The new Chief® Meridian™ Align system allows collision repair shops to take more control over their cycle times and profitability, easily bringing wheel alignment services in-house with no bay reconfiguration needed. Combining Chief’s new Meridian Live Mapping™ measuring system with its C3080 Baysaver 3D alignment system, the portable Meridian Align can be used to measure and document collision damage, monitor repairs in real-time and perform full wheel alignments throughout the shop.
Three-dimensional measuring should be performed on every vehicle that enters a shop, as it’s not always easy to get the full picture of collision damage with the naked eye. With Chief’s Meridian Live Mapping system featuring Galileo laser scanner, techs can measure up to 45 individual points at the same time on a vehicle mounted on a frame rack or bench or up on a lift for quick estimating. Then, Meridian can be used to continuously measure those points during the repair process to provide real-time feedback.
Adding wheel alignment services to the shop doesn’t require a dedicated bay when using the Chief Meridian Align system, because it’s compatible with almost any lift or frame rack already in the shop. The tower-free C3080 Baysaver 3D alignment system is equipped with fixed cameras with automatic target search and recognition, tire-grabbing clamps and remote-controlled sensors to provide an alignment reading in just eight seconds. Simply repair a vehicle’s damage, and then set the alignment scanners and targets and perform the wheel alignment, all in one place.
“Shops can own the full repair process from blueprinting a vehicle’s damage to tracking the repairs made and confirming the vehicle’s return to OEM specs and alignment standards,” says Lee Daugherty, Chief director of collision sales – the Americas. “Adding alignment into a shop’s services helps maintain control over the repair process and ensure the quality from start to finish - no more scheduling transportation to and from an alignment shop where the vehicle is exposed to repairs you didn’t make but could be held liable for.”
Combining measurement with alignment not only keeps a damaged vehicle in the shop the entire time, allowing for more efficient control over repair scheduling, but it also helps with customer satisfaction, providing one-stop service that streamlines communication on repair needs and timing. In turn, shops also reap the increase in profits from the addition of in-house alignment services.
