Collision Management-June-2014-Full Magazine Article

PM40014105
Jim Curry
Western Region
Strategic Account Manager
Axalta
Benoît Goulet
Eastern Region
Axalta
Venessa Di Vito
Central Region
Axalta
Alain Loignon
FIX Auto Account Manager
Axalta
Patrice Marcil
Axalta Business Services Manager
Axalta
Today’s magazine for collision and insurance professionals
Vol.5 | No 2 | June 2014

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Guest Editors
JUNE 2014
6 Industry news
8 Coming together
One Brand
by Steve Leal
10 Larry Jefferies – CCIF Chairman
A Veteran at the Wheel
12 CCIF
The Power of Working Together
by Leanne Jefferies
14 axalta business services
Guiding Shops to Succeed
16 I-CAR
Bilingual Training: Leave No One Behind
by Andrew Shepherd
17 Collision Repair Trends
Some Numbers to Ponder
18 Audatex Canada
The Problem Solver
19 Audatex Canada
Tracking Success
20 ARC
Our Association Grew Alongside
Technology
by Steve Fletcher
21 OARA
In the Works
22 Betty Hornick
Always Learning Something New
by Laura Greening
23 CANATICS
A Powerful Tool Against Fraud
by Ben Kosic
24 New Legislation
Are you still KING of the CASL?
by Tim Srigley
25 It’s all in the metrics - Part II
Using budgets to monitor your
business activity
by Tony Tartaglia
26 Top Goal
New Global Automakers of Canada
Committee Focuses on Collision
28 Less is more
Be shining inspiration,
not the grinding perspiration
by Rémy L. Rousseau
29 Annual Scholarship Program
WIN Drives Young Careers Forward
by Marissa Caruso
Marissa Caruso
Marissa Caruso is the Public Relations Manager for Central Collision
Center, a six-location auto body business in the Chicago market. With
degrees from Marquette University, she strategically communicates
the company’s message to its various publics through digital and
traditional methods.
Steve Fletcher
Steve Fletcher is the Managing Director of the Automotive Recyclers
of Canada and the Executive Director of the Ontario Automotive
Recyclers Association.
Laura Greening
Laura Greening is the Senior Property Casualty Underwriter for the
Sovereign General Insurance Company in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is
also the President of the Canadian Association of Insurance Women
(CAIW) and has been working in the insurance industry since 1989.
Leanne Jefferies
Leanne Jefferies is Director of Collision Programs, AIA Canada and
Director, CCIF Skills Program. With 18 years experience in the indus-
try, she works with stakeholders across Canada to collaborate and
develop solutions to create a better future for the Industry.
Ben Kosic
President CEO of CANATICS, Ben Kosic, has over 20 years of manage-
ment and information technology consulting experience as well as
an enviable track record of driving growth and delivery excellence.
Mr. Kosic is a Professional Engineer and a Certified Management
Consultant.
Steve Leal
Steve Leal purchased his first business — a collision centre in Cambridge,
Ontario, in 2004 and joined the Fix Auto organization as a strategic partner
for the Cambridge market in 2006. He is now the president of the Fix Auto
Canada Network.
Andrew Shepherd
Andrew has worked in training and human resource development
for over 25 years. In government and industry, he has developed
innovative approaches to apprenticeship, distance learning and, most
recently in the construction sector, adult training and certification.
Tim Srigley
Tim Srigley is the Business Solutions Group Director at JAN Kelley
Marketing, has been involved in sales, marketing, training and go-to-
market consultation in the transportation and collision repair industry
for over 30 years.
Tony Tartaglia
Tony has over 30 years of experience providing assurance and advis-
ory services to private and public companies in the consumer busi-
ness, real estate, manufacturing, and financial services industries.
Collision Management | June 2014 | autosphere.ca 3

O
ur industry is changing rapidly.
Much faster than some might
like, and in more ways than
some might be comfortable with. But
like it or not, we’re evolving and grow-
ing, and that’s a good thing.
One of the most significant changes is
the way companies are working togeth-
er. Some OEs, for example, have shown
a real interest in working with our indus-
try’s movers and shakers for the better-
ment of all. They want to make sure that
those responsible for vehicle repair have
the right information on repair proced-
ures, the right equipment and the right
parts to do the job right.
Some insurers are also embracing
change, as they explore ways to create
a more efficient and effective workflow
for everyone involved in the repair cycle.
Innovations and solutions
This issue of Collision Management is
packed with information about new ideas
and initiatives, further proof that the in-
dustry is changing... and for the better.
For instance, we’ve got a great article on
initiatives in Ontario to reduce insurance
fraud. The solution you’ll read about
relies partly on technology and partly on
the cooperation of those in the industry.
What a great example of how we can
harness the power of technology and
work together in order to solve a com-
mon problem.
I’m sure you’ll also be intrigued by our
interview with Global Automakers of
Canada (GAC) President, David Adams.
He speaks about change as well. In par-
ticular, he explains how in the past, the
collision industry operated in ‘isolated
silos’ and how now, GAC’s mandate is
to “Facilitate the cooperation and dis-
cussion necessary to ensure that when
collisions occur, consumers get their
vehicles repaired quickly and to manu-
facturers’ specifications.” Another great
example of how our industry is pro-
gressing and moving ahead.
Allow me to encourage you to embrace
change in our industry, understand why
it’s happening and finally, harness its
power. Positive change translates into
improved efficiencies, which leads to
increased profitability. It will also allow
you to adopt a stronger stance versus
your competition as well as allowing you
to thrive in today’s competitive market.
Change is good... if it’s managed proper-
ly. It can play in your favour and put you
in the lead, ahead of the competition. So
take advantage of change - lead the way!
Isabelle Courteau
Publisher
isabelle.courteau@autosphere.ca
IsabelleCourteau
Change is
in the Air
Can you feel it? Will you embrace it?
President Jean-Luc Rousseau
Publisher Isabelle Courteau
Founder Rémy Rousseau
Contributing Editors
Shirley Brown, Michael Goetz, Jack Kazmierski,
Jil McIntosh, John Morris and Heather Rose
Photographer Bianca Diorio
Production Coordinator Nancy Fradette
Graphic Designer Erik Borrelli
Printed by SOLISCO
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Accounting Esther Twells
Circulation Manager Nancy Belleville
Administrative Assistant Françoise Poynee
Vice President Sales & Marketing Luc Champagne
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514 289-0888 # 223 | julie.auger@autosphere.ca
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Collision Management Magazine is dedicated to serving
the business interests and facilitating communications
between the collision and insurance industries. It is
published 5 times a year by Rousseau Communication, a
member of of AIA Canada and sponsor of CCIF. Material in
Collision Management may be reproduced, provided
the publisher is advised and proper credit is given.
The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising
and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statements
made by its advertisers or independent columnists.
All facts, opinions and statements appearing within this
publication are those of the writers and editors them-
selves, and are in no way to be construed as statements,
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editorial
4 Collision Management | June 2014 | autosphere.ca

At CARSTAR, we are proud to qualify as
oneofCanada’sBestManagedCompanies
for three years running.
We would like to extend our sincere
appreciationtoouroutstandingfranchise
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Over 200 locations in 10 provinces
www.carstar.ca

Industry news
Audatex Canada Takes Vancouver by Storm
Audatex Canada, organizers of AudaVision Van-
couver 2014 made quite the splash on the west
coast. Their May 23rd
event tackled a variety of
timely subjects, including telematics. It proved
quite the eye-opener for all in attendance, with
many claims representatives from leading in-
surers, as well as business leaders from colli-
sion repair organizations.
Anthony Giagnacovo delivered the opening
remarks, welcoming attendees to the event
and introducing the first speaker of the day,
Michel Laurin, President and COO of Indus-
trial Alliance.
“I very much welcomed the oppor-
tunity to share our unique vision of
connecting insurance, technology
and social responsibility with the
audience at AudaVision Vancouver,”
Laurin said. “Our Mobiliz program
clearly demonstrates the ability of
technology to transform insurance
strategy and operations when imple-
mented with strong customer focus.
Strategic partners like Baseline tele-
matics and Audatex Canada under-
stand this approach and we look for-
ward to future innovations.”
The Q2 2014 Mitchell Industry Trends Report Now Available
In the wake of one of the most bitter winters
in North American in recent times, Greg
Horn, Mitchell’s Vice President of Industry
Relations, led off the company’s Industry
Trends Live interactive webinar —Q2 2014
quarterly update— with a look at key sever-
ity trends. For this edition of the update, the
company has added Canadian data, making
the discussion even more meaningful for
operators north of the border.
First, a look at trends in Canadian collision
severity…while the number of collisions
may have increased, the average repair for
Q1 2014 at $3,408 was only $11 more than
in the same period of 2013. Noticeable was
the average actual cash value (ACV) of the
vehicles, down $200 from Q1 2013. This
reflects a reduced value in used vehicles
resulting from strong new car sales.
In Canada, the number of parts per repair
remains relatively higher (8.6) than in the
US (5.4). As of Q1 2014, the number of OEM
parts at 6.68 is higher than in the US (3.91)
while the proportion of aftermarket parts
continues to grow, as it does south of the
border. At the same time, the value of paint
and materials has risen 54 cents to $34.56,
while in the US, paint and materials has
remained essentially constant for years.
Nonetheless this amount
representing a
smaller propor-
tion (8.51%) of the
repair since the
average ticket price
in Canada is higher
than in the US.
2014 Most Influential Women
Winners Honoured
The award is given annually to women in
the Collision Repair Industry who exemplify
qualities of business and civic leadership,
vision and commitment to excellence.
Russell Long of Change Innovations —the
Leadership Development and Executive
Coaching firm engaged to evaluate the
nominees— was succinct in his praise,
“These honorees demonstrated a well-
rounded leadership profile in their pro-
fessional roles as well as in their com-
munities.” The Award Ceremony was
held in conjunction with WIN’s 2014
Educational Conference May 5-7 in San
Diego, California.
Our very own Canadian winner, Leanne
Jefferies, Director of Collision Programs,
AIA Canada said, “It is an honour to be
selected by WIN as a recipient of the MIW
Award. I am very passionate about my
work in the collision repair industry with
AIA Canada and the CCIF Skills Program.
It is a wonderful feeling to be recognized
by my peers.”
Michel Laurin, President and COO
of Industrial AlliancePicture:AnnaBeaudry
This year’s recipients were Leanne Jefferies,
Director, Collision Programs, AIA Canada;
Frederica Carter, President of F. Carter
Events, LLC - formerly Communications
Manager at AkzoNobel; Jordan Hendler,
Executive Director, Washington Metropolitan
Autobody Association.

Follow us
on Twitter
@autosphere_en
CARSTAR invited its partners, vend-
ors, colleagues and the media to the
Cosmodome in Laval last March for an
evening launch event. Michael Macaluso,
Chief Operating Officer, addressed the
laid-back, enthusiastic crowd in French.
“This year’s theme, DETERMINATION,
is extremely appropriate for our indus-
try. We must, above all, be determined
to strive for excellence in everything we
do,” said Macaluso.
“The determination to drive forward,”
continued Macaluso, “…to surpass our-
selves while offering the highest level of
customer service in a rapidly-evolving
market, is what motivated the manage-
ment team to choose this focus as our
annual conference theme.”
Quebec City was chosen as the site of
this year’s conference, partly because
it highlights the major growth that
the company has experienced in that
regional market.
The event will be launched with a 4-km
walk in order to raise funds for Cystic
Fibrosis Canada. The first day will see
Michael Malacuso and Sam Mercanti,
President and founder, address the
crowd prior to the event’s main guest,
CloudID and Creativity Labs founder
David Usher.
Other speakers at the upcoming confer-
ence will include Chris Moore, National
Marketing Director, Matt Bell, National
HR Manager, and Colson Cole, National
Operations Director at CARSTAR, as
well as Christian Charest from the Des-
jardins Group and Nick Bontis, confer-
ence speaker, author and management
consultant.
CARSTAR Unveils its Industry Conference Theme
CARSTAR COO, Michael Macaluso
Winning Metallica Gem - The Black Pearl
Painted by PPG
Competing against some of the world’s most
amazing custom-crafted cars, The Black Pearl—
a ground-up creation from James Hetfield and
Rick Dore, painted by Darryl Hollenbeck—won
the 2014 Mother’s Custom of the Year Award at
the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association 32nd
All American Get-Together held in Pleasanton,
California. The Black Pearl is owned by James
Hetfield of the heavy-metal band, Metallica.
For The Black Pearl’s radiant finish, Hollenbeck
used PPG products. He has been spraying PPG
products exclusively for the last 25 years at his
Vintage Color Studio in Concord, California. His
work on The Black Pearl has been strikingly
spectacular. In addition to the Goodguys award,
the car won the Sam Barris award and the Cus-
tom d’Elegance at the Sacramento Autorama.
The 25th
Annual Ontario Technological Skills Competition
Earlier this month, over 1,900 elementary,
secondary and post-secondary students
from across Ontario got together to com-
pete head-to-head in a number of trades,
including collision repair and auto painting.
The 25th
annual Ontario Technological
Skills Competition —Canada’s largest
skilled trades competition— took place at
RIM Park in Waterloo.
Winners were presented with gold, silver
and bronze medals—some also received
monetary awards—and many are now eli-
gible to head to the National Competition,
taking place in Toronto from June 4-7. From
there, many competitors are eligible to ad-
vance to the WorldSkills Competition, tak-
ing place in Brazil in 2015.
More details on autosphere.ca.
First Place Winner of the auto collision repair
competition (post-secondary level), Steven
Le-magueresse, pushes the panel into place
before continuing with his project.
Picture:JoaniePéloquin-DumoulinPicture:JackKazmierski
Picture: Goodguys Rod & Custom
Association

I
wanted everyone operating without
interruption and going in the same
direction. At the end of the day, it’s all
about customers and quality repairs.
Mondofix, founded by Jean Delisle, is the
organization that controls the Fix Auto
brand internationally. Delisle was look-
ing at a succession plan and saw where
I wanted to go and how I was doing that.
As of March 1, 2014 the ownership of
Mondofix was transferred to me.
I don’t know if the purchase of one
company will change the industry com-
pletely, however, I believe it’s all part of
the continued consolidation that we see
impacting the industry. Certainly, the
development and growth in technology
allows the world to be better connected
and gives us all better opportunities than
we’ve ever had before.
The purchase of MondoFix will impact the
Fix Auto network of strategic partners,
as well as their insurance partners. Cur-
rently with operations in the USA, UK and
France, Fix Auto operates in more coun-
tries than any other bodyshop network.
My goal will be to bring these countries
closer together and allow for sharing of
best practices and standardized operat-
ing procedures, while continuing operat-
ing as one solid brand.
As I said in my opening address at the
22nd
Annual Fix Auto Conference: “The
collision industry is rapidly consolidat-
ing and due to technology, the world is
much smaller than it used to be.” To-
day, the business that is done globally
largely influences how business is
done locally.
Mondofix is the worldwide developer
of the Fix Auto brand and it has been
Mondofix’s work to develop in countries
around the world. Today, it continues to
expand as a unified brand.
A Brand
When I looked at the success of the
brand, whether it was in the UK, USA,
France or Canada, I questioned why
it had to be limited to brand. I saw this
as an opportunity and looked back at
the processes that were undertaken
in Canada to group the provincial busi-
nesses into one Canadian company,
Fix Auto Canada. The work that Fix Auto
is implementing starts from standard-
izing operating procedures, purchasing
powers, marketing concepts, communi-
cation tools and the largest and most im-
portant project of them all – delivering
quality customer service.
This is only the beginning. There will
be a number of changes and, of course,
an acquisition of this size will take a
while to fully implement. To begin, the
first step means changing the Mondofix
name – now to be known globally as
Fix Auto.
This will allow Fix Auto to start reaping
the benefits of becoming one united com-
pany. As Fix Auto and Mondofix come
together, they will compile and build on
the existing successes of each country’s
business unit.
Fix Auto will continue to grow from these
experiences and expand to offer better
programs for strategic partners, more
collaborative agreements with insurance
partners and more support through a
stronger buying group. Fix Auto will of-
fer the same expertise with a range of
new advantages, depending on the coun-
try they individually serve. CM
SteveLeal
Coming together
One Brand
As the owner of Fix Auto Canada, I had already been through the process of
restructuring many companies and turning them into one organization.
Here & Now
I don’t know if
the purchase of
one company will
change the industry
completely. However,
I believe it’s all part
of the continued
consolidation that
we see impacting the
industry. »

L
arry Jefferies is someone who
has spent his whole career in
automotive aftermarket and colli-
sion repair. The energy he feels from the
changes and the things that are happen-
ing today continue to excite him because
they’re moving an industry. And for the
most part, Canada is at the leading edge
of this global movement. “I believe it’s a
great industry and I’m still having fun do-
ing what I’m doing. I can only encourage
those who are participants today to keep
working and keep moving it forward.
Stay involved!“
A very fortunate guy
Fourteen years after being around for
the formation of CCIF, includind a three-
year term as Chairman, Larry has as-
sumed the role of Chairman of CCIF for
this current year.
Why this second term? Well, it’s time for
change and 2014 is a transition year.
“Moving from the format and structure
that served us well for 14 years, to a
totally new management structure, is a
big task. To ensure it goes smoothly, it
was felt that the transition needed to be
in the hands of an industry veteran with
deep roots in both AIA (former Chairman
of the Board) and CCIF.”
Larry says it is an exciting and challen-
ging time.
CCIF agenda
“We have a focused agenda. So if it’s
not a topic that’s focused on either in-
dustry profitability, vehicle technology or
people, it won’t be on the CCIF agenda.
During our meetings, we’re taking full ad-
vantage of the “The Voice” (vote on indus-
try change and evolution), a polling tech-
nology that ensures we get feedback while
interacting with the audience. It’s an in-
valuable tool to measure what matters and
what to do about it. It gives each attendee
a voice and feedback while at the meeting,
and for the advisory group, it’s great insight
into future activities and focus.
“We have the full support and engage-
ment of AIA, the Director of Collision
Programs and the newly retooled Colli-
sion Council.
“The new CCIF steering committee (and
who is on it) matters and is exciting! It
includes all the key stakeholders. Full
engagement from the Global Automakers
of Canada (GAC) and the continuing sup-
port from the insurance industry con-
firms the recognition we needed to make
CCIF truly representative of the collision
industry in Canada.”
Timing couldn’t better. With the sig-
nificant and ever increasing number of
changes and challenges for collision
repairers, knowing they have engage-
ment from all industry segments couldn’t
be more important. Having the ability to
share information is essential. But, that’s
just the first step in the new CCIF.
Something that matters
“We’ve already created something that
really matters through the AIA Collision
Council, the Business Conditions Survey.
We’ve wondered and guessed about the
size of the industry, current sales trends
and profitability for a long time. The first re-
sults of the survey were shared at the Feb-
ruary 1, 2014 meeting. Over 800 repairers
submitted sales information. The current
participants represent well over $1 billion
in annual sales. Those that submit data get
to see the results. This is just the first step.
Long term, having more financial informa-
tion shared will allow us to have a look at
what is needed to ensure the profitability of
the repairers required for the sustainability
of the collision repairers in Canada.”
What’s next with the AIA Collision Coun-
cil? Key topics will be explored and ac-
tion plans developed to create positive
change for all industry stakeholders, in-
cluding insurance program process man-
agement and OE related areas of interest
including training needs and equipment
requirements as new manufacturing ma-
terials and techniques are introduced.
So, is Larry excited about the future?
“You bet! We’re honoured and thrilled
to have a key role in delivering the first
phase of change, for sure. Plan to attend
a meeting this year and follow all our ac-
tivities at ccif.ca.” CM
ShirleyBrown
Larry Jefferies – CCIF Chairman
A Veteran at the Wheel
Larry Jefferies is now in his second term as CCIF Chairman.
INTERVIEW
Picture:Carstar
Larry Jefferies, CCIF Chairman

The mosT compleTe canadian auTomoTive business porTal
visit tHE
MANAGEMENT
FOLLOW US

W
e are entering a special time in
the collision industry. Indeed,
there’s been a huge increase in
both interest and engagement of stake-
holders from across our industry includ-
ing repairers, insurers, OEs, recyclers
and suppliers. These are the torchbear-
ers who are interested in helping to cre-
ate a more profitable and sustainable
future not just for themselves, but for
all stakeholders. In my position as Direc-
tor, Collision Programs for AIA Canada,
which provides me with the privilege of
being the CCIF administrator, my confi-
dence in our ability to change things re-
mains steady and unwavering.
Better communication means
more cooperation
Sharing information effectively increas-
es the level of cooperation and collab-
oration throughout the industry. We have
stepped up communications at CCIF in
several key ways. The VOICE (Vote On
Industry Change and Evolution) impacts
CCIF meeting content live-time, thereby
allowing us to collect information and
make decisions for future meetings and
projects. CCIF lunch tables have a sug-
gestion sheet where attendees can pro-
vide topic ideas (we collected over 20
suggestions at CCIF Toronto in February
alone). Our new website www.ccif.ca
has up-to-date agendas, project infor-
mation, and is also where people go to
register for CCIF. The free monthly CCIF
e-newsletter keeps industry informed
of CCIF meeting presentations, upcom-
ing events and important news. I also
enjoy receiving regular emails from in-
dustry leaders across the country who
are working on local initiatives. There
are many different groups of repairers,
insurers, suppliers and others, who are
collaborating on various industry issues
specific to their particular market. These
initiatives include reviving school cur-
riculum and course offerings, appren-
ticeship and training projects, working
with at-risk youth, local scholarship
programs, and so much more. They are
succeeding because we’re all working
together – sharing information, generat-
ing new ideas and finding partners who
can help solve the problems that need
to be tackled. I am always happy to pro-
vide support, advice and contacts to help
whenever and wherever it’s needed. I am
also excited about the national projects
that CCIF and the AIA Collision Council
are working on currently, and those they
plan to undertake in the near future.
Industry jumping in to help
One of the projects currently underway
has really touched my heart – CCIF is
supporting the Haiti ARISE Technical In-
stitute. This is just one more example of
how working together does make a big
impact. Tom Bissonnette, owner of Parr
Autobody, and I, reported on our trip to
Haiti ARISE at CCIF Vancouver on May
24th
, and offered options for individuals
and companies to get involved. Some of
my contacts who heard Marc Honorat
speak at CCIF Toronto (or who read in
our e-newsletter that industry voted to
go forward with the project) are already
gathering up much needed tools and
equipment to donate. The items were
being replaced with newer technology,
but still have lots of life left in them,
and will be heading to Haiti in the ship-
ping container we are planning to send.
A college instructor I work closely with
has already offered to take a week of va-
cation to go over and teach their teach-
ers the required curriculum. Andrew
Shepherd, Executive Director of I-CAR
Canada, has also donated I-CAR course
materials that are necessary for their
advanced classes. Our industry’s will-
ingness to jump right in and help is no
surprise to me – it’s the people in our
industry that make it so great, and why I
love what I do. Working together, we can
accomplish anything we decide to tackle,
and change our future for the better. Be
a part of the change - join us at the next
CCIF meeting! CM
LeanneJefferies
The Power of Working Together
“Two heads are better than one” – This saying is such a clichéd chestnut, but even
so, it couldn’t be closer to the truth. How about three hundred and seventy-seven
heads – the number of people who attended CCIF Toronto, or even one thousand –
the number who will have attended a CCIF meeting by this September?
Association

PROMOTING CAREERS
IN COLLISION REPAIR
Invest in your future,
BECOME A 2014
CCIF SKILLS PROGRAM SPONSOR
WWW.CCIFSKILLSPROGRAM.COM
For more information
Contact Leanne Jefferies, CCIF Skills Program Director,
leannej@skillscanada.com or 905-628-2041

W
ell-versed in the latest busi-
ness trends, tools and sys-
tems, the ABS team members
are committed to helping shops imple-
ment strategies, processes and tools
to help improve productivity and profit-
ability.
The knowledge from the Axalta SAMs
(Strategic Account Managers) combined
with the peer-to-peer network of Axa-
lta’s Performance Groups (described
below) are designed to promote an en-
vironment where every participating
shop can be confident that it has the
professional backing readily available to
achieve its business goals.
Five Areas of Focus
Optimizing Paint & Material Cost
Per Hour
Axalta is continually doing research.
In a recent study it conducted, Axalta
found that 39% of Canadian shops that
responded named “Keeping costs down”
among their top three concerns.
The ABS team members are conver-
sant with management tools like 5S
which focuses on lean and standard-
ized inventory replenishment, so they
can assist with the implementation of
systems to match each facility’s par-
ticular requirements. By auditing the
shop and then designing solutions and
recommendations to help the shop put
efficient processes in place, the shop’s
management can have a clear picture
and better control over their shop’s
operational fundamentals.
Repair Process Standardization and
Implementation
A standardized repair process and imple-
mentation provides consistent quality for
the customer and predictable costs for
the shop. A standardized repair process
also helps to ensure clarity for the tech-
nicians and supports smooth workflow.
The ABS account managers consult with
the customers to design and implement
tailored Standardized Operating Proced-
ures (SOPs) to promote success in their
operations.
Optimizing Performance with
Estimatics and the Insurer Score Card
A key element for organic shop growth
is to optimize performance on insur-
er or fleet scorecards. These results
are driven by a shop’s repair planning
processes and estimating skills. Esti-
matics will assist you by driving con-
sistency in the estimates submitted to
insurance companies. Increased con-
sistency should reduce friction cost
and facilitate the planning process.
Strong planning processes and solid
estimatics help to provide smooth car
flow through the shop.
w Growing Top Line Sales
Axalta has several focus areas to work
with shops that are looking to grow
their top line revenue. Fostering organic
growth, securing additional volume and
improving marketing are great areas to
review with the shop. Improving the
customer experience is often another
great way to improve sales. We want
customers to be advocates who don’t
just repeat, but refer others.
Leadership Development
Developing leadership within an or-
ganization is a key challenge for many
shops and, with pressing staffing chal-
lenges, this becomes more important
than ever. Attracting and hiring the
right staff is critical. Inspiring and re-
taining staff by ensuring that everyone
is reaching their potential can foster
the success of their operation. Axalta
Business Services offers support to
help plan how to attract the right em-
ployees as well as staff retention and
performance management.
As Patrice Marcil, Axalta Business Ser-
vices Manager explains, “We go into each
shop with one goal – to contribute to its
success.”
Performance Groups
Parallel with Axalta Business Services,
Axalta supports meetings at both the na-
tional and regional levels that facilitate
interaction among non-competing shop
operators. These groups have proven
successful in enabling shop owners to
improve their operations by discussing
industry best practices.
JohnMorris
Axalta Business Services
Guiding Shops to Succeed
Axalta Coating Systems is building on a foundation of more than 145 years in the coatings
industry. Axalta Business Services (ABS) continues the DuPont Performance Services tradition
of leading the Canadian industry with a team of dedicated business specialists, each with a
comprehensive understanding of the industry and best practices.
Cover Story

The National Business Council consists
of non-competing Axalta customers from
different markets in Canada that meet
three times per year with a professional
facilitator. Benchmarking is critical to
this group in the tradition of savvy ob-
servations like “You can’t manage what
you don’t measure.” Shop managers
who have attended these national con-
ferences have reported that they provide
an opportunity to better understand their
business environment.
Axalta also facilitates Local Perform-
ance Groups. These groups are made
up of regional shops that are focused
on continuous process improvement
and want to keep up with the trends and
best practices in collision repair. Local
Performance Groups have been inter-
acting for years and the content is con-
stantly evolving to ensure it is relevant
to today’s shop owners. Currently, these
groups can be found across Canada and
they meet two or three times a year for a
day or two at a time.
The Axalta Business Services
Canadian Team
Demonstrating its commitment to its cus-
tomers across the country, Axalta has
five dedicated knowledgeable and talent-
ed individuals, as well as a full sales team
to provide Axalta Business Services in
Canada. Each of the individuals noted
below has deep industry experience plus
a thorough grounding in today’s most ad-
vanced management techniques.
Patrice Marcil
Axalta Business
Services Manager
Patrice was born
into the industry.
His father owned
a bodyshop in Joliette, QC where he
started as a part-time technician and
became the shop manager. Patrice
joined Axalta (then DuPont) in 2000
as a Technical Instructor and was ap-
pointed Training and Customer Care
Manager in 2006. Recently, Patrice
has added strategic planning and Axa-
lta Business Services Manager to his
responsibilities.
Venessa Di Vito
Central Region
Strategic Account
Manager
Like Patrice,
Venessa’s parents
have owned a collision repair facility her
entire life, which helped to develop her
passion for the industry. Venessa has a
broad knowledge base including account-
ing, management systems, ISO9001:
2000, estimating, Lean Six Sigma, plus
an extensive knowledge in processes and
procedures in the vehicle repair process.
Venessa sums up the team’s goal on be-
half of the group noting, “Whatever the
area in your business where you need
support, our focus is to find the root
causes of any concerns and make your
shop more efficient and profitable. Then
you can run your business with peace
of mind.”
Jim Curry
Western Region
Strategic Account
Manager
Jim has an exten-
sive collision back-
ground, with previous experience as
an automotive painter and distribution
representative. He has played a variety
of roles that include the following pos-
itions: National Account Manager, Prod-
uct Manager, Six Sigma Green Belt and
Multi-Shop Operations Representative
for Western Canada. Jim summarizes
his role, “With years of great experi-
ence in a multitude of roles, extensive
training, and an excellent customer
base, this consultative role is a seam-
less and natural fit.”
Benoît Goulet,
Eastern Region
Strategic Account
Manager
Benoît Goulet began
his career as a
painter in 1985. Then as a dealership
Assistant Manager, he handled es-
timates, insurance claims and man-
aged the floor before joining DuPont in
2000. His success led him to become
a Technical Sales Representative, then
Business Development Representa-
tive. As Axalta Business Services
Strategic Account Manager, Benoît
uses his experience and expertise in
assisting auto body shops throughout
Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
Alain Loignon
FIX Auto
Account Manager
Alain started very
young helping his
father to fix cars back
in the ‘70s. From there, he found his
way to the collision repair industry.
Alain joined DuPont in 1989 as a Tech-
nical Sales Representative, before be-
coming Atlantic Sales Manager where
he honed his business skills. In 1999, he
returned to Montreal as Account Man-
ager for a major buying group. During
2010, Alain was named Business Con-
sultant for Eastern Canada where he
also coordinated sales and development
for the region. Alain uses his wide range
of skills every day to drive success for
the shops he works with.CM
Picture:BiancaDiorio
Picture:MelissaWelshPicture:MichaelvanLeur
Picture:BiancaDiorioPicture:BiancaDiorio
Axalta Coating Systems is a leading global provider of liquid and powder coatings to automotive, transportation, general industrial, architectural
and decorative customers. Doing business in more than 130 countries, Axalta operates 35 manufacturing centres, seven R&D facilities and
42 customer training centres. Axalta will continue to build on more than 145 years of experience in the coatings industry. For more information
visit www.axaltacoatingsystems.com

C
anada has a rich and unique
history. The current Canadian
landscape is made up of two
very different identities — French and
English — both of which combine rath-
er beautifully, giving our country the
multicultural and bilingual flavour we
all enjoy.
Although having two official languages,
and two very different cultures, makes
our country so much richer than it
would have been otherwise, it also
presents modern businesses and their
employees with unique challenges.
Take for instance the ever-changing col-
lision repair industry. As things change,
we need to keep our people up-to-date
so that they have access to the latest in-
formation and the most advanced repair
techniques. But getting the information
out in a timely fashion, and in both of-
ficial languages, can be difficult.
American roots
I-CAR, for example, has operated in
Canada under US management since
1978 and quite often, the only sources
of collision repair information avail-
able to the industry came out in Eng-
lish. Courses were developed by OE
suppliers and repair experts at I-CAR
USA, and then translated into French on
what might best be called a volunteer
basis by dedicated Quebec instructors.
Sometimes, in fact, they had to be trans-
lated ‘on-the-fly’ in the classroom.
Recently, exciting new initiatives
changed much of that. The Automotive
Industries Association of Canada (AIA)
took over management of I-CAR in Can-
ada in 2010. Naturally, as a national or-
ganization, AIA is committed to the bilin-
gual delivery of services in our country.
In 2011, the AIA met with CSMO-Auto
and the Quebec Government to discuss
public support for the translation of
collision repair courses. The resulting
project provided full translation for 13
high priority courses. The project con-
cludes in the spring of 2014.
Industry experts and instructors who
form the I-CAR Quebec Committee,
chaired by Patrice Marcil of Axalta,
made the decision on course selec-
tion. The Committee also provided
ground-level verification of terminol-
ogy, course content, etc., during the
translation processes.
Tangible Benefits
The benefits of the translation project
are clear, and the impact the program
had was felt immediately. For instance,
in 2009 and 2010, I-CAR delivered ap-
proximately 40 classes in Quebec, to
675 students. In 2011 and 2012, that
number jumped by 30% and last year,
more than 80 classes were delivered.
Clearly, the need for French language
instruction is growing. And it’s be-
ing embraced by the masses, eager to
keep pace with the ever-changing col-
lision repair industry.
With this need in mind, and with the suc-
cess seen so far, the AIA, CSMO and ma-
jor industry partners are eager to expand
the project, on a shared-cost basis, with
a view to translating a further 55 cours-
es. In fact, meetings with industry, CSMO
and the relevant government agencies
are currently taking place.
The incredible changes facing the col-
lision repair industry – technological
advancements, new materials, elec-
tronics, new repair procedures, etc. –
make this a priority going forward.
The goal is to not leave anyone be-
hind, so to speak. Information must be
shared in both official languages, so
that all Canadian collision repair facili-
ties are up-to-date, thereby ensuring
that all Canadians are driving vehicles
that have been properly repaired. It’s a
must! CM
AndrewShepherd
Bilingual Training:
Leave No One Behind
Quebec partnership supports translation
of I-CAR courses.
Association
The AIA is committed to the bilingual delivery
of services in our country.

Earnings
In 2011, the Canadian automotive re-
pair and maintenance service industry
earned $14.2 billion, up from 2010 by
4.2%. But during that same time span,
operating expenses grew by 3.3%
totaling $13.2 billion. From Statistics
Canada, it was also found that salar-
ies, wages and benefits accounted for
29.3% of the total operating expense.
In addition, average annual operating
profit rose from 6.3% in 2010 to 7.2%
in 2011.
The number of body shops during 2005
through 2009 didn’t change drastically:
22,856 in 2005 and in 2009, slightly
down at 22,561, which was pretty con-
sistent. As for employment in the Auto-
motive Aftermarket, 470,263 people
were employed in the industry in 2012,
up 1.7% from 2011. Of course, the auto-
mobile dealer sector accounted for most
of the employment. The repair and main-
tenance sector took second place.
Diverse mix
A diverse mix of organizations makes
up the Canadian collision repair indus-
try and operates in every part of the
country. Per year they repair about one
million vehicles with claimed collision
damage. This includes PBE suppliers,
collision repair facilities, educators and
trainers, automobile insurance compan-
ies and other related segments pertinent
to the industry.
Canadian repair body-
work also varies with
the age of the vehicle.
DesRosiers Automotive
Consultants supplied data
that showed close to two-
fifths (38%) of Canadian
vehicles that underwent
professional bodywork
(DIFM) are between 8
to 12 years old. Those
vehicles older than 12
years make up another
quarter (25%).
Units
The last page of the
Canadian sector in the
study showed that the
Canadian DIFM body
work market is being
driven by three major
units: independent repair
shops, new car dealers
and specialty shops. Making up the lar-
gest portion are the independent repair
shops with 38% of the business, fol-
lowed by specialty shops with 20% and
new car dealers with 17%. Together,
these three segments cover 75% of the
professional bodywork done. Rounding
out the other 25% in the professional
bodywork market are auto parts stores,
service stations, tire and other types
of Canadian retail outlets. DesRosiers
Automotive Consultants also supplied
these statistics.
In other collision repair statistics, Mitch-
ell Industry Trend Reports showed that
there has been an upward trend in the use
of aftermarket parts, going from 12.7% in
2012 to 13.0% in 2013. OE parts are still
leading the way though with 75.9%.
If you are a member of AAIA, you can
easily obtain this study. Ask for AAIA
Collision Repair Trend 2013 and it’s
available in digital form. Our thanks to
AAIA for permission to use the Canadian
statistics. CM
ShirleyBrown
Collision Repair Trends
Some Numbers to Ponder
Recently, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association in the United States
published a study of Industry Statistics and Analysis on Collision Repair Trends. The
2013 edition included statistics on the Canadian Collision Repair industry as well.
Here, we break down the material pertaining to Canada included in the study.
Statistics
COLLISION REPAIR
TRENDSINDUSTRY STATISTICS
& ANALYSIS
DIGITAL
2013
ProductNumber:75050
$125members
$250non-members
Picture:CourtesyAAIA

T
oronto-based Ryding Autobody
will soon be celebrating their
golden anniversary. The collision
shop was founded in 1965 by Rocky De-
Lorenzo, who today, with his son Mark,
still manages the business.
The past 50 years have given the com-
pany many opportunities to grow, and
today they’re busier than ever... which
is both a blessing and a challenge. “In a
busy week we’ve got between 35 and 40
vehicles in here,” says Mark DeLorenzo.
“So having 40 people calling me to ask
about their car, plus the insurance com-
panies, plus parts suppliers can be a little
overwhelming sometimes.”
The volume of phone calls increased to
the point where DeLorenzo told him-
self that he had to find a solution. After
searching the market for answers, he
finally decided on AudaWatchTM
from
Audatex Canada. “We’re understaffed in
the office as it is,” DeLorenzo says, “and
this system eliminates most of the phone
calls. We have had the AudaWatch sys-
tem for almost a year now, and we’re
very happy with it.”
The switch from the retro pen & paper
way of doing things to AudaWatch
was easy and painless. “The people at
Audatex are real professionals and they
made it easy…” DeLorenzo adds. “It’s not
a complicated system to use and if you
ever have questions, they’ve got great
phone support.”
Stress relief
AudaWatch has had a dramatic effect on
day-to-day business activities, and it has
reduced stress levels. “With the system in
place,” DeLorenzo explains, “Everything
flows more smoothly. I don’t have to keep
coming back to the office all the time be-
cause I have all the information on my
phone. I just click on the AudaWatch app
and all the information on the vehicle, the
client, the insurance company as well as
parts - all at my fingertips. When I have to
order parts, rather than come back to the
office, I just scan the barcode on the car
with the AudaWatch smartphone app and
all the information comes up. I have the
work order number, I call the supplier,
and I order the part. It really is that easy.”
DeLorenzo says he is able to communi-
cate with his customers and his staff
via the system, letting all parties know
what’s going on with their own vehicle,
and when it will be ready. AudaWatch
eliminates unnecessary follow-up
phone calls.
Social media
One aspect of AudaWatch that De-
Lorenzo wasn’t counting on when he
invested in the technology is the way
it allows his customers to interact with
his shop online. “When they log in to
check the status of their vehicle, they’re
directed to my website,” DeLorenzo ex-
plains. “Once there, they can learn more
about us, as well as ‘Like’ us on Face-
book, which means they’re telling their
friends about our shop. I also like the
fact that they can go a step further and
review us online.”
AudaWatch is a versatile tool - one that
has allowed DeLorenzo and his team to
do much more with less stress involved.
“It’s a great system,” he says, “It saves
time, we hardly get any customer phone
calls asking about what’s going on with
the repair, and it saves me time personal-
ly because I’m not constantly answering
questions my staff would otherwise have
about the status of each vehicle. I would
definitely recommend it.” CM
Audatex Canada
The Problem Solver
AudaWatchTM
buys this busy shop owner the time he needs, and the peace-of-mind he deserves.
Mark DeLorenzo, co-owner
of Toronto-based Ryding Autobody
JackKazmierski
Profile Advertorial

T
he brutal winter we’ve seen in
Canada this year has been a boost
for business. “If you weren’t busy
this year,” says Nello Iannelli, co-owner
of CSN Guy’s Auto Body in Sault Ste.
Marie, Ontario, “You might want to think
of closing up shop, because you’re doing
something wrong...”
Roughly 50 vehicles go through Iannell’s
shop per week and soon that number
is likely to balloon even further. So this
successful collision repair shop will be
moving into a much larger facility by the
end of the year.
Managing a shop this busy isn’t easy, which
is why Iannelli invested in AudaShop Man-
agerTM
from Audatex. “The biggest chal-
lenge we face is trying to keep everyone
on the same page,” Iannelli admits. “With
AudaShop Manager, everybody knows
what cars are coming in, when people need
them, which parts were ordered, if they ar-
rived, and so on.”
Running 50 vehicles a week through a
shop without this advanced technology
would be a real nightmare. “For example,”
Iannelli continues, “To find out if the parts
were here without AudaShop Manager,
you’d have to go ask the secretary, who
would pull the estimate to see if there
are any invoices attached to it. If there
weren’t any invoices attached, you’d have
to call the dealer to see if he ordered them,
etc. We definitely couldn’t live without
AudaShop Manager, that’s for sure.”
Solution for smaller shops
Iannelli is so impressed with his shop
management system that he believes
it’s a must - even if you’re not doing the
volume he is. “Even if I had a two-man
shop with 10 cars a week, I would still
have one,” he says. “Let’s say a customer
calls and says he can’t pick up the car
until tomorrow morning. So you put a
note in his file using AudaShop Manager,
and when the insurance company calls
to find out why the car is being picked up
tomorrow, they have an answer.”
If you plan to track everything on paper,
Iannelli laughs, you’re going to need to
kill 400 trees. “You’re going to have to put
another piece of paper in that customer’s
file, explaining that he called and said he
couldn’t pick up the car. Then, when the
insurance company calls, you’re going
to have to take the call, find the file, look
through it to find the paper, and then give
the insurance company an answer. With
the management system it’s all in there
and everyone can see it.”
Simple to use
Before deciding on AudaShop Manager,
Iannelli says he looked at a number of
solutions. “I went with the solution from
Audatex because it’s very user-friendly
and customizable,” he says. “We’ve had it
now for almost two years and we’re very
happy with it.”
Iannelli also found that he could use the
system straight out of the box with very
little time dedicated to training. “When we
talked to another software supplier, they
wanted to come in for one week of train-
ing,” he explains. “And when we talked to
Audatex Canada, they said if we need one
week of training to use something, then
it must be way too complicated to use.
Audatex said they want us to simply sit
down, start plugging in cars and get straight
to using it. It really was that easy.” CM
Audatex Canada
Tracking Success
AudaShop Manager helps this busy shop stay organized and running on time.
The Iannelli family: (L-R)
Dennis, Nello, Guy, and Robert.
JackKazmierski
Management
Picture:NeloIannelli
“With AudaShop
Manager, everybody
knows what cars are
coming in, when people
need them, which parts
were ordered, if they
arrived, and so on.”
Nello Iannelli, co-owner of CSN Guy’s
Auto Body

T
he modern automotive recycler,
as we know it today, originated in
the 1930s with a man named Roy
Hollander. He worked out how various
parts fit with car models over different
years and published it in pamphlets, sell-
ing them door-to-door. This was the first
incarnation of the Hollander Interchange,
today’s go-to reference for interchange-
able part matches – the inventory lan-
guage of our industry, unique to North
America.
Recyclers rely on the Interchange, but
it’s getting harder to get information from
the original equipment manufacturers.
They want to sell new parts and we want
to sell used parts, but we rely upon their
data to do our job.
This is where insurers and repairers
become our allies. They want our parts
and data, and that requires us to have
as much manufacturer data as possible.
An association gives us this necessary
voice and facilitates important relation-
ships across the industry.
The start of an association
In the 1970s, one of the first associations
was formed: the Canadian Auto Recyc-
lers Hotline. Essentially, it was a 24-hour
conference call among about 50 auto re-
cyclers between Quebec and Manitoba to
buy and sell parts.
An auto recycler could broadcast their
parts request and other recyclers re-
sponded with what they had to sell over
this hotline. This was the first use of
technology to expand an auto recycler’s
inventory across multiple recyclers and
distances.
It began as a business club of the big,
organized auto recyclers. While initially
business-oriented, they began to act
more like an association and were often
asked their opinions on big industry
issues, like tire recycling for example.
A technology-driven system
As technology grew in the 1970s and
80s, so did the Hollander system. It was
made into a modernized inventory data-
base – the Hollander Yard Management
System.
This was the next big technological
evolution to sell more parts quickly
and efficiently, as recyclers could
check their inventory with a VIN num-
ber and see how they were selling or
pricing them immediately. This was
the first cross-industry standard, and
today we have other inventory systems
that are still driven by the Hollander
Interchange.
In the 1980s, a second business group
formed using satellite technology to link
recyclers together – cutting costs while
expanding opportunities.
In 1992, these two groups formed the On-
tario Automotive Recyclers Association.
This was the beginning of an association
to represent all auto recyclers and their
interests.
As an association, one of the first things
we did was negotiate with Cardinal Cour-
iers to ship parts to each other overnight
at greatly reduced costs. This further
bound the membership together.
What came next was partnering with
great causes. In 1994, the Kidney Foun-
dation launched a car program, but didn’t
have the infrastructure to pick up cars
and move them. They came to us, and we
were able to acquire cars for inventory
and raise the industry’s profile.
In 1997, the Automotive Recyclers of
Canada was founded to give all of this a
national voice. CM
SteveFletcher
Modern-day Auto Recyclers
Our Association Grew
Alongside Technology
The auto recycling industry in Canada has grown over the decades thanks to new
technology and innovative thinkers. How did we get to where we are today?
association

S
peaking at the 2014 Ontario Auto-
motive Recyclers Association’s
(OARA) Convention and Trade-
show, Steve Fletcher, Executive Director
of the OARA gave the audience an over-
view of how far the organization, as well
as the industry, has come in recent years.
“The biggest thing that’s happened in the
last year is the Ministry of the Environ-
ment’s consultation on our industry,”
Fletcher said to the OARA audience.
“We’re at a point now where we are
helping to define who we are, in order to
bring the professionalism we’ve already
achieved, to the overall industry.”
The OARA has submitted a policy proposal
to the government explaining what the in-
dustry is, what the problems are in terms
of an uneven playing field — not every-
body playing by the same rules whereby
legitimate businesses suffer — and how
the OARA thinks the problems should be
solved with a common standard.
This is a long process, however, and
Fletcher pointed out that after many
meetings, countless discussions, and
numerous consultations, the final solu-
tion is still in the works.
Synergy
One of the more interesting develop-
ments, Fletcher added, is that the Min-
istry of the Environment came to OARA
to propose a cooperative effort. The Min-
istry is suggesting the OARA co-present
the ideas they’ve been working on at the
Automotive Recyclers Association Con-
vention and Expo, which takes place in
Nashville this October. “So we’ll be go-
ing to Nashville later this year,” Fletcher
added, “and we’re really intrigued to see
how things turn out.”
OARA members need to remember that
the proposal is now in the hands of the
government. “It’s not our proposal any-
more,” Fletcher explained. “So there are
a lot of things that we like about it, and
a lot that we don’t. This is our one kick
at the can. They’re not going to reopen
this file in five or 10 years. In fact, we
don’t think they’re going to look at this
again at all.”
2014 and beyond
Fletcher concluded his presentation
with an overview of the next steps in
the process:
OARA continues to seek a level-play-
ing field within the industry.
A viable standards-based license that
is enforced across the sector is the
Holy Grail for professional auto re-
cyclers around the world. All coun-
tries are trying to find a solution to
this problem. Some have gone very
draconian and they’ve gutted the en-
tire parts industry, while others have
feared doing anything at all.
Ontario will get its chance this year
and the rest of Canada is working
on it. We’re not working in isolation.
PEI is looking at some progressive
ideas and we know that BC is already
three-quarter of the way there. In BC,
estimates are that between 85-90%
of cars that come off the road are
handled by a licensed auto recycler.
So even though they don’t have 100%,
that’s the model that’s working well.
“It’s a very exciting time,” Fletcher con-
cluded, “but exciting isn’t always good.
Sometimes it’s just terrifying. And we’re
not foolish enough to think that this is just
a walk in the park. It’s a lot of work, but we
do see good things coming from it.” CM
HeatherRose
OARA
In the Works
The OARA is working with the Ministry of the Environment on standards
for the recycling industry.
Auto Recycling
Picture:JackKazmierski

B
etty Hornick started her insur-
ance career in 1977 as a junior
auto underwriter with Wawanesa
in Edmonton.
“I was only there for a year, but it got my
feet wet in insurance and I went on to
different companies,” she says. “My next
job was with Royal, where I learned how
to do fleet automobile insurance.”
Eventually, Betty moved on to learn
about oil, gas and all of the other typical
exposures for commercial insurance in
Alberta.
“My career has always been in com-
mercial lines,” says Betty. “I worked
in Alberta until 1989, and continued to
progress and got into management. Then
I came back to Ontario and I worked for
Economical for almost 19 years.” She
moved to Toronto in 2007, and is now
with Aviva.
For the past 15 years, Betty has primarily
worked in various head office positions
including Manager of Quality Review,
Manager of Commercial Property, Man-
ager of Commercial Casualty and in her
current position, managing Commercial
Product Development, supporting the
underwriters and branches by providing
direction and guidance through guide-
lines and bulletins.
Always open
to new experiences
Despite the length of her career in the
insurance industry, Betty says that there
are constant learning experiences.
“The favourite part of my job is that I’m
always learning something new,” she
says. “It just keeps my brain ticking over
all the time.”
The ability to always be learning some-
thing new is particularly relevant to Betty’s
involvement with the Canadian Associa-
tion of Insurance Women (CAIW), which
incorporates continuing education, as well
as her current position of President of her
local association, the Toronto Insurance
Women’s Association (TIWA).
Betty says the CAIW is as diverse as the
insurance industry itself, representing a
cross-section of all the different career
trajectories available.
An opportunity to diversify
According to Betty, young people who
are just starting out in the insurance in-
dustry may not be aware of the oppor-
tunities available.
“They feel that they’re stuck in a job or
whatever,” she says, “but insurance
is such a broad base. There’s so many
things that you can be doing in the scope
of what we define as the insurance in-
dustry.”
She says that those who have strong
advertising or creative skills can look
into getting into the marketing side, for
example.
“The people who go into insurance, they
don’t even realize what the opportunities
are there,” she says.
“I think that’s the most key thing. It’s
an opportunity to expand but to also do
networking and learn more about the
industry.”
While all of the facets of the industry
have their own associations and conven-
tions, the CAIW and TIWA are all encom-
passing and inclusive.
“The difference with CAIW and TIWA is
that it’s a cross section of all,” she says.
“You have brokers, you have company
people and you have service providers.
You have education and development in
all areas, and we don’t just focus in on
one specific niche.” CM
Betty Hornick
Always Learning
Something New
Betty Hornick is the President of the Toronto Insurance Women’s Association and National
Commercial Senior Manager and Team Leader, Product Development for Aviva Canada.
Association
Betty Hornick, President, Toronto
Insurance Women’s Association and
National Commercial Senior Manager
and Team Leader, Product
Development, Aviva Canada
LauraGreening

H
onest people are often penalized
by dishonest opportunists who
take advantage of the systems
in place. The insurance industry is no
exception to this blight, and the amounts
paid for fraudulent claims adds up to bil-
lions of dollars in Canada.
CANATICS
CANATICS (Canadian National Insur-
ance Crime Services) is the solution
insurers have developed to help fight
insurance crime in Ontario. This entity
currently comprises nine member insur-
ance companies representing 70% of all
auto insurance Direct Written Premiums
(DWPs) in Ontario, or approximately 40%
of the market share on a national basis.
By using state-of-the-art analytical
tools, CANATICS provides information
on trends and suspicious activity, iden-
tifying potentially suspicious claims in
insurance industry pooled data, to facili-
tate further investigation by individual
insurers.
Instead of an insurance company hav-
ing just one, limited view of a suspicious
claims activity, the industry can now
connect the dots and identify patterns of
organized fraud across insurers while
also maintaining a focus on data quality,
privacy, and security. When insurers col-
laborate like this, the effect of the data
analysis is greatly improved.
How it works
Mainly, CANATICS is focused on or-
ganized and premeditated fraud, which
involves organized rings, organized
schemes and patterns of fraudulent ac-
tivity. CANATICS works so well because
it provides ‘alerts’ to insurance compan-
ies when patterns are detected through
sophisticated, leading edge data ana-
lytics. These alerts, consisting of a com-
puter generated linkage report detailing
the specifics of suspicious claims, will
serve as the basis for investigations and
not as final decisions.
Privacy and Regulations
CANATICS operations (and those of its
members) are designed to be compli-
ant with applicable laws and regula-
tions, particularly the federal ‘Personal
Information and Protection of Elec-
tronic Documents Act’ (PIPEDA), and
corresponding provincial legislation.
Thus, only data needed to support fraud
detection through analytics will be col-
lected and appropriate consent will be
obtained.
Representatives for CANATICS are work-
ing with regulators and federal/prov-
incial privacy commissions to enhance
the already-strong consent language in
place through standard auto insurance
applications. Moreover, the gathered in-
formation will be stored at a secure data
centre in Canada.
The future of CANATICS
There is very real potential for ex-
panding to other provinces and growing
from a representation of approximately
$8.5 billion in Ontario auto insurance
DWP to more than $20 billion in DWP
across Canada. Let’s see what the fu-
ture holds to discourage fraudsters for
the benefit of the consumers and the
collision repair industry. CM
BenKosic
CANATICS
A Powerful Tool Against Fraud
The insurance industry is constantly looking at new ways to fight nogoodnik
fraudsters.
Insurance
Picture:WestwordBlog
Insurance companies fraudulent
claims are now under serious
scrutiny thanks to CANATICS.

T
here is a fairly wide variation
in how you stay in touch with
past customers and solicit busi-
ness from future ones. To begin with,
engaging consumers in any type of
communication or relationship can
be a challenge. Vehicle insurance is a
grudge purchase and collision repair
is an unsought necessity. Still, with
the right strategy, consumers will wel-
come proactive outreach that informs
and educates while providing peace of
mind. As you develop your communica-
tion plan be prepared for upcoming new
laws, which will impact at least some
of the channels you consider for getting
your message out there.
What is CASL?
CASL (Canada Anti-Spam Legisla-
tion) lays out the rules and regulations
for Commercial Electronic Messages
(CEMs) sent by businesses both within
Canada and those sent to Canada. The
most critical aspect of the law deals with
consent – moving from a more manage-
able restriction of implied consent to
expressed (or explicit) consent. More
specifically, your audience must agree
to receive your communications, as
opposed to be just given the option to
opt-out of future ones. There are some
exemptions, such as when you have an
existing business relationship where the
recipient has purchased a good or ser-
vice within the last two years or if you
are responding to a request for a quote,
although ongoing follow-up expires after
six months.
What is the Scope of the Law?
CASL encompasses communications
in the area of emails, tagged posts on
Facebook, text messages (SMS), and
tweets (Twitter direct messages). As it
relates to social media channels, there
is less concern when the interaction is
non-specific to ‘Followers’ or those who
‘Like’ your Facebook page, Instagram
Account or other such platforms.
How to gain explicit consent?
Many progressive collision centres have
recognized the value of having an en-
gaging, informative, web presence and
invested accordingly – both in the cost
to develop a user-friendly environment
and in the time and personnel needed
to publish high value, fresh content on a
regular basis. If visitors to your website
are interested in receiving information
on a unique service, safety tips, acci-
dent readiness, etc., they simply fill out a
online form that provides their email ad-
dress and registers their explicit consent
to send that information or stay in touch
with future updates. Your website CMS
should be structured to create not only
a discreet record of that individual, but
the date consent was provided. This is
an ideal scenario to be in full compliance
with the Act.
What are the implications of
non-compliance?
There will be a grace period as the legis-
lation is implemented and enforcement
procedures are initiated. Penalties can
be upwards of $10M for corporate viola-
tions with the potential for criminal char-
ges, civil charges and personal liability
for company officers.
There will be a phase-in period for com-
pliance. However, business owners
would be well advised to investigate
this issue as soon as possible. For more
information, visit CASL’s website at
fightspam.gc.ca. CM
Marketing
TimSrigley
New Legislation
Are you still KING
of the CASL?
This July, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law comes into
effect. It will change everything you thought you
knew about regulations governing outreach to
your customers and prospects. Time to read up
and get future ready.

W
ith some effort it will also pro-
vide a better understanding of
the correlation between vari-
ous activities and cost drivers in the
business. This knowledge is important
but if you just prepare a budget and then
file it away, the tendency is to simply deal
with daily issues (dare I call this firefight-
ing) and move away from your longer
range objectives.
Regular reporting
Take advantage of your budget by incor-
porating it into your regular reporting. At
the most basic level, let us consider your
monthly operating statement. Most busi-
nesses will present the current month
and YTD actual compared to Prior Year
actual. While it is useful to compare to the
prior year it does not usually allow you
to compare against the current year’s ex-
pectation. Before providing an illustration
of this, let’s discuss briefly the detail that
should be on your operating statement.
Variable vs fixed revenues
Sufficient detail is required to alert
you when actual results differ from
expected results. It should separate
variable and fixed revenue streams.
Variable revenue streams would typ-
ically include parts, paint, rust proofing
and shop material on the product side
and possibly metal and paint on the
labour side. There may also be other
examples such as towing, storage
and car rental. Fixed revenue streams
could include rent or sublet fees, re-
bates and hazardous waste disposal
fees or shop supplies calculated as a
percentage of sales.
The variable expense
The variable expense side will typically
mirror the variable revenue. Therefore,
in our example, it would include tech-
nician labour for parts, paint and rust
proofing, cost of parts, paint and sup-
plies, towing and car rental. Fixed ex-
penses would typically be tied to the
facilities, administration and market-
ing. Of course it is not always entirely
clear cut. Your technician labour might
be fixed, variable or a bit of both. Mar-
keting is discretionary, but it is usually
included as a fixed expense because
management will typically decide at the
beginning of a year how much they will
spend to support their sales efforts. All
of a facility’s expenses are usually treat-
ed as fixed even though some categor-
ies (such as hydro, gas and repairs) will
vary with sales.
The whole premise of using the com-
parison of actual to budget is to alert
you to areas that require further inves-
tigation. To illustrate this, assume that
the cost of paint is 30 % of the paint
material revenue and you have just ne-
gotiated a 10 percent reduction. This
translates into a 3 % increase in gross
margin moving from 70 to 73 %. If the
new pricing was incorporated into the
budget when you compare actual to
budget, if it is less than 73 % you know
that further investigation is required.
Did you actually receive the full price
decrease negotiated or are there other
problems causing a deterioration of
your expected margin?
In conclusion, use a budget to identify
any deviations from expectations as well
as to alert you to areas requiring your
attention. CM
Management
TonyTartaglia
It’s all in the metrics - Part II
Using budgets
to monitor your
business activity
The process of developing a financial
budget is an excellent way of engaging the
management team into planning for the
future and establishing expectations.
The whole premise of using
the comparison of actual
to budget is to alert you
to areas that require
further investigation.

JohnMorris
Top Goal
New Global Automakers of
Canada Committee Focuses
on Collision
The new Collision Committee of the Global Automakers of Canada (GAC) has recently been
formed to coordinate the organization’s interests with other participants in the collision industry.
T
he Committee, facilitated by the
GAC, will cooperate with colli-
sion repairers, insurance com-
panies, educators and government. One
means of engaging with collision indus-
try stakeholders for the Committee will
be working through the Canadian Colli-
sion Industry Forum (CCIF). The CCIF’s
platform for dialogue between the vari-
ous players on all matters affecting the
collision repair business is viewed to be
important to the GAC membership but
especially vehicle technology as it af-
fects vehicle repair.
Formerly the Association of Internation-
al Automobile Manufacturers of Canada
(AIAMC), the association was rebranded
in May 2013 as the Global Automakers
of Canada (GAC). The GAC is a national
industry association representing four-
teen member companies engaged in the
manufacturing, importation, distribu-
tion and servicing of light-duty vehicles.
Together, these companies account for
well over half the light-duty vehicles sold
in Canada. In March 2014, GAC members’
sales represented 56.3% of total market
sales, compared to 55.7% for the same
market a year ago.
Collision Management spoke with David
Adams, President of the GAC about the
committee’s work.
CM: What is the role of the new com-
mittee?
DA: Our goal is to create and continue
the dialog with the other key elements of
the industry. The committee meets every
couple of months to exchange informa-
tion and those meetings usually involve
presentations from other industry stake-
holders that the members might not have
traditionally had a good working relation-
ship with. The collision repair industry is
changing so rapidly that the member really
wants to be constantly engaged.
In the past, the collision industry has oper-
ated in isolated silos even though their
service interests coincide extensively.
Our mandate is to facilitate the cooper-
ation and discussion necessary to ensure
that when collisions occur, consumers
get their vehicles repaired quickly and to
manufacturers’ specifications. This is in
everyone’s interest because whether you
are a manufacturer, a collision repairer,
or an insurance company – we all share
the same customers and deficiencies in
one area reflect poorly on us all.
CM: Who is on the GAC Collision Com-
mittee?
The members of the committee are the
individuals within each of the 14 mem-
ber companies responsible for after-
sales broadly, and for collision repair
activities within service operations.
Aftersales constitutes a vital compon-
ent to insure that OEM brands satisfy
consumers and collision is a signifi-
cant component of that aspect of their
enterprise.
From each manufacturer’s perspective,
the customer’s entire experience is a
significant factor in determining brand
loyalty. While their brand objectives
and operating methods differ, all aim to
achieve efficiencies in collision repair.
By minimizing costs and the required
time to repair, manufacturers can en-
hance rather than detract from the cus-
tomer experience.
New technology makes
education vital
CM: What is the role of the committee in
education?
DA: Many of our members have cer-
tified collision repair programs and
provide the relevant training. As well,
the committee is looking at better de-
veloping its relationship with college
and apprenticeship programs so that
these programs can stay up to date,
particularly in the area of new technol-
OEM

ogies. The goal is to ensure that edu-
cational programs graduates are better
equipped to deal with the materials and
technologies that are emerging right
now or will be shortly coming into the
market at a rapid pace, as opposed to
repair techniques that made sense in
the ‘90s.
New technology often begins with the
luxury manufacturers, most of whom
are among our members, and then per-
meates throughout the manufacturing
landscape. Innovation in materials such
as carbon fibre components as well as
constant change in the world of electron-
ics means that everything is moving at
an unprecedented rate. Those advances
need to be reflected in the curricula of
education programs. However, today,
much of the information comes directly
through the OEMs.
The Detroit Three
have been tradition-
ally more integrated
with the North Amer-
ican repair industry
but that has changed
significantly in recent
years. For every com-
pany, the goal is the
same: customer re-
tention and customer
satisfaction. As many
of our members have
implemented (or will
soon be implementing)
Certified Pre-Owned
Programs, it is critical
that both the manu-
facturer and the sub-
sequent purchaser of
the pre-owned vehicle
have confidence in any
collision repair work
undertaken on the
Certified Pre-Owned
vehicle by technicians.
It again comes to brand
reputation – when a
consumer purchases a
CPO vehicle, they must
be able to trust that
the vehicle meets its
promised expectations.
That requires complete competence on
the shop floor to ensure that the techni-
cians have the right training and the right
equipment to undertake the repair and to
complete the job at hand to the manufac-
turer’s specifications.
Sharing information
CM: That brings up the issue of informa-
tion sharing.
DA: The Canadian Automotive Service
Information Standard (CASIS) provides a
framework for Canadian automobile manu-
facturers to share their service and repair
information with the automotive after-
market industry, This is on a level equiva-
lent to that of their authorized dealers and
the GAC, as an association is part of the
CASIS Task Force, along with the Can-
adian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.
Together we represent all manufacturers.
The agreement signed by these two as-
sociations and NATA, The National Auto-
motive Trades Association, in September
2009, intended to maintain an open, fair
and competitive automotive manufactur-
ing, import, distribution, service and re-
pair industry in Canada for the benefit of
all stakeholders and consumers. Individ-
ual repairers and OEMs are normally in
direct contact for information.
CM: What are the Collision Committee’s
longer term goals?
DA: The Committee is a work in
progress, but essentially it will be work-
ing with other collision profession-
als to make the entire industry more
streamlined and efficient. Every com-
pany structures its business differently
– some view the North American mar-
ket as whole, while others treat Canada
separately. Our committee will provide
a unique Canadian portal to the colli-
sion industry and work with all facets of
the collision repair industry to achieve
goals related to the customer satisfac-
tion of our shared clientele.
A pertinent example comes from On-
tario, where the government has made
a commitment to consumers to reduce
insurance premiums. Overall reduction
of premiums can only happen if all the
costs are reduced and that requires cre-
ating efficiencies throughout the entire
system. Only by working together with
the other players can we create the cli-
mate in which this can not only happen
but also thrive.
We can help coordinate repair stan-
dards that support CPO programs and
meet consumer expectations. Vehicles
are improving in quality and that means
the ownership cycle is lasting longer.
Owners have to be satisfied even if their
vehicles are repaired during the lifetime
they own them. At the end of the day,
everyone is responsible to the consum-
er and our goal is to improve every con-
sumer’s experience. CM
David Adams, President of
Global Automakers of Canada
Picture:JackKazmierski

T
he temptation is to handle it all.
Yourself. But you simply can’t, no
matter how skilled or capable you
are. Indeed, your enterprise cannot be
limited by the energy and working cap-
acity of any single individual or it will be
stifled at every turn.
Does ‘Do Nothing’ really
mean nothing?
Can you accomplish more by doing less?
Well, not exactly. What you can do is use
your own leadership skills rather than
your production skills to create a model
in which each member of your team does
the rowing while you steer the boat in
the right direction. Does that mean you
“Do Nothing” as the buzz book of 2012
Do Nothing! How to Stop Overmanaging
and Become a Great Leader by J. Keith
Murnighan suggested in its title? There is
quite a bit to do and your job is to do what
you need to rather than attempt to do what
everyone down the line should be doing.
The fact is, you can’t perch on every-
one’s shoulder or sign off on every de-
tail. You need the people in the organiza-
tion to understand your lead and — like
it or not — trust them to get the job done
right. It is not just leaders who are guilty
of obsessive overwork and meddling
— everyone is. The judgment you need
to exercise is where and when to exert
your insights and skills while pulling
back on the temptation to micromanage
every crossed ‘t’ and dotted ‘i’.
The title Do Nothing is clearly designed to
sell books and capture attention, but the
concept has value. Imagine a situation
where you can use your own time to clari-
fy goals, set standards and solve problems
rather than do the line work while the or-
ganization you lead hums along with in-
creasing productivity and success.
The likelihood is that you have risen to
the next level by successfully doing the
job of the people you now supervise. You
became the VP by being a successful
sales manager for years — now the new
person who’s become sales manager
reports to you. The temptation to stick
a finger into every aspect of that role
is huge, yet your skills are now needed
further up the line. How do you let go?
How do you control your need to show
off your knowledge level so the people
lower on the chain can worry less about
the powers that be and concentrate on
being productive?
He doesn’t shoot, he scores!
There was a time when Mario Lemieux
was the best player in hockey. Today, he
employs Sidney Crosby. While this is an
unusual case, Lemieux gets the credit
for creating and environment that allows
Crosby to play the game. While only one
of them is skating and scoring goals, they
both are doing what needs to be done to
win the Stanley Cup. When Crosby is out
on the ice, bearing down for a shot on
Habs’ goalie Carey Price, Lemieux is do-
ing… well, nothing. Hardly!
Anyone who has ever had a good boss
will tell you that boss left them alone to do
their thing but was there when they were
needed whether it was for support when
things went wrong or praise when they
went right. Their good boss was clear in
their expectations, provided innovation
that helped to create efficiencies and led
a path that made the whole team suc-
cessful. The boss didn’t come and correct
typos or scrutinize individual orders but
they created an atmosphere in which each
individual made sure things went smooth-
ly. If you were lucky, you worked under a
leader like that — now it’s time to be one
illuminating the way ahead. CM
RémyL.Rousseau
Less is more
Be shining inspiration,
not the grinding perspiration
Surprisingly, the leader who gets more accomplished is often the one who does
less actual line work. As a leader, your role is to create better productivity from the
team you lead.
viewpoint

I
n support of this goal, WIN has com-
mitted to driving forward the careers
of young women through the organ-
ization’s annual scholarship program.
With this program, WIN provides funds to
assist young women in collision repair in
their pursuit of educational opportunities
and a chance to network with influential
women in the industry.
With the number and success level of
women involved in the collision repair in-
dustry growing rapidly, WIN’s identifica-
tion of five young women will add to this
trend. Two College Tuition and Confer-
ence Scholarship Awards and three High
School Tuition Scholarship Awards were
recently awarded to five highly deserving
young women.
2014 winners
College Student Tuition and Conference
Awards were presented to students en-
rolled in a post-secondary collision re-
pair technology program. Winners of the
2014 college scholarships are Stephanie
Baker, who will be attending WyoTech in
Blairsville, PA, and Suzanna Hernandez,
who will be attending Southeast Com-
munity College in Lincoln, NE. Each re-
cipient will receive a $1,000 scholarship
to continue her education, a one-year
membership to WIN and registration fees
and expenses to attend WIN’s 2014 Edu-
cational Conference at Paradise Point in
San Diego, CA.
The High School Tuition Scholarship
Awards were presented to students
enrolled in a secondary collision repair
technology program who plan to con-
tinue their studies at a technical school
or college. Winners of the 2014 High
School Tuition Scholarship Awards are
Danielle Caballero from Judson High
School in Converse, Texas, Megann
Hobrook from the Center of Applied
Technology in North Severn, Maryland
and Shelby Woods from the Moberly
Area Technical Center in Moberly, Mis-
souri. Each of these young women
will receive a $1,000 scholarship to
continue post-secondary education in
collision repair and a one-year WIN
membership.
Other benefits
The scholarship winners will also have
the opportunity to be mentored by the
winners of the 2014 Most Influential
Women awards. This year’s Most Influen-
tial Women award winners are Frederica
Carter, President of F. Carter Events,
LLC (formerly Communications Manager
at AkzoNobel), Jordan Hendler, Execu-
tive Director at Washington Metropolitan
Autobody Association and Leanne Jef-
feries, Director of Collision Programs at
AIA Canada.
“We believe that we have an obligation
to support young women who choose to
enter our industry,” said Beverly Rook,
Co-Chair of the Scholarship Commit-
tee. “By offering tuition scholarships to
further their education, and having them
mentored by other successful women in
the industry, we feel that we are giving
them a head start to a successful ca-
reer.”
Thanks to our sponsors
This newly expanded program is made
possible by the generous support of
WIN sponsors and by special events
including the Scholarship Walk, held
annually at the WIN Educational Con-
ference, and proceeds from the sales
of the There’s A Place For You recruit-
ment poster.
Information for the 2015 scholarship
program will be available in the early fall.
Students interested in applying can visit
www.womensindustrynetwork.com for
more information. CM
Annual Scholarship Program
WIN Drives Young Careers
Forward
The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) began with the goal of enhancing the role
of women within the collision repair industry through education, networking and
sharing of resources.
Association
MarissaCaruso

Collision Management-June-2014-Full Magazine Article

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