Troy Knopik

One of the more recent trends in automotive refinishing has been unique and vibrant OEM multi-stage colors. Mazda 46G, 46V, and 51K are some examples of such colors, but they aren’t the only ones giving painters difficulty. These new colors often require new toners, reducers, and equipment. They also require new techniques to achieve an invisible repair.

As the last stop for a vehicle when moving through the repair process before reassembly occurs, the paint shop is often referred to as the “bottleneck” of a collision repair center. The truth is that every vehicle will need to go through the paint department at the appropriate stage of the repair process.

Sustainability, in a collision centre involves reducing the amount of time, products, labour and energy needed to complete a repair, including reducing or eliminating rework. This also contributes to increased profitability. This starts with defining new processes and implementing those new standards throughout the shop with a shared vision. The training at the 3M Skills Development Center is process driven and product agnostic.