LAS VEGAS, Nov. 2, 2012—I-CAR’s training curriculum, including its Professional Development Program (PDP), Gold Class Professionals designation and Welding Qualification series, is helping auto manufacturers build stronger repair network programs, the organization said Thursday during a press conference at the 2012 SEMA Show.
I-CAR said it has developed relationships with an increasing number of auto manufacturers, and several OEMs now include the training organization’s curriculum within repair certification programs.
Nissan/Infiniti, Chrysler and Honda recently introduced collision repair network programs that require the I-CAR Gold Class Professionals designation, and 15 additional OEMs include the I-CAR Welding Qualification series or other I-CAR trainings as a requirement for their network programs.
James Roach, senior vice president of the parts and service division for American Honda Motor Co. Inc., said I-CAR’s Gold Class Professionals designation and PDP are critical components of Honda’s ProFirst body shop recognition program, which launched in October.
“Honda has a firm commitment to quality, and customer satisfaction is always top of mind. I-CAR’s PDP and the Gold Class recognition program are the industry standards for knowledge, helping form the foundation for business and technician success through training that provides repairers with knowledge and skills needed to achieve complete repairs and safe repairs,” Roach said.
“The I-CAR PDP has become the industry standard for knowledge. The PDP was designed to provide the technicians responsible for various and critical phases of the collision repair process the education and knowledge required to perform complete and safe repairs,” said John Van Alstyne, president and CEO of I-CAR. “Additionally, the industry has also discovered the PDP helps businesses improve performance and reduce risk. According to a recent I-CAR study on repair facility key performance indicators (KPIs), there is clear linkage between I-CAR training and KPI improvement in areas such as cycle time, touch time, rework, CSI, and even revenue.”
During the press conference, Elise Quadrozzi, chair of I-CAR’s board of directors, acknowledged the organization’s plan to expand its service to the industry by taking on the proposed “Industry Repair Procedures” initiative. I-CAR announced in July that it will facilitate and maintain a centralized database of OEM-based technical repair procedures in support of an industry-wide repair standards effort.
“I-CAR is committed to expanding its relevance to the collision repair inter-industry. The industry expressed a need for help and the I-CAR board agreed that we were well positioned to respond,” Quadrozzi said. “This initiative is a great example of how we are working to move I-CAR into the future from its historical role as a training provider, with increasing focus on building an education, knowledge and solutions platform of services for the inter-industry.”
