Issue link: https://ppgrefinish-na.uberflip.com/i/515952
Greg DeCamp GM Sales & Marketing Refinish USCA PPG REFINISH PRODUCTS EARN GOOD HOUSEKEEPING SEAL Several PPG Refinish products have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal, long regarded as a trusted symbol of quality. The product lines receiving the seal include the ENVIROBASE ® High Performance, AQUABASE ® Plus, DELTRON, ® GLOBAL REFINISH SYSTEM ™ and NEXA AUTOCOLOR ® 2K ® brands. PPG collision centers using these products can display the Good Housekeeping Seal in their shops and promotional materials. Good Housekeeping Seal materials are available from PPG Marketing on Demand. NEW COLLISION REPAIR EDUCATION PROGRAM PPG Automotive Refinish is heavily involved in a groundbreaking associate degree program in collision repair and refinishing technology at Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) in Fayetteville, N.C. The first of its kind in the nation, the FTCC program is a direct response to the critical shortage of qualified collision repair technicians. Located next to Fort Bragg, FTCC is an educational partner with the military facility and the 60,000 personnel on base. Veterans or National Guard members make up 60 percent of FTCC's student body. These individuals will now have access to a new career-path option in their transition to civilian life. The new collision center and educational program brings the repair industry in line with the innovative processes, advanced materials and sophisticated computer engineering that automotive manufacturers are using. Students are instructed by repair industry professionals and work in a real-world environment with PPG paint products, newer cars and some new equipment not yet found in many collision centers in North America. Those completing the program will earn an associate degree in applied science as well as more than a dozen I-CAR ® , PPG and other industry certifications, making them job-ready. Paul Gage, director of the I-CAR Collision Repair program at FTCC in North Carolina, stands before the program's new collision center building. INSIDE LINE 4 4 FUTURE FORWARD With the recession finally behind us, there are encouraging signs for the near future and for those in the business of collision repair. First, auto sales are predicted to reach levels in 2015 not seen since 2006. In the commercial market, class 8 truck and tractor sales are hitting near record levels. Consumer confidence is up and lower gasoline prices are helping buck the trend of lower miles driven across North America. Closer to home, a recent survey of ASA members reported that nearly three- quarters of participating shops experienced a growth in RO's per month in 2014, with over half reporting increased profits. We can expect similar results this year. Given the brighter outlook for our industry, it is an ideal time for collision centers and truck shops to evaluate their business against longer-term trends and proactively implement strategies to ensure continued success. Essential to any continuous improvement strategy is the omnipresent need to maximize production efficiency and customer satisfaction. So if your business hasn't already, take advantage of PPG's MVP Business Solutions programs for expert guidance in this area. It's the industry's leading program for teaching the practical application of Lean Six Sigma tailored for collision repair. For commercial coatings customers, there's the Commercial Truck Group, a forum of owners and managers that meets twice annually. It's a great way to learn best practices, gauge your performance against industry averages and make valuable industry connections. Also, take an assessment of your current paint system. Work with your distributor to determine if any of PPG newest technologies are a good fit for enhancing the productivity and profitability of your paint operation. Of prime consideration should be PPG's waterborne basecoat technology. It offers more than just a compliance solution, as our some 10,000 users in North America will attest. With its superior color-matching accuracy and excellent throughput capability, PPG waterborne can be an invaluable asset to your future success.