SEM training gets thumbs up from I-CAR, ASE

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – SEM Products, Inc. has joined the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) Training Alliance. As a prerequisite to becoming a member of the Training Alliance, SEM also received its ASE certification as a training provider through the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence Continuing Automotive Service Education (CASE) program in March 2007.

In May, SEM submitted its roster of training programs to I-CAR, gaining approval to offer SEM shop certification classes in Interior Repair & Refinishing, Plastic & Bumper Repair & Refinishing, Metal Bonding, Truckbed Liner Application and Custom Finish Application. Classes will be held at the SEM facility in Charlotte and in shops nationwide. All five classes will give body shops and individual painters the opportunity to earn I-CAR Gold and Platinum Points. Some 400 to 500 shops are expected to be certified annually.

“It is good for SEM, it is good for I-CAR and it’s a great opportunity for the people who are going to be taking the training,” says Brian Joyner, SEM’s marketing manager.

Two of the programs, Interior Repair & Refinishing and Truckbed Liner Application are the first such offerings being made available to the automotive industry, according Joyner.

“We’ve always placed a high degree of importance on training,” explains Steve Fussy, SEM’s vice president of marketing and sales. “With training applications for interior repair, truckbed liner and custom finish applications now available through SEM and I-CAR, shop owners can begin adding new profit centers, knowing their employees will receive first class training.”

SEM’s sales force will continue to provide its own training programs, says Fussy, working through paint jobbers via evening clinics or presenting instruction at individual repair facilities. “We do these out in the field, making it easy for the shops to attend”, he notes.

Mike Lunski, a SEM/I-CAR liaison, says in today’s market, learning a new skill or trade to improve efficiency is critical, receiving continuing education credit and achieving/maintaining Gold Class Professional or Platinum Individual status is an added bonus. “Our hope is that these classes will increase the knowledge base of the industry and improve customer satisfaction,” says Lunski.

“Your efficiencies will increase,” Joyner elaborates. “Time is money, and your time (pursuing additional training) will be well-spent.”

Course descriptions are as follows:

• Interior Repair & Refinishing Shop Certification (1/2 point) offers an in-depth look at the fundamentals of refinishing leather, vinyl, plastic, velour and carpet using SEM’s Color Coat, Classic Coat and Sure Coat products.

• Plastic & Bumper Repair and Refinishing Shop Certification (1/4 point) focuses on repairing damaged bumpers using the SEM Dual-Mixfiller and adhesive products.

• Truckbed Liner Shop Certification (1/2 point) teaches the advantages of sprayable truckbed liners using the Pro-Tex Truckbed Linersystem.

• Metal Bonding Shop Certification (1/2 point) gives a comprehensive approach to metal bonding using Dual-Mixadhesives and focuses on the “Dual-Mix Forever Warranty.”

• Custom Finish Shop Certification (1/2 point) opens the students’ eyes to the creative world of Color HorizonsCustom Finishes. Painters learn about color theory, preparation and application using basecoats, candy coats and specialized flakes and pearls.

For more information, call (800) 831-1122 or contact www.sem.ws.