By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario – October 5, 2018 – The OEM certification trend is arguably at a tipping point. With companies such as General Motors preparing to move forward with a network of company approved bodyshops and actively referring customers to them through OnStar, other big automakers are now entertaining the same kind of ideas. This could result in direct repair programs losing some referral business, and the existence of both OEM and insurer networks could make it extremely difficult for a shop that is unaffiliated with either to compete.
At this year’s SEMA, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) have announced that GM, Mercedes, Nissan and Volvo will be hosting an all day panel event on Thursday, November 1 entitled, OEM Summit Certifications Forum, which will examine anything that could be considered a game-changing trend in automaker collision repair certifications.
This OEM Summit gives auto body repairers a chance to connect with automakers and other companies whose technology affect their industry. According to SCRS, each of the three sessions are “uniquely designed to host discussion between companies and individuals who are able to highlight emerging trends that influence vehicle repairability and collision industry preparation.”
The session will feature General Motors customer care and after sales collision manager John Eck, Volvo certified collision program manager Kenneth Park, Mercedes collision business manager Ben Cid and Nissan collision network growth and strategy manager Mark Zoba.
The event is part of SCRS annual OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit and will be moderated by Assured Performance technical compliance vice president Aaron Clark and will run all day.
