

Good morning,
Wow! hardly describes the webinar that SAAR hosted with Mike Anderson from Collision Advice and Jake Rodenroth from AsTech. Those of you that were online and heard some of the amazing quirks of scanning and calibrations were, I am sure, totally amazed and probably somewhat concerned.
It is clear that we have much to learn about this emerging technology and so does our insurance company, SGI, who unfortunately had absolutely no one attend this webinar. It is interesting, if a body shop does not know and follow a repair procedure they can be penalized, if the insurance company doesn’t do the same, they simply save money! A double standard for sure.
I am still waiting for Collision Advice to send me a video of the webinar and when they do you will have access to it, I highly recommend everybody to watch it several times.
Jake Rodenroth mentioned that AsTech has a blank checklist for scanning, and he sent me a copy, you can access it here.
At our March 10th SAAR AGM SGI made some announcements to help the collision industry and we thank them for stepping up. Keep in mind that as much as we feel they are playing hard to get, you need to know that compared to a lot of other insurance companies they have been very approachable. Don’t take that for granted. The announcements they made include:
- Estimating software subscription (Connect/UltraMate/Parts)
SGI is in discussions with Mitchell International to pay directly for shop estimating application subscription costs, eliminating this expense for our shop partners. We are still working out the details and are looking at options on how to manage active subscription contracts and shops with multiple users. We are targeting to have the new services agreement in place for May 1, 2021.
- OEM Procedure Subscription
SGI is in discussions with the various OEM repair procedure subscription services to better understand the costs to shops for OEM procedure database access and tools that can assist estimators access the OEM repair information faster and more efficiently (for example, estimate line level integration). Like the previous SQARP OEM procedure incentive that ended in December 2020, SGI will compensate shops for active OEM procedure subscriptions (retroactively back to January 2021) with the provider of their choice. We are targeting May 1, 2021 to roll-out the OEM procedure subscription allowance to coincide with the estimating subscription payment changes.
- Shop Contact Project
In addition to the compensation elements described above, SGI is also engaging in a Collision Shop Contract project that was launched in response to your survey responses earlier this year. The goal of the project is to enhance collision partner access to adjusting and claims information and through a single point of contact. We are in the process of assigning resources to this project and will be providing industry with frequent updates on our progress.
- 2021 Paint Material Rate Increase
SGI is also happy to announce the following paint material rate increases effective April 1, 2021:
1) Water-borne Paint Material will increase from $55.25 to $57.94 per hour of refinish time. Included in this figure is Hazardous Waste Disposal; and
2) Imron Paint Material will increase from $67.57 to $70.86 per hour of refinish time. Included in this figure is Hazardous Waste Disposal.
SGI’s Important Upcoming Dates:
March 1, 2021 Medallia activated for all repair firms
March 16, 2021 Medallia Training
April/May 2021 SGI Phase 5 Estimating Training
Spring 2021 Mitchell Cloud Estimating Pilot (more info to come)
June 30, 2021 Target deadline to return signed copy of the NEW Master Services Agreement to SGI Appraisal Services
July 1, 2021 SQARP GO-LIVE
NEW minimum training, tools and equipment requirements come into effect; deadline to access minimum tooling, training and OEM certification Incentives
See SGI Bulletin #91 for all the details.
Last month’s webinar with Scott Ellegood from Accountable Estimating has sparked great conversations about what effective documentation looks like — both at a high level as well as in the day-to-day operations.
Scott has shared a 2-page handout to continue the conversation and clarify what information to gather — which begins with understanding how it will be used. Set up an effective CRM and understand how the repair process feeds into this informational tool. Download the document here.
To check out the webinar sign up to Dave’s body shop Academy here.
We are excited to announce that the MVP Virtual Learning Sessions are Now Available as Recorded On-Demand sessions through the PPG Knowledge College.
You can find these sessions by visiting the PPG Refinish Knowledge College by following this link, Logging in (Or registering as a new user), and clicking on the catalog section and selecting the MVP Business Solutions catalog.
Each of the seventeen virtual learning session topics are available for purchase individually, or you can purchase the entire set.
This new online/on-demand MVP offering provides 24/7/365 access to some of the most comprehensive training in the industry. We look forward to continuing to bring more MVP training to the on-demand world along with continuing to provide our Live Virtual Sessions, In-person classes, and onsite work.
CHECK OUT THE PPG REFINISH KNOWLEDGE COLLEGE TODAY!
Important I-CAR Information:
Each MVP virtual learning session ‘is approved’ for I-CAR credit recognition through the I-CAR Industry Training Alliance® program. In order to receive the I-CAR annual training credit for a session, it is required that each participant be individually registered using the information that matches the information in his or her I-CAR profile.
Additionally, it is required that each participant be individually logged-in when participating in the session to create the I-CAR record required in order to receive the I-CAR Annual Training Credit.
Each session is date and time stamped; each participant must attend the entire session. If you join, and leave early, NO I-CAR annual training credit can be awarded until you repeat and complete the entire session.
You’re Invited to Our Free Online Event! |
Women in Wrenching: How Can We Attract More Women to the Industry? March 24, 2021 at 7pm CT Take a look at almost any service center in the country and one thing is blatantly obvious — men outnumber women by a landslide. But, why is that? What can schools, shops, and dealerships be doing to make the industry more attractive to women? In this roundtable, we are bringing together five badass females to discuss: 1.What it’s like to work in the industry as a woman 2.How we can attract more women to the industry 3.How women can accelerate their careers within the industry This event is FREE, but you must register here. |
Check out this SCRS Press release – did you know that they can provide owners manual for most makes and models so that you can check OEM repair advice for consumers? You can check out the video here. Mechanicsville, Virginia, March 4, 2021 – SCRS (www.scrs.com) has teamed up with Mike Anderson of Collision Advice (www.collisionadvice.com) and Danny Gredinberg with the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG, www.degweb.org) to bring you a series of quick tips to help you boost your business. Vehicle owner’s manual can be a valuable resource for identifying repair procedures, or justifying necessary steps in the repair process. Did you know that you can find a collection of online owner’s manuals on the DEG website? Visit it online here and find out from Danny and Mike best ways to use this information in the repair process. Subscribe to our SCRSCollision YouTube channel to be notified as new videos are released, and for more information about SCRS, or to join as a member, please visit www.scrs.com. |
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You’re invited to sign up to Canbaba here!
Canbaba is a brand new all Canadian bulk wholesaling marketplace where you can easily list, buy and sell wholesale equipment, supplies and inventory.
Suppliers: sign up to create your free virtual business storefront and unlimited product listings. Just set your minimum order quantity.
Shops: sign up to create your free buyer account to shop, compare and easily buy Canadian wholesale products.

Any of you that heard us speak at the last conference in Saskatoon know that we are very passionate about Critical Illness Insurance. We have been paid out personally, and we have paid out many clients with this benefit. Contact us to see how we can add this benefit to your financial plan to help protect you, your family, and your business.
Critical Illness Insurance gives you a lump sum payment if you are diagnosed with and survive an illness covered by your plan. Having this extra measure of financial security helps give you the freedom to concentrate on what is most important – your recovery.
Make it a part of your business.
Lee Campbell
306-649-4000 x. 104
lee.campbell@sunlife.com
Ken Campbell
306-649-4000 x. 103
ken.campbell@sunlife.com
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