WELCOME ABOARD
The Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada) has appointed Stuart Klein as the organization’s senior director of collision, a newly created position. According to AIA Canada, he will join the association’s senior leadership team, directing AIA Canada’s efforts in the collision sector of the industry. Klein brings more than 45 years of collision industry experience to AIA Canada and previously worked in Fix Network’s training facility in Milton, Ont. He is an advocate of continuous training, and has been involved in industry-youth outreach programs.
“I’m excited to bring my experience to this newly created role,” Klein told Collision Repair at CCIF Toronto in February. “It feels like a very natural progression for me, and I’m looking forward to helping the entire collision sector toward a bright future.”
BLEND BRIEF
The Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) recent blend study is making estimating system providers “reevaluate” the numbers they’ve been reporting, SCRS executive director Aaron Schulenberg told attendees at a recent board meeting. The study results, first released November 1, showed blending took 31.59 percent longer than a full refinish–not 50 percent less time, as reported by three estimating platform providers. The study involved five primary North American coatings companies, who were not identified, and a full week of blend tests on 45 2018 Ford F-150 parts: 15 RT front door shells, 15 RT fenders and 15 hoods. Both CCC/Motor and Mitchell told Repairer Driven News in November they were reviewing the results of the SCRS’s audited blend study, in collaboration with five primary North American coatings companies. Mitchell told the outlet it was “always open to discussions with SCRS on the subject,” while CCC is working to “review observations, including scope, conditions, techniques and materials used.” The latter said it would share more once its review is concluded. Schulenberg also stressed that none of the information providers in the study–CCC/Motor, Mitchell International and Audatex–were given the results in advance.
A SPARK OF SOLIDARITY
Enterprise published its length of rental report for Q4 2022 on Tuesday, with results that, in one respect point to pre-pandemic levels of stability, but otherwise bear much of the same disheartening news as LOR reports of the recent past. Enterprise says that despite an average length of rental (LOR) increase of 4.3 days year-over-year, resulting in a new national average of 17.1 days, the quarter-over-quarter findings of this report are in line with historical LOR trends of Q3 and Q4 pre-pandemic. The rental car company points to the U.S.’s year-over-year increase of only 1.7 days from Q4 2021 as a marker of some return to pre-pandemic normalcy. On a provincial level, Ontario yet again posted the highest LOR nationally, with the province experiencing a 5.3 day year-over-year increase, thus bringing its average Q4 2022 LOR to 19.6 days. Nova Scotia tailed Ontario just slightly, recording an average LOR of 18 days, up 4.6 days from this time last year. Quebec saw the most significant change in LOR over the past year, with the province’s average jumping 5.8 days from 11.9 to 17.7. On the other end of the spectrum, Newfoundland and Labrador posted the lowest LOR across the board at 14.3 days, followed by Alberta and Prince Edward Island, coming in at 15.7 and 15.3 days respectively.
