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ASA Board of Directors Chairman Darrell Amberson, AAM Chairman-Elect Donny Seyfer, AAM Secretary/Treasurer Roy Schnepper, AAM Immediate Past Chairman Ron Nagy, AAM General Director Bill Moss, AAM General Director Gary Keyes, AAM Collision Division Director Dan Stander, AAM Mechanical Division Director Bob Wills, AAM ASA President/Executive Director Dan Risley [email protected] (817) 514-2912 Affiliate Associations ASA-Arizona ASA-Colorado ASA-Connecticut ASA-Georgia ASA-Illinois ASA-Indiana/Evansville ASA-Michigan ASA-Midwest ASA-New Mexico-Central ASA-New Orleans ASA-Northwest ASA-Ohio ASA-PA ASA-Rhode Island ASA-Texas Collision Operations Committee Division Director Dan Stander, AAM Assistant Division Director Scott Benavidez Tommy Clayton April Hernandez, AAM Mike LeVasseur Steve Tomaszewski Recent activities of the ASA Collision Division Operations Committee ... ASA Annual Meeting & Lobby Day • Did you know the ASA Annual Meeting & Lobby Day is just around the corner? Whether you are a collision or mechanical member, we want you there! Mark your calendar for April 20-22 at the Westin Crystal City in Arlington, Va. This is a great opportu- nity to meet with other ASA members, staff and leadership. Monday evening is the ASA Welcome Party. The ASA Collision Division and Mechanical Divisions will be meeting this day. Tuesday, the ASA Affiliate Directors will meet. In addition, the ASA Annual Meeting will take place. Wednesday is “Lobby Day” and the Capitol Hill Reception. “Lobby Day” is truly one of my favorite events! Having partici- pated in the past, I can tell you it’s a great opportunity to under- stand our legislative process better. Click here for the Annual Meeting Registration Form. For more information, contact David Lowell at ASA at (817) 514- 2911 or [email protected]. You can fly into Washington Reagan (DCA), and the Westin Crystal City provides a complimen- tary shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Collision Division Mission Statement • To elevate the professionalism of the automotive service and repair industry by providing ASA members and industry allies with information and services that will benefit the collision repair industry and the motoring public. Collision Division: AudaExplore – a Solera company – Blend within a Panel/Zone Refinish. • For as long as I can remember, the industry has been asking the Big 3 IPs (AudaExplore – A Solera Company, CCC and Mitchell International) to release time study information regard- ing how their refinish times are calculated. This is largely due to arbitrary paint labor and material reductions as seen on insur- ance estimates across the county. This is equally a challenge for DRP and non-DRP shops. ASA requested refinish time study information again from the three information providers, wanting to work together to resolve a large industry issue. AudaExplore is the only provider to respond to date. Below are Auda Explore’s Refinish descriptions and percentages: • 19.1% - Administrative tasks (review of job, vehicle and parts handling, gathering materials, booth operations, move and deliver vehicle) • 43.6% - Prep (sanding, pre-cleaning, masking, cover car, protect from overspray) • 6.6% - Mix (paint, one tint, primers, clear) • 8.6% - Application (primer, color, clear) • 5.9% - Flash (primer, color, clear) • 16.1% - Final steps/cleanup. This is very valuable information for estimators and apprais- ers when it comes to negotiating. The letter also said, “These variations resulted in study values that ranged from 25% to 267% of the cost of a full panel refinish.” Example: If a panel is estimated at 3.0 units of refinish labor, 8.6% or .3 units of labor (or .258 to be exact) are for the sealer primer, color and clear coat. This is powerful information. I would also like to thank Rick Tuuri for this information that will help educate repairers and insurers on what it takes to properly refinish a panel. Please click here for a copy of the AudaExplore letter. State Farm and Prime & Block? • Could it be? Have you recently seen a State Farm insurance company written estimate? From various regions across the county I have, seen State Farm estimates that include a separate line for “Prime and Block.” Some have included materials and others have not. We are reaching out to State Farm for more information. I will thank State Farm for leading the way on the industry issue of “Prime and Block.” Low Hanging Fruit? – ASA Marketplace Benefits and Savings • Are you taking advantage of your membership benefits? Are you saving money with these member benefits? The ASA staff and volunteer leadership spend a fair amount of time trying to get you some great deals and keep money in your pocket. Here are a few I use and save on: • Sprint Wireless Services – Our company switched to Sprint wireless approximately three years ago because of ASA. With ASA’s 19% discount, our bill has dropped by almost 40%, compared to our previous provider. • Ignite Credit Card Processing / First Data – How can you really tell which merchant is going to save you money? They all sing the same song of confusion. ASA has helped solve this problem. Our company thought we had a good deal, until we let Ignite Credit Card Processing/First Data take a look. They saved our shop almost 50% on our credit card processing fees. • Grainger – Discounts up to 24% and fast, free shipping. I normally see products I order within one to two business days. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions in regard to these benefits. Closing Comments from Dan Stander • This will be my last meeting as the ASA Collision Division Director. I will be handing the gavel to a new leader at the ASA Annual Board meeting, just as the gavel was handed to me. I am excited for the new leader, new team members and most importantly, their new ideas. I would like to be the first to welcome them to the ASA family. • I am very thankful for the period you have let me serve the association in this capacity. Through time volunteering, the meetings, the education, the lessons learned and the friends across the nation I have made, I am a better person and I am grateful. Please consider volunteering your time and efforts. It will only make you, your company and your industry better! Automotive Service Association® 8209 Mid Cities Blvd. North Richland Hills, Texas 76182 817.514.2900 • Fax 817.514.0770 [email protected] • www.ASAshop.org You keep them going. We keep you going. Automotive Service Association ® COLLISION OPS NEWS January/February 2015 A bimonthly news update from ASA’s Collision Division. Howard Pitkow Photography
