“That’s the only way because we want to make sure we have access to, and knowledge of, the entire collision plastic repair market. There could be an incredible tool, material, or welding machine in a small corner of Italy or South Africa that nobody has even heard of,” Dimovski said. “Just because it’s not on LinkedIn or social media, how would you know about it? That’s the whole purpose of this call to action that has generated so much interest from all pockets of the industry globally.”
The council is currently gathering information from repair providers, trainers, and tool, material, and equipment manufacturers. They’re encouraging as many as possible to join the council to provide their experience and input. They’ve already received responses from across the globe including companies in the U.K., U.S., Brazil, and Turkey.
"The whole objective is to identify and extract any plastic repair solutions currently available around the globe,” Dimovski said. “From there, we can begin to formalize what we have in front of us and determine what we need to adopt and refine in order to create standardized methods and validate specialty supplies.”
The end goal is to have a set of best practices that Plasnomic can present to OEMs. Dimovski said Plasnomic needs to first establish itself as an authority on plastic repairs with best practices backed by test data and thorough due diligence before approaching OEMs.
“We want to be ready with facts on the best, safest, and OEM-compatible ways to repair plastics,” Dimovski said. “We need to go in so well prepared that whatever they ask, want, or need, we already have the answers. For me, there’s still a lot of work to do before we reach that stage; they are the last and final piece of our puzzle.”
Dimovski hopes to create a centralized platform where any collision repair professional or shop can go to ask a question about plastic repair and get the answers they need. They can contribute and modify the standards as plastic repair continues to evolve.
The council also wants to work with training bodies such as I-CAR to help spread the knowledge to repairers. Dimovski said they’re partnering with world-leading automotive based laboratories to conduct various tests on plastic repair methods, including ADAS components, and how different repair techniques perform across different plastic types.
“The shops will be the clear winners, gaining access to an authority and central platform where they can acquire knowledge, best practices, and support to repair to a unified plastic repair standard,” he said. “Plastic has evolved significantly over the last couple of decades. It used to be a straightforward polypropylene, but today most plastic bumpers, for example, are made from a polypropylene/EPDM blend, which is softer and more rubber-like. These material changes are reshaping how repairs must be approached.”
Dimovski feels humbled to head what he considers to be one of the most dynamic groups he’s ever seen the industry assemble. His responsibility is to absorb everyone’s information, filter ideas, and be a coordinator and mediator. He works full-time for The Boyd Group Services Inc. as well, so he lends his extensive plastic repair expertise and makes sure the council is talking to the right people.
Plasnomic’s initiative represents a unique opportunity for the collision repair world to come together and generate more work for collision repair shops while improving sustainability and customer safety.
“It’s a testament to everyone involved in this council, as well as the partners and those continuing to come on board to contribute,” Dimovski said. “This is exactly what the industry has needed. I truly believe this is a sign of greater things to come as the industry unites to achieve more together.”
