Automechanika Holds First-Ever Collision Forum

Sept. 18, 2014

FRANKFURT, Sept. 18, 2014—Automechanika Frankfurt held its first-ever Collision Damage Talk on Thursday to discuss the latest industry themes in Germany and Europe at large.

A packed house of body shop owners and operators gathered as a number of industry experts discussed industry issues and trends, many of which mirrored similar issues that shops in the U.S. face.

Reinhard Beyer, chairman of the board of BVdP, discussed assuring quality and processes through certification programs. BVdP, a German association for body shops, recently created a certification program called “QualiCar,” to certify shops and provide a stamp of approval.

While the program has seen considerable success, the high cost of training and certification was also an issue discussed at the forum.

New customers and up-and-coming players in the space were also discussed. Acquiring fleet services, such as ADAC, the German equivalent of AAA, may become important players in the repair market for body shops.

Finally, Peter Borner, president of ZKF, and Jens Nietzschmann, CEO of DAT, spoke about the importance of maintaining a strong Web presence. Both speakers noted both the opportunities available to shop owners on the web for acquiring new customers, but also warned against resorting to discounting or price bidding.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Latest in Trends+Analysis

James Roetling, Aranco Productions
Damien Reyna, COO of Driven Brands, discusses the state of the collision repair industry during the “Limitless 2024” conference in Dallas on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
A theme at the conference was for Abra, CARSTAR, and Fix Auto USA stakeholders to use technology to improve the customer experience and reduce the strain on estimators.
Dec. 20, 2024
Enterprise
q4_2023_us_region_map
A report by Enterprise shows collision-related rentals in late 2023 were nearly 18 days.
Jan. 24, 2024
BASF
basf_color_report_2023
North American consumers moved in a lighter direction from shades of gray to shades of silver.
Jan. 19, 2024