GRAND ISLAND, NE — Chief Automotive Systems has announced it will change its name to Chief Automotive Technologies, effective September 1, 2005. As part of this transition, the company has unveiled a new high-tech logo that better positions the manufacturing giant to serve the future needs of the collision repair industry while staying true to the heritage of quality and service for which they are known.

“Chief has been an icon in the collision repair industry for over 30 years, so changing our name was not a decision we made lightly,” explained Chief President & CEO Randy Gard. “But this industry is advancing so quickly, we felt it was time to make this change to let our customers know we are keeping pace with the automotive industry.”

Gard said technological developments in the design of new vehicles and the materials used in their construction has required body shops to adapt to the high-tech tools and technologies necessary to properly repair these vehicles.

“Gone are the days when all a shop needed to repair a frame was a chain and a tape measure,” Gard said. “The sophisticated components and alloys in today’s vehicles require highly specialized tools and training, and shops that don’t embrace these changes will quickly find themselves on the outside, looking in.”

Thanks in part to its research and development staff and their close working relationship with most major OEMs, Chief has been able to keep ahead of the technology curve which, Gard said, was the primary reason for the name change.

“Chief will probably always be closely associated with frame racks, and that’s fine with us,” Gard added. “We’ll always be in the frame rack business. But to better serve our customers we need to develop the technologies and products that will enable them to be successful in the future as well. And that means we’ve had to ‘re-invent’ ourselves from a manufacturing company to one involved in some pretty cutting edge technologies. As a result, we wanted our company name to more accurately describe and reflect who we are.”

“The important thing for our customers to remember,” Gard concluded, “is that even though we occasionally change our name and look, we’re the same company we’ve always been. Regardless of the changes we make, we will continue to provide the quality products our customers expect and make their needs and interests our highest priority.”

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