| A Ford press release announcement drew a large crowd at SEMA 2013. highlighting the desire for information direct from the OEMs. | |
Prosser, Washington — August 21, 2014 — The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) launched the Repairer Driven Education series at the SEMA Show in 2010. This year, one of the most noticeable new developments to the SCRS program is the launch of the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit. The Summit is set for Wednesday, November 5, 2014 during the SEMA Show. The SEMA Show runs November 4 to 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“There is really no topic more captivating of everyone’s attention right now than the rapidly changing landscape of automobile technology, and how it is driving adaptation in the collision repair marketplace,” says SCRS Chairman Ron Reichen. “It is a topic that has broad-reaching impact on everyone in the industry and it was important to both SCRS and SEMA to develop a forum that would address the significant interest from all who are making the investment to join the industry in Las Vegas this fall.”
The panelists represent companies with rich histories of producing sophisticated structural designs and technological advancements, and will be bringing technical insight into the design, architecture and development of their vehicles, and how advancements in those areas intersect with the repair process. The discussion will fittingly be moderated by Jason Bartanen, Director of Industry Technical Relations for I-CAR, and one of the lead representatives from the training organization involved in their work as an “OEM linking pin.”
“We are really excited about how this program has come together, and the unique nature of the participants, ” says SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. “We have speakers coming in from all over the world, and participation from a wide variety of well-respected automakers such as Ford, GM, Toyota, Tesla, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, but we will be hearing from representatives that we often don’t have a chance to interface with.”
The program will also include separate panel discussions with representatives from certified repair facilities, equipment suppliers, certifiers/auditors and special presentations from the aluminum and steel industries.
“SCRS really crafted a completely unique networking and learning forum with this event, and we are convinced it will put repairers in an interactive environment with subject matter experts that simply can’t be found in any other event,” says Peter MacGillivray, Vice President, Events and Communications for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). “As a show organizer, we are keenly focused on how to enrich the attendee experience, and this partnership with SCRS continues to deliver toward that objective.”
The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit is made possible through support from PPG Refinish Products, Ford Motor Company, BASF, Toyota Motor Sales and The Hertz Corporation.
“Every participant in this industry can benefit from better insight into how vehicles and materials are evolving, what that means in the repair process and what will be expected of those who are performing these repairs,” says Schulenburg. “The future of our collision repair industry is highly skilled professionals, working on highly sophisticated automobiles that require the industry to embrace the necessary investments in training and equipment; but also relies on informed business owners who understand how to define for themselves what a sustainable and successful business model to support that investment looks like.”
For more information about SCRS’ Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, and to register for the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit and other RDE sessions, please visit semashow.com/scrs.
