CIECA - CIECA NEWS & EVENTS #CIECA Webinar

February 6 CIECA Webinar: Collision Industry Update, What You Need to Know

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:04:35 -0600

The next CIECA Webinar will be held on Thursday, February 6 at 11 am PST/1 pm CST/2 pm EST: “Collision Industry Update: What You Need to Know. The one-hour live broadcast will feature Greg Horn, chief industry relations officer at PartsTrader.

During the free webinar, Horn will explore how recent changes and future technology trends will impact the collision industry. All collision industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend the presentation.

Topics will include:

·How the proposed tariffs could impact the auto industry

·Latest news on Stellantis and the UAW

·An update on collision parts inflation

·An overview of parts delivery days by part type

As the chief industry relations officer at PartsTrader, Horn hosts the PartsTrader Industry Trends webinar and is a conference speaker. A true ‘car guy,’has owned over 62 cars. He started in the automotive field, working in VW and Porsche repair shops in high school.

Horn began his auto claims career at Safeco and later held senior leadership positions at The Hartford, GMAC Insurance, National Grange Mutual and Leader National Transport Insurance Companies. He was also the vice president of industry relations and data analytics for Mitchell International, where he published Mitchell’s Industry Trends Report. During his career,has served on the I-CAR education foundation, the General Motors Safety Council and the GM Fixed Operations Advisory Committee. He was a trustee for the Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) for two years.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

Aftermarket Matters

Autobody News

BodyShop Business

BodyShop News International

Collision Repair Magazine

Collision Week

United Recyclers Group

December 5 CIECA Webinar: New CCC Study Identifies Key Drivers of Customer Satisfaction and Retention in the Auto Claims and Repair Process

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 14:30:48 -0600

The next CIECA Webinar will be held on Thursday, December 5 at 11 am PST/1 pm CST/2 pm EST: “New Study Identifies Key Drivers of Customer Satisfaction and Retention in the Auto Claims and Repair ProcessThe one-hour live broadcast will feature Maryling Yu, vice president of marketing at CCC Intelligent Solutions (CCC),a leading cloud platform powering the P&C insurance economy.

In October, CCC released the findings from its Moments of Truth study, identifying the key drivers of customer satisfaction and retention in the auto claims and repair process. The study, based on data from 2,400 policyholders who participated in the research, examined nearly 50 moments in the auto claims and repair process.

“Moments of Truth are critical points in the customer journey that have a significant impact on satisfaction and loyalty,” explained Yu. “CCC’s recent study reveals that consumer satisfaction with insurers and repairers in a claims experience is closely linked, and that their collaboration plays a pivotal role in each other's satisfaction scores.”

During the webinar, attendees will learn more about the findings, including the top three takeaways from the study for repairers:

Transparency Over Speed: A transparent, detailed explanation of repair needs was the top moment of truth influencing repair satisfaction, outweighing the speed of repairs.

External Factors: Satisfaction is influenced by factors outside repairers’ control, such as whether the insurer provides clear communications about the claims process, as well as a satisfying initial contact after the accident.
Frequency of contact being “just right” is key: 88% of respondents wanted at least weekly updates, with nearly half expecting communication every 2-3 days.

As the vice president of marketing at CCC Intelligent Solutions, Yu is responsible for all aspects of marketing at the company, with a strategic focus on developing and retaining customers across the entire lifecycle. Yu brings over 20 years of marketing experience to CCC. Prior to this position, she was the chief marketing officer for Backstop Solutions, a Chicago-based financial technology company.

Before working at Backstop, Yu led marketing at LotLinx, a digital automotive advertising technology company, and at Adeptia, an integration-as-a-service company. Yu specializes in B2B technology marketing and has also held senior level marketing positions at Sungard Availability Services. In addition, she has consulted for many Silicon Valley-based technology companies, including NetApp and Brocade. Yu earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She also holds a Master's in International Development Policy and a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford.

All collision industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend the presentation.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

Aftermarket Matters

Autobody News

April 25 Technical Webinar: CIECA API Standards: A Roadmap for the Future

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 14:55:05 -0500

The next next CIECA Technical Webinar will be held on Thursday, April 25 at 11 am PT/1 pm CT/2 pm ET to discuss CIECA’s new standards—CIECA API Standards (CAPIS).

The following will be shared during the webinar:

Information about the CAPIS development process

How EMS/BMS are being converted to CAPIS

Examples of how members can use CIECA Standards to develop API messages

Presenters include CIECA Architecture Committee Chair Dan Webster, principal architect, IT Enterprise at Enlyte; and committee members Andy Bober, a software engineer at Entegral; Mike Hastings, a product manager at Car-Part.com; CIECA Board of Trustees member Jeff Schroder, founding CEO of Car-Part.com; and Paulette Reed, CIECA’s technical project manager.

“The Architecture Committee has been working hard to develop CAPIS and we are looking forward to sharing our progress with members and the industry,” said Reed.

Collision Repair Industry To Be Influenced By Supply Chain, Vehicle Complexity In 2024

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 11:51:00 -0600

CIECA's first webinar of the year focused on the trends repairers should keep an eye on in 2024.

Written by Abby Andrews

February 13, 2023

Originally published in A utobody News

The collision repair industry is poised for another year of change in 2024, according to Ryan Mandell, director of claims performance for Mitchell International.

Mandell was the featured guest for CIECA’s first webinar of the year, “Top Collision Industry Trends to Watch in 2024,” held Jan. 25 and available for viewing on CIECA’s YouTube channel

Mandell said the four biggest factors affecting the industry this year will be the used vehicle market dynamics, increased vehicle complexity driving up repair costs, supply chain volatility and continued growth of electric vehicles’ share of the car parc.

USED VEHICLE MARKET

Mandell said the used vehicle market is being affected by inflation and high interest rates.

“There was a spike in inflation in 2022,” Mandell said “It has come down, but it is still predicted at 2.4% in 2024, on top of what we’ve already experienced.”

There is little chance of interest rates declining in 2024, Mandell said, and if they do, it won’t be until the summer at the earliest. That affects customers’ ability to finance all types of loans, but especially ones to buy vehicles.

In 2023, total loss frequency was 19.2%, Mandell said. As vehicle values rose, repairers had more room to fix crash-damaged vehicles instead of writing them off.

As vehicle values stabilize, Mandell said, total loss frequency will start to increase again.

“2024 is most likely going to be less volatile than recent years,” Mandell said, adding there are “so many variables at play here, we could see an increase in volatility if other things change.”

INCREASED COMPLEXITY

The increased complexity of vehicles – including more technology like ADAS features in every vehicle, and a shift in materials used – is the biggest item driving changes in the industry.

Mandell said while data from 2023 is not yet complete, it has already shown a 6% increase in average severity in the U.S. and 9% in Canada compared to 2022.

“That’s very significant,” he said. Before the pandemic, the industry typically saw a 3.5% to 5% increase in average severity every year. But there was a 10% increase in the first six months of 2023 alone compared to the same period the year before.

As repairs get more complex, they average more labor hours to complete – while the average labor rate also increases, showing a one-year 6% increase in the U.S. in 2023, after remaining static sometimes for years at a time.

The cost of parts is also going up – in 2022, the cost of aftermarket parts rose 17%, while OEM parts rose 10% -- as is the average number of replacement parts per repair, up almost one full part in a single year as more systems require being brought back to pre-accident condition.

“It’s a perfect storm in terms of cost drivers that are contributing,” Mandell said.

In 2024, the average severity is forecast to be around $5,300 in the U.S. and $5,700 in Canada, in line with increases seen over the last couple of years.

Automakers are using more lightweight materials like aluminum, carbon fiber and magnesium to absorb crash energy and provide more range in EVs and better fuel economy in ICE vehicles. Those materials can be repairable, but they are more likely to crack than dent, requiring replacement instead.

Mandell said currently 54% of lightweight metal parts are repaired, compared to 58% of mild steel.

“The newer the vehicle, the more likely they are to have these materials,” he said.

Scanning is also on the rise. In 2023, 76% of vehicles repaired in the U.S. and 85% in Canada required a pre- and post-scan. In 2016, only 10% of vehicles did.

“In less than a decade we have added a compulsory operation to almost every single repair,” Mandell said.

In addition, he said, about 35% of repaired vehicles in 2024 will require calibrations of certain systems.

“How do you bring this into your business?” Mandell said. “You have to decide to make the investment to do it in house or partner with a third party, considering cost, cycle time and throughput.”

THE SUPPLY CHAIN

After seeing some improvement in supply chain woes in 2022, recent events, including the six-week UAW strike in late 2023 and current geopolitical conflicts in the Red Sea, could “really put a wrench in those trends,” Mandell said.

About 12% of global cargo goes through the Red Sea. Attacks on cargo ships has led some companies to use longer routes to avoid it, or bring in naval ships to escort them through.

“This will affect shipping times and cost,” Mandell said. “The rest of the network is going to be stressed. It has a snowball effect, and I think we will be grappling with it for some time.”

Mandell said he expects to see the downstream impacts on parts availability halfway through 2024.

End user costs will likely rise as well as the average cost to move a shipping container increases.

Aftermarket parts are more exposed to the effects than OEM parts because they are largely produced on the island of Taiwan.

“This new wave of supply chain disruption’s overall impact remains to be seen,” Mandell said. “Look at an action plan -- repairing more parts, finding different sources. We need to have those conversations.”

EV GROWTH WILL CONTINUE

As the number of EVs on the roads grows, so too is the number coming into repair shops.

“These vehicles are just different,” Mandell said. “We need to look at what that means for financial forecasting, and for setting workflows for insurance companies and repairers.”

Mandell said the average cost of repair of an EV is 37% higher compared to ICE vehicles, but there is a caveat -- the average EV is only 3 years old, compared to 6.5 years for ICE vehicles. The average cost is only 14.5% higher when compared to ICE vehicles that are model year 2020 or newer.

A lack of moving parts make EVs less likely to be determined non-drivable after a crash -- 10.5% of EVs vs. 14.1% of ICE vehicles -- but the likelihood of air bag deployment in an EV higher.

“My hypothesis is the different design and weight dynamics leads to potential for a more severe accident in which air bags are more likely to deploy,” Mandell said.

Mandell showed the results of a study conducted by Mitchell to compare repair costs for a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning and a 2022 Ford F-150 XLT that had each suffered a moderate front end impact.

Both trucks needed a new bumper assembly, grille assembly, headlamps and a hood panel, and the left and right fenders blended.

The Lightning had a more expensive front upper cover and grille assembly, an additional grille reinforcement and a bumper isolator, not present on the XLT. The Lightning also required the battery to be removed before the bake cycle in the paint booth, which added 3.5 labor hours. In all, the Lightning cost $3,500 more to repair than the XLT.

“EVs have less moving parts but more crash parts,” Mandell said. “The internal combustion engine in the XLT is integral in crash energy absorption, so they need to find other ways to absorb that in EVs. Adding these parts closer to exterior parts of EVs makes them more susceptible to damage.

“There is a cost delta and a process difference [between repairing EVs and ICE],” Mandell said. “It is absolutely critical to be aware of that to make sure a proper and safe repair is the outcome.”

Feb. 22 CIECA Webinar: Embracing Technology to be Successful in the Collision Industry

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:30:21 -0600

CIECA announced that its next CIECA Webinar is scheduled for Thursday, February 22 at 11 am PST/1 pm CST/2 pm EST: “Embracing Technology to be Successful in the Collision Industry.” The one-hour webinar will feature Mike Anderson, owner of Collision Advice.

“People tend to be skeptical about new technology,” said Anderson. “Instead, I encourage the industry to be optimistic and open-minded about the opportunities available and embrace new technology in their businesses to be successful today and tomorrow in the collision industry.”

During the live broadcast, Anderson will discuss:

New technologies being used by industry stakeholders, including insurers, paint companies, rental and OEMs
The use of technology for industry practices, such as writing estimates, tracking parts returns, entering information into management systems and vehicle status updates
Opportunities to use artificial intelligence (AI) for scheduling and capacity of work
What to know in regard to cybersecurity
How technology can be used to exchange data with industry partners

All industry segments, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend the February 22 webinar.

Anderson is a former multi shop owner (MSO), based out of Alexandria, Virginia. As the owner of Collision Advice, Anderson facilitates 20 groups called the Spartan 300 for OEM-certified shops. Collision Advice has been selected by several OEMs to provide factory training in estimating, scanning and calibrations. Anderson produces a quarterly summary of the latest trends and statistics in the U.S. for the collision industry, as well as conducts “Who Pays for What” quarterly surveys of over 28,000 collision repair professionals in regards to insurer reimbursement.

Anderson is an Accredited Master Automotive Manager (AMAM) through the Automotive Management Institute (AMi). He participates in the development of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) testing for technicians and estimators in the United States and is fully certified in all collision categories for ASE. He has presented to groups across North America as well as Canada, Mexico and Australia, traveling on average over 300 days a year and working with collision repair stakeholders.

Attendees can earn Automotive Management Institute (AMi) credit toward an industry-recognized professional designation and specialty degree by attending this webinar.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

AutoInc.

Autobody News

BodyShop Business

Collision Repair Magazine

CollisionWeek

June CIECA Webinar: The Future Digital Landscape, "Embracing Blue-Sky Thinking"

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:00:53 -0500

CIECA announced that its next CIECA Webinar is scheduled for Thursday, June 29 at 11 am PT/1 pm CT/2 pm ET: “The Future Digital Landscape.” The one-hour webinar will feature Chuck Olsen, Sr. VP Operations & Automotive Technology at AirPro Diagnostics.

During the live broadcast, Olsen will discuss new technologies the collision industry is currently learning about, what stakeholders can expect to see in the near and extended future and how it may impact businesses.

Olsen recommends that the industry embrace “blue-sky thinking.”

“It’s time to share what may seem impossible and create visions that drive innovations to move the impossible to reality,” he said. “The best initiatives that drive progression of new technologies come from our crazy ideas and science fiction when someone finally says, “Why not,” and pursues them!

Olsen looks forward to discussing the possibilities across multiple developing verticles within the collision industry that are regularly discussed during CIECA Commitees, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Calibration, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Emerging Technologies, OEM Repair Procedures and more.

All industry segments, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend the June 29 webinar. Olsen encourages participants to ask questions throughout the presentation and share their predictions and ideas.

“How will the future digital landscape impact the collision industry as we know it today?” asked Olsen. “Frankly, we are not sure yet, but we will figure it out together!”

With 43 years of experience in automotive technologies and the collision repair industry, Olsen continuously fosters his passion for technology in the automotive industry through his current role at AirPro Diagnostics. As a co-inventor of the Remote Vehicle Programming System and Method, he continues to take every opportunity to expand and share knowledge about automotive technology products, methods and applications of new technologies. The goal is to get knowledge and technology resources into the hands of service providers and repairers to allow safe, effective, reliable and affordable repairs for customers.

Olsen continues to maintain ASE Master and Advanced Technician Certifications and currently serves on several industry committees related to emerging technologies within the mobility space and technical training. These include CIECA, the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), Adjunct instructor at Florida State College Jacksonville, Standards of Automotive Engineering (SAE), National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) and the Equipment and Tool Institute (ETI), which he has served three years on the organization’s board of directors.

Attendees can earn Automotive Management Institute (AMi) credit toward an industry-recognized professional designation and specialty degree by attending this webinar.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:
Autobody News

April CIECA Technical Webinar: Overview of 2023R1 & OpenAPI Development Best Practices & Lessons Learned

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:17:53 -0500

The next CIECA Technical Webinar will feature special guest speaker Darrel Miller, API Architect at Microsoft. The presentation, “Open API Development Best Practices & Lessons Learned,” will take place on Thursday, April 20 at 11 am PT/1 pm CT/2 pm ET. During the one-hour webinar, CIECA’s Architecture Committee will also provide an update about CIECA API Standards (CAPIS) and share information about the first standards release of the year, the 2023R1.

“As we work on CIECA’s next generation of CIECA Standards, we are inviting technical experts to talk to our membership about best practices and lessons learned when creating new standards and working with OpenAPIs,” said Paulette Reed, CIECA’s technical project manager. “We encourage all members to let their business analyst, architects and technical developers know about this upcoming opportunity and attend the webinar to learn first-hand from an expert in the area of Open API development.”

Presentation Highlights:

Best practices for working with OpenAPI descriptions
Lessons learned at Microsoft working with OpenAPI
The future of OpenAPI and other ongoing work in the OpenAPI Initiative

Miller is responsible for steering Microsoft Graph, the API surface area for all Microsoft M365 SAAS products. He is an editor and steering committee member for the OpenAPI specification. He is also co-chair of the IETF HTTP API working group, responsible for defining industry standards for HTTP APIs.

The Architecture Committee, chaired by Dan Webster, principal architect, IT Enterprise, Enlyte, meets weekly to work on the standards for the BMS and CAPIS. Before each release, a formal quality assurance (QA) is performed by the committee.

The committee publishes updated collision industry standards twice a year to review the changes to the BMS, code list, instance documents and schemas; verify they meet the Architecture guidelines; validate spelling; and ensure all changes to the BMS are in the schema.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

Autobody News

March CIECA Webinar: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change in the Collision Industry Without Getting Crushed

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:18:06 -0600

CIECA's next webinar is scheduled for Thursday, March 30 at 11 am PT/1 pm CT/ 2 pm ET: “How to Adapt to the Speed of Change in the Collision Industry… Without Getting Crushed.” The one-hour webinar will feature Ryan Taylor, founder of the CRM software BodyShop Booster and president of The AMP Bureau.

During the live broadcast, Taylor will share three secrets focused on how Fortune 500 companies embrace change: Upstream Thinking, How to adapt and ride the technology wave, and From Fear to Freedom: How the military uses change as rocket fuel to boost advancement.

Upstream Thinking

Taylor said upstream thinking is a new way to solve some of the biggest challenges. “From staffing to supply chain issues, this problem-solving methodology is a closely-guarded secret that many of the most successful companies use,” he said.

How to adapt and ride the technology wave

Are you struggling to keep up with the fast-paced evolution of technology? Don't get left behind! Taylor will share a proven framework that can be used by the industry to adapt to the latest technological advancements and thrive in today's digital landscape.

From Fear to Freedom: How the military uses change as rocket fuel to boost advancement

The military operates in a constantly changing and unpredictable environment. As a result, it has developed a culture that embraces change and adaptation.

“By using change as a catalyst for growth and advancement, the military has been able to stay ahead of the curve and maintain its competitive edge,” said Taylor. “This secret approach can be applied to businesses in the collision industry by fostering a culture of innovation and adaptation and embracing change to drive growth and success.”

Taylor said he started his first body shop when he was 17, fueled by way too much coffee. Through unconventional and creative means, he grew it to be an MSO with locations across Canada, with a successful exit in 2014. Presently, Taylor is the founder of the CRM software BodyShop Booster and the president of The AMP Bureau. He is an advisor and coach to thousands of shops, OEMs and Fortune 500 companies around the globe.

All industry segments, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend the webinar. Following the presentation, there will be a Q&A session.

Attendees can earn Automotive Management Institute (AMi) credit toward an industry-recognized professional designation and specialty degree by attending this webinar.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

Autobody News

October CIECAST Technical Webinar: An In-Depth Analysis on the Structure of CIECA API Standards (CAPIS) & 2022R2 Highlights

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:41:11 -0500

CIECA's second standards release of the year, the 2022R2, will be available to members on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.

A CIECAST Technical Series webinar will be held on Thursday, October 20 to discuss the updates made to the 2022R2. The Architecture Committee will also provide an in-depth analysis of the CIECA API Standards (CAPIS) and how they will be structured. The webinar will take place at 11 am PT/1 pm CT/2 pm ET.

“CIECA’s Architecture Committee has completed the foundational analysis for CIECA’S next generation of JSON-based CIECA API Standards (CAPIS),” said Paulette Reed, CIECA’s technical project manager. “The committee will share details about its findings and talk about how the new JSON Standards will be structured.”

The Architecture Committee, chaired by Dan Webster, principal architect, IT Enterprise, Enlyte, held two face-to-face meetings to prepare for this release. One took place at Car-Part.com’s office in Kentucky and the other was held in St. Charles, MO, following the CIECA CONNEX Conference.

The committee publishes updated collision industry standards twice a year. Prior to the release, the Architecture committee will hold a Quality Assurance (QA) virtual meeting on October 12 to review the changes to the BMS, code list, instance documents and schemas; verify they meet the Architecture guidelines; validate spelling; and ensure all changes to the BMS are in the schema.

August CIECAST Webinar: Autonomous Vehicles: Fact vs. Fiction

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 11:39:04 -0500

The next CIECAST webinar is scheduled for Thursday, August 25 at 11 am PT/1 pm CT/ 2 pm ET: “Autonomous Vehicles: Fact vs. Fiction.” The one-hour webinar will feature Tara Andringa, executive director of the Partners for Automated Vehicle Education.

During the live broadcast, Andringa will talk about autonomous vehicle technology and the potential impacts to the collision industry in the future.

“Partners for Automated Vehicle Education unites AV stakeholders in the common mission of raising the level of public understanding of the technology. We believe that we’re more likely to reap the benefits of AV technology if the public is on board,” said Andringa. “And we also know that this takes all AV stakeholders coming together, so we are excited to collaborate with CIECA members in this important effort.”

Topics will include:

PAVE’s mission and resources available
Information about PAVE’s contract to develop a digital forum that will facilitate communication and collaboration between the public sector and the automated vehicle industry
The types of mobility being developed
How the collision industry and CIECA members can best prepare to work with infrastructure owner operators in the upgrade of the transportation infrastructure in preparation for AV technology

Andringa has led PAVE since its public launch in 2019. Prior to joining PAVE, she spent more than 20 years serving as a communications director in the United States Senate, including leading public affairs for the Senate Auto Caucus. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

All industry segments, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend the webinar. Following the presentation, there will be a Q&A session.

Attendees can earn Automotive Management Institute (AMi) credit toward an industry-recognized professional designation and specialty degree by attending this webinar.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

Autobody News

BodyShop Business