Paint Distributor and Collision Center Busted for Selling, Using, Counterfeit PPG Products
Pittsburgh-based PPG, a leading global manufacturer of transportation coatings, has succeeded in its efforts to stop the use of counterfeit PPG products. An unnamed paint distributor and its collision center customer were enjoined by the U.S. Federal District Court in Louisiana from selling and using paint labeled as PPG, but not manufactured by PPG. The collision center was caught using and representing the paint as genuine PPG paint. The collision center then led PPG to the distributor.
PPG Breaks Ground on Taiwanese Coatings Application Plant for Fasteners, Small Parts
PPG Industries has begun construction of a facility in Taiwan that will apply the company’s electrocoat and dip-spin coatings to fasteners and small parts. The PPG-owned facility will operate under the name Alltech Engineered Finishes.
PPG Auto Glass to Acquire Distribution Assets of Independent Glass Distributors
PPG Auto Glass, a consolidated affiliate of PPG Industries, has agreed to acquire certain assets of the wholesale distribution network of Independent Glass Distributors, a subsidiary of privately owned Iowa Glass Depot. Based in Cedar Rapids, IA, Independent Glass Distributors is a wholesale distributor of automotive replacement glass and related products with 18 branches throughout the central and western U.S.
Genera Wins Frost & Sullivan’s 2005 Market Leadership Award for the North American Automotive Collision Repair
Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis of the North American Mechanical/Electrical Collision Replacement Aftermarket recognized Genera Corp. with the 2005 Market Leadership Award for its role in servicing the North American automotive collision repair industry.
NeoMedia to Distribute PPG Auto Refinish Products in China
NeoMedia Technologies has signed a contract with PPG Industries, through PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of PPG, to distribute PPG Auto Refinish products throughout the People’s Republic of China via Jinche Yingang Auto Technological Services Limited.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass Adds Hixson, TN, Franchise
Minneapolis-based ABRA Auto Body & Glass announced the opening of its ninety-first facility located in Hixson, TN, this is the third ABRA franchise awarded to Nelson Bowers II in the greater Chattanooga, TN, trade area.
ABRA Auto Body and Glass Adds Two North Carolina Franchises
ABRA Auto Body and Glass, a Minneapolis-based damaged vehicle repair company, announced the opening of two repair centers in the Wilmington, NC, area. Located in the North Carolina cities of Shallotte and Castle Hayne, the franchises were awarded to Anthony Reese. ABRA Auto Body & Glass specializes in collision repair, paintless dent removal and auto glass repair and replacement.
Popularity of Aftermarket Parts a Mounting Threat to OEs
Collision repair components are growing at a rate double that of most automotive wear replacement components, according to new research from Frost & Sullivan. In the past, the dealer channel was the avenue of choice for replacement components in North America, but with the establishment of aftermarket certification organizations such as CAPA and MQVP Inc., that have boosted the fit, quality and durability of aftermarket components, as well as the recent rulings in the Avery versus State Farm case, lower cost aftermarket component sales have flourished, the research firm said.
Larry Cline Named PPG/ASE Refinish Technician of the Year
Larry Cline of Bolivar, MO, was awarded the PPG/ASE Refinish Technician of the Year award at a banquet held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Resort Los Angeles in Redondo Beach, CA. The annual award is given to the collision center technician who receives the highest score on the ASE Painting and Refinish test, which is administered twice each year.
Mitchell Releases New Estimate Review Product
Mitchell International has announced the release of a new product for collision repair estimators, called Estimate Review. Estimate Review is an automated self-audit/review tool. Whenever an estimate is saved in UltraMate Premier Suite, Estimate Review analyzes it against user-defined criteria and alerts estimators to any variances that might trigger a partner to reject an estimate, or to items that were simply left off. All of this happens before the estimate is committed and uploaded — reducing unnecessary supplements for increased shop efficiency, according to the company.
Collision Industry Donates Bus to Camp Mak-A-Dream
During the Collision Industry Night of Achievement at NACE in Las Vegas, the Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) donated a specially equipped bus to Camp Mak-a-Dream, a camp which specializes in children with active cancer.
ASA and NADA Push for National Restrictions on Sale of Auto Paint
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) are joining together to push for a national rule to enforce point of sale restrictions on refinish paint products. The joint action comes in the form of a letter to Environmental Protection Specialist Kim Teal, who is responsible for the design of new EPA regulations that are due to be implemented just a few years from now. Teal’s mission is to reduce harmful emissions from the entire automotive refinish industry and is now formulating the draft rules which will decide how those reductions are to be made. Kim Teal will make a presentation at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) on Tuesday in Las Vegas.