DIAMOND BAR, Calif. – The photo cove in the SEMA Garage — Industry Innovations Center opened for business last month, as celebrity builders Pete Chapouris and Jimmy Shine of So-Cal Speed Shop utilized the studio to photograph a celebrated project car they are building for rock guitarist Billy Gibbons. 
Large enough to fit a full-size vehicle and complete with a 30 by 10-inch adjustable light box, the photo cove will help SEMA members develop low-cost, professional marketing pieces for their new products. Other SEMA Garage services include a training facility, an emissions certification lab and chassis dyno, and a garage filled with more than $1 million worth of high-tech manufacturing equipment.
“With the opening of the photo cove, the SEMA Garage is able to help SEMA members throughout the entire product development cycle,” said Mike Spagnola, SEMA VP of OEM and Product Development Programs. As an example, Spagnola says that members can measure new vehicles for products using a portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM). A prototype can then be developed from SEMA’s 3-D printer, before being tested in the dyno and emissions lab. Upon final production, the facility can be used to train staff and technicians about the product, while the product is shot in the photo cove for marketing collateral.
“The SEMA Garage can literally cut the entire product development process down to six weeks,” said Spagnola.
A SEMA Garage Open House is being planned for Thursday, July 17. SEMA members and those interested in seeing the tools in action are invited to attend. Details about the celebration will be available in mid-June.
