Article Summary
Robotics are transforming the collision repair industry by automating key processes like paint curing and parts handling, with a Canadian dealership recently installing a parts-delivery robot that helps technicians complete two additional procedures daily. Since 2015, robotic systems have evolved from specialized paint-curing equipment to mainstream operational infrastructure across repair shops and dealerships, improving efficiency and consistency while supporting labor-strapped teams.
- Parts-handling robots are now entering mainstream dealership repair, with Yonge Steeles Ford Lincoln in Toronto becoming the first reported Canadian dealership to deploy one for internal parts movement.
- Productivity gains are immediate: The dealership's robot enables technicians to perform approximately two additional procedures per day, with an expected 18-month return on investment.
- Robotic adoption began in paint: Infrared curing robots entered collision repair in 2015, reducing curing time from hours to minutes and proving the value of automation across high-volume facilities.
- Expansion is accelerating: Robotics have progressed from specialty paint equipment to multi-purpose systems including sanding, polishing, welding, and parts handling by 2024–2025.
- Economic viability is proven: Similar robotic units can be leased for approximately US$38 per day, making automation financially feasible for high-volume operations.
HOW A CANADIAN DEALERSHIP REPAIR CENTRE IS DRIVING THE COLLISION INDUSTRY INTO THE FUTURE
A new robot introduced at Yonge Steeles Ford Lincoln is helping boost efficiency at the dealership’s repair facility. The robot — developed with Toronto-based Kalk Robotics, a firm associated with Forté Performance Systems that specializes in workflow-focused automation — is the first of its kind reported in a Canadian dealership setting and is designed specifically to support internal parts movement.
The robot was conceived by serial innovator Mark Silverman, the dealership’s fixed operations manager, during a meal at a restaurant employing robotic servers. “I didn’t like the robot servers much because they eliminated people rather than empowering them. It did occur to me that there might be a way for a similar robot to help out with our parts procurement process.”
Silverman turned to the Toronto-based Kalk Robotics to turn his vision into reality. Silverman and consultant Greg Staley worked together to evaluate the dealership’s workflow and identify parts delivery as a high-impact area where automation could reduce lost technician time.
Now, the wheeled robot shuttles parts between repair bays and the part procurement centre at the facility, allowing technicians to spend more time working and less waiting in line. With the store’s service department handling close to 180 work orders per day across 40 bays, even small reductions in parts-run time accumulate quickly.
“We’re in the learning phase, teaching our technicians and parts staff the new routine,” said Silverman. “But it’s already making a big impact on productivity. We’re looking at more work orders per day as a result.” A month into the project, and Silverman says the robot, which was designed by Kalk Robotics, is helping each of his repair technicians perform about two additional procedures each day.
“At this rate, we’re expecting to see a return on our investment after 18 months,” says Silverman. While Silverman declined to disclose the cost of the robot, he described the investment as “reasonable” for the longterm benefits. The Canadian AutoDealer report notes that similar units can be leased for about US$38 a day, making the economics favourable for high-volume operations. “It’s an enhancement for productivity and efficiency,” Silverman added. “We’re always looking for ways to be at the forefront of innovation.”
Once established in refinishing, robotics expanded into adjacent processes. Multi-axis robots adapted for sanding and polishing appeared in high-volume European and Asian facilities, providing uniform pressure and consistent defect correction. Compact spotcuring robots, overhead-crane systems capable of whole-vehicle coverage and rail-mounted units designed to travel with the repair flow broadened the available toolset.
By the early 2020s, non-drying automation entered the shop floor: force-controlled polishing arms, automated measurement tools and autonomous parts-handling robots began supporting daily operations in both independent collision centres and dealership repair departments. By the mid-2020s, robotics had moved from specialty equipment to operational infrastructure. Adoption remains uneven, but the trajectory is clear: robots entered through the paint department, proved their value and then advanced into other areas of the shop, supporting consistency, throughput and labour-strapped refinish teams.
2015
Robotic drying enters collision repair as infrared systems replace full-booth bake cycles. These systems use gas-catalytic IR panels on robotic arms to deliver concentrated heat to specific panels.
• Jennes Carrosserie in Belgium opens using Symach’s first robotic drying system, launching a FixLine-style production layout.
2016
North American operators begin designing facilities around robotic curing.
• Lindsay Auto Body in Ohio installs one of the first Symach FixLine systems, incorporating Drytronic robots — automated IR arms that follow programmed curing profiles.
2017
Robotic curing becomes central to expansion planning. • Zenetec in Barrie, Ontario, commits to a multi-robot FixLine configuration, using Drytronic stages for filler, primer and basecoat transitions.
2018
Robotic systems enter daily use in collision shops.
• Rowley’s/Axiom Accident & Hail Repair in Loveland, Colorado, installs its first FlyDry-equipped FixStation, using a rail-mounted gas-catalytic IR robot.
• Mervyn’s The Body Shop in Kelowna, B.C., opens using two FlyDry robots and an EasyDry robot, a compact singlepanel curing system.
• Zenetec in Barrie, Ontario, launches its flagship site using six Drytronic robotic curing stations.
2019
Robotic curing scales across multiple sites.
• Three Collision Works facilities in Oklahoma become the first repair centres to install FixLine robotic drying systems across multiple locations.
2020
Robotics expand into hail repair and corrective finishing.
• TDN Group in Peterborough, U.K., launches its first FlyDryequipped FixStation.
• Repair centres in Germany and Japan introduce KUKA-based robotic polishing cells, six-axis units with force-controlled polishing heads.
2021
Alternative curing systems gain traction in Canada.
• CSN St. Clair in Sarnia, Ontario, becomes the first Canadian shop to adopt Greentech E5 and E6 robotic dryers, ceiling- mounted catalytic IR units that target individual panels.
2022
Robotics integrate into prep and booth environments.
• Excellence Collision in Scarborough, Ontario, adopts its first EasyDry and FlyDry robots.
• CSN CARS Auto Collision in Burlington, Ontario, installs its first RoboDry system, an overhead-crane IR robot, along with multiple FlyDry units.
2023
Shops begin publicly identifying robotics in daily operations.
• Ethos Auto Body in Bedford Hills, New York, announces it is using robotic systems for painting, sanding and welding. 2024–2025
Robotics enter mainstream dealership repair and new-build facilities.
• Moses Collision Center near St. Albans, West Virginia, announces it is using FlyDry robotic technology as core infrastructure.
• Yonge Steeles Ford Lincoln in Toronto, Ontario, installs a partshandling robot to automate component movement within the facility
“We’re in the learning phase, teaching our technicians and parts staff the new routine. But it’s already making a big impact on productivity. We’re looking at more work orders per day as a result.” — Mark Silverman
