Page 10 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine September-October 2022

10
NEWS
PAINT&PANEL
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
2023 AND BEYOND
BRIEFS
AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS RECENTLY
hosted internationally acclaimed speak- er, Mike Anderson of Collision Advice USA, who presented a one-day face-to- face seminar on how to navigate the changing collision repair industry head- on. This ‘2023 and Beyond’ event was held on the Gold Coast on 21st August.
Anderson brought with him his exten- sive knowledge and experience from the US market, with a key focus on building effective teams using team cells. With a tight labour market, he shared tips on how to keep technicians focused on skilled
work to maximise productivity – along with anecdotes from his own experience as a shop owner.
Anderson also presented best practice around parts processes, recommending the use of parts carts for damaged and new parts, and parts tubs for parts stripped off the car to be replaced later. As part of the seminar, Anderson arranged to have Jake Rodenroth from Lucid Motors, an up-and-coming luxury electric vehicle manufacturer, to give insights into their platform and technology.
The seminar proved a great success.
UNERKOV EXITS MTA SA
AFTER MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS AT THE
helm, Paul Unerkov will retire as the CEO of MTA SA at the end of the year. Unerkov said that the industry organisa- tion was in a stronger position than ever.
“For me the timing is right and it has been an honour to support our members and industry as well as provide appren- tices with the opportunity to get their start in a rewarding career.
“After 30 years in the automotive in- dustry, I am looking forward to focus- sing on some exciting new plans and projects.”
MTA chair Frank Agostino said the board had unanimously endorsed the promotion of Darrell Jacobs, current General Manager of Automotive Skills Development: “Jacobs has two decades
of automotive experience and will pro- vide the MTA with a strong knowledge base and connection to industry.”
New CEO Jacobs said: “I am excited to be leading the MTA through the next phase of recovery from COVID-19 and the innovation revolution that is sweep- ing our industry.”
LEFT TO RIGHT: Darrell Jacobs, Frank Agostino and Paul Unerkov
NEW LEADERSHIP AT AUTO & GENERAL
Auto & General has
announced that it has
appointed Adam Crane,
formerly the head of ME
Bank, as its CEO of Insurance Australia from next month.
“Adam brings with him 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry and is the perfect addition to our fast growing Auto & General Insurance Australia business,” the company said on its LinkedIn page.
Crane was CFO at ME Bank before stepping into the CEO role. He worked at Suncorp between 2001 and 2013 joining as head of e-business and progressing to a number of roles.
EV REPAIRS COST MORE THAN ICE
New and early data results have revealed that electric vehicles may be more expensive for customers, in terms of collision repair, according to an article on US collision magazine site Fender Bender.
A recent study showed that the average EV model costs $4,041 to repair. This is based on insurance claims regarding non-luxury brand vehicles that were still drivable with front-end damage. The average cost for similar claims on mid-size luxury SUV EVs was $8,037.
To put these numbers in perspective, the non-luxury average is 27 percent higher than similar non-EV vehicles. The mid-size luxury average is 53 percent higher than a comparable non-EV repair.Some factors that add to high repair costs can include: the expense of replacing ADAS features, a lengthier repair process due to the learning curve of new EV tools and features, the heft of EV battery packs causing a greater collision force, and a lengthier spray-painting process for EV due to having to remove the battery pack before painting can occur.