Photos courtesy of Freeman Collision Center
Customers, as well as insurance personnel, are impressed by this massive 43,000-square-foot shop as soon as they walk in the door, according to manager Greg Gustafson. “Those who are familiar with the repair process always compliment Freeman Collision Center’s cleanliness,” Gustafson says.
Freeman Collision, winner of the Toyota Collision Repair Center of the Year in 2003, is set up in a way that ensures cleanliness and prevents cross-contamination between jobs. The shop is the only certified collision center in Northern California for both Toyota and Lexus and keeps its technicians highly qualified with ongoing, annual training.
1. The shop’s massive exterior is enhanced by well-cared for green grass, drought-resistant plants and trees that create a border around the shop. The greenery is taken care of by both the in-house maintenance team and an outside landscaping service, which keeps the area looking its best at all times.
2. Freeman Collision made the most of its space by creating a two-level parts department. Carts are loaded with parts and then put in the elevator, where they can be moved up and down. With new parts always coming in, an additional floor allows the shop to expand into a different area when space is limited. With the extra space, the shop can secure parts prior to a vehicle’s arrival, decreasing cycle time and increasing efficiency.
3. The shop’s body area has Car-O-Liner frame racks and measuring systems, overhead spot welders, two blueprint estimating stations with four-post lifts, an in-house Hunter alignment rack/measuring system and a Hunter tire mount and balance system. The shop uses the Eurovac dust removal system, which removes all the sanding dust and debris through a filtration system keeping it off vehicles and the shop floor.
4. Several parts repair racks are used for the numerous staging, repair and finishing processes.
5. The paint department has two Blowtherm Ultra 2000 booths and one Blowtherm cut-in booth, all of which have advance cure drying systems. The two main booths use IntelliMist systems that control and regulate humidity for the consistent application of Axalta’s Spies Hecker waterborne paint. The paint shop has three Blowtherm Ultra prep spray stations that are used for priming and cut-in work. In addition, the shop has two IRT drying systems from Hedson Technologies for speedier primer drying.
6. Recycling units are used to clean and wash the paint guns, reducing the amount of thinners used during the gun-cleaning processes. The BECCA distillation recycler, spray gun cleaner and washer reduces hazardous waste with solvent recovery, creating a more environmentally friendly process. Contaminants are removed from solvents for reuse, which saves on cost.
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