, allowing for many more detailsto be captured in vehicle crash video footage from below in the film pit, a key criteria forevaluating vehicle crashing behaviour. In older track systems, the wide guide channelsobstruct the most important details. Chrysler can operate the track system in two directionsusing the same guide channel, towards the impact block inside the hall and towards the outerarea of the facility.

The narrower, nearly zero-clearance system for guiding the new trolley also promotesbetter control of the test vehicle and higher precision in terms of speed and point of impact.The highly versatile MicroTrack can be installed with various lengths, ranging from a fewmetres (low speed systems such as RCAR tests) to several hundred metres, regardless ofwhether the track system is located in a hall or outside. System performance and precisionhave improved significantly thanks to the new drive system. Vehicles with a total weight of4.6 metric tons can now be accelerated at speeds of up to 120 km/h along the 220-metretrack.

In addition to a high-speed camera, you also need flawless illumination of the impact zonein order to efficiently document the exact moment of the actual crash. The formula forsuccess is relatively simple, plenty of light promotes high depth of focus and short exposuretimes and therefore greater detail for subsequent evaluation. More importantly, it’s easier toobserve deformation of the vehicle bodywork, which is important for testing engineers. Forthis reason, Chrysler opted for Messring’s M=M=Light Led lamps. This technology isrevolutionary in the crash test industry and was installed in the US for the first time, at acustomer’s site. The 46 Led lamps were all installed in the two film pits at the testing centre.The rear impact pit and the front pit at the impact block are both located inside the crashtest centre’s large-scale test hall in Michigan, which measures 43 x 26 metres, both protectedby a robust pane of Plexiglass.

SAFETY NEWS

CHRYSLER INSTALL CUTTINGEDGE TEST FACILITY


WHAT’S HOT?

Every component possible now undergoes extensive testing for both performance and reliability on the newMicrotrack system that Chrysler purchased from Messring. It is at the Chelsea testing grounds in Michigan.


Contact Suleman Tel (031) 902 7666

Introducing a new and improved formulation system withlocal and international formulas.

[email protected] www.automotivepaint.co.za

LIFETIME WARRANTYLIFETIME WARRANTY

YATU NEW AD M-J 2013_Layout 1 2013/07/15 12:50 PM Page 1

The affordable collision repair andmotor industry managementsoftware package from Dr Smashhas recently introduced a number

of progressive changes to cover newdevelopments in the industry. These includecustomer care and quote conversion toolsalong with around 20 other key areas ofcontrol that will affect any company’sprofitability performance.

John Banfield, CEO of Dr Smash says thatthe latest programme enhancements are theresult of over 20 years of constant upgradingto the Dr Smash package, with the SQLversion already in use with close to 100 oftheir top clients. “It’s proving to be verysuccessful in the body shop field because thenew software design is very user friendly

across the board. Things like workshoploading, financials, biometric time andattendance accountability for staff are takencare of.”

With the new office now fullyoperational for customer support inGauteng, Christine Boorman of Dr Smashsays that they are now able to offer greatly

improved back-up for the regional activity. Following on this, Dr Smash is due to

launch fully into the Zambian collision repairmarket in September this year with theinnovative SQL updates.

Call them on +27 (0)31 700 6498 if youneed more information.

LOCAL UPDATE

DR SMASH EXPANDTHE SYSTEM’S REACH



WHAT’S HOT?

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled thatsalvage and recycled OEM crash parts are not prohibited bythe state’s Automotive Crash Parts Act, the AutomotiveRecyclers Association (ARA) announced recently.

The act requires collision repair professionals to get an owner’ssignature before repairing a vehicle with replacement crash parts.However, the court found that the act was intended to cover onlysome replacement crash parts. In its ruling, the court said thataftermarket crash parts versus salvage or recycled OEM crash partsare “diametrically different” in terms of the statute. While adisclosure and vehicle owner signature will still be required foraftermarket crash parts, recycled OEM parts will not have the samerequirements.

"This ruling is a significant step forward for the professionalautomotive recycling industry and the increased utilization ofgenuine, recycled OEM parts," said Michael Wilson, ARA’s CEO."ARA applauds the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals forrecognising the value of recycled OEM parts to automotiveconsumers, collision repairers and insurance companies, and forsupporting the definite role professional automotive recyclers serve

in today's automotive marketplace."The ruling brings closure to a 2011 lawsuit in which the state of

West Virginia attorney general’s office filed a complaint and petitionfor injunction against Liberty Mutual and Greg Chandler's Frame &Body. The suit alleged the defendants violated the state'sAutomotive Crash Parts Act as well as the Consumer Credit andProtection Act by repairing new vehicles using salvage crash partswithout getting the vehicle owner's’ consent.

The court also considered whether the West Virginia ConsumerCredit and Protection Act had any application to the use ofsalvage/recycled OEM parts. In both parts, the court determined thatthe defendants did not violate the law.

The ARA has been involved with the case since 2012, when itwrote a letter to the state’s Attorney General in favour of recycledOEM parts, saying the “green” recycled OEM auto parts meet theperformance, safety, fit and durability standards of new parts. TheARA also called on the Attorney General’s office to help the peopleof West Virginia understand that recycled or salvage parts are “OEMparts, fully functional and in many cases identical to original parts."

COURT ISSUES RULING IN RECYCLED PARTS CASEUS NEWS

John Banfield and Christine Boorman from Dr Smash softwareare now upbeat about the company’s progress in body shopmanagement.


MIXPLAST ADS J-F 2014_Layout 1 2014/02/06 10:58 AM Page 1

STARTINGLINE GUN AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:48 AM Page 1

Apart from enhancing the quality of the panel work, 3M’srecently available range of abrasives, films and compounds,have revised production targets of automotive panel shopsacross South Africa. At one luxury vehicle brand’s panel

division, this change has enhanced production by over 300 %.3M’s automotive refurbishment range comprises of a variety of

products, each showcasing its own innovative technology – from theadvanced mineral composition of the Trizact™ discs to the products’simple, self-explanatory colour-coded schemata and standardoperating procedures. Whereas refinishing processes havetraditionally involved workers reacting to the specific refurbishingrequirement in front of them, 3M’s universal procedure approach hasstreamlined this process, eliminating the guesswork and trial-and-error nature that previously characterised this operation.

Optimum Solutions For Each Panel ShopThe abrasive 3M Purple Clean Sanding Discs and 3M Purple

Clean Sanding Rolls are lined with logarithmic spiral escape routes,which improve dust extraction by almost 90%. This has importantprocess-enhancing results: enduring far more wear, the abrasives lasttwo to three times longer than regular abrasive equipment,processing more panels with reduced changeover time. The real-time extraction of dust eliminates a major cause of deep scratches,pigtails, swirls and holograms on the panel surface – a primary reasonfor recalls.

The repair process starts with coarse grit abrasives, which arereplaced by progressively finer grits as required by the paint finishes.

The body shop uses the full range of 3M Purple Clean SandingDiscs and 3M Purple Clean Sanding Rolls. This stage of panelpreparation requires coarse abrasives, with the P80 and P180providing the principal solution. The abrasives are used to removedamaged paint from the metal, shape surface fillers and prepare thesurface for primer. The 3M Purple P80 discs have replaced thetraditional grinding disc, reducing wear on the aluminium skin panelsfor a better finish.

The paint shop has finer grit requirements in preparing the panelfor the topcoat application. The discs and rolls used here are theP320; the P500, used for normal colours; and the P800, used formetallic finishes. Blending requirements – to match panels – areachieved with the P1000 Trizact™ Disc.

The Perfect-It III paint rectification system is used in paintrectification shops. The 3M Purple Finishing Discs P1200 andTrizact™ P1500 discs are used to remove surface defects. The finishis then refined further using the 3M Trizact™ P3000. Additionalrefining, using the 3M Trizact™ P6000 reduces scratch depth tobetween 0.2 and 0.3 microns.

Vehicle polishing is a three step process: firstly, the 3M Perfect-ItIII Fast Cut Compound is applied, which removes scratches andrestores gloss. The 3M Perfect-It III Extra Fine Polish is then applied,deepening the gloss. The final application is the 3M Perfect-It IIIUltrafine Polish, which removes all residual swirl marks for theachievement of the showroom condition.

The masking process has also been enhanced for improvedproductivity, with the 3M Moisture Resistant film providing a precisepanel mask that has demonstrated increased resistance to thedevelopment of sub-surface water marks, a commonly-associatedissue of panel masking.

More and more automotive panel shops across South Africa arerealising the enhanced productivity affected by the 3M automotiverefurbishment range.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

3M’S AUTOMOTIVEABRASIVE ENHANCINGPRODUCTION TARGETS

PRODUCT PROFILE

With improved 50mm steel wall thickness, state-of-the-art colour matching fluorescent lighting andnew safety features in the stainless steel burnerand heat exchangers. The SA Star Spraybooth alsoincorporates both front and side doors for easyentry at a very competitive price. The sprayboothmeets and exceeds health and safety standards.

C O N T A C T H E N R Y B A S S O N0 8 2 8 5 7 5 7 7 2

N e w C o n t r o l P a n e l

T w i n D o o r A c c e s s

I m p r o v e d L i g h t i n gB u r n e r w i t ha u t o m a t i cf l a p c o n t r o l

S A L E S - S E R V I C E - F I L T R A T I O N

Z E N I T H E Q U I P M E N T I N T R O D U C E S T H E S A S T A R S P R A Y B O O T H

V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e w w w . z e n i t h e q u i p m e n t . c o . z a

SLASH COSTSWITH THE SA STAR

SPRAYBOOTH

SLASH COSTSWITH THE SA STAR

SPRAYBOOTH

THE SA STAR SPRAYBOOTH FROM ZENITH EQUIPMENT


82 R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

This 3 in 1 Kit consist of a steering wheelcover, floor mats and a seat cover which is easyto use. At 25 micron it can be used more thanonce.

Your ideal protection item to have, it protectsyour vehicle inside when going for panelbeatingand servicing.

For more information call +27 (0)83 2519442 or office +27(0)11 616 2870 or email themat [email protected] for more information.

VIRGIN PLASTICSCAR KITS

New to Bulldog Abrasives is the Sykes Pickavant range of body repair tools. The adjustable Body Blade Holder is justone of their many body repair products available.

This blade holder is suitable for forming and shaping fillers and metal during body repair work. It has a robustconstruction with a steel tension adjuster, a sole plate and a tough plastic handle. The Sykes body blade holder is veryversatile with a two-position handle for vertical or horizontal use.

It has a steel tension adjuster and base plate and is compatible with most flat profile 356mm body blades. The bodyblade holder is supplied with a standard flat cut 9tpi blade – 6.5tpi and 13tpi blades are also available (sold separately).

For more information on this product as well as the rest of the Skykes Pickavant range please contact the BulldogAbrasives sales team on +27 (0)11 786 5991, or on [email protected]. You can also download their catalogue,which is available on Bulldog Abrasives' website under the "Information Centre" tab: www.bulldogabrasives.co.za

BULLDOG ABRASIVESSYKES PICKAVANT BODY BLADE HOLDER

EN Rapid Filling Primer 4400 HS

High build primer offers the maximumfilling on rough surfaces and also works well asa wet-on-wet primer at reduced viscosity.The new primer speeds up the primerprocess with ultra fast through drying times. Itcan be flatted both wet or dry, in some casesafter just an hour or so, depending on theambient temperature. It also meets the latestcompliant low VOC levels. The 4400 newformula adds a dash of speed to any sprayshop in reduced process time.

IK PrimerThis high build single pack primer offers

the flexibility to work well on many substrateswith good adhesion levels and a high build.The surfacers are very flexible and it deliversgood scratch build qualities.

Call Auto Paint Centre on +27 (0)31 9027666.

ENEXPAND PRIMER OFFER

NEW PRODUCTS


83R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

DEVILBISSSTARTINGLINE GUN

This new formulation polyester body filler has been introduced tothe Egyptian refinish brand to ensure a top quality result when dentsand scuffs need a repair solution on galvanised or aluminium surfaces.It has excellent adhesion and offers perfect filling of pinholed surfaces.It has a pot life once catalysed, of some three to five minutes ofworkability time. It is fully dry after 30 to 40 minutes after curing witha special primer hardener.

For more information call Mix and Match on +27 (0)31 465 4511.

Startingline by DeVilbiss comes equipped with two set up options. The 1.3model offers busy professional spray painters a high efficiency option to givegreat layout on top coats, waterborne and solvent base coats and clears withthe high efficiency air cap design.

The larger 1.8 nozzle size is designed for use with high build primers for itoffers top levels of atomisation for the more viscous automotive refinishproducts at the body panel preparation stage of a repair. These set upapplications, says DeVilbiss, cover all conventional automotive and industrialpaints delivering a smooth flow and excellent pattern shape.

The Startingline’s lightweight and strong construction comes complete witha 550ml acetal gravity cup plus a paint filter, cleaning brush and spanner in thekit. All this comes at the best ever price from DeVilbiss. It’s designed to copefor the deserving spray painter who will value the DeVilbiss quality but wantsa great entry level price on the brands performance.

For more information please call BASF Coatings, Tony Carling on +27(0)21 930 3233 / Mark at Tunzi Automotive on +27 (0)11 867 7887 or visitwww.devilbissu.com for more information.

MIX AND MATCHMIDO GALVA STUCK FILLER

The Latico brand includes a range of basic tonersplus high performance clear and hardeners in the topcoat refinish line up and new formulations on highbuild primer.

It is known for its:l Competitive pricel Easy application, fast dry timesl Established, proven performance To find you nearest dealer please call Kapci on

+27 (0)11 834 1252 or visit www.kapci.com formore information on the Latico product range.

KAPCI COATINGSNEW LATICO BRAND


WHAT’S HOT? JOBS, EQUIPMENT, SERVICES AND MUCH MORE

All our products are durable and madefrom top quality manufactured materials.l Bonnet Standsl Windscreen Holdersl Swivel Standsl Bumper RacksTel: +27 (011)334 1008Stesamoo: +27 (0)83 247 8717Email: [email protected]

COMPETENT COMPANIONSManufacturer of Specialised Utility Equipment for the Motor Trade

All our products are durable and madefrom top quality manufactured materials. l Bonnet Standsl Windscreen Holdersl Swivel Standsl Bumper RacksTel: +27 (011)334 1008Stesamoo: +27 (0)83 247 8717Email: [email protected]

COMPETENT COMPANIONS

84

DENT PRO-PORTABLE DENT PULLER

Call us on 076 142 7263 or 082 452 6631

www.panelprotech.co .za

DON’ T FEELLEFT OUT?ADVERTISE ANDBUILD YOUR BRAND.The voice of the collision repair industryfor over 29 yearsCALL US +27 (0)11 949 4091EMAIL US [email protected]

The voice of the collision repair industryfor over 29 years

UTOMOTIVEA R E F I N I S H E R

DON’ T FEELLEFT OUT?ADVERTISE AND BUILD YOUR BRAND.


WHAT’S HOT? JOBS, EQUIPMENT, SERVICES AND MUCH MORE

Auto Industry Consulting provide technical information and consultancyto the global collision repair industry. Our subscription based websitewww.autoindustryinsider.com includes: l Vehicle Technology Review Videos l New model introductionsl Vehicle manufacturer connections l Technology trend overviewsl Vehicle engineering materials l In depth industry reportsl Industry news and more.Ezi-Methods; our vehicle repair methods solution: CRI Tech Reports; a monthly publication providing strategic and practicalindustry information.For further information on any of these products andservices please contact: [email protected] or by calling + 4 4 ( 0 ) 7 9 2 3 5 6 3 2 6 0

www.autoindustryinsider.com

We weld with over 20 years of experience.Repairs to aluminium, magnesiumcomponents, high strength steel, bronze,pewter, iron, titanium, copper and damagedsteel.

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Chasing the future is what got theboss to sit in the passenger seatwith his friend George. Theywere crossing through Germany

to get a trade show in Geneva. It all soundsfairly simplistic until you roll in George’sappetite for speed and the GermanAutobahn.

A few things compromised the actualdriving element, like George’s generalignorance for any road signs to reduce speedwhivh was quickly ignored, so missing apex’son corners and almost crashing into slowertrucks on the highway became the norm.Forget about enjoying the real world.Everything in the two-litre hire car wasunder extreme pressure as the bossenvisaged a big crash in which all the lightswould go out.

George’s comment that if the car brokedown that they could enjoy a free tow didlittle to calm down the rising tensionbetween them. Behind all this was the factthat George needed his eyes tested. Yes, hewas about as blind as a bat behind thesteering wheel.

So as evening loomed the bosssuggested, at his wits end, that they shouldstop off in the remote town of Doodingdonin Switzerland and pick up some urgently

needed spectacles from any availableoptometrist.

Basking in the serene civilisation of theSwiss countryside was once againinterrupted at sparrows, as George wantedto push on to buy his daughter a Swisswatch in Geneva. After another two-hourtrip at breakneck speed, and a further periodof a primitive scene of vulnerability from theboss, they arrived just 10 minutes after allthe shops closed on Saturday afternoon forthe weekend. It was just another giant wasteof time and effort.

Fortunately that just left them oneafternoon free after George’s mad dashacross Europe. For once there was peaceand quiet over a skinny latté at thepavement’s edge.

The next great idea, however, soon cameto George. “You know, I know a club wherethe women all look great and are friendly tostrangers. We will go there tonight.” After ageneral rest, off they went to find it butthere were two things he could not quiteremember – the address or the name of theclub.

So they were soon traipsing this way andthat trying to find the place. Fortunately aftera couple of hours they gave up and tooktime out to eat. After around five hours of

being lost in and around Geneva in the dark,“Club X” was discovered just two doorsaway from their hotel in the other directionfrom the front door.

In Switzerland for some reason theseemporiums feature curvaceous females whoare only allowed to talk to strangers. It’s astrictly no canoodling experience. Whendone at 2 am in the morning it’s all verystrange indeed.

Your hostess gets paid for the amount ofchampagne she sells at 60 Euro’s a bottle.She soon calmly tells you that her threeillegitimate children are in dire straits inFormosa and she is currently enduring theworst case of cystitis ever from drinkingthree bottles of French champagne daily.The social club is not quite what it seems,but looks ominously like a mafia inspired –and run – tourist trap.

It turns out that Georges’ hostess is aBosnian refugee with all sorts of problems.So after all that hostess soul searching, andwith a nod and a wink later, it was time tocall it a night.

As a world traveller, once again the truthdawns, just go to bed and rest up and don’tchase an impossible dream in a strangecountry – as it’s too expensive and it neverdelivers.

AFRICAN PANORAMA - CLUB X




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