State Farm – Parts Trader: It’s about losing profit, control, and your very survival.

Posted on 03. May, 2012 by biggs.

State Farms latest entry into the parts business is more threatening, robust and all consuming than anything attempted in the past. This program will destroy the OEM list price, funnel all of the shop and dealers confidential pricing, discount and profit information to the insurer, undermine the OEM parts distribution network, wipe out thousands of OEM wholesale parts dealers, give control of parts pricing to State Farm and other insurers, and eventually eliminate the shops profit on parts. And, that prediction is mild compared to my worst fears!

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Joint Venture for National Body Shop Certification Announced

Posted on 17. Feb, 2012 by admin.

Assured Performance Network is proud to official launch a joint venture national body shop “Certification” program. The goal is to have a certified shop located within 15 minutes of 98% of the US population. Our objective is to have a certified choice for consumers in every community. To provide this demographic coverage of the United States, we will Certify at least 2,500 Collision repairers that want to establish a clear distinction and differentiators between their best in class businesses and everyone else. Now, we will identify those shops that have the right tools, equipment, training and facilities – This initiative will allow consumers and everyone else to know which shops can ensure the fit, finish, durability, safety, and value of their automobiles.

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SURVEY SAYS! The Results of the Assured Performance Collision Repair Standards Survey

Posted on 06. Jan, 2012 by admin.

ASSURED PERFORMANCE COLLISION REPAIR STANDARDS SURVEY RESULTS

…our survey was an effort to gain an unbiased snap-shot of the opinion of the better and best in class independently-owned body shop owners – the Co-Op members of Assured Performance Network.

The opinion of our members suggests a far different direction than their “study” suggested. Our Members said loud and clear that the industry needs and wants repair standards, they want them based upon OEM repair procedures, they trust I-CAR to be the source to manage them, and they would like them as a functional product with specific features. We used the results of this survey at the most recent CIC meeting when the repair standards committee presented their “study” to make sure our Member’s opinion was heard.

Below are the results of OUR survey:

ASSURED PERFORMANCE COLLISION REPAIR STANDARDS SURVEY RESULTS

• Total group size emailed: 4,638
• Total responses: 3,143 (67% response)

The first and most important question asked was, “Should the industry have ‘collision repair standards’ that define the repair methodology required to properly and safely repair each vehicle?” 96.1% said yes!

• 98% of those felt “repair standards” were valuable to their business.
• 97.7% felt it is important that the repair standards are “officially recognized” by the industry
• 78% felt their technicians needed them to repair vehicles properly.
• 93% felt that as the vehicles get more and more technologically complex, repair standards will be essential.
• 76% felt repair standards should be available and followed for every repair including some form of “proof of compliance.”

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Q&A Regarding Our Positioning on “Repair Standards” and I-CAR as the Review Council

Posted on 01. Dec, 2011 by admin.

QUESTION 1 of 6: The SCRS, ASA, Assured Performance Network, and AASP and 24 other Associations have publicly declared OEM repair procedures to be the industry’s standards for repair processes. What exactly does this mean? How much weight does it carry when prominent organizations like these make such a declaration?

Unfortunately, our industry has never officially declared OEM repair procedures as our repair standards regardless of the fact the industry uses them to create training, testing, course design, educational programs, documentation and even software products. The only true way to officially make this declaration is by those that represent repairers. Remember, only repairers use repair procedures and therefore repair standards. Having each of the leading trade organizations and nearly all of the state Associations unanimously and publicly support this position removes any doubt that it is official.

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