MENTOR, Ohio — DCR Systems has been granted a full U.S. Patent on its vehicle collision repair process and system. This is the first patent of its kind, according to DCR.

“This landmark patent fully validates the awareness, vision, passion and above all, commitment of not only our entire team in developing this unique operating model, but also the invaluable support we’ve received from our strategic industry partners,” said DCR Systems President and CEO Michael Giarrizzo, Jr.

Since its formation in 2004, DCR Systems has pioneered the practical use of process improvement methodologies within the highly variable collision repair environment. “We set out to build a forever improving but fundamentally different, fundamentally better operating model,” said DCR Systems COO Lauren Angie. “The granting of this patent is a testament to that.”

This approval is the latest in a series of recent significant accomplishments for DCR. In February 2008, the company entered into a global strategic relationship with AkzoNobel, the world’s largest coatings company. The purpose was to link the vision, strategies and practices of the two companies. This was followed in August 2008 by DCR partnering with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, to offer its operating model exclusively to Toyota dealerships — marking the first-ever strategic alliance between a collision repair organization and a car manufacturer.