Page 26 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2019

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News • In Focus
PAINT&PANEL SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
LEFT: Panel discussion, delegates could put questions to the panel too.
BELOW LEFT: Repairers on the panel from left: Mike Killen, Killen’s Smash Repairs, Carly Ruggeri, Euro Panels, Andrea McCarthy, McCarthy Panel Works.
BELOW: Mike Anderson from CollisionAdvice was a highly enganging speaker whose presentation inspired many delegates.
included two Australian collision repair business owners, I-CAR board member Andrea McCarthy from McCarthy’s Body Works and VACC Body Repair Di- vision Executive Committee Member Carly Ruggieri from Europanels, with both resonating well among the dele- gates. One of the few regional area based collision repairers to be Green Belt 6 Sig- ma PPG Qualified, I-Car Gold Class, Holden and Subaru Certified (Killen Smash Repairs) was also represented by managing director Mike Killen.
GM Holden Collision Product Man- ager, Damian Cahill, also chose this inaugural industry event to personally present McCarthy’s Body Works with their GM Holden Certified Panel Re- pairer Plaque, forming a surprise con- clusion to McCarthy’s presentation. As Andrea and her husband Craig are proud Capricorn Members, this was a memorable moment that showcased yet another Capricorn member receiv- ing an OEM badge.
The conference sponsors who made this highly successful inaugural event
possible were also given the opportu- nity to display and discuss their prod- uctsandservicesinformallyduringthe morning, lunch and afternoon breaks.
Capricorn Futures Collide Collision Repair Conference major sponsors, Hel- la Gutmann Solutions, Hyundai Genu- ine Parts and Lowbake also made con- cise, sharp and informative presentations during the event.
An informal and highly enjoyable cocktail event concluded the official conference proceedings, providing the conference delegates, sponsors and presenters with the opportunity to so- cialise and network with like-minded industry identities.
According to Capricorn National Panel Manager Rob Mildenhall, the success of this inaugural Collision Re- pair Conference is a direct reflection of the industry’s dedication and com- mitment to constant improvement and development.
“The success of our inaugural Capri- corn Futures Collide Collision Repair Conference paves the way for Australa-
sia’s largest automotive parts co-opera- tive to take the lead in ensuring a strong- er technical, training and product support presence for collision repairers based in Australia and New Zealand,” Mildenhall said.
“More than 1,800 panel and paint workshops have joined the Capricorn cooperative, which represents approxi- mately 50% of the entire collision re- pair industry in Australia and New Zealand. This means Capricorn is well placed to represent the interest of re- pairers and can be relied on to facili- tate more collision repair industry spe- cific events in the future which will be open to both Capricorn Members and non-members.
“I’d like to thank all of our presenters and sponsors who believed in the poten- tial of this collision repair specific event and worked closely with us to ensure its success,” he said.
To find out more about the benefits of joining Capricorn, visit www.capricorn.coop