News / Events, April 2010

Hoffman Estates, IL - March 29, 2010 -I-CAR, The Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada) as the next step in transitioning the administration of its collision repair training to the organization. The MoU is part of the ongoing process of moving toward a licensing agreement between the two organizations.

I-CAR training is continuing in Canada as scheduled and it is expected that a full transition will take place by May 1. As a part of the transition, I-CAR has announced that it has discontinued sales of discount coupons in Canada effective immediately. Canadian students holding discount coupons will need to use them at regularly scheduled classes no later than April 30, 2010, although students can continue to register for classes beyond that date. I-CAR will honor coupon pricing at the door for any classes scheduled through April 30. Any unused coupons must be returned to I-CAR for a refund by December 31, 2010.

Requests for refunds of unused coupons should include the name, address, daytime phone number, and email address of the requestor and should be returned to:

I-CAR Training Support Center
Attn: Bill Goerger, Accounting Dept.
5125 Trillium Blvd.
Hoffman Estates , IL 60192

Canadian customers seeking additional information about course enrollment and pricing can contact Andrew Shepherd, Director of Collision Training for AIA Canada at (800) 808-2920 ext. 229 or andrew.shepherd@aiacanada.com .

NACE Moving to October- Will No Longer Compete With SEMA

Organizers have announced that next year, NACE, the International Auto Body Exposition will again take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre but the dates have been changed to ensure that competition is no longer a problem.

The next NACE show will start with conference sessions on Sunday October 10 with the show starting on Monday October 11 and finishing on October 13, 2010.

This year NACE was held in early November, but was competing during "Industry Week" with the Specialty Equipment show, a much larger event which drew vendors and attendees from NACE. Although NACE exhibitor numbers were close to the year before and attendance was only down 8%, Automotive Service Association chair Ron Pyle , was concerned that SEMA was soliciting booth exhibitors at the NACE show, and promised that NACE would take definitive action to maintain a solid and valuable show for the industry specifically in the collision repair, autobody and auto refinishing areas.

A number of coatings firms had previously left the NACE show in favour of SEMA and efforts were promised to retain the NACE show value and importance as the leading exhibit for the industry.

(See Headlines)

COLLISION REPAIR TRADE ASSOCIATION OFFERS TRAINING
COURSES FOR LESS THAN $3 EACH

WHMIS, ISOCYANATES and AUTOMOTIVE LIFT TRAINING
are some of the courses being offered.

Calling it a major shift in how training is offered in the collision repair industry, the Collision Industry Information and Assistance.com (www.ciia.com ), representing Ontario-based collision repair associations, today started offering online training in 23 different courses for less than $3.00 each. "Our members have been asking about isocyanate and Vehicle Lift Safety in order to meet Ministry requirements in their shops, and we wanted to provide for them a quick, easy inexpensive training solution. In cooperation with E.A.G.L. Enterprises in Pickering, Ontario, we are now able to offer health, safety and management training courses online that shops and staff can access at any time," says Mark Timson, a Caledonia area shop owner and a director of www.ciia.com "Our instructor-led WHMIS course and our six-night Basic Estimating course are popular and are taken at our training centre or at a shop location. Also, we wanted to offer programs to help member shops that were more geographically distant. Vehicle Lift Safety courses are important and we could not arrange for a physical delivery of that course to date." Member shops can access the collision repair industry web site at http://www.ciia.com/provinces/ontario/itraining.html . Registration forms can be faxed, e-mailed or completed online. Member shops can call Monica at 1 866 309 4272 for more information. Member shops pay $60.00 plus GST and get access to any or all of the courses for a full year. Completion documents are provided after the member successfully completes an individual course exam online. A training certificate identifying all courses taken is issued annually. Other courses offered include Fire Safety, Back Safety, Due Diligence, Joint Health and Safety Committee, Understanding Bill C-45, Safety Inspections, Office Ergonomics, Stretches and Heat Stress.

For more information or to access online training courses call 1 866 309 4272 or e-mail info@ciia.com

(See Headlines)

-------------Top Ten Steps To A Safer And More Profitable Shop (20 pages)--------------

----------------------Autobody Profitability Workbook (82 pages)-------------------------

-------Issues Facing The Canadian Collision Repair Industry (39 pages)------------

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