AASP/NJ’s NORTHEAST ‘Survivor’ Panel Sets Repairers up for Success

4.8.24 – EVs. ADAS. Specialization. Certification. There’s so much for shops to stay on top of! Six industry experts shared insights on what shops need to pay attention to during the popular educational panel “Survivor: Exploring Trends that Will Shape the Next Decade & Beyond,” held during the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey’s (AASP/NJ) NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show last month.

Automotive and collision repair professionals heard from Mike Anderson (Collision Advice), Dave Gruskos (Reliable Automotive Equipment), Frank Terlep (Opus IVS), Lucky Papageorg (Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts), Michael Bonsanto (Passaic County Technical-Vocational School) and AASP/NJ Collision Chairman Jerry McNee (Ultimate Collision Repair; Edison, NJ), who each weighed in on how shops can be successful now and in the future.

On the topic of EVs, Gruskos indicated that opportunities for shops are growing, and McNee agreed, “Everyone is on an EV kick, especially when the government offers tax credits and incentives. It’s going to grow in the future; I don’t see it going away, but outfitting your facility for EVs is an expensive little venture.”

Referencing a report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), moderator Joel Gausten asked why the industry is doing such a horrible job with calibrating ADAS and how it can be rectified. “It all boils down to training,” stressed Anderson. “We’ve done ourselves a disservice and failed the consumer by buying equipment without learning how to use it.”

“Shops need to understand what’s on the car, and the industry needs to properly test these systems after repairing them,” offered Terlep, adding, “If a mobile calibration tech performs a calibration in your parking lot or on the street, fire them…No OEM allows that!”

Collision instructor Bonsanto offered some suggestions for combating the struggle of the ongoing technician shortage. “Get to know your local vo-tech school. Join their advisory boards and get involved. We also need to promote the many opportunities in the industry to young people who have the perception that all we do is bang fenders in some dungeon we call a shop. Reach out to local instructors and offer to visit the school and work with them. We need to keep these programs alive.”

Check out the April issue of New Jersey Automotive for a full recap of NORTHEAST 2024 available at grecopublishing.com/new-jersey-automotive-april-2024.

Plans are already underway for NORTHEAST 2025 scheduled for March 14-16 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ. Visit aaspnjnortheast.com for updates on next year’s event once they become available.

For more information on AASP/NJ, visit aaspnj.org.