Toronto, Ontario — KECO Body Repair’s Glue Pull Repair (GPR) technology will be used in SkillsUSA Automotive Refinishing Technology competitions via a contribution announced by KECO last week.
According to a recent press release, KECO’s journey with SkillsUSA began in 2020, driven by “a vision to incorporate GPR into the national competition. This vision took a major step forward in April 2023, when KECO collaborated closely with SkillsUSA to plan the inaugural competition featuring GPR.”
The press release further noted that “by June 2023, KECO’s commitment and support helped facilitate SkillsUSA officially announcing how GPR would be included in the 2024 competition. In the following months, KECO collaborated closely with SkillsUSA to plan the inaugural competition featuring GPR.”
Then, in May 2024, KECO donated nine GPR systems, valued at approximately $30,000, to SkillsUSA. More recently, in June 2024, Chris White and Matt Moore from KECO attended the national SkillsUSA event at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
The GPR competition was executed on a pass/fail basis, with participants attempting to repair a specific dent using GPR technology.
“We are thrilled to see the enthusiasm and interest in GPR from students across the country,” said Chris White. “Our goal has always been to advance the industry by empowering the next generation of automotive refinishing professionals with cutting-edge technology.”
The press release concluded that “looking ahead, GPR will evolve into a scored competition at the national event in 2025. Moreover, KECO will continue its collaboration with SkillsUSA leaders Jerry Goodson and Jason Nartenan to develop rules and a scoring system reflecting the skill and precision required in GPR repairs.
