For 30 years, CIECA has played a key role in the evolution of technology in the collision ecosystem.Most of us take for granted that there are standards for how systems talk to each other and exchange data. But it wasn’t always that simple.
We asked some of the people who were there in 1990s to share their perspective on why CIECA was necessary, what it took to bring it into existence, the perseverance and dedication of key individuals and the lasting impact on the industry.
There were far too many people in the creation and growth of CIECA to interview everyone, so we asked a few of the key players to share their thoughts.
Conflicting Hardware / Conflicting Software / Conflicting File Formats
As computer technology exploded into the collision industry, each new company developed applications using proprietary databases and formats. That’s logical… it’s how new technologies always begin. While the technology was proprietary, the processes that were being automated were not. Claims assignment, estimate preparation, repair orders, parts ordering and every aspect of auto claims handling were common practices performed by every body shop, insurance company and parts distributor.
As people realized the benefits of data instead of paper, a problem arose. You couldn’t run different estimating systems on the same laptop or get estimates from different systems in a common format.
Body shops were stuck in the middle having to buy multiple laptops to support the application the insurance company wanted and often had to transcribe estimates from one system to another just to upload the estimate to the adjuster. It became a major source of expense and inefficiency.
The First Steps
Chuck Sulkala, a body shop owner in Boston at the time and a past chair of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), recalls discussing the industry issues taking place before CIECA was created.
“Complaints from repairers continued to increase to the point where something needed to be done,” he said. “Many shop owners were technicians, and not as computer literate as what would have been needed. However, some, such as Scott Biggs and Eric Bickett, along with a few others they knew and trusted, became the core group to delve into what could be done to make it right.”
Bickett, owner of PACE, NuVentory and CCi, said the CIECA journey started in the early 1990s when the organization was formed out of a subcommittee within CIC called CIEDIS (the Collision Industry Electronic Data Interchange Subcommittee).
Sulkala recalls talking to Biggs, former founder and CEO of Assured Performance and a recently retired industry leader,about the industry and called Bickett to discuss CIEDIS and how it should move forward.
“I wrote and sponsored the CIC resolution to create an organization to establish collision industry electronic communication standards so every shop didn't have to have duplicate estimating systems,” Biggs explained. “It created the foundation for the avalanche of technological innovation over the decades to follow.”
A Separate Entity: CIECA is Born
Sulkula said the intent was to have it as a neutral and independent third party which has created the trusted belief in what we have today by everyone in the industry.
“I was adamant and insisted that the group needed to be a separate entity if the work they were to ever accomplish was to have any real value and recognition,” he said. “It was on that call with Scott and Erick that we decided to formalize the structure as a separate entity, beholden to no one but the industry as a whole and being worked on by people with the technical skills needed rather than the political words representing specific industry segment issues.”
Past CIECA Executive Director Fred Iantorno, who held the role from 2001 to 2019, became involved with CIECA during the organization’s first meeting. He said CIECA was formed for the exchange of data to reduce redundancy and create a level playing field so that innovation could flourish.
“CIECA began with a simple idea and purpose,” recalled Iantorno. “Over time, it evolved and expanded to meet the industry's needs, eventually advancing to lead with new technology standards and processes.”
Over the years, he said CIECA transitioned from addressing immediate challenges to anticipating future ones, proactively developing solutions to meet those demands.
It Wasn’t Always Easy!
Getting agreement from dozens of companies, many of whom were competitors, was not an easy task. It took hard work, compromise and maybe a bit of arm twisting to get everyone to sit at the table and work together.
“I believe that most organizations that are made up of so many separate and oftentimes competitive organizations, you'll have that,” noted Biggs. “Fortunately, good people have risen to the occasion to save the organization or help redirect it to the greater good. I wish more people in the industry knew the sacrifices that some individuals have made to keep the organization alive when some executive directors and other influential people have come and gone.”
Biggs said that in a time many decades ago, there were shop owners that reached into their own pocket to bail the organization out and overcome the threats that would have destroyed all the efforts that went into creating CIECA.
“The amount of personal sacrifice that some people gave will never be recognized to the level they deserve, but it is still the functioning organization that has much more to offer the industry,” he shared.
Standards for the Future
“When you bring people together and try to create consensus, but you know there are people in the room who don’t want to, Bickett said you have to be a little more stealthy.
He said that he couldn’t share the following in 1992 but thinks the industry is ready to hear this vision for the organization.
"CIECA participating companies will work to enable a unified solution to the driving public by integrating all products and services delivered by the stakeholders, returning the consumer to the pre-loss condition, with the utmost efficiency, streamlining operations, eliminating unnecessary costs, and enhancing the value delivery. By acting as one cohesive unit, we aim to optimize the entire system, ensuring that every component works synergistically to provide reliable and cost-effective solutions to customers. This commitment not only drives cost out of the system but also significantly boosts the overall value we deliver to the driving public. As part of this process, it is imperative that all company participants set aside their individual company agendas at the door. Their feedback, energy, ideas, and involvement must be wholly guided by this collective goal. This unified approach ensures that our efforts are concentrated on delivering the highest value, free from conflicting priorities or inefficiencies.”
“As technology continues to transform every aspect of our personal and professional lives, the need for integrating apps, systems, and devices is essential and will only grow,” said Iantorno. “Without established standards, progress becomes more challenging and expensive. No single company, app, or system can handle everything on its own — integration is always necessary. Standards are what enable that integration.”
Whatever the original reason, Sulkala said there can be no question that the result was what we now see today and the great efforts that have materialized as a result of CIECA having been formed.
“I applaud the vast and wonderful results and continued efforts moving ahead and I’m so very proud of the work that we together, as an industry, were able to put together for the benefit of all involved,” he said.
“What the organization has provided is fairly fundamental, but it's the fundamentals that are so essential to build on,” added Biggs. “Just imagine the future where AI and greater and greater use of data is commonplace. Without the fundamental communication standards for electronics and technology, the impact at every level could be disastrous.”
In contrast, with the fundamentals, Biggs said that almost anything can be built on that solid foundation.
“Enough cannot be said about the value of a solid foundation for electronic and technical communication standards,” he said.
Erick Bickett summed up the mission of CIECA: “CIECA’s customers are not its members. CIECA’s customer is the driving public and the product. I believe CIECA’s leadership should be bold and unapologetic toward its goals. This isn’t always easy but so much more could be possible if CIECA achieves this. A small group of committed, connected and strategic people focused on the same objective can change the future in very large ways.”