Montreal, Quebec — January 18, 2016 — Ryan Cox has been declared the winner of the National Final of the Best of Belron. The competition tests competitors on customer service as well as repair and replacement of windshields and side glass. There is also a written component that tests general knowledge.
The competition took place at the Montreal Science Centre. Nearly 200 automotive industry representatives, suppliers and partners were in attendance to witness the skills and expertise in windshield repair and replacement of seven Canadian finalist glazier technicians.
Cox works as a technician at the Speedy Glass Service Centre in Vancouver. He will represent Canada in the international final, which brings together finalists from 29 countries on May 18 and 19, 2016 at the MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal.
“It means a lot to me to have been recognized as the best automotive technician for Belron Canada,” says Cox. “My colleagues and I are very fortunate to receive such a high level of training to perfect our skills. The competition was tight, but I’m very proud of the results and very excited to represent Canada at the international competition.” The jury and all the experts in attendance celebrated the professionalism of the participants and wished the best of luck to Ryan Cox, who will compete for the title of “Best Belron Technician in the World.”
Several activities involving new auto sector technologies took place in parallel with the competition. A seminar on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and the demonstration of ADAS camera calibration were held between the various competition challenges.
“ADAS systems work using cameras installed in the windshield and supporting the driver, for example, to help them park, notify them to brake to prevent a collision or maintain their trajectory and monitor blind spots. These cameras need to be calibrated when the windshield is replaced, and Belron Canada will offer this service in several service centres across Canada in 2016,” says Johan Mortier, Technical Director, Belron International. “By 2020, approximately one out of four cars in North America will be equipped with an advanced driver assistance system that will require calibration of the cameras. These new technologies generate important changes for safety, the environment and urban mobility, and that’s why Speedy Glass decided to offer this service.”
The impact of technology on the future of the car was also discussed by a panel that brought together experts Nicolas Saunier, Associate Professor at the Polytechnique Montreal, Soumaya Cherkaoui, Full Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Université de Sherbrooke, Gabriel Gélinas, automotive columnist, Johan Mortier, Technical Director at Belron International in the U.K. and Marc-Antoine Legault, ARION Program Manager at the Innovative Vehicle Institute (IVI).
