PPG's recent MVP conference, themed "Reveal the
Power of Performance" and held last month in New
Orleans, focused on how collision centers can
maximize overall performance and profitability
despite the current economic climate.
The three-day conference at the Sheraton New Orleans
Hotel included keynote speakers, breakout seminars,
and workshops designed to assist collision centers
in addressing market realities using effective,
productive business strategies and practices.
“Our
attending customers make our conferences
successful,” said Jim Berkey, PPG, director, MVP
Business Solutions. “We have the privilege of being associated with many
of the strongest performing shops in the country,
and it feeds into the strength of our programs.”
More than 250 enthusiastic PPG customers attended
and heard keynote speakers discuss current industry
developments and opportunities.
Greg Horn,
vice president of industry relations at Mitchell
International, spoke about trends affecting the
overall collision repair business as well as
individual shop performance. Horn noted that vehicle
collisions were on the decline last year by 5.3%,
with total repair revenue now at an estimated $31
billion. He also spoke about new automotive safety
technology and how innovations such as side-view
cameras and pedestrian braking systems will reduce
the number of accidents, thereby shrinking the
repair market and corresponding revenues even
further. Horn’s information about the changing
automotive industry segued to
motivational speaker and author Ross Shafer’s
presentation.
Shafer advised the audience about how to be more
competitive and win additional market share in a
recovering economy. He offered examples of companies
that took a good idea and made it a great idea by
evolving it further. He also explained why accepting
“best practices” as a moving target can help
progressive collision centers avoid extinction.
Shafer emphasized that complacency has proven to be
the enemy of some of the world's best-known brands;
to succeed, shops need to move forward and reinvent
themselves to address an ever-changing marketplace.
Chris Andreoli, corporate claims director, repair
shop and industry relations for Progressive
Insurance, presented the insurance industry’s
perspective on issues facing the collision sector
and how collision centers can work through these
challenges in the changing climate.
Working sessions that centered on a variety of relevant and
timely concerns such as employee dynamics,
production techniques, and social media marketing
tactics were offered. Owners and managers exchanged experiences
and ideas and examined solutions for their shop’s
particular issues.
“The breakout sessions really
open up your mind about what’s working and what
isn’t,” said Solomon Parsley, owner of International
Collision Repair Center in Columbus, Ohio.
“I’ve been to three of these conferences. If you are
a shop owner, this is definitely something you need
to go to. We get stuck in the box of our own shop;
this gives you the big picture and helps you get out
from under traditional thinking to find an advantage
over the competition.”
The conference, open to
owners and managers of collision centers using PPG
Refinish products, is a biannual event and a
critical component of PPG’s overall commitment to
provide advanced business thinking and innovative
solutions to its MVP customers.
For more information about PPG MVP Business
Solutions and future conferences, call 866-237-8178
or visit www.ppgmvp.com.
