| From left: Vince Di Vetta, Area Parts & Service Manager for Toyota Canada, Ken Friesen of CSN – Concours Collision and Todd Richardson, Dealer Principal of Royal Oak Lexus. |
Calgary, Alberta — June 17, 2014 — CSN – Concours Collision’s Royal Oak location has recently received manufacturer certifications from Toyota and Lexus. Certifications such as these help to show that a collision centre has what it takes to complete technologically advanced repairs in a timely and safe manner.
Ken Friesen is the owner of CSN – Concours Collision. In addition to the Royal Oak store, there are two other locations in Calgary.
“Our Crowfoot location was Toyota certified,†says Friesen. “In fact, we were the first independent in Canada to become Toyota certified. The dealer that sponsored us move their location, so we had to move the certification to our Royal Oak store.â€
It’s simple to say, but not as simple to do. Friesen and the staff at the Royal Oak store had to go through the entire certification process again for Toyota to make sure the right equipment, training and processes were in place.
The same Toyota dealer also opened a new Lexus dealership when they made the move, and an opportunity arose to try for the Lexus certification as well. The application was approved, and now CSN – Concours Collision Royal Oak is certified to repair Lexus vehicles, as well as Toyota.
The audits for the certification process are handled by a third-party company, in this case Axalta.
Friesen is well-known in the collision industry as a proponent of “lean†manufacturing, although he tries to avoid using that word. Similarly, Toyota is well-known for its culture of continuous improvement. While the processes may be quite different, it’s not a stretch to say that the values match up.
“I refer to it as the Concours way,†says Friesen. “This is the way we fix cars, the best way we know how today. It’s about having a consistent process, seeing where we need to go and continually improving.â€
Friesen drew ideas from many sources, including Toyota’s Practical Problem Solving (PPS) System.
“We’ve used a lot of thinking from them, and for Toyota to recognize us is a huge honour,†says Friesen.
