Today, with times being as tough a go as they are, we in the collision repair industry must learn to change our ways. How can we accomplish such a task? By looking closely at how we are running our business.

We need to consider implementing lean manufacturing in the collision world. What exactly is lean manufacturing in our world? It isn’t just a method of improving efficiency. It is a unified philosophy/ system for improving productivity and product quality. This system has been designed to

We’ve been putting up with some dust, noise and inconvenience in the past several months as builders put the finishing touches on some major renovations in most of the Manitoba Public Insurance claim centres.

We know it’s going to be worth it, however, especially for the close to 770,000 drivers in the province who rely on the public auto insurer. When the paint dries,We’ll be opening the doors on 17 new and improved Service Centres. Customers will soon be able to take care of multiple dea

I recently had the privilege to meet and have dinner with Doug Bychyk, owner/operator of DOUG’s PLACE in Edmonton, AB. If you don’t know Doug or have never heard of him, check out his web site at dougsplace.com and watch his commercials. You will quickly see that Doug tells it like it is. You will also see that he has a quirky sense of humour that is just too cool for words.

The interesting thing is that a lot of people in the industry think of Doug Bychyk as something of a renegade.

He is

The Linden Fund’s 4th Annual Gala event took place Friday, September 26 at Bellvue Manor in Vaughan, ON. The Linden Fund raises money to fund health needs through the purchase of specialized medical equipment as well as providing items of comfort and convenience to assist in the mental, physical and emotional development of the infants and their families of the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit across Canada. Founded by Lauren Pezzullo, the charity has become a favourite of the collision

The future of I-CAR training in Canada was the main topic at the I-CAR Canada Annual General Meeting held in Montreal , QC. Darryl Simmons, publisher of Collision Repair magazine, spoke with John Edelen, president and CEO of I-CAR about what lies ahead for I-CAR in Canada.

Darryl Simmons: Can you give some background
on I-CAR’s Industry “Town Hall” meeting?

John Edelen: Roughly a year ago, at the direction of I-CAR’s Board of Directors, a Task Force was created under the leadership

Collision Solutions Network’s (CSN) annual conference focused on the network’s desire to achieve new heights through its theme “Elevation.”

The conference spanned over three days, September 18, 19 and 20. With over 200 industry stakeholders in attendance, the conference included a day of golf, a welcome reception and dinner, and a number of high profile guest speakers including: George McCarter, Pearson Dunn Insurance;

Aftermarket parts were the central focus of a recent event organized by Collision Repair magazine. The full day event brought together insurers, suppliers and repairers on a chartered bus to discuss aftermarket issues, such as ISO certification and the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA), an organization that exists to provide collision repair professionals, insurers, and consumers a reliable method of determining the quality of crash parts. Information on CAPA can be found online at c

The 11th Annual CARSTAR Industry Conference took place at the Delta Centre-Ville Hotel in Montreal, QC.

Dave Lush, chief operating Officer of CARSTAR Automotive Canada, opened the conference by discussing the evolution of the industry. He highlighted the strategies, tactics, and business plans in place to ensure CARSTAR has continued success.

Alot of people are thinking of implementing lean processes in their shops. A number of shops have done it already and found  success with the model, so it probably won’t be long before everyone’s doing    it. For a repairer’s perspective on this, check out Point Blank with Piercey on page 14 of this issue.
If you don’t know how lean works, it’s actually pretty simple, at least in theory. This doesn’t mean putting it into practice is easy, but at least there is a road map for what