Palm Springs, Calif., Jan. 17, 2019—The January 2019 meeting for the Collision Industry Conference kicked off on Thursday with a welcome by the new chairman, Jeff Peevy.

After Jack Rozint wrapped up his morning presentation, he predicted what will happen for the collision repair industry in 2019. He says the type of repair work is shifting from metal/frame/refinish to electrical repairs. Collision frequency is likely to continue to decline with ADAS advancements. And, the average repair cost is likely to rise based on vehicle complexity.

In the Repair Scenarios Created by ADAS/Safety System Vehicle Capabilities, led by Jake Rodenroth of asTech,  he emphasized that shops need to be validating any calibrations sent to a dealer or sublet. The shop operator cannot simply assume that the work was done correctly. The technician should be covering the Three C’s: the concern, the cause and the correction, the presenter said.

Meanwhile, CIECA announced a new committee at the meeting. The new committee will be chaired by Darrell Amberson, president of operations for LaMettry’s Auto Body in Minnesota. The new committee will cover calibration.

Other key items addressed at the January 2019 meeting included:

• The April CIC meeting will involve a discussion of the Assembly Bill 375
• A new committee was formed called the Data Access, Privacy and Security Committee. Right now, it has two members.
• During the open microphone session, a question was raised about how a shop can manage to stay at a threshold as severity continues to increase. The panel’s response was that the images of vehicle damage should be looked at as evidence of what is done and what needs to be done, as well as documenting the repair thoroughly. 
• I-CAR announced changes for 2019 during a media briefing, and noted that, in 2019, there will be Spanish available for courses and that, by April 1, there will be 243 courses available. Additionally, a collision repair business will be required to gain an in-shop recertification for welding every three years, instead of the previous requirement to repeat training every five years.