Hamilton, Ontario — August 18, 2017 — CARSTAR North America has announced it will consolidate its R&D programs into one North American R&D Center, in an effort to pilot programs, repair processes and service offerings for the more than 500 locations across the continent.
The newly designated CARSTAR North America facility will be located in Kanata, Ontario. According to a statement from CARSTAR, the facility offers state-of-the-art equipment for advanced vehicle repairs and will serve to test prototype equipment and repair processes, often in conjunction with equipment and product manufacturers. The R&D team will also pilot CARSTAR standard operating procedures at the facility to ensure consistent standards throughout the network. In addition, the CARSTAR R&D Center will serves as a training facility for CARSTAR franchisees from across North America.
“As we have closer alignment in our US and Canadian operations, policies and procedures, it makes sense to consolidate our R&D process in one location and expand our platform for developing the services, repair standard and solutions we offer our customers and insurance partners,” said Michael Macaluso, President of CARSTAR North America. “We are already seeing strong benefits as we evaluate new products and programs for the remainder of 2017 and beyond.”
As part of this initiative, the former CARSTAR Metcalf R&D facility location in Stilwell, Kansas, has become a franchise location. The store is owned and operated by Steve Hahn, who previously served on the CARSTAR corporate field service team.
“We are proud to have Steve Hahn, with his 20 years of expertise in the automotive repair industry and long experience as a member of the CARSTAR Operations team, become a franchisee in the CARSTAR network,” said Macaluso. “He brings a unique blend of industry experience and deep understanding of the CARSTAR model that will drive his success with this location.”
For more information, please visit carstar.ca.
