The bright lights of 2021
BY ALLISON ROGERS
The outset of 2021 undoubtedly feels different than any other calendar flip we’ve ever experienced.
We could go on and on about the pandemicrelated challenges we could continue to face before vaccinations roll out nationwide In early December, Mitchell International unveiled its fourth-quarter trends report detailing upcoming trends collision repairers should be aware of in 2021.
Topping Mitchell’s list is a significant sway toward personal vehicle ownership over shared mobility options as the public’s faith in public transit continues to dwindle. Also on the list: the anticipated rise of electric vehicles, the increased prevalence of collison repair diagnostics and, perhaps most notably, an increased focus on glass. Once considered a niche segment of the collision repair industry, glass is rapidly becoming a core component of proper, safe vehicle repair. According to Mitchell’s own glass estimate data, the average number of labor hours categorized as glass has increased by just over 27 percent since 2018.
Cue Frank Terlep’s July 2020 industry prediction, when the self-proclaimed industry disruptor said he anticipated a whole new kind of collision centre entering the market. “I believe we’ll soon begin to see this new type of business pop up—calibration centres,” Terlep told the audience of Dave Luehr’s Elite Bodyshop webinar.
Pair Terlep’s prediction with Mitchell’s trend report data and it appears calibration centres could be the next new business in the market and form the conclusion that glass repairs, and their associated services could soon be an integral part of the most successful collision repair businesses.
According to recent data from automakers, 92.7 percent of new vehicles sold today offer at least one piece of advanced driver assistance system capabilities. Pair that with adasThink’s 2020 report that nearly 90 percent of Canadian bodyshops were missing steps on ADAS calibrations and the evidence is critical. You will need to offer these services—as well as prove your capabilities to complete ADAS calibrations correctly—to survive the future of Canada’s collision repair industry, whether it be in-house or through an ADAS calibration centre.
In July 2020, John Marlowe and Giuliano Bernabei launched Level5Drive, a business-tobusiness ADAS calibration service. During an August conversation with the pair, they agreed with Terlep’s statement, saying it is absolutely integral for modern collision repair centres to offer calibration as soon as possible. So, despite the slow start to 2021, there is much to be hopeful for. If there’s one benefit to the lockdowns once again blanketing the nation, it’s the opportunity to take advantage of your downtime. There are new courses popping up every day and phone lines haven’t died—call your collision repair comrades, create a game plam and make 2021 the year you came out on top.
Happy New Year to all, from your friends at Collision Repair magazine.
