By Alex Dugas
Chicago, Illinois — July 27, 2017 — The floor at NACE Automechanika 2017 is filled with excitement as stakeholders from across the industry gather to discuss the present and future of the collision repair industry. Among the many events, the MSO Symposium stands out as one of the most important gatherings of thought leaders and key influencers.
The MSO Symposium has consistently been one of the biggest draws at NACE since the event premiered at the 2011 show in Orlando, Florida. This year’s MSO Symposium is co-located with NACE Automechanika, taking place July 26 to 29 at McCormick Place West in Chicago, Illinois. Collision Repair magazine is the exclusive Canadian media partner for NACE Automechanika.
The 6th annual MSO Symposium took place on July 26, 2017. The event opened with a private lunch sponsored by AkzoNobel, during which Susanna Gotsch of CCC Information Services gave a retrospective look at the industry’s most recent year.
Next, attendees were invited into the ballroom where the bulk of presentations and panels took place. Vincent J. Romans of the Romans Group kicked off the main portion of the event with an industry update. Romans touched on many significant aspects of the industry and discussed topics such as consolidation and convergence.
The Insurer Panel followed, moderated by Marcy Tieger, Managing Director for Symphony Advisors. The panel addressed the developing gap in viewpoints between car manufacturers and insurers as recommended repair procedures, vehicle scanning, onboard telematics and repairability increasingly take centre stage. The panelists were Chris Andreoli from Progressive, Russ Hoffbauer from State Farm, Sandee Lindorfer from Allstate and Kyle Thompson from USAA.
Tieger also served as the moderator for the manufacturer’s panel, which provided the perspective from the standpoint of participating OEMs.
Following was the MSO Panel, moderated by John Walcher from Veritas Advisors. This panel addressed the challenges facing MSOs including technology, scan tools, equipment, supplier consolidation and staffing.
A second MSO Panel followed and addressed OEM certification and training, with leadership representing small, midsize and large MSOs.
Finally, the Legislation and Regulation panel, led by Bob Redding of ASA Washington, discussed how the current Presidential administration will affect business for the collision repair industry and insurers and what legislation will have the greatest impact on business.
Watch for more reports from NACE Automechanika 2017, only from Collision Repair magazine!
