Page 8 - Australasian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2018

NEWS
IN BRIEF
QBE GETS HEAVY
QBE Insurance Australia (QBE) has launched its first Heavy Vehicle Repairer Network, providing its customers access to end-to-end heavy vehicle repairs from accredited specialist providers across Australia.
The establishment of the dedicated network is part of an ongoing strategic review of QBE’s motor claims division which has also seen the insurer relaunch its Accredited Smash Repair (ASR) Network and establish a Hail Repairer Network.
QBE Executive General Manager Claims, Jon Fox, said QBE had partnered with businesses who share its commitment to delivering excellent customer service and the network would mean faster repair cycle times and guaranteed quality repairs.
RECORD WEBSITE VISITORS
Paint & Panel had its busiest month in the history of the website in August with 12,663 unique visitors, beating former records by over 1000 visitors. It was a busy news month and the top three stories that everyone was reading were:
1 Suncorp to sell Capital SMART?
2 IAG in partner trials to improve
quality and customer experience
3 The state winners of the 2018 Paint
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INDUSTRY WINS
MTA NSW’S CEO, Stavros Yallouridis, has signalled a number of significant wins for the automotive dealer and repairer businesses after the NSW Government’s announcement on 7 October of a number of reforms under their Better Business Reforms package, including the reintroduction of restricted licences, which will assist small businesses.
“Since the introduction of the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2014, MTA NSW has been working closely with its members and NSW Fair Trading to try and resolve issues that have arisen from the Act,” Yallouridis said.
“The Association has been able to bring to the attention of The Hon. Matt
Kean, Minister
for Innovation
and Better
Regulation,
serious issues that
have affected the industry,
such as restricted licensing, the Uncollected Goods Act, location restrictions for motor dealers, and the inability to road test a tow truck after servicing,” said Gary O’Sullivan, MTA NSW’s divisional manager.
The reforms include: Reintroduction of restricted licensinG; The ability to road test a tow truck after servicing; and the Modernisation of the Uncollected Goods Act.
8 PAINT&PANEL November / December 2018
AXALTA EUROPE TOUR
AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS recently concluded its 'European Excursion' that saw a large group of customers and distributors visit several automotive landmarks throughout Germany, including Automechanika Frankfurt.
The tour, in early September, provided the opportunity for customers to broaden their knowledge on the most advanced repair techniques, view the latest industry-related products on offer, as well as networking with like-minded repairers.
One of the highlights of the week was an exclusive I-CAR training session on carbon fibre repair. The training provided a better understanding and a more informed perspective on the technology used in prestige vehicles and the impact on the
repair process. This session was a forerunner to the OE factory tours at Mercedes-Benz and Porsche in Stuttgart and BMW in Munich.
“Our European excursion provided a good opportunity for our customers to mix work and pleasure,” Paul Wake, Axalta’s Sales Director and host of the tour said.
“There was great interaction between customers from all around Australia and New Zealand, each comparing notes on different aspects of running an auto repair facility.”
Automechanika Frankfurt 2018, the leading international trade fair for the automotive aftermarket, proved to be a big hit for seeking out new technology and the latest in product launches. Axalta’s partners – Finixa and Sagola – were both exhibiting and presented their latest offerings to the group.
Axalta’s “Win a trip to Germany” competition prize winners Franco Missaglia from Stylefinish AutoBody in Victoria and Craig Hall from Craig Hall Bodyworks in the ACT, were both fortunate enough to win a spot on the tour.
“The tour was so professionally organised that I didn’t need to worry about a thing. Having a local chaperone was great, we got to learn so much about the real Germany,” said Missaglia. “I am so grateful to Axalta for hosting this.”
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