Automotive Refinisher Jan-Feb 2015

T H E V O I C E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

January - February 2015

UTOMOTIVEAUTOMOTIVEAEdition 177

>>

>>

>>

>>

R E F I N I S H E R

>>

>>

>>

>>

R E F I N I S H E R

CRA UPDATE

DISCOVERY INSURE

TRAINING SCHEDULES

NEW PRODUCTS

IN THIS ISSUEIN THIS ISSUE

SEMA SHOW

NEW BASF FACILITY

SEMA SHOW

DEVILBISSTRAININGDEVILBISS TRAINING

CANCAR MAKERSKEEP UP?

NEW BASF FACILITY

CANCAR MAKERSKEEP UP?

AR COVER 2 J-F 15_NOV/DEC COVER 05 2015/02/04 10:35 AM Page 1

In the last two decades the South African collision repair markethas really come of age as right across the country top independentrepair concerns have moved forward to embrace the changingtechnology of todays complex modern vehicles.

One of the foremost concerns in recent years has been theconstant bottom line profitability erosion partially due to the lackof standards which has lead to a over-traded repair environment.Top class independent shops have been left with only policies ofa reactive nature and much difficulty in finding a proper return ontheir investment through a lack of recognition of the standardsneeded to run a professional repair facility.

The Collision Repairers Association has adopted an entirely newapproach to the industry and some of its challenges by recruitingthe cream of the crop of the repair industry who have invested instandards and continue to put out quality repairs with the aim toplease customers. The vast knowledge of the officials and staffwill drive forward a strategic plan to improve repairer profits andgain recognition for the vast number of independent key roleplayers in every area of activity in collision repair in South Africa.

Enjoy the recognitionyou deserve.

T h e b e n c h m a r k o f q u a l i t yC a l l u s o n 0 8 6 1 7 2 6 2 7 2 o r V i s i t w w w . c r a s a . o r g . z a

The CRA over the past year have worked closely with somemajor insurers in putting together guidelines to progress theneeds of both the insurance and repair sectors. The time hascome for major structural repairers and the smaller non-structural repair shops to have a dedicated voice at thenegotiating table. Not only do we have to understand theinsurance industry and some of their unique challenges, but weneed to also offer long term sustainable solution to problemsthat have existed over the past 3 decades.

The CRA is also driving a recognizable legislated standardvia the DTI that will become compulsory for any repairer to tradein South Africa. This should see the repairers that have alreadyinvested in standards gain the recognition they so rightlydeserve.

The industry has certainly been begging for change andchange has arrived in the form of the CRA. So call us soon togain your place on the road forwards with the new tradeorganisation of the future in collision repairs.

JOIN THE CRA AND GET THE RECOGNITION YOU DESERVE!

COLLISION REPAIR ASSOCIATION 2_Layout 1 2014/03/19 11:25 AM Page 1

J a n u a r y - F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5

8

30

Contents

27

17

3R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

8 17

275252

8080

Front Cover: Mercedes-Benz F 015 (autonomous)Front Cover: Mercedes-Benz F 015 (autonomous)Contents: Toyota Imperial Hi lux - Dakar Ral ly 2015 (Giniel De Vi l l iers)Contents: Toyota Imperial Hi lux - Dakar Ral ly 2015 (Giniel De Vi l l iers)

30

ContentsCRA UPDATEConsolidation is Coming 5SEMA REPORTSEMA Does it Again 8GM ALUMINIUMWelding Revolutionised 17DISCOVERY INSURETop Body Shops 22SA AUTO PAINTSProgress Report 27FUTURE TECHCan Manufacturers Keep Up? 30DID YOU HEAR?Roger McCleery’s Column 42MAZDABoost Parts Availability 52BASFAll New Training Centre 58TOP SHOPAlberante Autospray 70PPGCape Operation 80

CRA UPDATEConsolidation is Coming 5SEMA REPORTSEMA Does it Again 8GM ALUMINIUMWelding Revolutionised 17DISCOVERY INSURETop Body Shops 22SA AUTO PAINTSProgress Report 27FUTURE TECHCan Manufacturers Keep Up? 30DID YOU HEAR?Roger McCleery’s Column 42MAZDABoost Parts Availability 52BASFAll New Training Centre 58TOP SHOPAlberante Autospray 70PPGCape Operation 80

CONTENTS Jan-Feb 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 10:56 AM Page 1

I’m hoping that our opening year aheadwill be another good one, but I must saywe’re still juggling the pro’s and con’s ofthe long and bitter post office strike

which caused a mammoth problem for thissmall publication late last year.

Imagine the sheer frustration ofproducing two all-time bumper editions, ofthe publishers ramblings on the state of theworld’s collision repair business, then shellingout around R30k to post the first documentonly to be caught up for 16 weeks in aprotracted bun fight between the unions andmanagement about actual delivery ofAutomotive Refinisher, as they tried theirlevel best to kill the customer that they sobadly need.

It becomes visible to any South Africanthat the union and labour hostility producedup to 114 strikes last year with theconsequential loss of 185 million workingdays lost. That saw further losses of 775million Rands to union members wages. Itshows anyone with half a brain cell thatwe’re going the wrong way!

All this turmoil with the three competingunions of the South African protectingorganisation rendered us late to popthrough your post boxes - a first in 30 yearsof publishing. The reasons for the strike areas usual complex and varied but theunionism of just about everything is a subjectof a giant waste of time. As one workersfederation scraps it out with another themajor casualty will become business with allthis constant upheaval, backed by thespineless government management of criticalissues. Just what do we in small business do?

To keep any source of reserve in sight,we did plenty. The latest editions are nowon-line on your internet with the page by

page viewer along with other electronicupdates on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.So clearly we’re not in any mood to submitto all these labour agendas to up theirconstant positioning in this fledglingeconomy.

To download the magazine, go towww.autoref.co.za - and click on the imageon the homepage.

We are very fortunate to have awonderful working relationship with ouradvertisers who helped us distribute manymagazines that literally went out to panelshops and others with their delivery vans.Without this great gesture of help andunderstanding, I’m not sure what we wouldhave done, so thank you very much onceagain.

Ultimately we’re also looking at otherdistribution methods as well and the reasonfor all this non-activity.

Back in the 1970’s I worked in theautomotive industry at Rover UK whenrampant unionism quickly took over allaspects of their car production. It was an erawhere no one thought of the quality of thecar produced or if it was what the marketneeded. Like a bunch of lemmings we wereall too busy management bashing untilaround 15 full soccer fields filled up an werefull of rusting new vehicles that no onewanted and the company’s fixation withlabour problems was propelled intobankruptcy and everyone lost.

The Post Office is a like kind. They arecurrently deep in the red, don’t care aboutthe heritage of a 180 years of service to thenation and also seem to be busy setting thestage now for even further industrial action.

They certainly don’t serve their loyal client’sinterests right now and only time will tell ifthey undermine the business even furtherthis year with prolonged stoppages. But thistime we will be in much better shape tocope with that as they continue to hold theircustomers hostage in the mailing dilemma.

Having had that rant, if only everyone hadmore ethics in South Africa perhaps 90% ofour problems would disappear, is my takeon it all.

Our new edition puts us off to a flyingstart with new top shops, the Sema Carshow report, new products, driven featuresand much much more for your welcomeinterest. It’s all done gladly with committedfixation to bring the trade a riveting readfrom the team once again - as you candeduce were a pretty hardened bunch.Enjoy the features.

Let Us Have Your DetailsTo try and be proactive instead of

reactive in future, we would like to convertour mailing database to include street andemail addresses too. Please could you sendus your details if you are receiving themagazine to a PO Box. In future a courierservice may be called upon to do the workof the postal system, especially if they carryon going as they plan to do so.

Between this and the load-shedding it’salready a fun-filled adventurous African year,and it’s only the first month!

However, we always said that Africa isnot for sissies. It sure does keep you on yourtoes though, as well as very creative instrategic planning.

PUBLISHER’S BYTE - by Ian Groat

HERE WE GO AGAIN

4R E F I N I S H E R

UTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

WHAT’S HOT?

UTOMOTIVEAUTOMOTIVEAT H E V O I C E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

R E F I N I S H E R

January - February 2015 Edition 177

Telephone: +27 (0)11 949 4091Facsimile: +27 (0)11 252 6844Email: [email protected]: www.autoref.co.zaPublisher: Ian GroatEditor: Claire MacfieAccounts: Val GroatDesign: Jay GroatAssistant: Nataschja FerreiraCT Correspondent: Dave FallEuropean Technical Editor: Andrew Marsh

The views expressed inarticles in AutomotiveRefinisher are those of theauthors and shall not beconstrued to represent thoseof the Editor or the Publisher.Accordingly, AutomotiveRefinisher accepts noresponsibility for claims andstatements made byadvertisers and independentcolumnists. Further, theappearance ofadvertisements herein doesnot necessarily indicate theapproval by AutomotiveRefinisher for the productand/or service advertised.Material may not bereproduced in any formwithout the written consentof the Publisher. AutomotiveRefinisher is dedicated toservicing the businessinterests of the collisionrepair industry.

AR J-F 2015 CLAIRE_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2015/02/04 12:49 PM Page 24

The challenge that lies ahead for collision repairers oftenincludes the difficulty of bringing in new trade processes tothe body shop business. The effort of new anti-crashtechnologies on the global car and insurance relationships,

as well as the sustainability of the current models, if you talk to someof the larger independent shops, like the 80 or so currently who aremembers of the CRA, mostly are confident about the state of thelocal trade going forward.

This is constantly changing and evolving and some might say thetime is right for a sort of leap of faith in the way we do business.Perhaps the new deal involving Santam and the CRA membershipcould be leading the way forward with the new project.

As a company, Santam have a good grip on what their marketleading sustainable visions are and the move to improving customersatisfaction at the claims and repair level includes them focusing onmotor body repair concerns who are capable as process partner inincreasing their output finish repair quantities on each repair. Theyshould also be able to boost their turn around time.

This sort of win-win value chain in accident management has fastbeen expanding in international markets like the US, Canada, the UKand Australia, amongst others, as international accident claims seemto be slowing at a rate of some 15% less on vehicle damage claims.

Everyone is looking to cut accident claims costs with improvedpartners in repair. By reducing some of the very costly areas offriction which cause a delay in a client’s key to key time on return ofone insured drivers claim plus also add additional costs to the claims.

The new system of working together to harmonise an industrywhich has often appeared to an outsider to be a kind of dysfunctionalbusiness, will in the long term be welcomed by all concerned, in myopinion. In the “us and us” approach now being pursued by somemajor insurance concerns, it is hoped that with some clear rules of

The fourth edition of Automechanika Johannesburg takesplace at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, 6-9 May, 2015.Announcing the date, Michael Johannes, brand managerAutomechanika, said "Africa as an upcoming region is of

great importance to us and we take pleasure in inviting the SouthernAfrica automotive community to participate in this event".

The largest International Automotive Aftermarket Industry eventin Africa is set to further expand its African footprint.

The establishment of Automechanika Johannesburg in 2009heralded a new era for the automotive aftermarket in sub-SaharanAfrica which fulfilled a crying need for a dedicated industry businessto business event and from the word go the Show was as widelywelcomed as it was successful.

"Automechanika Johannesburg is firmly established as a premierbusiness to business event for the automotive aftermarket in SouthAfrica and the sub-Saharan African Region. Show visitation bybusiness owners and managers from Africa witnessed a huge boostduring the 2013 edition and there is good reason to believe that thistrend will continue in 2015.

With Africa expected to be the fastest growing economic regionin 2014 and beyond, the question is not "why do business in Africa",but rather "how?" The "how" factor is where AutomechanikaJohannesburg is playing an ever-increasing role as a solution in

engagement laid out, a much closer working relationship betweenkey role players will deliver improved profit levels to our body shoprepair trade as well as efficiency.

For one thing a much better transparency in just how everythinggets done in body repair will go a long way to overcoming theatmosphere of general distrust. This is where a more equitable repairsystem of completing the damaged vehicle gets off to a new start.

One thing we all fully understand is that there is no one size fitsall or a quick fix for all the current problems that we see in the SouthAfrican repair industry and where seemingly more and morespecialised equipment will need to be purchased to stay in businessas some vehicle manufacturers look like they are deciding on a pathto control their own destinies.

Along with this is an avalanche of technology still rolling into theworkshop, the worry of where exactly we are going to get the skilledlabour force to complete the work properly comes to mind. Perhapssome of the major insurance companies will align themselves withmore capable and professionally run business operators for thefuture as the technology pendulum is now swinging in their directionin body shop repair and insurers are beginning to target relationshipsthat they may have to value much closer into the future to get theirexpensive and complex vehicles repaired correctly in the time framethat they want.

Finally, it’s all about the maths. A shop owner will only investwhere there is a reasonable return on his investment. The oldmethod of putting excessive pressure on collision repair profits tosupply on time and at as low a cost as possible is not a sustainablemodel. The short term thinking behind that system is sadly justdoomed to failure and maybe we’re on a more enlightened pathforwards into the future now.

providing a business platform to reach into Africa", says showdirector Philip Otto.

New and exciting developments at Automechanika Johannesburg2015 include a revised product group identification tailored to matchindustry demand.

Automechanika Johannesburg 6-9 May 2015! This is where theindustry will meet… This is where brand promotion is optimised…This is where business is done…

For more information visit www.automechanikasa.co.za or callSouth African Show Services on +27 (0)11 494 4217 or [email protected]

INDUSTRY NEWS

IS I.T. CONSOLIDATION AND NETWORKREPAIR REALLY FOR SOUTH AFRICA?

PREPARATIONS FOR AUTOMECHANIKA, JOHANNESBURG 2015



LOCAL UPDATE

WHAT’S HOT?

by Aleesen Kisten

AR J-F 2015 CLAIRE_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2015/02/03 10:22 AM Page 20

INDUSTRY NEWS

WHAT’S HOT?

To keep up with advanced spraygun technology, KapciCoatings South Africa recently held technical trainingsessions at the company training centre in Johannesburg.Heading up the session was Neil Butterworth from Anest

Iwata. Their brands also include the price and performance Air Gunsa

range of spray equipment. This range is of importance for the Kapcibrand for its features the AZ-1 range of traditional HVLPsprayguns that offer a large spray pattern. Made from key stainlesssteel internal vetted parts combined with a high chrome finish theguns are very robust and guaranteed to stand up to constantcleaning and service.

The Kapci technical staff spent a full day in the spray boothsgetting the know-how on the different performance characteristicsbetween the 1,3 and other popular fluid nozzle sizes. The guns alsofeature an internal cleaner valve air adjuster which helps for fastpainter set ups.

“Distributor pricing will be at very competitive levels,” saysNizam Ally, CEO of Kapci Coatings.

KAPCI TECHNICAL TRAINING

Nei l But terworth (r ight) f rom Anest Iwata shows Faaiz Fataar ,Technica l Manager f rom Kapc i Coat ings the A i rGunsa range.

From le f t to r ight are Themba Ndolvu, Shaamie l A l ly , Kev inMitche l l , Prec ious Kunene - who found the t ra in ing very benef ic ia l- as wel l as Nei l But terworth and Faaiz Fataar .

R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

AR JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015 NAT_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2015/02/04 1:41 PM Page 23

Kapci Coatings; Tel: +27 (0)11 834 1252

KAPCI AD S-O 2013_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:11 AM Page 1



SEMA LAS VEGAS 2015

While I was really looking forward to the SEMAtrip this year I was not looking forward towalking the aisles and wearing out whatevercomfortable shoes I was taking with me over the

four days of the event!In Las Vegas for me the only place to stay (to ensure less

walking) is what is now known as Westgate LVH (the old LasVegas Hilton), which of course for many years was the home ofElvis Presley when he used to star in Vegas. More on the Elvisexperience later!

The Westgate is adjacent to the Las Vegas ConventionCentre and in fact plays host to a new exhibitor section and alsothe many functions, dinners and meetings. Each morning aleisurely stroll to the Convention Centre is followed by a lot ofwalking in the miles and miles of aisles in each of the exhibit hallstrying to take photos while being jostled by the more than130 000 industry visitors!

Of course as well as all of the exhibits inside there are manybooths and vehicles located outside – not to mention a drifttrack in use every day!

The Overhaulin’ team were busy once again this yearworking on three vehicles, located across the road from theSEMA site at one end of what looked to be a marquee ofaround 200 metres in length and 50 metres across housing lotsof new exhibitors. This was a special area set up this year as theevent continues to grow.

My first day at SEMA was the day prior to the officialopening where I needed to secure my press passes and also tocheck out how the final touches inside and out were takingplace and then visiting Aaron Schulenburg and the team fromSCRS – plus helping them move a Tesla chassis onto theirbooth!

Tuesday morning I was up bright and early takingphotographs of the many cars, trucks and bikes located outsideof the halls. A new display this year was the Baja 1000 off roadcompetition display that featured many of the vehicles whichwere heading off to Mexico about a week after SEMA tocompete in this exciting annual event. Axalta also were outside(as well as inside) running spraypainting competitions in thespray booth which had been erected especially for thatpurpose. It certainly got a lot of attention from visitors. Thisearly move paid off for me as on subsequent visits outside thecrowds were huge!

SEMA officially opened the doors at 9 am for attendees butprior to that there was the SEMA awards breakfast where thewinners of various categories were announced in front of amedia audience of around 1 000.

Once inside SEMA the main hall of interest was the CollisionRepair and Refinish area which was at least twice the size of2013 located in the North Hall.

There were some really big displays with Car-O-Liner onceagain featuring all of their products and services over a largearea. 3M were also very busy on their booth by wrappingvarious cars and attracting large crowds as well as lots of theirother products being demonstrated.

Spray booths, equipment, welders, consumables, tools,specialty tools and software, in fact anything that you need fora collision repair facility was on display. Also featured in the hall

Celet te were at the showmeet ing c l ients andshowing new k i t o f f .

by DavidNewton-Ross

SEMA DOES IT AGAIN

FEATURE STORY

AR J-F 2015 JAY_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2015/02/03 10:16 AM Page 1



Sema’s sometimesweird but alwayswonderful offeringsmake anythingpossible at theshow.

The crowding on theFord stand was

someth ingspectacu lar to see

for the Amer icanmotor brand

Def in i te ly thepret t ier s ide.




were mobile electronics and technology plus restyling and carcare accessories.

There was a collision repair and refinish stage area set up atthe rear of the hall where training and education took placeevery day with I-CAR and many others educating the industryespecially on the repair and handling of aluminium which was ahot topic this year due to the release of the 2015 Ford F150aluminium specific vehicle.

Major paint companies including AkzoNobel, Axalta, BASF,PPG and Valspar were all located in the Central Hall whichincluded racing and performance, hot rod alley and restorationmarketplace. All of those companies had great booths anddisplays available and the team members working on thebooths were very knowledgeable and attentive to theattendees. Ford and GM were once again prominent in this hallwith huge displays featuring the many new 2015 cars and trucksbeing launched as well as some special vehicles for theattendees to drool over! The Ford F150 was prominentlydisplayed in its many guises on their booth and garnered a lotof attention.

Thursday morning I attended the Collision IndustryConference (CIC) and then headed off to the Velocity Livepresentation which lasted around an hour and a half and thenspent the rest of the day walking the halls and returning late inthe day.

This was followed by a CIC reception and then on to theSky Villa after party where some 250-300 people (including theAussies!) enjoyed some eats and drinks in the 13 000 sq ftpenthouse where Elvis Presley used to live when he wasperforming in Las Vegas. This really is the party to attend atSEMA and a great place to take in a view of the Las Vegas stripfrom about 88 floors up and mix with the best in the industry.

Friday is always an easier day to walk around the halls asmany attendees take the opportunity to return home early andthe people working on the booths have a little more time totalk and demonstrate their products and services. There are stillseminars and training taking place and of course the activityoutside – such as spraypainting demonstrations, drift track andCar Crazy taping runs throughout the day.

At the end of the day when SEMA officially closed at 4 pmthe SEMA parade took place – but this year with a real twist.The parade of cars wound their way through the thousands ofpeople in the bleachers and around the Convention Centreeventually ending up next to Caesars Palace at the LINQcomplex for the SEMA Ignited event. There was live music andlots to eat and drink and not only did the more than 10 000people see Chip Foose with their Overhaulin’ reveals but alsothe Battle of the Builders finalists were all there with many oftheir vehicles on display (more than 125 vehicles were enteredin the competition). There were 10 finalists but only onewinner who was Kyle Tucker, taking home the title with his1969 Chevy Camaro.

This was a fitting end to what was in just about everyone’sopinion the best and biggest SEMA ever!

SEMA really has grown over the years and now with theCollision Repair and Refinish area firmly established and theRDE Education programme offering so many programmes isthe place to be for our industry. Once again this year there wasa large number of visitors from Australia and New Zealand inattendance.

Of course if you like seeing the best cars, bikes, trucks andspecialty vehicles along with the major industry personalitiesthen you just have to get there.

SEMA in 2015 will be held from December 3-6 – once againin Las Vegas – we hope to see you there!



SEMA LAS VEGAS 2015



UTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE 11R E F I N I S H E R


Chip Fooses ign ing

autographson G lasur i t ’s

stand.

3M’s stand


As you are all aware the DTI issuedthe Amended QSE Codes onFriday, October 10 with a deadlinefor submission of any comments

by October 14, 2014. However, this isunconstitutional as they need to give at least60 days for comments.

SME Verification Accounting TrackingServices will surely submit a few commentsand suggest a couple of changes to beimplemented ourselves.

We've already spent a substantialamount of time working through theseproposed codes, analysing the differencesand understanding the impact of points, costand time for our clients. With substantialchanges to the scorecard, it becomesabsolutely critical to understand the newlegislation as soon as possible and startimplementing solutions to once again earnthe maximum points.

We have been involved with theverification process since 2002 and have agood record within the motor industry.With 29 years experience in the industry,Awie du Plessis is known as an expert withthe right credentials. We are also proud tobe an associate member of the CRA.

There are three priority elements withinthe new codes. Ownership, SkillsDevelopment & Enterprise and SupplierDevelopment. As a QSE you need tocomply with at least two of these elements,but there's no reason for panic. There aredefinite ways of handling all of this so we willdiscuss with each and every client based ontheir own individual needs. We willfurthermore suggest that you update yourBEE Certificate before May 1, 2015.

This will give you enough time to prepareand collate all your documents to complywith the new QSE Amended Codes in 2016.

Our advice to all of our clients is to makeuse of our "tracking service" after yourverification in order for us to assist you on amonthly basis during this transitional period.

This is to prepare and to ensure that youput your emphasis on the right elements inorder to reach the best possible level in2016.

Here are just a couple of tips to considerin the meantime to focus and maximisepoints in the meantime.

Ownershipl Consider employee ownership

schemes.l Black women are also included, not

only as bonus points calculated on theexcising codes.

l New entrant threshold increasedfrom R20 million to R50 million - only 2% ofshares in the hands of a Black new entrantgives you three points.

l An enterprise must achieve at least40% of the net value targets in order tocomply with this priority element. But if youonly sell 10% of your shares you will receive3.2 points out of the 8 points available andtherefore are complying with thisrequirement. There are a lot of differentways to do so.

As mentioned, we will discuss everyclient's own requirements with them on apersonal basis.

The main question here would be whatlevel do your customers want you to reach?If you can at least achieve the same pointson all Elements as the previous year – evenif your level drops, all of the othercompanies will be in the same position andtherefore on an equal platform.

Management Control or EmploymentEquity

l The indicators for Management andEmployment Equity have been combinedinto one Element

l Awards points for ExecutiveManagement

l Also points for:Non-Executive Management iem Senior Managementm Middle Managementm Junior Managementl Keep a portfolio of evidence on each

employee - Employee contracts, IDDocuments, Make sure that the person is aBlack South African citizen (i.e. by birth ordescent, or a SA citizen by naturalisationbefore 27th April 1994).

l Determine the appropriateManagement level for each staff member -it's sometimes practical to list the skills,salary, responsibilities, years of service. Keepdefinitions of management as per EEAreport submitted to Dept of Labour in mind.

l When appointing new staff it is ofutmost importance to keep this in mind.

Skills/Trainingl How quickly is the business growing

and what skills are needed?l Workplace skills plan now

compulsoryl Identify training opportunitiesl Measure ALL training - Internal

training also counts e.g. Health & Safety, FirstAid - Record keeping is of utmostimportance - (Training register &Attendance register) Make use of a SkillsDevelopment Facilitator in your Company -15 % of annual salary can be used for skills.

l Spend on non-core training counts.e.g. Accommodation, food, transport,manuals etc., but may not exceed more than15 % of total cost of training.

l Best rating will be achieved onLearnerships, internships, Apprenticeships(Category B,C,D) Not only the cost oftraining, but also salaries can be included aswell as 15 % of the Mentors salary.

l Keep a portfolio of evidence on eachemployee - Employee contracts, IDDocuments, Make sure that the person is aBlack South African citizen (i.e. by birth ordescent, or a SA citizen by naturalisationbefore 27th April 1994).

m Note: 3 % target spend on "BlackPeople", Not necessarily employees.

Procurementl Make sure to get BEE certificates from

all Suppliers - do not accept any excusesl NB: Double counting on black

women on both indicators is acceptable.Identify procurement spend on EmpoweringSuppliers that are at least 51% Black owned.This could be double counted.

l Help Black owned Companies to gettheir affidavit or BEE Certificate - Cost canbe counted as Enterprise Development.

l Find more 51% black ownedbusinesses to spend on - get affidavit or BEEcertificates at time of spend and keep on file.

l Ensure all suppliers are EmpoweringSuppliers.

Definition of Empowering Supplies l Can only be an Empowering Supplier

if a good corporate citizen in compliancewith all regulatory requirements:

m At least 25 % of cost of salesexcluding labour cost and depreciation mustbe procured from local producers or localsuppliers in SA for service industry labourcost are included but capped to 15%

m Job creation - 50% of jobs created arefor Black People provided the number ofBlack Employees since the immediate priorto verified B-BBEE Measurement ismaintained

m At least 25% transformation of rawmaterial/beneficiation which include localmanufacturing, production and/or assemblyand/or packaging.

m Skills transfer - at least spend 12 daysper annum (plus minus 100 hours) ofproductivity deployed in assisting blackEME's and QSE's beneficiaries to increasetheir operation off financial capacity Helpcoaching and Mentoring. (If this is notcharged for, it can be used for EnterpriseDevelopment). This would be the mostrecommended to do.

Enterprise and Supplier Developmentl Identify any procurement that needs

improvement - find Enterprise Developmentcompanies who can eventually become aEmpowering Supplier

l Assist with Supplier Development touse to do procurement at a later stage !!Offer recoverable ED, loans, investments

l Offer discounts to ED/SD/SEDcustomers

l Keep records. No evidence means nopoints

l Select a verification agency based onservice and especially good interpretations.

LOCAL UPDATE

ADVICE ON HOW TOGET THE BEST FROM BBBEE



CRA HELP


MIX AND MATCH ADS J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:15 AM Page 1




HIGH DEFINITION

WAX

General Motors is adding morelightweight aluminium to itsvehicles. But unlike Ford MotorCo., GM is not spending

hundreds of millions of dollars to retool itsassembly plants for the metal. Instead ofjoining aluminium parts with rivets andindustrial adhesive, as Ford does to assemblethe redesigned 2015 F150, GM is rolling outa new welding system.

GM’s system spot welds aluminium sheet,such as doors, hoods and tailgates, onexisting production lines with the samerobots and welding guns used for steel.

Ford, on the other hand, spent R3.5billion and lost 10 weeks of productionwhen it converted its Dearborn, MichiganF150 plant from steel to aluminium for the2015 model. Ford plans to make the sameexpensive switch at its Kansas City truckplant.

Richard Shultz of Ducker Worldwide, aconsulting firm in suburban Detroit, saysGM’s aluminium welding system is abreakthrough in manufacturing technology.“It is a great leap. And I think that is veryimportant. I don’t know of anyone else whohas that,” he said.

GM has not committed to producing analuminium-bodied vehicle. But reducingweight with more aluminium is a highpriority. “We can no longer bring out newvehicles that weigh the same or more as thecompetition. We have to be the best in theworld at how we do vehicle design,” saidMark Reuss.

The new aluminium spot welding system,which GM internally calls multiring domeselectrode, is used at GM’s Grand River plantin Lansing Michigan, to weld the aluminiumdoors on the 2015 Cadillac CTS. It’s alsoused in Arlington, Texas on the aluminiumliftgates of the Chevrolet Tahoe and

Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, andCadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. GM alsouses the system in Bowling Green, Kentuckyto weld the aluminium underbody of theChevrolet Corvette.

GM can quickly and inexpensively roll outthe welding system to its assembly plants,Reuss said. Only minor changes are requiredto production equipment. Liquid coiling linesmust be installed to keep special copperwelding tips at the proper temperature. Amachine that resurfaces the copper weldingtips is also required. And the production linerobots need an additional transformer tohandle the higher voltage required to weldaluminium sheets.

“Our view is we want to be able to reuseour existing infrastructures. We don’t wantto have to retool,” say GM.

During a demonstration at GM’s TechCentre in Warren, Michigan, officials showedvisitors a standard Fanuc production linerobot that quickly and quietly zippedthrough 48 welds on a series of aluminiumsheets. Each weld took about a second. Therobot’s arm holds pincers with copper caps.The pincers gently squeeze the twoaluminium sheets together, making a soundlike the soft clicking of castanets. Electricity isapplied, and the weld is complete, usuallywith little or no smoke and no sparks.

Here’s the problem with weldingaluminium. Oxide on the surface of themetal makes it difficult to create a strong,durable weld. Among other things, oxidetraps hydrogen gases in the melted metalcausing porosity, which weakens the weld.GM’s system solves these problems withcopper welding caps. Circles scribed on theends of the caps help ensure strong welds bydisrupting the oxide.

GM has been granted nearly 20 patentsfor its aluminium welding technology. The

key components are the copper caps andthe circles scribed into them by theresurfacing machine. Each cap lasts for about4 000 welds. They are resurfaced after every50 welds until they wear out. GM spendsless than R10 for each cap.

Aluminium helps automakers cut vehicleweight. The redesigned 2015 aluminium-bodied F150 pickup now on its way todealers cuts as much as 700 pounds fromthe steel-bodied 2014 model’s curb weight.Ford is promising fuel economy gains for thenew pickup as high as 20% from the 2014model, as the company works to meetgovernment fuel economy standards thatcall for automaker fleet averages to rise to54.5mpg by the 2025 model year.

Reuss says GM can meet its fueleconomy obligations without switching to afull aluminium body. He says a combinationof “mixed materials”, can give GM theweight savings it needs.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

GM SET TOREVOLUTIONISEALUMINIUMWELDING

TRENDS

The trusted name in body shop products just got better

JHB: 011 908 5446CT Tonie: 083 458 0699KZN Andre: 082 850 [email protected]

The trusted name in body shop products just got better17


“The way repairers current ly spot welda lumin ium could be in for a process stepchange in the future wi th in the nextdecade,” say GM.

AR JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015 NAT_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2015/02/04 10:41 AM Page 20



South Africa is nowadays giving out all the wrong signals toinvestors and industrialists – both local and international – asthe very fabric of basic services in the country go intomeltdown. Years ago this country was the economic hub,

industrial powerhouse and breadbasket of Africa. Now it seemsheaded for one catastrophic service delivery failure after another.

A couple of months ago there was a widespread water shortage– including comments on the dire, long term challenges facing thenational water supply sector in general – now we have cripplingelectricity power outages and load-shedding as this system fails tomeet demand due, evidently, to a lack of planned maintenance –that’s according to trade union Solidarity.

A shocking statistic came from the CEO of Ford SA, Jeff Nemeth,in a recent interview where he reported 90-odd power outages overa 12-month period at Ford’s engine plant in Port Elizabeth. One canonly imagine the havoc wrought to the equipment, especially thehigh-speed tools, and to the scrappage rate that these outages causein a 24/7 machining plant.

This time the rolling blackouts have been imposed not due toheavy mid-winter demand, wet coal, or even collapsing coal silos.Instead Eskom has rolled out a whole lot of other excuses, none ofwhich gets to the root causes of the problem which were highlightedso graphically on TV during a recent Carte Blanche show.

Then we had the Post Office strike which lasted four months andthere is still not a full return to delivery service. This strike – unlikethose in various sectors such as steel and mining – has affectedvirtually everyone plus businesses in the land in some way or anotherand is sure to start a rethink about using the facilities and services ofthe SA Post Office in the future.

The publishing industry, which includes Automotive Refinisher andWCM Media, the company for which I work, are among thecompanies affected directly as both rely on the Post Office to delivertheir magazines.

What is particularly concerning is that nobody seems to beleading from the front in an effort to sort out these major problemsin basic services. Instead Parliament erupts into mayhem with internalfighting between the various political parties and huge amounts ofpublicity on the admittedly thorny matters of e-tolls and Nkandla. Butnobody is really castigating the Government for failing to meet itsduty of providing reliable basic services to the citizens of the country.

This is very concerning as it is severely damaging the reputation ofSouth Africa as an investment destination and this unhappy situation

could well impact directly and indirectly on the motor industry’sfuture in this country.

The warning cry has been taken up by many other people in theSA business and economic environment, including billionaire JohannRupert, chairman of a host of companies including Richement andRemgro. Speaking at the AGM of the latter company in SomersetWest recently, he berated the government for failing to addresscorruption and power shortages.

“The leadership of this country, quite frankly, is becoming very,very hard to defend abroad,” said Rupert. “The people who arerunning the country now were not given proper education.Wherever you look we have got stagnation and really worryingsigns.”

The Bloomberg News article in Moneyweb reported that Rupertwent on to say: “South Africa’s central bank expects the second-largest economy on the continent to grow 1.4% this year, theslowest pace since a 2009 recession, as a series of blackouts causedby a creaking power-station network and strikes cramp production.The negative sentiment has been compounded by corruptionscandals implicating President Jacob Zuma and his administration.”

“I’m concerned that we are not prioritising the right things,”Rupert said. “We picked low-hanging fruit for a very long time.Those trees are now starting to run empty. How can a person nothave electricity? How can we create jobs?”

Adding further fuel to the fire of despondency in the SA businesscommunity comes from Grant Thornton SA whose latest trackerresearch shows business confidence plunged to 3% in the quarterwhich ended on September 30 from 35% at the end of the previousquarter on June 30.

According to an article in The Star the consultancy firm’sinternational business report says that a lack of visible economicreforms, current issues relating to land grabs, “Nkandlagate” andcontinued rabble-rousing in Parliament is not helping matters andhave caused the business confidence indicator to tumble.

“As long as we have these issues the economy will not growbeyond 2%. They need to be addressed as a matter of urgency,”said the national chairman of Grant Thornton, Deepak Nagar.

However, the executive went on to add: “It’s not all a lost cause.We need to get back on track. Growth is the driver of the economy.Otherwise our African counterparts will overtake us as aninvestment destination for foreign direct investment.”

NEWS FROM THE ZOO - by Roger Houghton

SA NOW GIVINGOUT THE WRONG

SIGNAL TOINVESTORS

Ford SA’s Struandale engine plant in Port Elizabeth, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, has been hit bymore than 90 power outages during a 12-month period, causing serious disruption to a plant which works 24/7 withexpensive, sophisticated machinery that does not take kindly to sudden losses of electric power.


PHOENIX EXCHANGE AD M-A 2013_Invoice TOYOTA 16-8-05 2013/03/18 1:38 PM Page 1

METALUX AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:44 AM Page 1

The global success of the SouthAfrican Metalux and Metacrylbrands was supported by anothergood year of trading in the collision

repair trade.Gerard Metzer, Group Marketing

Director at Chemical Specialities(Chemspec), has a wealth of experience inhelping develop successful and long termbrand strategies in many diverse countries.

Metzer says that legislation stilldominates the environmental choice inmany countries and that the Hydroluxwaterborne system, which is successfullyexported from South Africa to globalmarkets, meets and exceeds the tough 1172California emission standards. Metaluxcomprises of basecoats and solids and isvery popular where no new legislation isenforced in traditional markets.

South Africa, has over 500 mixingmachines up and running locally and thesolvent borne refinish remains ever popular.As a flagship range, the state-of-the-arttechnology is very able in colour formularetrieval and accurately covers 140 000mixing formulas on the latest Easymix 3colouristics.

All this can be achieved with a minimumof just some 77 toners. That means in realterms that a smaller toner stock is neededfor all those shades to achieve excellence inthe colour tools support area of business.

Metalux, which was founded way back in1957, backs up the full range with anextended lifetime product warranty toguarantee a peace-of-mind purchase forbody shops using the product range inrepair. Full training is also supplied with theavailability of three in-house training centresas market penetration for the brandcontinues to develop in Southern Africa.

Hannes Kloppers, Head of Refinish SalesSA, is upbeat about the latest Hi-Solidclearcoats and improved primer range onoffer at Chemspec.

Chemspec has products designed toperform perfectly at many price levels to theend user. So if it’s either Hydrolux, Metalux,Specrylic Plus or their foundation body fillersand polishers from Formula 40, they havesuitable excellent materials for both carrepair, CV trucks and light industrial markets.

It’s nice to see that Chemspec’s worldactivities and great sales have brought animproved sales performance to theChemspec Group and that they are nolonger a best kept secret in the world ofhigh quality car refinish paints.

LOCAL NEWS

CHEMSPEC METALUXBRAND MOVINGAHEAD IN THE GLOBAL MARKET



WHAT’S HOT?

Seen here are Jurie Scheepers (left) and Hannes Kloppers. “With over 140 000 colour formulas and a fullcolour box to identify car colours, Metalux has a state-of-the-art colouristics package for collision repairers.This year they are aiming to expand into SA body shops even further”, said Kloppers.

The Chemspec management team have posted good global acceptance for the South African developedMetalux range. Seen here are Baron Schreuder (left), CEO, Hannes Kloppers, Head of Refinish Sales SA andGerard Metzer (right), Group Marketing Director.

The Metalux range from Chemspec has been one of South Africa’s greatest success stories in automotivecoatings globally.


Discovery Insure has recentlyissued awards to the top threepanelbeaters in South Africa. Thiswas determined by their CSIs

and client information obtained about theirservice. It beats all expectations on qualityand service in collision repair. With around100 collision repair shops as part of theDiscovery Insure team, the top three bodyshops awarded can really take pride in thisrecognition.

Car World Panelbeating in Wynbergwere honoured in their commitment toclients with first place. Speaking for the familyowned business, Dion Scanlen said that itwas a huge achievement for the companywho has traded for over 25 years in thebody shop business.

“The company achieved a great result,”said Anton Ossip, CEO of Discovery Insure,“as they achieved top place in the servicecharter for the group.”

Speaking about success Scanlen said thateach and every repair is personally checkedfor quality of repair and that all that effortand care from Car World Panelbeating hadpaid off with the result of winning thenational best of the best award.

Riverside Autobody, managed bydirector Marc Wafer, were also awarded atop CSI rating by Discovery Insure. Thecompany is regularly in the 95% marks ofservice and quality on their output work.“Once again we have been recognised forour hands on approach,” said Wafer. “This isan absolutely awesome result for the entirecompany for their dedication and effort ineverything we repair”.

Wafer says that the company has onlybeen operating in the current partnership fortwo years and his damage assessmentbackground has helped to manage clientsthrough their accidental mishaps.

Third place was awarded to ClassicCoachworks, and once again it’s a familyowned enterprise with a hands on outlookin everything – this seems to be a qualitythread. Since 1995 this has been their secretto success and it has and will stand them ingreat stead into the future.

The RSB Autogroup would like tocongratulate these top three winners andthank Car World Panelbeating and RiversideAutobody for powering their business toexcellence by choosing R-M coatings as theirrefinish brand of choice.

LOCAL NEWS

TOP THREEDISCOVERY INSUREPANELBEATERSACKNOWLEDGED



AWARDS

1. Car World Panelbeating is a hands on family runbusiness and achieved first place.2. Marc Wafer, Director from Riverside Autobody.3. From left to right back: Gerry Cavadias and LowellFestus. From left to right front: Karin van der Schyffand Carla Cavadias from Classic Coachworks.

1

2

3


R-M TIMELINE M-A 2013_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:19 AM Page 1

Aer-o-cure has been appointed asthe exclusive South Africanimporter for GYS weldingproducts. GYS offers a very

competitive product range. All production istaken care of in-house to ensure innovativeproducts with excellent after sales serviceand support.

The 1960s marked the time when manydomestic electrical appliances, large andsmall began to arrive into the home, ie:fridges, washing machines, TV's etc that weall take for granted today. To cater for thisincreased demand for energy in the home,urgent changes had to be made to theenergy network. It was decided that theFrench electrical network would have tochange, lifting the voltage level from 110 to220 Volts requiring the installation oftransformers in each home.

It was in 1964 that Guy Yves Stephaniebuilt a factory in Laval to manufacture thesetransformers. The construction of motorvehicles, machine tools, art structures,buildings or any structures of all metalconstruction – all this would be impossible

without welding. GYS manufactures arcwelding machines for the three mostcommonly used methods. Manual electrodeor stick welding (MMA), TIG welding,welding with inert gas (MIG) and active gas(MAG). Their range of yellow weldingmachines designed are the most popularwelding applications in maintenance,fabrication and light manufacturing. They usea grey colour scheme to differentiate theirmost advanced machines designed for themost demanding applications or thosesubjected to the most intensive use.

GYS offers a comprehensive range ofwelding equipment, cutters, as well asaccessories and consumables. There is also adent puller to help in body repair.

If you take a look inside GYS’ productionfacilities in Laval, France, you will besurprised by their manufacturing activities.They develop and produce nearly all thecomponents that make up their machines in-house. The speed with which 2000machines roll off the production line eachday is impressive. They have a large fullyautomated sheet metal working centre anda highly flexible powder coating system thatmakes this achievable.

Some Interesting Figures About GYS: 1964: Guy Yves Stephanie establishes

GYS and secures a contract to manufacturetransformers for French electricity companyEDF (Électricité de France).

1970: GYS commences production of

battery charging devices and by the end ofthe same decade is making the firstconventional electric welding equipment.

1980: GYS is taken over by aninvestment company.

1997: Nicolas Bouygues acquires GYS.The company employs fewer than 50members of staff.

1997-2001: Game-changing investment,restructuring and modernisation.

1999 - The first electrode weldinginverter leaves the factory.

2001-2004: GYS invests heavily in newproduct development. TIG welder inverters,plasma cutter inverters and other MIGwelding machinery follows. The thirdproduction segment is added: resistancewelding and car body repair equipment.

2004: Shanghai, China: start ofproduction of battery charging devices forprivate usage.

2006: Sales and service subsidiary opensin Aachen, Germany.

2008: Sales and service subsidiary opensin Warwick, England.

2011: Sales subsidiary opens in Shanghai,China.

2013: GYS subsidiary opens inCoimbatore, India.

2013: The GYS Group employs 470 staff,generating annual sales of more than €60million

Give Aer-o-cure a call for moreinformation on the complete GYS range on+27 (0)11 444 6454.

Car-O-Liner’s brand new Vision2software won the prestigiousInnovation Award within thecategory IT & Management at

the Automechanika Trade Show 2014.Vision2 is part of Car-O-Liner’s Vision™system, state-of-the-art measuringhardware and software for the repair ofcollision-damaged vehicles.

“We are very proud to receive this

prestigious award honouring our leadershipin state-of-the-art measuring software forthe vehicle collision repair market,” saysJonas Gunnarsson, VP and Business UnitManager. “I would like to thank ouremployees for their dedication to thepursuit of quality and excellence at Car-O-Liner.” The photo-based Vision2 software,which guides the entire repair process andperforms automatic centering, measuring

and documentation, is so user-friendly thattechnicians can complete the measurementprocess 20% faster than before.

Vision2 is compatible with the Car-O-Tronic™ and Car-O-Mech measuringsystems as well as with the PointXdiagnostic measuring tool and is integratedwith Car-O-Data, the world´s largestvehicle measurement database containingdata on over 14 500 measured vehicles.

LOCAL NEWS

AER-O-CURE THE NEW EXCLUSIVEGYS DISTRIBUTORS

CAR-O-LINER’S NEW VISION 2 SOFTWARE WINS AWARD



WHAT’S HOT?

INNOVATION

Aer-o-cure is now the exclusive importer of GYS equipment for SouthAfrica. The GYS brand has a reputation for good quality and strength.


HENKEL AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:08 AM Page 1

MIXPLAST ADS J-F 2014_Layout 1 2014/02/06 10:58 AM Page 1



BUSINESS UPDATE

Tyron Zackey heads up the SA AutoPaints Company in Newlands,Johannesburg. The company hasnow racked up 20 years of solid

growth and progress with strong levels ofcompound growth in sales year on year. Thecompany are a refinish diversified supplycompany with a large offering on alternativebody panels, lamps, motor glass, spoilers,bumper replacement and a full line of tapesand abrasives.

Tyron says that right now they operate afull fleet of seven fast delivery vehicles tosupply the trade right across the Gautengarea and it’s that type of specialist goodservice that has powered SA Auto Paintsforward.

He says they pay great attention to theircustomer care levels in the business, backed-up by a loyal team with Patrica Farrell andTrevor Basson in sales to clients. Theyoperate six specialist colour-matching staffand everyone has a hands-on approach tokeep a good focus on their customers needsall the time.

Tyron’s brother Timothy, also managesthe shop as they see a large amount of theirpaint refinish lines delivered everyday. Luxorand Kapci paint brands form a big part of thecompany body shop sales performance asthey operate in the East Rand, Northernsuburbs, Central, West Rand and the deepSouth areas on the reef.

Barbra Zackey keeps a watchful eye onthe internal administration and believes a

strong sense of Christian values powers SAAuto Paints fowards.

The Zackeys look well set to keep SAAuto Paints ahead of the game in theirspecialist market for years to come.

You can call Tyron or his team on+27 (0)11 673 9381 for more details on thecompany’s activities. They are based in PalmCentre Main Road, Newlands, Johannesburgif you wish to drop in.

David, Pat and Trevor keep the f ront l ine sa les at h igh leve ls inthe i r market .

Robbie ( le f t) and Peter in the spares department ho ld large stocksof fast moving body parts .

Co lours and even more co lour matches are part o f the pa int mix ingdepartment ’s da i ly rout ine.

The SA Auto Paints team have notched up a 20-year run ofsuccess f rom Newlands, Johannesburg.

T im Zackey has a long h istory of knowledge and success in the body shop ref in ish supplybus iness and operates a f i rs t c lass fami ly bus iness in Newlands, Johannesburg.

WHAT’S HOT?

SA AUTO PAINTS -GROWTH ANDPROGRESS


The 2015 Ballade ups the ante atevery level: from its streamlinedshape and even more spaciousinterior to exceptional safety

standards, improved dynamics and greaterefficiency.

The Ballade also offers an extended list ofstandard features across its two specificationlevels, many of which entrench the Honda’sclass-leading status in this segment.

The Ballade doesn’t rely on older-generation technology, but delivers severalinnovations, including an all-new ConstantlyVariable Transmission (CVT) featuringHonda’s Earth Dreams technology, as well asa touch screen-based infotainment systemthat offers an array of powerful features.

Strongly emphasised style lines create amore powerful, more confident side-onappearance, while the rear treatmentcontinues to underscore the smooth flow ofthe Ballade’s design.

Innovative solutions such as reducedinternal friction, weight reduction and Honda’sown i-VTEC variable valve timing system,together with the Ballade’s more aerodynamicshape, have allowed significant improvementsin performance, fuel consumption andemissions.

The new Ballade performs more eagerly

than before, while achieving improved levelsof efficiency in the process. Manual-transmission models accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9,6 sec, which is 0,2 quicker than theoutgoing model.

Top speed is 185 km/h. The Ballade is easyto drive, thanks to its stable road manners andhigh comfort levels, but is also responsive toenthusiastic driver inputs.

The new Ballade offers class-leading levelsof active and passive safety. The new sedan isequipped with six airbags – front, side andcurtain – as well as seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters. Active headrestraints are standard, too. Vehicle StabilityAssist (VSA) is standard across the Balladerange.

Honda has also included Hill Start Assist tothe Ballade’s feature set, making starts on anincline easier and safer by preventing thevehicle from rolling back.

A further innovation fitted to the newBallade Elegance is a multi-angle rear-viewcamera. When reverse gear is selected, thecamera view is displayed on the car’s touch-screen display. The camera angle can beadjusted to change perspective, assisting withparking. The camera incorporates a dynamicguidance function that displays yellowguidelines while reversing to indicate the area

into which the vehicle is being reversed. Thelines change as the steering wheel angle ischanged to show the area being reversedtowards.

As part of the thoroughly updated interior,the Ballade Trend model gets an all-new audiosystem with integrated USB and Bluetooth.The list of standard equipment iscomprehensive. The most eye-catchingaddition to the Elegance execution is thefitment of a seven-inch touchscreen displaywith icon-based graphical user interface. Itoffers an intuitive interface for the car’sinfotainment system, including audiofunctionality and Bluetooth telephony.

The touchscreen interface emulatessmartphone screen functionality by offeringgesture-based control (including tap to select,swipe to scroll, slide to move and pinch tozoom) for more intuitive ease of use.

The new Honda Ballade will be offered ina choice of six colours, of which three aremetallics, while two are pearl-effect hues.They are Taffeta White, Alabaster SilverMetallic, Urban Titanium Metallic, GoldenBrown Metallic, Carnelian Red Pearl, andCrystal Black Pearl.

The pricing includes a three-year/100 000km warranty, a four-year/60 000 kmservice plan, and one-year roadside assistance.

DRIVEN HONDA BALLADE VTEC




Contact: +27 (0)11 463 2169Block B, Ground Floor, St. Andrews Office ComplexMeadowbrook Lane, EpsomDowns, Johannesburg

THE AIR GUN SA RANGE OFFERSTOP PERFORMANCE AT A VALUEPRICE WITH PROFESSIONALMATERIAL TRANSFER EFFICIENCY.DISTRIBUTOR ENQUIRIES AREINVITED FOR THE HIGHPERFORMANCE RANGE.

ANEST AIRGUNSA A4 J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:04 AM Page 1

CAN MANUFACTURERS KEEP UP?



There is a stark trend that has been underway since the turnof the century – car manufacturers have taken advantage ofthe manufacturing revolution to produce more and moreversions of a given model. Whilst that has led to an ever-

increasing array of body styles and engine choices as eachmanufacturer seeks to exploit every possible niche demand, thereare some dark clouds on the horizon. Not only has this market-driven trend taken place but there has been a considerable numberof brand new technologies reaching the market which simply werenot on offer way back in 2000.

Consider when BMW produced the 3 series around 2000, therewere five body styles (saloon, estate, coupé, convertible, 3-doorhatch) whereas now it looks like this:

l 1 series (F2X) – 3-door hatch, 5-door hatchl 2 series (F2X) – coupé, convertible, but not the 2 series Active

Tourer which is related to F5X Mini l 3 series (F3X) - saloon, estate, Gran Tourismol 4 series (F3X) – coupé, convertible, Gran Coupel X3 (F25) – SUVl X4 (F26) – SUV coupe cross overBy extending the use of multiple engines into multiple body styles

and then splitting out those body styles into separate groupings,BMW now has 13 body styles based on common underbody, frontend structures, powertrains and suspension/steering/brake systems.So that’s all good?

Details, DetailsThe trend outlined by BMW can be seen right around the world

from most of the major vehicle manufacturers. These days it is rareto find a product that exists only in one or two styles – even the newMazda MX-5 will have an Alfa Romeo sister with a different engineassembled in the same Japanese plant for worldwide sale. Thesuccess of each version relies on totality of execution, where everysingle surface or control the customer will use has an identity of itsown rather than appearing as blatantly ‘borrowed’ from anothermodel.

The unique aspects of each version are typically the front wings,rear quarter panel and even the doors/tailgate/boot lid. Thedifferences go deeper into the body structure, with changes to thesill, rear platform and inner rear quarter panels. Each unique bodyshape will have variations of exterior trim, glass, bumper skins, taillights, interior trim and electrical systems. All of this is fine as long asthe niche product is in production, but such satellite products can beswitched off before the model series finishes if sales volumes arepoor, and then the fun begins.

Let’s start with what appears to be a slightly extended logisticissue – servicing parts for all those versions of each model range.Whilst in manufacturing a series of anywhere from 1 000 to 100 000vehicles can command the appropriate number of unique parts forassembly, providing enough of those ‘special’ parts is the tricky part.For routine service it is possible to predict the ‘all time’ need for

every service part, but when it comes to collision repair… well,there’s no such thing at the moment of a major or minor level repairpack. Combine this with a dramatically increased number of possiblemodel variations and we have an issue – the real possibility that whenthe spare parts stock is depleted, it really is gone.

Conventional CommerceTypically each part number created by a vehicle manufacturer will

cost around $10 000 – just for the part number. This is because thelogistic system needs to be administered and filled with the partnumber data (description, number per vehicle, which vehicles, doesit replace an older part) that in turn triggers more logistic andpurchasing actions. Just for a part number.

Add to this the reality that a part number is associated with a realthing, which has to be recyclable where ever possible, actually work,meet the cost objectives, actually work, may need colour co-ordination with parts made elsewhere… and actually work…. the actof creating a part number is relatively straight forward. However wecan see that whilst vehicle manufacturers have tried really hard to re-use components and sub-assemblies where ever possible to increasevolume and reduce cost, the reality is the operational cost overall isstill climbing.

Diverse PowertrainsMercedes-Benz has had a second generation B class (W246)

available with diesel and petrol engines since 2011. The range has justbeen extended with the addition of a pure electric andpetrol/compressed natural gas (CNG) powertrains along with a mildfacelift for the existing models. Except that whilst outwardly the newpowertrain versions look just like W246, they are W242… meaningthe underbody is altered to accept these almighty under-floormodules.

Tell-tales? Well the place the ‘fuel’ is put into the vehicle isdifferent, the instrument panels are unique and there are some smalltrim differences. Essentially, however, these new additions lookidentical to the petrol or diesel engine powered B class (W246).

Other vehicle manufacturers have been more successful in copingwith the divergent requirement of traction batteries with high voltagepower systems or compressed natural gas storage tanks. However,this is a trend well and truly underway, available for each destinationcountry to import if they think they can sell it.

Diverse Bodies2000 marked the mass production vehicle arrival of high and

ultra-high strength steel alloys. Back then press-hardened steel alloywas applied in a few vehicles for a few selected panels, but now wesee mild steel content for all types of vehicle regularly falling below30% by weight. Essentially this is a well-worn story.

What is coming to the market now is going to make the arrival ofthose steel alloys look quite straight forward. Not only will all typesof body shell be made from ferrous as well as non ferrous materials,the way the panels are joined is migrating from spot welding withadhesive, to riveting with adhesive and now – purely on the groundsof reduced cost – pure riveting.

Aside from the training required and the specialist equipment thatshould be purchased is the small matter of parts. Every single rivet.Because where adhesives and/or riveting is used, there is no singletype specified. Indeed some vehicle manufacturers have spend loadsof cash just on part numbers alone as they went potty specifying ahuge array of fixings.

Add TechnologyWe know that active safety systems that can brake a vehicle

without the driver are on the market already and rapidly decreasingin price. Vehicles that can self-park and self-brake if it detects amoving vehicle whilst reversing and self-steer are also on the market.Given these devices have been a technology reality for more than adecade and a mass market fitment for around four years it’s going totake a while before it reaches the average minibus in use aroundSouth Africa.

FUTURE TECH - by Andrew Marsh

The new W242 is the new Mercedes-Benz powertrain and the underbodyhad to be altered to receive these new huge underfloor modules.


Never MindBecause mind, because the vehicle and system manufacturers are

racing off into the sun. The next step is vehicle-to-vehiclecommunication (due in 2015 from Volvo, Audi, Toyota/Lexus et al),vehicle to infrastructure (due in 2016 from Toyota) and realautonomous driving (due by around 2020, depending on whichcountry is going to be brave enough to allow general use).

This technology stretch is pushing what is possible versus what isavailable versus what is required to the very limit. Legislators aroundthe world are so far behind the curve it’s embarrassing. Take a lookat two concepts from Mercedes-Benz announced in the autumn of2014: Future Truck 2025 was revealed at the IAA Hanovercommercial vehicle show. The concept is a heavy truck (44 tonnesplus) which can drive itself at speeds up to the national speed limit,using a sensor array similar to that developed for autonomousbraking/blind spot detection/lane keeping with the addition of vehicleto vehicle communication as well as vehicle to infrastructurecommunication. Road signs for example can help direct the truckwithout the aid of the driver. Tellingly the driver is nowhere near thecontrols.

The second concept was about a future luxury vehicle where theinterior can be either a space for interaction with the passengers orcan be laid out conventionally. Whilst that appears to be a bit old,the reality is once again the vehicle controls are not the primaryconcern of the driver but are provided as a back-up only.

The prototype test uses new technologies such as gesture orfacial expression control of the vehicle systems, 3D 306 degreesimulation, connection to the internet and more. Oddly theconnectivity thrust seems to be more focused towards on-linegaming that surely will not exist in the same format in anotherdecade? Oh, and what happened to viewing the surroundings as wetravel along?

The alarming fact is there is no driver training anywhere in theworld aimed at getting drivers used to autonomous driving, or that itrequires absolute concentration to a greater degree than driving aswe understand it today.

The End GameThe perfect storm. So far vehicle manufacturers have tried to

keep the entire ownership experience for the entire life of eachvehicle under their wing. That is being challenged as never before

because of:l Increased product diversity at any given time.l Increased technology content that is frequently upgraded

during the vehicle lifetime.l Net confusion about how vehicles will be powered both now

and in the future.All of this comes down to those part numbers. Can vehicle

manufacturers continue to be the one stop for all vehiclerequirements? The reality is that whilst all are racing along in terms ofbuild, most are increasingly finding it difficult to support the hugearray of models already built and that is not going to get any easierany time soon.

Solutions?Well the key part is to ensure at the design stage that a vehicle

manufacturer produce wide component or sub-assembly partsidentical for all applications. Volkswagen spent 10 years formulatingtheir strategy for MQB, but at a component level there is still a hugearray of possible components for the same function.

A second and more interesting option would be to put the after-market parts operation into the hands of an after-market specialist.For many years UniPart did exactly this for BL/MG Rover, to theextent that the vehicle manufacturer frequently did not have a clueabout the specification of the parts because UniPart had taken careof all the details – along with one of the best distribution systemsever seen. MG Rover collapsed, and commerce intervened – but thebusiness model worked.

If the after-market only rely on vehicle manufacturers and theirimport agencies to supply all the requirements of the collision repairbusiness, immense supply issues will occur before the end of 2020. Itis time for a gaggle of existing specialists to step into the shoes of thevehicle manufacturer, so that the manufacturer can concentrate onthe creative process. In times of revolution, clear thinking is essential.

Auto Industry Consulting is an independent provider oftechnical information to the global co llision repair industry. Productsinclude EziMethods, our online co llision repair methods system andA uto Industry Insider , our co llision repair industry technicalinformation website. For more information please visit the websites:www.ezimethods.com and www.auto industryinsider.com or contactben.cardy@auto industryconsulting.com



www.autoindustryinsider.com

The Future Truck 2025 is a concept heavy truckthat can drive itself according to the nationalspeed limit using an array of sensors similar tothat developed for autonomous braking.


There are many ways to become successful in the collisionrepair business and Deon Greyling is just one man who didit the hard way. He used to work out of a scrapyardrefurbishing old mine vehicles to make a living.

Coming from that start-up 20 years ago it has been a long, hardslog to get to the state-of-the-art facility that the Summit Autobodyoperation is today. The company is now a major structural repaircentre in Makhado and currently employs around 45 personnel inthe auto body repair centre.

It’s a family-owned operation where his daughter Charlotte takescare of the daily business dealings. The plot of land which nowhouses the new company was virgin soil and Greyling in true “onswerk self” fashion has been largely responsible for the rapid buildingand starting-up phase of the relocated workshop in Industria Street.

Greyling says it became a case of constantly ploughing back profitsand investing in new, more efficient production equipment andtraining to get the top quality production that’s needed in todaysrepair shop. Three new Chief drive-on bench racks are just some ofthe new equipment installed. “We started the company working onlyfor private clients and it took some real hard work and effort to

eventually gain the confidence of our insurance companies to comeon board and be a trusted repairer.

Today we’re on all the major insurance repair panels like Santam,Mutual and Federal, Hollard, Zurich and many more,” says Greyling.Driving standards up has been a constant theme for the Greylingfamily.

Greyling showed me pictures of all his handmade roof trussesmembers made at his farm close by. This type of cost saving had tobe taken to make his budget go even further as expenses forgedahead in the venture. The end result is a world-class productioncentre set up with high volume clean compressed air and a full turn-key operation supplied by Phoenix Exchange.

There are Radical spraybooths that are waterborne compliant, aspecial mixing room plus a downdraft preparation station centre forprimer vehicle preparation.

“Support for the company on refinish comes in the form ofGlasurit, who have supplied on-site training to upgrade the spraypainting output,” say painters Sarel Lube and Rudi Viljoen. “We areon target to put out around 120 repairs this month and have inreality only been up and running for a few months now.

“Being successful,” says Greyling, “requires a number ofdisciplines. Delivering a good repair to the client to their damagedvehicle and maintaining positive relationships with both tradesuppliers and insurance companies, is a vital part of ongoingbusiness.”

Greyling was a founder member of the Collision RepairAssociation (CRA) and feels the group has succeeded because as atrade body they are focused on the industry needs and will play a bigrole as a trade body going forward.

Surrounded by a wall of approvals from motor manufacturerssuch as Toyota, VW, Audi, GM, Hyundai, Kia and a host of others,shows the Greyling philosophy of giving their customers peace ofmind is part of their objective in delivering a car right first time.

They have developed a special training facility up in the companyboardroom where suppliers can easily update changing processneeds for the company. Greyling’s ability to personally check eachand every vehicle before delivery has and still remains a big priorityin his daily work schedule. All in all the new Summit Autobodyworkshop based in Louis Trichardt shows that with twenty years ofpainstaking effort and quality commitment Greyling and the family’seffort have been well rewarded.



TOP SHOP SUMMIT AUTOBODY, LOUIS TRICHARDT

QUALITY ANDEXCELLENCEQUALITY ANDEXCELLENCEDeon Greyling started out panelbeating from ascrapyard over 20 years ago and has come along way at Summit Autobody.

It took manyyears to gaininsurancework buttoday SummitAutobodyhave manyapprovals.




“Frontline counter staff take great care of both clients and insurance concerns,”says Charlotte (right).

The Chief Ex-Liner forms a big part of Summit Autobody’s successful body shopas it makes repairs much quicker and easier.

In-house training has uplifted the output quality at Summit Autobody. Glasurit waterborne refinish powers up the mixing room.

The all-new Sprinter type Radical Omega spraybooth dominates the sprayshop.Phoenix Exchange took care of the new turnkey workshop booths and equipment.

Seen here are Lloyd Magill (left) and Tyrone Hogan from Phoenix Exchange at thecentre for the handover.

Story and pics by Ian Groat


When it comes to bundu-bashing excellence, there’sreally only one name that springs to mind - our veryown home grown Toyota Hilux. A simple mentionof the name takes you back to bulldozing your way

through the bush at some stage of your life. Because of its supremeoff road capability and tough durable reliability, the ‘knows noboundaries’ brute has topped SA's most wanted list for ages. .

So when the invite for the launch of their new Hilux Legend 45landed on our desks - headlining “A Legendary Road Trip” - Icouldn't wait to see what was in store for us.

The Hilux Legend 45 is a special edition Raider with the number45 symbolic of how long the vehicle has been locally produced intheir Prospecton Plant in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. This celebratorymodel is predominantly cosmetic. In terms of the seventhgeneration engine derivatives, all the usual suspects are available.

What can you expect to see different on your Hilux Legend 45?On the outside new headlights and front foglight design with black-out detail and smoked rear lights, exclusive Legend 45 decals on thestainless steel front nudge bar and rear stainless steel step bumperwith matt-black side steps and fitted tow bar. Colour-coded doorhandles and chrome finish mirrors, with a favorite being the multi-spoke 17-inch anthracite alloy mag wheels beefing up the impactfactor. The inside boasts a full black interior for the cabin includingdashboard finish, with silver contrast stitching on your black leatherseating, door panels, and steering wheel. Included on some modelsis a reverse camera, these are the XtraCab Legend 45 models aswell as 2.5 D-4D and 2.7 VVTI Legend 45 models (standard on allother double-cab Legend 45 models). All in all the upgrades haveadded a meaner ruggedness to the Hilux Legend 45.

Our 'Legendary Road trip' took man and machine on a road tripfrom George's luxurious Fancourt in to Graaf-Reinet and backagain. On arrival at Fancourt the general chatter was aboutToyota’s previous ‘Legend 40’ launch which was a four day affair ofisland dining and driving in Madagascar!

The next morning we were taxied from Fancourt to breakfast

aboard a 1940’s steam train carriage at the Outeniqua TransportMuseum. We were then treated to a spectacular sight-seeing trainride aboard the famous Outeniqua Tjoe-Choo express. The railwayline has been closed for use since 2009 due to embers spitting outof the steam engine’s boiler and causing forrest fires, so it is now asight seeing train tour. It winds along the eighty seven year old trackto way above the wilderness coastline, exposing hard to reach partsof the Outeniqua and Montagu passes, a definite must see.

Waiting for us at our first train stop were the fleet of Legend 45’sand once on the road we were told to make our way for lunch inJansenville in the middle of the Klein Karoo. The drive was all youwould expect from 45 years of tried and tested muscle as we hit onedirt track after the other. Our Legend 45 felt as if it was sitting athome with its feet up watching telly most of the way as the drivewas so smooth and easy. During the drive I actually found myselfstarting to dread the thought of tarred roads.

After lunch we made our way through to our final stop, but thistime sampling rarely used farmer tracks which really put the Legendthrough its paces en-route to Graaf-Reinet. On arrival, Toyotarevealed their giant Flag initiative from high above the valley ofdesolation in the Camdeboo National Park, about five kilometresfrom Graaff-Reinet.

This living giant South African flag will be made up of two and ahalf million coloured desert succulents and will include a fourmegawatt solar field. Construction begins this year, and will costaround R180 million to complete. The intense green finger action issaid to be over a hundred hectares in size and once complete willsustain 700 permanent jobs for locals. Not only will the solar fieldsupply power to the local community, but it will also entice eco-tourism to the region.

We finished off in style at the official Giant Flag street party inthe centre of town where all officals and participants in the initiaveshowed us a real warm Graaf-Reinet welcome. It was a fitting endto a ‘legendary Road trip’ to honour this living Legend.

DRIVEN TOYOTA HILUX LEGEND 45



by Jay Groat

TOYOTA PG_Layout 1 2015/02/04 3:46 PM Page 1

Carsystem® meets all of therequirements of a quality-conscious company. Famous forits range of high quality and

competitively priced fillers manufactured byVosschemie GmbH, Carsystem® offers acomplete range of paint related productsand systems designed to improve output atbody shops and at the same time providecost savings.

Over the years, Carsystem® has becomea well-known brand and its products aresold worldwide. Bulldog Abrasives has beenthe sole distributor of their stock in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2002 and their productsand systems have been very successful inbody shops across Southern Africa.

The Carsystem® Dolphin Award is anhonour which is handed out toCarsystem®’s worldwide partners everysecond year at the Automechanikaexhibition in Frankfurt. It is their way ofshowing appreciation to their distributors forcreating awareness of the Carsystem®brand and for ensuring that Carsystem®products and systems are promoted in eachof their respective territories.

Last year was the 15th anniversary ofCarsystem® at the Automechanikaexhibition. Each distributor was handed abeautiful Dolphin Award in celebration ofthis milestone. This award was handed toBulldog Abrasives CEO, John Maroun, byCarsystem®’s general manager, Dieter Voss,and director of Carsystem®’s automotivedivision, Thomas Weppner.

Voss commented that the only thing thathe can say about the Bulldog Abrasives andCarsystem® partnership is that it is a “win-win situation”. He added “Bulldog Abrasivesis working superbly well without a doubt andwe are more than happy with the way thatthey are helping grow the Carsystem®brand. We are very proud to be associatedwith such a professional organisation.”

Bulldog Abrasives is proud to havepartnered Carsystem during the past 12years. Their innovative products and systemshave been an integral part of BulldogAbrasives’ success.

Carsystem® Top Aerosol Products

Aerosol technology produces preciseamounts of product for an exact area,eliminating waste and resulting in huge costsavings. You can aim and spray exactlywhere you want to with maximumeffectiveness. Listed below are four ofCarsystem®’s top aerosol products availablefrom Bulldog Abrasives:

l The Carsystem® Spot-Blender is anaerosol with excellent dissolving propertiesand is ideal for spot repair and the blending

of 2K clear coats as well as 2K topcoats. Itdiminishes old paints resulting in aremarkable blending outcome. This Spot-Blender is used in the conversion betweenthe new and old top coats – the very fine jetcreates a consistent flow during thistransformation.

l Carsystem® 1K High Build Primer is acomplete, ready to use high buildprimer/filler in an aerosol form. It is speciallydesigned for rapid priming and filling in theareas of spot damages before top coating.Primer 1K High Build is capable of producinga coating of a film thickness in spot repairssimilar to that of a primer applied with aspray gun.

The convenient use of this high buildprimer in an aerosol form results in maskingbeing kept to a minimum. Primer 1K HighBuild can be applied to many plastic surfaceswithout primer. However, a test shouldalways be carried out before application

since there are so many different plasticsavailable.

l Carsystem® Etch Primer has beenspecially developed for repairing primercoats on aluminium car bodies. This primerhas excellent adhesion to all steel, zinc andaluminium surfaces. It is easy to apply anddries quickly. The Etch Primer is suitable forspot repairs and partial paintings.

l Carsystem® Bumper Paint Spray(available in black or grey) is suitable for therepair or visual improvement of plasticbumpers and parts. The original structure ofthe bumper remains unchanged. TheBumper Paint Spray can be applied directlyto the plastic without previous primingbecause of special additives in the content ofthe spray. With its excellent covering,professional wide angle spraying nozzle andgood economy of use, it allows quick andsimple painting of all sizes and areas.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

CARSYSTEM®

HONOURS BULLDOG ABRASIVES



AWARDS

John Maroun (centre) CEO Bulldog Abrasives holds the Dolphin Award given to mark the fifteenth anniversaryof Carsystem® as an exhibitor at Automechanika. Seen here too are Carsystem®’s GM Dieter Voss (left) andThomas Weppner, the Director of Carsystem®’s Automotive Division.


CARSYSTEM DPS J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:05 AM Page 1

CARSYSTEM DPS J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:05 AM Page 2



Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in theautomotive industry are anti-competitive in refusing toallow cheaper alternative parts to be used to repairvehicles where safety is not a consideration. This is

according to a number of insurance companies, brokers andaftermarket parts suppliers, none of which are willing to be quotedon record.

Gari Dombo, MD of Alexander Forbes Insurance told journalistsrecently that short-term insurers were being “held to ransom”, byvehicle parts suppliers. He said insurers needed to be allowed to usecertified alternative parts to contain the cost of vehicle repairs, whichcurrently account for anything between 60% and 70% of claim costs.

The Competition Commission then announced it wasinvestigating 82 automotive component manufacturers for collusionand price fixing in respect of 121 fairly arbitrary automotivecomponents supplied to OEMs. The investigation forms part of abroader international investigation and in the main appears to relateto imported components, as opposed to locally manufactured andsupplied parts, according to the National Association of AutomobileManufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA).

However, a body suggesting local players need to be investigatedas part of the probe has approached the Commission, according tospokesperson Mava Scott. “If in the evaluation of the evidence thereis a suggestion of some contravention, abuse of dominance orprohibited practice by OEMs, there’s nothing that stops thecommissioner from pursuing further investigations,” Scott said.

An Anti-Competitive Racket?When you buy a new car the service plan – generally around five

years – is included in the upfront unit cost. However, most localOEMs will remove the warranty on your vehicle (and the serviceplan) if you use a cheaper alternative part to repair your vehicleduring that time, even if it is not a safety critical part and a purelycosmetic repair (such as a rearview mirror).

Insurers argue that in such cases, consumers should be allowed touse certified alternative parts, bringing down the cost of repair and,ultimately, the cost of their insurance premiums. However,NAAMSA director Nico Vermeulen insists that OEMs areresponsible to protect the integrity of their brand and to ensure thesafety of their customers. NAAMSA represents the interests ofmotor vehicle manufacturers.

“It is normal practice throughout the world that while the vehicleis under warranty, it has to be repaired by the appointed franchisedealer… and in line with the original design requirements,”Vermeulen said.

Similarly, BMW said it did not warrant any non-approved parts onits products, in the interest of quality assurance and liability. “This isdirectly related to safety and warranty issues as we cannot vouch forthe quality, safety or reliability of any part which has not beenvalidated by the BMW Group,” Edward Makana, manager of groupautomotive communications, told Moneyweb.

According to one industry commentator, BMW insists on the useof original parts even on vehicles that are not under warranty,threatening to remove the BMW stamp of approval from panelbeaters that do not comply. Makana could not be reached forcomment on this.

VW said it would not unilaterally withdraw warranties ifalternative parts were fitted, but might reject a warranty claim if asubsequent problem or failure of a component was due to a non-genuine part being fitted.

Insurers To Meet With OEMsThe high cost of parts has long been a concern of the short-term

insurance industry’s representative body, the South African InsuranceAssociation (SAIA). Viviene Pearson, general manager of insurancerisk at SAIA, confirmed that the organisation was meeting “at thehighest level” with NAAMSA in December to discuss the high costof OEM parts.

“This meeting included CEOs from insurers as well as thepresident and deputy presidents from NAAMSA,” Pearson said. “Itstill remains a very viable idea to certify alternative parts to ensurequality while addressing the affordability issue.”

It’s not clear whether the South African Bureau of Standards(SABS) is willing to certify alternative parts, with some suggesting thisis because the OEMs are significant SABS customers. SABS could notbe reached for comment.

However, TÜV Rheinland, a Germany-based company thataccredits motor vehicle parts around the world, has set up a partsaccreditation capability in South Africa. “With the growth inimported generic parts and with the focus on quality standards it islikely that we will see growing pressure from insurers to utilisegeneric parts,” commented Peter Todd, founding director of motorvehicle repair management company, Repair Solutions, and formerCEO of Mutual & Federal.

According to a spokesperson for a leading aftermarket partssupplier who preferred not to be named, OEM parts prices can varybetween being 20% to 400% more expensive than alternative parts,even where these have been certified by third-party agencies tovouch for their quality.

He says motor manufacturers make most of their money throughafter-sales servicing and some OEMs will refuse to sell single parts topanel beaters (like a front light for instance) if they suspect the panelbeater is sourcing accompanying parts (such as a bumper) elsewhere,insisting the panel beater buys a basket of parts.

INDUSTRY NEWS

CAR PARTS PROBE - IS THIS JUST THE BEGINNING?

WHAT’S HOT?

by Hanna Barry

MET POLICE RECOVER VEHICLES

Cobra, a British leading supplier of vehicle tracking, safetyand security systems, has helped the Metropolitan Policelocate and recover three stolen premium SUVs worthmore than R1.4m before they were transported out of

the country. Luckily for the owners, one of the SUVs was fitted witha CobraTrak vehicle tracking system. With Cobra’s help, the policewere directed to a moving truck. Initially the police could not see thevehicle, although its GPS coordinates meant they knew they were inits exact location. Further details provided by Cobra such as thevehicles’ direction of travel, route and speed, helped the police topinpoint an eastern European truck they had in their line of sight.When the truck was pulled over, police discovered a further twoSUVs in the back, and with the truck registered in Lithuania, thepolice were able to recover the vehicles before they could attempta swift exit from the country.

The driver had not long left the warehouse from where he had

NEWSPRESS

collected the cars, and he accompanied the police back to thatlocation, where a further four arrests were made.

Andrew Smith, managing director at Cobra UK Limited said,“This case study strongly demonstrates the power, speed andefficiency of stolen vehicle tracking. Without one of our devicesinstalled in the car, three owners would have permanently lost theircars.”

Aside from the emotional distress caused by having a car stolen,high value cars are generally built to order for customers to theirindividual specification. With long production lead times on manypremium brand models, it could take months to replace your hardearned pride and joy, as well as having to endure all the hassle ofhaggling with your insurer. Installation of a stolen vehicle trackingdevice offers reassurance to the drivers of high value cars, if a vehicleis stolen, recovery can take as little as 40 minutes.


The all-new Renault Sandero puts afresh and innovative spin on theSouth African affordable carmarket. The New Sandero is one

of this kind: modern and refined design, F1-inspired performance-plus engine boastingexcellent fuel economy unique-in-segmentsafety level and the inclusion of ‘big car’features and smart technology, thisnewcomer is way ahead of its competitors.

“What you see is a vehicle fullyrepresentative of Renault’s heritage withevery gene rooted in Renault’s DNA.” saysWayne van der Merwe, product managerfor New Sandero.

Youthful and modern styling exudes amix of discernible quality and refinement.While Renault’s ubiquitous, centre-piecediamond-shaped badge dominates the blackgrille and underscores the brand’s newdesign identity, a trendy, integrated roofspoiler, body-coloured side mirrors and 15”wheels standard across the range, add to itsup-to-the-minute exterior appeal.

Inside the cabin, the quality of thematerials used is tangible. To optimisedriving pleasure, the dashboard features asophisticated cluster with chrome detailingaround the dials and boasts an array oftechno-smart yet practical instrumentation.

New Sandero is the only model of itsclass to offer a petrol Turbo engine. Itreaches a top speed of 175 km/h andspeedily accelerates from 0 to 100km/h, inonly 11.1s.

The spritely personality of the Turbo66kW engine exudes from its engagingsound as well as its best-in-classresponsiveness in all conditions, thanks to itssteady low-end torque which reaches amaximum of 135Nm from 2,500rpm, 90%of which being available from 2,000rpm.

New Renault Sandero is, withoutquestion, the safest car in its class as it offers,standard across the range, safety featuresusually the reserve of ‘higher class’ models.

The Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)now comes with EBA which kicks in andautomatically applies maximum brakepressure when emergency brakingconditions are detected. Maximum pressureis applied from the onset of braking andremains until the ABS trigger threshold isreached. EBA shortens braking distance byup to nine metres or up to 25%.

ESP + ASR (traction control) ElectronicStability (Control) Programme (ESP) Ensuresvehicle stability and assists the driver toavoid possible loss of control; detects andreduces loss of traction (on slippery road

surfaces, for example) and reduces enginepower and brakes on independent wheels inthe event of loss of control.

Hill Start Assist (HSA) is automaticallyactivated (upon complete stop) as soon asan incline of at least 10% is detected. Thesystem is engaged by stepping firmly on thebrake and prevents any backwardmovement for long enough to pull offwithout needing to use the handbrake.When stepping off the brake, the car willhold for approximately three seconds toallow pull off with no roll-back. The newSandero also offers safety features ‘beyondits class’.

Over and above front seat belts withload limiters and ISOFIX fasteners for childand baby seats, New Sandero is the only carin its category to offer a three-point safetybelt at the central rear seat. As with thestandard safety features outlined, it’s thehost of standard smart technology fitmentsand features that also sets New RenaultSandero apart from its class peers.

Renault’s Complete Peace of Mind kicksin as soon as the deal is done. All NewSandero come with Renault’s industry-leading five-year/150 000km warrantycompleted by a standard two-year/30 000km service plan.

DRIVEN RENAULT SANDERO




BASF Coatings Services 086 1100 173 www.devilbisseu.com Tunzi Automotive +27 (0)11 867 7887

STARTINGLINE GUN AD N-D 2014_Layout 1 2014/10/30 10:44 AM Page 1

Mary Barro, General Motors CEO,skipped Europe’s biggest autoshow of the year to focus onwhat is arguably her biggest

strategic announcement so far. Barra briefedinvestors on her ambitious plan to reduceGM’s confusing slew of more than twodozen, largely integrated vehiclearchitectures to just four modular mega-platforms over the next 10 years.

Like Volkswagen Group CEO MartinWinterkorn, Renault-Nissan boss CarlosGhosn and Toyota chief Akio Toyoda, Barraknows that having prolific, flexible, globallycompetitive mega-platforms is a key tosuccess in the fast-expanding,ultracompetitive volume car manufacturingbusiness. Enormous economies of scale,lower development expenditure, fastertimes to market and the ability to buildmultiple cars on one line are some of theother mouthwatering benefits of mega-platforms. Mastering this part of the businesscould ultimately decide which automakerssurvive and which ones don’t as pressurefrom customers, competitors and regulatorsescalate.

Two of Europe’s largest automakers,PSA/Peugeot-Citroën and Fiat ChryslerAutomobiles, do not have global mega-platforms and analysts say that leaves themvulnerable in an industry in which bigger isoften better, especially when it comes toprocurement and establishing a worldwidepresence. Also, but the time GM is finallyfinished with this mammoth platformrevamp it will be 2025, the kind of distantfuture one might almost expect fromscience fiction movies given the autoindustry’s current rapid pace of change, Bythen, it might be commonplace onEuropean roads for people to bechauffeured around in self-driven carspowered by hydrogen fuel cells with onlywater vapour the exhaust bi-product.

Just as GM’s chief executive describedher long-term vision, VW was busy makingthose dreams a reality and pocketing thesavings for itself. It was ramping upproduction of its new Passat, already thesixth model line underpinned by the group’sultra-flexible modular transverse matrix,better know by its German acronym MQB.

The race is on to find the most efficientand standardised mega-platform, the stakesare high and VW Group’s head start on itsglobal competitors is substantial. Its MQBmega-platform puts it years ahead of rivalswhen it comes to the next evolutionary

state of mass car production. Europeancompetitors such as Renault-Nissan, PSAand Fiat Chrysler are rushing to catch up,shifting to a largely modular approach fromamore integral one. But like with anystrategic rollout that overhauls entrenchedprocesses and disrupts businessrelationships, it entails big risks.

“The bigger the platform the bigger therecall will be if there is a problem,” saidErnesto Antolin, vice chairman of GrupoAntolin, the industry’s largest supplier ofvehicle headliners. “That is the bad side ofsupplying a mega-platform.”

The reason Toyota’s massive, image-damaging recall in 2009-2010 was hard tocontain was because if affected millions ofvehicles made all over the world. In addition,VW’s launch of MQB, which is forecast tounderpin nearly six million vehicles by 2020,has included a few bumps, although thecarmaker has been able to contain themthus far.

“Modularity is such a better way ofthinking and acting and implementing thanany other form of platform strategy,” saidLuther Johnson of consultancy firm ModularManagement. “But you can also say you’redoing it and do it poorly.” By breakingvehicles down to their lowest commondenominator, VW is able to set pre-defineddimensions and standardised interfaces formodules that can easily be swapped backand forth, lowering costs per unit and one-off R&D expenditure by as much as 20%and engineered hours per vehicle by asmuch as 30%.

Renault’s ResponseAmong the closest to achieving VW’s

scale is Renault-Nissan. It aims to have 70%of its vehicles underpinned by threecommon module family (CMF) platformsfor minicars (CMF-A), subcompacts (CMF-B) and compact/midsize (CMF-C-D)models by 2020. At that time Renault-Nissan is expected to be making more than3.5 million vehicles on CMF B, including theRenault Clio, and about 2.7 million carsusing CMF-C-D, including the NissanQashqai. This should cut purchasing and

engineering costs by as much as 30% and40%, respectively, the automaker says.

Fiat Chrysler planned to have threemega-platforms with more than one millionunits by this year, but that target has beenpushed back to 2018. The automakerbelieves the move will help it achieve 1.5billion euros in cumulative savings.

Not to be outdone, PSA wants toreduce its current platforms to two fromseven by 2022. Last year the automakerlaunched the C4 Picasso and Peugeot 308based on its new efficient modular platform(EMP2), PSA aims to launch 11 differentmodels and build 1.5 million cars off EMP2by 2018.

“All the carmakers are working on thisright now, I can’t think of anyone who is not,at least among the big names. It’s somethingthat everybody has to do,” said Exane BNPParibas auto analyst Stuart Pearson.

But while they may be following thesame goal, neither Fiat Chrysler nor PSA isexpected to have one of the 10 largestglobal platforms by 2020, according to IHSAutomotive forecasts. “PSA is a long wayfrom the industry leaders, in fact, the gaplooks likely to only widen from here. Westruggle to see how PSA can becomecompetitive on costs until this issue isresolved,” Morgan Stanley wrote in a report.“Where PSA falls short is on its lack ofabsolute volume. Unfortunately this isharder to fix and with organic growth hardto come by, may require further strategicalliances or M&A in our view.”

Even those carmakers with sheer scalesuch as GM, which despite its size still lagsthe competition in terms of rationalising itsplatforms, cannot expect to see big benefitsfrom the move to mega-platforms, expertssay. Exane’s Pearson believes that in anindustry where relative advantages can fallaway quickly, laggards are motivated moreby a defensive fear not to fall too far behind,“It’s like with any first-mover advantagewhether it’s a hit model or a flexiblearchitecture, the leaders tend to generategreater benefits and hang onto them longerthan those that come late to the party,” hesaid.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

NEW PLATFORMTECHNOLOGIESRAISE MOTORMAKER PROFITS



TECHNOLOGY

The Volkswagen Group MBQ plat form comes wi th var iab le length extens ions to make overn ine d i f ferent models ava i lab le on a g lobal sca le .



Despite predictions, the motor industry in South Africa ishaving a fairly good run. September 2014 sales were thethird highest in the history of the industry in South Africafinishing at 60 000 plus.

It is a buyers’ market as manufacturers are throwing big money atdoing deals, even for their volume sellers. If you are thinking ofbuying a car or bakkie, now is the time to shop.

Suzuki’s popular Swift hatchback internationally and locally hasbecome a global car. Since 2004 it has accumulated four millionsales. In June this year Suzuki vehicles and its Indian subsidiary Marutiwere the world’s two fastest growing brands improving sales bymore than 20% over 2013.

It is now built in eight countries including Hungary, India, Chinaand Thailand and sold in more than 140 countries. Impressive.

It is rated in Australia as one of the country’s best ‘first’ cars forthe third year running. It was also a finalist in the 2009 South AfricanWesBank Car of the Year contest.

KMSA Distributors who sell Kawasaki, Triumph and Symmotorcycles and scooters have given up both the Aprilia and MotoGuzzi franchises. They will, however, continue to provide parts forthe bikes until a new distributor has been appointed.

The finalists for the 2015 WesBank/SA Guild of MotoringJournalists Car of the Year were announced on 23rd October. Thereare 11 finalists. In alphabetical order they are:

l Audi A3 Sedan1.4 S Tronicl BMW M4 Coupe Autol Citroën C4 Picasso Diesell Honda Accord 3.5 V6l Lexus ES250 EXl Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 Autol Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Diesell Porsche Macan S Diesell Renault Duster 1.5 Diesell Subaru WRXl Toyota Corolla 1.4Hard to choose from that list!The entire event has WesBank as the main sponsor. Hollard and

Motul, a French oil company, also lend big support. March 18, 2015,is the evening when WesBank hosts a gala banquet and the winnersare announced.

Porsche are on the up and up. In the first nine months of 2014 atotal of 165 642 sports cars were delivered worldwide. That is 13%up on last year. Revenue grew by 17% to €12.24b and profit by 2%to €1.93b.

Porsche employ 22 000 people. Up from 19 000 who workedfor them last year.

The AA is always the one that warns us of increases andreductions in fuel prices. Normally they are spot on with theirprediction. They reckon it looks as if we will have a little morespending money than before.

An average of 40 people die on South African roads every dayresulting in about 14-15 000 deaths each year. Actually some othersurveys show that there are upwards of 25 000 as bodies arecounted in mortuaries long after accidents have happened.

More people are killed in road accidents than malaria, withimpaired drivers a significant contributor to this fatality rate. That isaccording to the AA. Alcohol, for instance, plays a major role. 55%of people killed were under the influence of alcohol. So we kill morepeople on our roads on a daily basis than Ebola is claiming aroundthe world, and basically nothing is done to reduce the number ofroad deaths.

Lots of speeches but no action.

A corrupt enforcement body gives licences out to people whocan’t drive – for a small contribution.

The brand value of Hyundai Motor Company, according toInterbrand Best 100 Global Brands, is more than $10b. It is one ofthe fastest growing automotive brands in terms of volume andvalue.

Their latest luxury car, the Genesis, has taken off after itssuccessful launch overseas. Also in that first year of competing inthe World Rally Championship, the Hyundai Team has won tworallies already. It is looking good to continue this success againstsome of the toughest competition in the world in 2015.

Toyota’s brand value, according to Interbrand, is $42.4 billion,Mercedes-Benz $34.3 billion and BMW $34.2 billion. Honda is at$22 billion.

More than 100 000 S-Class Mercedes-Benz models have beendelivered to customers since the new “Best Car in the World” hitthe market. China and the US are their largest markets. We havedone all right here in South Africa with MBSA selling upwards of500 S-Class Mercs in a single year.

A major contributor to the success of a Volkswagen Touareg inSouth Africa travelling from the Northern Cape to Cape Agulhas –17 000 km in 10 days was as a result of using LiquiMoly motor oil.17 000 km were travelled with basically 250 hours of uninterruptedengine operation. The oil was at its operating temperature over theentire period.

“Driving to the local Spar is worse than a trip halfway aroundthe world”, said Oliver Kuhn, “as oil doesn’t get to operatingtemperature. LiquiMoly can handle this and allows longer oil changeintervals.”

With Mazda trading in South Africa and now a subsidiary ofMazda in Japan came news that the all-new Mazda 2 – shortly tohit our shores – is the Car of the Year in Japan. Good start. Mazda’sCX5 won the Car of the Year in Japan in 2012.

The Ford Motor Company has donated 18 Ranger bakkies to 12colleges and two schools around the country to help withautomotive technical training.

Interesting news is that Dennis Kimetto not only won the 2014Berlin Marathon but also set a new record for marathon running in2 hours, 2 minutes and 20 seconds. What is the interesting part? Hewas running in Adidas shoes. Who supplies the rubber for thesoles? Continental Rubber – the type of compound you find in thetyres on your car.

Ipsos, the research people, have found out that one in everythree South African owners rated price as the most importantpurchase decision influencer these days. Price is followed by brandreputation with 16% of people placing importance on this. Themore established entry-level automotive brands grew market sharewhile some of the lower priced new entry brands recorded lossesbetween -01% and -4%.

1.24 million people worldwide annually are killed in motoraccidents around the world. So this is about the same number asTB but twice as many as Malaria.

Vietnamese folk trading bicycles for motorcycles caused thoseinjury statistics to soar. Although they have to wear helmets, mostpeople say “not for me” as it is uncomfortable in the heat andmesses with their hair! Or they just leave the straps on theirhelmets loose.

Heavy enforcement of the helmet laws has now reduced serioushead injuries and deaths by 18%.

Biggest selling vehicle in the world is the Honda Super Cub firstintroduced in 1958. Sold in more than 160 countries, 87 millionunits have been sold. For the first time in Japan, a motorcycle or any

DID YOU HEAR? by Roger McCleery

Listen to Roger McC leery every Tuesday on Radio Today (1485 A M) at17h30 for everything about SA motor ing.

DID YOU HEAR? by Roger McCleery

42


other product from an automaker is registered as a threedimensional trademark. Very rare.

Top dealership for Mahindra in South Africa was East Londonselling 225 units. They are called Motorland and have been withMahindra since 2006. Steve Chandler is the dealer principal.

Talking Mahindra, they have just increased the service plan ontheir vehicles from three years or 60 000km to four years or80 000km.

Ferrari sold just on 7 000 cars over the last 12 months.GWM has launched a guaranteed buy-back programme,

underwritten by WesBank where they guarantee to buy-back acustomer’s vehicle for as much as 40% of its original value afterfive years.

Geely is serious about the future of Volvo and Geely. Theyare soon to boast new Volvo technology on future Geely modelscoming to South Africa.

We are very proud of our South Africans who have shapedin international motorsport overseas. Jordan Pepper won theVolkswagen Scirocco Cup in Germany, Jade Kruger our single-seater champion in South Africa won the British Dunlop FormulaFord Championship, Kelvin van der Linde and his team-mateRene Rost took the GT Master Cup in Germany driving an AudiRS8, and Jonathan Wing, a paraplegic, won the World HandikartChampionship in France. These youngsters make us very proudof their achievements by flying the flag in Europe.


The British Dunlop Formula Ford Championship, Kelvin van der Linde andhis team-mate Rene Rost took the GT Master Cup in Germany driving anAudi RS8.

Jonathan Wing, a paraplegic, won the World Handikart Championship inFrance.

Visit: www.luxorpaints.co.za Mail: [email protected]

EXPRESSDELIVERY UNLIMITEDSERVICE

EXPRESSDELIVERY UNLIMITEDSERVICE

A D V A N C E D T E C H N O L O G Y L A S T I N G I M P R E S S I O N S

Call TodayTyrone Zackey +27 (0)11 673 9381

082 885 7301Patrica Farrell 082 901 1175Trevor Basson 079 632 1612

SA Auto Paints have a solid20 year history in body shopsupplies. Our legendary service inGauteng covers a fullproduct range of foundationfillers and primers, superfastcolour matching service andcustomer care that reallycounts for your business.

We have a full fleet ofexpress delivery vehicles onhand.

Suppliers of:Auto Glass LampsMotor Spares BonnetsAbrasives FendersSpoilers Auto PaintsWe are stockists of Luxor Paints

SA Auto Paints have a solid20 year history in body shopsupplies. Our legendary service inGauteng covers a fullproduct range of foundationfillers and primers, superfastcolour matching service andcustomer care that reallycounts for your business.

We have a full fleet ofexpress delivery vehicles onhand.

Suppliers of:Auto Glass LampsMotor Spares BonnetsAbrasives FendersSpoilers Auto PaintsWe are stockists of Luxor Paints


AEROCURE DPS AD J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:03 AM Page 1

AEROCURE DPS AD J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:03 AM Page 2

INDUSTRY NEWS

PRESTA’S HEADLIGHTRESTORATION KIT

PRESTA’S BEST SELLING COMPOUND

PRODUCT PROFILE

WHAT’S HOT?

Presta’s ReNuLite headlight restoration kitrestores a “like-new” clarity to cloudy,scratched, oxidised and yellowed plasticlenses. This restoration kit effectively removes

fine scratches, surface contaminants, oxidation,cloudiness and yellowing, leaving plastics brilliantlyclear, polished and protected against futurediscoloration. Works great on headlights, brake lights,light bars and more!

The Presta ReNuLite headlight restoration processinvolves four steps:

1. Removing the old lens surface by sanding andbuffing

2. Cleaning and drying the lens 3. Applying the sealant 4. Curing the sealant The ReNuLite headlight restoration kit contains

ReNewLite restoration crème, ReNewLite headlightlens drier, ReNewLite headlight sealant, 3” woolbuffing pad, drill attachment and a shop point ofpurchase display. You will need a drill, masking paper,a clean lint free towel and a couple of sheets of MirkaP1000, P1200 or P1500 water paper.

You can watch a demonstration on the ReNuLiterestoration kit and download the technical data sheeton www.prestaproducts.com. Contact their salesteam on +27 (0)11 786 5991 or [email protected] for more information.

Presta’s Ultra Cutting Crème is easy to use and extremelyversatile - removing medium to heavy scratches, oxidationand weathering. Diminishing abrasives round to help polishaway scratches and swirls.

Unlike most consumer products that simply fill scratches,Presta's Ultra Cutting Crème actually mechanically removesdefects from your car, motorcycle or boat's finish. This processcreates a smooth, flat and even finish with incredible gloss andshine.

Ultra Cutting Crème's advanced formula makes compoundingultra-high solids clear faster and much easier. It is aggressiveenough to remove 1200-grit (or 1500P-grit) sand scratches fromsoft and cured paint, yet the diminishing abrasives round out asyou buff to help polish away some of the compounding scratchesand swirls that other compounds leave behind.

l Ideal for all automotive, marine and gel coatsl Contains no fillers, waxes or siliconesl Designed for use with a high-speed, rotary bufferl For best results use with Presta Black Wool Cutting Padl Follow with Presta Ultra Polish to maximize gloss and shinel Cleans up easily – water-based formulaSee why body shops have trusted Ultra Cutting Crème for

more than two decades. Bulldog Abrasives is the sole distributorof Presta Products in Sub-Saharan Africa. Contact them on+27 (0)11 786 5991 or on [email protected] for moreinformation.

R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE46


PRESTA AD J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:18 AM Page 1

SILVER FALCON DPS J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:21 AM Page 1

SILVER FALCON DPS J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:21 AM Page 2

Eurotax Glass’s reports that whilst car sales are still improving,the fall in Germany shows how delicate the European marketremains and contrasts sharply against the growth being seenin Spain and the UK.

It is a similary mixed picture around the world with Turkey andAustralia both seeing falls, the US continuing to grow and Canadianauto sales breaking records.

If evidence was needed about the fragile and inconsistent state ofthe European automotive recovery then look no further than the carsales for June 2014. For the second time this year new car sales fellin Germany, down 1.9% although there was one less working daywhich puts Germany up just 2% for the first half year and on targetto just scrape over the three million mark. Meanwhile the UKcontinued to grow, up 6.2% in June and 10.6% growth for the halfyear, which is the best first six months since 2005. Whilst the SMMTreport a 2.4 million full year estimate 2.5 million is looking increasinglypossible which would be the best result since 2004 further fuellingthe risk of the market overheating. Spain continues to see thestrongest percentile recovery, jumping up 23.9% in June making it 10months in a row and an YTD position up 17.8% as the PIVE scheme

continues to drive sales. Meanwhile Italy and France both saw similargrowth in June up 3.2% and 3.8% respectively and putting them to afirst half year of 2.9% up in France and 3.3% up in Italy. Overall thisputs the big five markets up 4.1% in June and 5.9% YTD keeping theEU28 and EFT3 on track to hit 13 million for the full year.

Australian sales down 0.4% in June with vehicle sales remainingslightly depressed compared to 2013 with June down 0.4% and theYTD down 2.3%. However there is some good news as June was amuch stronger month than May with SUVs in particular riding thecrest of a sales wave up, 7.1% over June 2013.

Moving to Canada where auto sales are on a high, breaking theJune sales record with YTD sales up 2.8% to 908 094. It is also theearliest date sales have topped 900 000 units on record. Meanwhileacross the border US auto sales rose 1% in June producing the bestannualised rate for eight years.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEW GLOBAL CAR SALESREMAIN BUOYANT



CAR SALES

JAGUAR LAND ROVER DEVELOP VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGIES

SAFETY

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is creating cutting-edge technologies todevelop new ways to give drivers higher quality, life-like graphicsand information that will offer an enhanced ‘virtual’ view of theroad or race track. The ‘Jaguar Virtual Windscreen’ concept uses the entire

windscreen as a display so the driver’s eyes need never leave theroad. High quality hazard, speed and navigation icons could all beprojected onto the screen together.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology forJaguar Land Rover said, “We are working on research projects thatwill give the driver better information to enhance the driving

experience. By presenting the highest quality imagery possible, adriver need only look at a display once. Showing virtual images thatallow the driver to accurately judge speed and distance will enablebetter decision-making and offer real benefits for every-day drivingon the road, or the track.”

“Gesture control has already become an accepted form ofcontrolling anything from TV sets to games consoles. The next logicalstep is to control selected in-car features. “The system is currentlybeing tested on a number of features including sunblinds, rear wipersand satellite navigation maps. It has the potential to be on sale withinthe next few years.”


Anew lithium battery, which couldbe available within 12 monthscould see two of the biggestelectric car problems fade into

history. Currently electric car batteries areexpensive and don’t give enough range percharge for drivers. However, a new batterythat has been developed by US scientists,could triple the driving range of an electricvehicle, and have a far lower cost.

Dr Qichao Hu, who developed thedevice with his former professor, DonaldSadoway, a prominent battery expert at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology saidthat the battery could double the life oflaptops and smartphones.

But it is in the electric car arena wherethe benefits could be the most dramatic.Professor Sadoway said: “We’ve got to get acar on the showroom floor for R300 000not R1.3 million and the big expenditure isthe battery, “It’s too costly and it runs down

too fast.”The new battery is set to be around 20%

cheaper than existing batteries (which canaccount for as much as 30% of the cost of anelectric car) and don’t need temperaturecontrol systems.

With electric cars accounting for roughly1% of new passenger car sales in mostcountries, analysts say a battery that will cutcosts and decrease ‘range anxiety’ couldwork to change sales.

“That’s game-changing,” said ArndtEllinghorst, head of global automotiveresearch at ISI Group, an investmentresearch group. “There are a lot ofexperienced battery makers trying to doexactly that because it’s the killerapplication.”

Independent experts in the US recentlyconfirmed prototype cells in the batterydeveloped by Dr Hu and Professor Sadowaycan store more than twice as much energyas conventional cells in the ultra-thin metalanode and has higher energy density thanthe graphite and silicon anodes found incurrent batteries.

Dr Hu founded a company calledSolidEnergy in 2012, just outside Boston, tocommercialise the technology and hopes thebattery will be in production for consumerelectronics in the first half of 2016 and inelectric cars by the second half of that year.

The project has backing from Vertex, theventure capital arm of Temasek, Singapore’sstate investment group and there is possibleinterest from Apple and Tesla.

LATEST NEWS

JAGUAR LAND ROVER OPEN$750 BILLION ENGINE PLANT

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) moved another step closer to gaininggreater control of its destiny with the opening of its $750 millionengine plant near Wolverhampton, England. It’s the first time in ageneration that either brand has built an engine of its own design

in one of its own plants, the company said.JLR has been buying its engines from former parent Ford Motor

Co, since it split from the automaker. When Ford sold Jaguar andLand Rover in 2008 to India’s Tata Motors Inc, part of the dealincluded continued supplies of Ford powertrains while JLR developedits own and built a factory. The project got underway in 2011.

The plant will build JLR’s new family of Ingenium gasoline anddiesel engines. The first engine is a 2.0 litre turbodiesel that will beused in the upcoming Jaguar XE compact sport sedan. The XE

launches in the spring in Europe and in 2016 in North America.Ingenium engines are likely to see action in Land Rover Evoque andDiscovery and several other models.

JLR’s gasoline and diesel engines share the same basic architectureand have been designed for flexible manufacturing, enabling thecompany to adjust production to meet consumer demand. Theyhave also been designed so that the base 2.0 litre displacement canbe made smaller or larger without having extensive redesign andcalibration work done.

Even after the plant is in full production, JLR will continue to buysome of its larger engines from Ford, including a 4.4 litre diesel thatis made by Ford for Land Rover in Mexico.

NEW BATTERYTECHNOLOGYTRIPLES ELECTRICCAR RANGE



Imagine how popular e lectr ic cars could become wi th cheaper and range-extendedbattery power.

TECHNOLOGY

BUSINESS UPDATE

Supercure Spraybooth Rail System

Procure Mobile Infra-Red

Hotbox Colour MatchingDryer With Timer

Tel: 011 425 4062Franz: 082 463 6284Email: [email protected] Madeley Street, Rynfield, Benoni


Up to R60 millionworth of Mazda partsare already in stock.

National overnight logistics to dealers are outsourcedbut operate very efficiently to 48 dealers nationwide.

LOCAL NEWS

BUSINESS UPDATE

MAZDA SOUTHERN AFRICASET TO BOOST PARTS AVAILABILITY

Building an all-new parts distribution centre in record time hasseen Mazda Southern Africa move ahead rapidly in theirquest to up their levels of service for their vehicle owners andcorporate fleet operators.

Trevor Ward, head of customer service at the company, says theyhave been burning the midnight oil with the design team who camefrom Japan, after the company split as a brand to a stand-aloneoperation in South Africa.

They are based in the N1 office business park in Midrand and haveover 12 000 square metres of warehouse and head office. They havebeen operating since last October and reach 48 national dealers withexpress deliveries. They have been rewarded with a solid set ofturnover figures in the first month of Mazda business in the newcompany.

“We are able to cope with all our new models like Mazda 2, 3, 5,6, MX5, CX5 and the BT50 which is still being manufactured locallyin Silverton. This unique situation also sees us in a bid to remain verycompetitively positioned on price when spare parts come into view,”says Ward.

As the company ramps-up Mazda availability, in the newshowrooms there is an ambitious plan ahead to boost their salesplatform to some 48 national dealers. “We’re looking at a 92% firsttime pick on ordered spare parts at this early stage – that’s a goodshow for us in the start-up on our genuine parts availability. With ouroutsourced overnight express delivery being carried out by UTI andother logistics partners we are in great shape going forward.”

Ward showed Automotive Refinisher magazine the huge rackedup warehouse operation where already over R60 million worth ofMazda parts are ready for sale with 51 000 line items on offer. Thiswill be expanded along with new model launches next year: up to91 000 line items. They already have in stock parts for new modelsthree months before they are launched onto the local market. Withclose to 50 personnel in place to cope with the envisaged Mazdaincreased local sales platform and the mother plant based inHiroshima, Japan, they have great plans for the brand in South Africa.

They pursue a “zoom-zoom” philosophy in a company with aheritage of over 90 years in the motor business. They are definitelyup for the challenge to satisfy their loyal drivers on South Africanroads.

Trevor Ward head ofMazda customer

service says that thenew head office

operation in Midrandwas completed with

Japan’s help inrecord time.

The huge genuineMazda 8 800 square

metre partswarehouse opened inlate October last year.

52


BASF Coatings Services (Pty) Ltd, 39 Venturi Crescent, Hennops Park, Extension 56, Centurion, Gauteng, 0517

Tel: +27 (0)12 681 9200, Fax: +27 (0)12 681 9231

Your Mazda Dealer isyour true PARTNER when it

comes to buying genuine Mazdaparts. Mazda Dealers offer the widestrange, a factory-backed warranty and

unbeatable support that can’t be duplicated.It’s a true partnership.

Mazda Southern Africa (PTY) Ltd4 Travertine Avenue, N1 Business Park, Midrand, 0157

Visit us online at www.mazda.co.za or call (012) 760 7702

Rely on what MAZDA drivers already know,

’Genuine Mazda parts - E

xtend your car’s life

’.

MAZDA AD J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:13 AM Page 1

CELETTE DPS N-D 2013_Layout 1 2014/02/06 11:13 AM Page 1

CELETTE DPS N-D 2013_Layout 1 2014/02/06 11:13 AM Page 2



INDUSTRY UPDATE

NISSAN STARTS EVPRODUCTION INBARCELONA

Nissan has started the production of its second all-electricvehicle – the e-NV200 – that will be available as both apassenger vehicle and light commercial van. Theceremony was attended by Spanish Minister of Industry,

José Manuel Soria, Catalan President, Artur Mas; and the Mayor ofBarcelona, Xavier Trias, who were welcomed by Nissan's chiefplanning officer, Andy Palmer.

The Nissan plant in Barcelona will be the global production sitefor this zero-emission vehicle, which will be available as a lightcommercial van, passenger vehicle and electric taxi.

Representing an investment of R1.4 billion in Nissan's Barcelonaplant, as part of a wider multi-billion investment in its Spanishoperations, the e-NV200 will initially be exported to around 20international markets, including Japan. Just as with the Nissan LEAFintroduction, the number of markets will grow after the initial launch,to continue the company's sustained electric vehicle expansion.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. chief planning officer Andy Palmer joinedthe VIP list at the event, adding, “This is a great landmark day forNissan, starting production of our second electric vehicle. This is at atime when EV's are now recognised as mainstream technology, manycompetitors are only just starting to launch their first EV and whereNissan has clear first mover advantage. We're proud that the NissanLEAF is the world's best selling electric vehicle with more than110 000 delighted customers enjoying the quiet and smooth ride ofan EV.”

Barcelona will be the first city in the world to introduce the e-NV200 as a 100% electric taxi, an initiative Palmer believes is vital forthe city, continued: “This e-NV200 taxi has renewed significance in

TRENDS

the wake of record levels of air pollution in London and Paris.Bringing a significant number of zero emission vehicles to Barcelona'sstreets will ensure cleaner air for every citizen, visitor and tourist, andwe're confident that forward-thinking councils everywhere will beclamoring to bring these benefits to their municipalities in the comingyears.”

For the Mayor of Barcelona, the start of production of the newall-electric van and the partnership between Nissan and Barcelona ‘ispart of a strategy in Barcelona and its metropolitan area in order toconsolidate Barcelona as the centre of a new urban economy model’,based on innovation, technology and sustainability. In our city, we arestrategically targeting sectors that are essential for the future, andelectric vehicles are one of them. Furthermore, we are working togenerate wealth in our city, strengthening our economy and theindustrial sector; thus taking a very important step ahead that willimprove the quality of life for residents”.

Frank Torres, managing director and vice president of NissanSpain Industrial Operations said, “Barcelona has the honour ofproducing Nissan's second 100% electric vehicle, and this is a resultof many years of hard work and quality improvements from the teamhere. This will only be the second time we have produced a modelin Spain for export back to Nissan's home market in Japan and thatis a fantastic achievement by my colleagues at the plant.”

Barcelona is the only Nissan plant in the world producing theelectric version of e-NV200, which means that it will be exported allover the world – Japan included. The first vehicles exported to thesemarkets will set sail any day now.

Nissan Leaf

With improved 50mm steel wall thickness and state-of-the-art colour matching fluorescent lighting andnew safety features in the stainless steel burner andheat exchangers. The SA Star Spraybooth alsoincorporates both front and side doors for easyentry at a very competitive price. The sprayboothmeets and exceeds health and safety standards.

CALL HENRY BASSON ON 082 857 5772

New ControlPanel

Twin Door Access

Improved LightingBurner withautomatic

flap control

SLASH COSTS WITH THE SA STAR SPRAYBOOTH

SALES - SERVICE - FILTRATION

ZENITH EQUIPMENT INTRODUCES THE SA STAR SPRAYBOOTH

ZENITH EQUIPMENT INTRODUCES THE SA STAR SPRAYBOOTH

VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.zenithequipment.co.za




INDUSTRY NEWS

When it comes to aftermarket parts that are madeacross the world, it’s a grey area on exactly how theywill perform in a secondary accident or in panel fitand performance to the vehicle it’s intended to

repair. For decades there has been a lot left to be desired for thebody shop repair owners to contend with when using these parts.

In a recent visit to South Africa, Jack Gillis CEO of the companyand Thomas Andrews from Intertek Testing Services held amarketing meeting to discuss the merits of how the CAPA CertifiedParts Programme could interface with the South African market.

When it comes to the true assurance of parts quality on sale, thecompany CAPA is only a fully fledged tertiary company and theydon’t sell certification on any products for their base of mainlyTaiwanese companies that originally wanted a public serviceoperation to achieve standards that are acceptable on a global scalefor aftermarket parts. Now with over R30 million invested they offera CAPA certified mark on thousands of body panel parts and plasticparts, bumpers, cooling pieces and motor lighting products with ane-mark that has international recognition. These parts will be readilyused on the major car parc repairs of up to 65% of vehicles that falloutside of motor makers warranty operations and will ultimately bepriced very competitively in a global aftermarket of approximately$48 billion. There is a big place for alternative parts that meet a highstandard of production excellence.

Thomas Andrews, sub-Saharan marketing manager from IntertekTesting Services in Durban went on to expand the objectives ofbringing this certification to the local market with the tamper proofseal. It offers clients a peace-of-mind purchase on quality every timein bumper parts and verified lamps that play a big part in safetyconsideration. Insurance companies, like the host company Santam,who facilitated the CAPA meeting will undoubtedly be anal issuingthe whole certified offer on CAPA parts for the local market goingforwards. Take a look at the five different product centres of CAPAparts that are on offer.

For further details contact Thomas Andrews at Intertek on+27 (0)31 274 8000 or visit www.capacertified.org

Thomas AndrewsIntertek Test ing

Serv ices f romDurban wi l l supply

the cert i f i cat ion forCAPA parts loca l ly .

Jack G i l l i s CEO of CAPA Cert i f iedParts Programme is hoping topenetrate the qual i ty a l ternat iveparts bus iness in Southern Afr ica.

CAPA 101 - Metal Parts Fenders, hoods, tailgates, trunk lids, any metal part on the exteriorof the vehicle.CAPA 201 - Plastic PartsFenders, hoods, grilles, trim parts, any plastic part used on theexterior of the vehicle.CAPA 301 - Lighting PartsAny exterior light used on the vehicle including headlamps, taillamps, turn signal lamps, side market lamps. All parts are alsotested to ensure compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle SafetyStandard 108 or other applicable standards.CAPA 401 - Foam RubberLimited to flexible cellular rubber products known as spongerubber and expanded foam rubber, used as a seal.CAPA 501 - Metal, Plastic, and Foam PartsBumpers, bumper brackets, reinforcement bars, energy absorbers.

CERTIFIED PARTS PROGRAMME FOR SA?

CERTIFIED PARTS PROGRAMME FOR SA?


BASF Coatings Services, BASFGroup’s company specialising in thepaints and coatings industry,inaugurated its state-of-the-art

training facility for automotive refinishing inMidrand, Johannesburg at the end of lastyear. The new Refinish Competence Centre(RCC) is the first facility of its kind to beestablished in the country.

The new RCC, which expands BASF’Sglobal network of Refinish CompetenceCentres, will offer customers an opportunityto learn, practice and fully master the use ofBASF’s automotive refinish products. Thetraining offerings will include courses onapplication techniques, the optimal use ofpaints as well as colour matching. Trainingsessions and workshops have beendeveloped and structured in order toenhance the productivity of body shops andto increase their efficiency andcompetitiveness.

A significant number of trainees andbusiness partners can be trained in the newfacility which comprises two spray booths,two preparation bays, two polish areas, aswell as one meeting and two seminar rooms.Other added benefits of the establishmentof this facility include the centralisation of allproducts and services, the RCC, thewarehouse, the colour lab and theadministrative department.

Training offerings are flexible in order tomeet the specific training needs of thecustomers and programmes can be tailor-made in modular format. Training seminarswill take the spray painters’ level ofknowledge into account and the training

programme is geared to the individual spraypainters’ need.

At the opening function Harald Pflanzl,senior vice president Automotive RefinishCoatings Solutions EMEA, and Joan-MariaGarcia-Girona, vice president and head ofBASF Business Centre in South Africa andSub-Sahara, welcomed and addressedaround 100 guests, customers and industrystakeholders, representatives of theSouthern African German Chamber ofCommerce and Industry and BASFemployees.

According to Pflanzl, “The RCCJohannesburg enhances the Group’s globalnetwork of training centres and confirms ourcommitment to invest in areas where weoperate,” head of the economic division ofthe German Embassy in Pretoria, Dr FalkBömeke, recognised BASF for the launch ofthe new refinish Competence Centre.

During his opening address, managingdirector of BASF Coatings Services, PaulMandersloot, said, “The establishment of thenew Refinish Competence Centre inJohannesburg is an important cornerstone of

our strategy to train and uplift the refinishpaint profession to a higher level andunderpin our existing training initiatives. Ourcustomers will now have the opportunity tolearn, practice and fully master the use ofBASF’s automotive refinish products in state-of-the-art facilities.”

Says Joan-Maria Garcia-Girona: “One ofBASF’s strategic pillars aims to make ourcustomers more successful. Today’sinauguration highlights that BASF meets thiscommitment of collaboration to ensure ourcustomer’s future success, and also helpindustry standards to be raised. This trainingfacility will also ensure that the higheststandards in training are met while providinginnovative solutions and increasing theefficiency level and profitability of ourcustomers’ business.”

BASF has established RefinishCompetence Centres across the globe,spanning Australia, China and the UnitedStates to France and Germany. The trainingnetwork comprises more than 50 trainingcentres, where painters practice and perfectthe use of automotive paints.

INDUSTRY NEWS

ALL NEW BASF TRAININGFACILITY



TRAINING

Learners from the Central Competence Centre in Bloemfontein in the Free Statewere on hand for the official opening ceremony.

A pair of full European Termomeccanica GL spraybooths feature compliantspecifications right out of the top level of choice.

It was a grand opening in Midrand for the BASF Senior Management team. Seen here from left to right are:Harald Pflanzi, Senior Vice President Automotive Refinisher Coatings Solutions EMEA; Dr Falk Bömeke, Head ofthe Economic Division of the German Embassy; Paul Mandersloot, MD of BASF Coatings Services and Joan-Maria Garcia-Girona, Head of BASF Business Centre in South Africa and sub-Sahara.


BASF Coatings Services (Pty) Ltd, 39 Venturi Crescent, Hennops Park, Extension 56, Centurion, Gauteng, 0517

Tel: +27 (0)12 681 9200, Fax: +27 (0)12 681 9231

GLASURIT TRAINING AD J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:07 AM Page 1

Dent Digest started in 2006 offeringMobile Paintless Dent Removaltraining nationwide. Based in Boksburgtheir specialisation covers all areas of

hail damage removal, training and the tools kitsthat will be needed to cover the area of small areabody repair.

Lawrence Yawa, the PDR technical managersays “We’re an ideal partner for the removal ofdoor dents, dings, trolley dents, etc.”

They have a fully equipped training centre tocarry out training for paintless dent removalrepairs as well as offering a solution to becomefully skilled PDR operators.

Dent Digest also recently supplied their toolsfor the South African skills competition. The kitsstart out at as a basic push and pull package fromaround R3 995 plus VAT and the top end tool kitwill rise to approximately R8 000-R12 000 for afull package kit, depending on a customer’s levelof PDR repairs needed in the form of tools.

The company can be reached by calling+27 (0)11 826 6417 and they operate from UnitB09 Prosper Business Park in Boksburg. Visit theirwebsite www.dentdigest.co.za for more details oftheir offer on small area smart repairs, or sms“training” to 40935.

LATEST NEWS

ROGER SWAN: 27 APRIL 1939 - 20 DECEMBER 2014

Respected automotive and industrial photographer RogerSwan passed away peacefully on Saturday, 20 December2014. Born in Lyndhurst in the New Forrest in England on29 April 1939, Roger took up his trade as a photographer

in the post war years at the UK Ministry of Defence Porton Downscientific research centre. During this time he achieved a professionalqualification studying on day release from the MOD at the RegentStreet Polytechnic in London. His speciality with the MOD was thethen evolving technology of high-speed photography.

In 1968, aged just 29, Roger decided to migrate to South Africawith his family and took up a position as in-house photographer withad agency Young Advertising. Stifled by the constraints of working ina corporate environment he soon broke out into the freelanceworld.

His agency work had brought him to the attention of vehiclemanufacturer Datsun, at the time heavily involved in motor rallying,one of Roger’s passions. and he became the on event photographerfor the manufacturer. A dust or mud covered Swan emerging fromthe action at the end of the day on an event became a familiar sight.Whilst his contemporaries stood on the side lines he got down anddirty on events and typically got the shot that others missed.

It did not take long for his natural photographic talent andprofessional experience to provide a breakthrough into product andgeneral promotional photography. In his role Roger establishedhimself as one of the “Go-To” people in the South Africanautomotive industry setting new benchmarks for technical quality andservice delivery in a burgeoning industry.

Very often a pronounced professional talent goes hand-in-handwith an inflated ego. With Roger Swan just the opposite was thereality. He had a tendency to understate his own capabilities and not

fully capitalise on them to a fault. At the sametime he was totally free with advice andsupport for others that wanted to enter thebusiness.

He mentored a generation of younghobby photographers to the extent that theytoo became seasoned professionals. The factthat this could result in a competitive threatto his own business interests never hinderedthis, the promotion of young enthusiasts tookprecedence. Many would come close toRoger’s work in his prime but he still retainedan edge that drover others to strive to match his benchmarks.

A traditionalist at heart, Roger was quick to embrace theexplosive transformation of photography into the digital age. Herapidly adapted his store of technical knowledge from noxiouschemical processes to the clean work of computer technology andsuccessfully mastered the world of “Photoshop” once again happy toshare in his knowledge and experience.

His profession was never far from his hobbies, one of which wasthe study and collection of classic Leica cameras. In this regard hebecame a leading authority on the brand in South Africa. On theautomotive front his choice once again tended towards the classicside where he favoured older Lancias for his personal transportrather than anything modern that needed to age a bit to acquire anydegree of acceptable patina through use.

Like his interests Roger was a limited edition classic, one that willbe dearly missed. RIP Roger Swan.

Roger is survived by his wife Isobel and children David andCarolyn.

DENT DIGEST -PAINTLESS DENTREMOVAL SYSTEMS



The centre is equipped with a fullcomplement of training equipment

for PDR repair.

Lawrence Yawa is the PDRtechnical manager.

WHAT’S HOT?

OBITUARY


General paints have a very successfultrack record and supply over 56 countriesacross the globe with a full range of 92toners - 39 standards, 16 pearls, 6xyralics and 29 2K. These high covertoners ensure a perfect result everytime.General Paints also offer a completecolour support package with their colourbox of 8000 colour formulas backed-up byGPC pro computer software which hasclose to 70 000 international car colourformulas in different variable shades. TheGeneral refinish range includes rapidprimers and high solid clearcoats whichhave been extensively researched toprovide you with a ‘One Stop Shop’philosophy. General paints are designedto improve body shop profitability andshorten process times.

For dealer opportunities in your area or nearest stockist

call us on +27 (0)11 663 0300

Email us at [email protected]

Visit us on www.kanyevimba.co.za

Unit No.1B Plumbago Bussiness Park

Cnr Spier & Monument Road

Kempton Park

Johannnesburg

GENERAL New AD_Invoice TOYOTA 16-8-05 2014/02/07 11:41 AM Page 1



Aglobal success story, New RenaultDuster is the first Renault modeldesigned and engineered to meetstringent European standards and

yet capable of conquering markets whereusages and road conditions are much tougher.

The bold and stylish design of NewRenault Duster seems to imply: “I’m not oneof these softy crossovers”. Indeed, its groundclearance, wide wheel arches, imposingchrome-plated grille and muscular lines assertthe newcomer’s identity of a genuine SportsUtility Vehicle, very capable of serious off-roaddriving.

This hearty personality is also visible insidewhere New Renault Duster’s dashboard ismodern, uncluttered and functional to theextreme.

The Duster is the perfect fit for SouthAfrican roads as it is equally at home onhighways, in suburbs as it is off the beatentrack as well as being the perfect companionfor active families who need their car to adaptto their outdoor activities.

The new Renault Duster comes with achoice of two engines: the 1.6 16 valvenormally aspirated petrol and the 1.5 dCiturbo diesel. Both offer high performance yetremain the perfect fit for the consumer’s

criteria of cost, reliability and easymaintenance.

Inside, comfort and convenience are attheir best with standard manual airconditioning, front & rear power windows,remote central locking, electrically adjustableside mirrors, height adjustable steering wheel& driver seat, CD/MP 3/Radio 4x15W withsatellite controls, Jack and USB ports,Bluetooth® connectivity, onboard computerand rear parking sensors.

As the perfect family car, the New RenaultDuster also provides active families withunparalleled practicality with its 60/40 foldablerear bench and the numerous and largestorage spaces at the front and at the back,complete with a generous boot (475 lt.).

Consistently with Renault’s worldwidereputation for safety and security, the NewRenault Duster comes standard with ABScoupled with Electronic Brake Distribution(EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA),front driver and passenger airbag – the latterbeing disconnectable in case of a child seatbeing placed in the front passenger seat. Also,the New Renault Duster offers as standarddriver and passenger head/thorax side airbagsas well as height adjustable front safety belts.

The New Renault Duster 1.5 dCi

Dynamique 4x4 is equipped with ESP(Electronic Stability Program) and a high-performing 4WD control system, derivedfrom Nissan. This intuitive 4WD controlsystem adapts to all situations and enables thedriver to choose between three modes: 2WDfor roads with good grip conditions (power &torque distributed to front wheels only),AUTO for potentially slippery road surfaces(detection of spinning wheels and automaticdistribution of power & torque to preservetraction), and LOCK for challenging off-roadtracks (permanent distribution of power &torque to the 4 wheels).

As is the case across Renault’s entireproduct range, the New Renault Dustercomes standard with a 5-year/150 000kmwarranty. Also, all New Renault Dustervariants come standard with a 3-year /45,000km Service plan.

While services intervals are at 15 000kmfor both 1.6 16v petrol and 1.5 dCi enginebuyers will be pleased to know that service &maintenance costs have been tailored to beextremely competitive. Also, the availability ofspare parts is not a point of concern asRenault South Africa keeps more than 17 000parts available in its local warehouse situatedin Rosslyn, Pretoria.

DRIVEN RENAULT DUSTER


DEVILBISS AD N-D 2013_Layout 1 2013/11/06 9:42 AM Page 1

The finishing brand company DeVilbiss recently held anupdated technology national training course for the SouthAfrican market. Export sales manager, Adrian Perry says thecompany has many innovative developments in the area of

automotive refinish and commercial finishing, as well as the huge areaof activity in industrial coating applications. This road show trainingpackage was designed to improve their technical and dealer supportdistribution and support team with the latest spray gun and pumpcirculating technology that the UK division have developed for globalmarkets.

International technical guru Phil Merrifield introduced the PRIGravity range of fluid tips and controls and explained that DeVilbisshad been hard at work to develop sprayguns that work exactly rightstraight out of the box. They have concentrated on fluid tip designwith complementary air cup systems to cope with both dry airconditions and varying humidity levels.

Their full range of DeVilbiss BGK and Binks products on offercome with an excellent global spares back-up system across theentire range of fluid delivery products.

“The company in South Africa, “ says Perry, “has been busy

DEVILBISSUPDATES

DEVILBISS TECHNICAL UPDATE

R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE64

Al l types of sprayguns and vary ing weathertemperatures were covered in the two-dayintens ive DeVi lb iss technica l product update .

The hands-on pract ica lt ra in ing was en joyed by a l lthe at tending de legates on

the var ious technologies.

Deon E ls f rom Luxor Paintsgave the industr ia l wood

f in ish ing system a t r ia l sprayoutwi th br ie f demonstrat ions at the

TTi G lobal Tra in ing Centre.

DEVILBISSUPDATES




whole ensemble of some 50 technical and dealer staff up to the allnew TTi Global Training Centre in Wynberg where a full range of allthe latest hand sprayguns – along with airless and special bulkcirculating pumps – were put through their paces. It was a full day ofpractical applications on the completely successful DeVilbiss technicaldays in South Africa. Adrian Perry said this type of actual hands-ontype of training really gives the sales and distribution personnel a greatsense of knowledge on their sales applications in both refinish andcommercial vehicle spray painting. This is just the start of their marketactivities for 2015 for DeVilbiss products in South Africa.

expanding their footprint on distribution levels with the addition ofLuxor Paints and Kanyevimba to add to their long time local agents ofBASF, Tunzi and Edward Searle products. The need for us to increaseproduct knowledge in areas of airless sprayguns, air assisted airlessand pump circulating fluid systems has become a high priority and thecompany plan a number of special two-day intensive applications andtheory sessions in 2015, as sales remain very buoyant for the latestrange of top technology products from DeVilbiss and their conceptson intelligent atomisation.”

On the final day of the updated course, DeVilbiss moved the

Phi l Merr i f ie ld introduced thecost and t ime sav ing smartpumps to the de legates.

From le f t to r ight : Adr ian Perry , Export Sa les Manager, DeVi lb iss ; Ronnie andKev in Lur ie of Luxor Paints SA and Phi l Merr i f ie ld , technica l guru f rom DeVi lb issUK. Luxor Paints are now proud d istr ibutors of the DeVi lb iss brand.


INTERVIEW KEVIN PERKS, TTI GLOBAL

With the latest wave of technology-packed newvehicles it’s becoming a vital task to improve andupdate panelbeaters with new technologies inrepair. We took time out to visit the global

headquarters of the TTi Global Group in Warwick, England andtalked about the South African investment and implementation ofthe local training centre in Wynberg, Johannesburg with KevinPerks, the managing director of the group.

QTell us a bit about the role of aftermarket collision repair thatTTi Global operate in.

AOur role in the body shop repair cycle is to try to raisestandards of the process at the repair stage and with that in

mind we train young apprentices, panelbeaters, assessors tomanagement levels. We also operate manufacturer trainingprogrammes to cover parts departments, dealer sellingperformance measure assessments, in fact just about everything onan improvement level is where TTi Global concentrate on.

QDoes the industry really need an expansive world programmeto uplift skills levels in collision repair?

AWhat we see on an international basis are many differentstandards being used in core repair values. The need when new

body joining technology is viewed, becomes a way forward to teachnew methods of brazing, welding and bonding to our youngertradesmen as well as improve the image of body repair technicians.To my mind, in countries like Germany, mechanics and body repairtradesmen are treated with equal respect and that recognition islacking in some ways in other countries.

QWhat global motor manufacturers do you operate training foron a global basis?

AWe deal with most of them and this now includes someChinese motor makers like Curos, to the VW Group, General

Motors, Ford and other smaller specialist car producers. Thebusiness of training doesn’t have a one-size fits all cover for bodyrepairs. Our experience shows us that as panelbeating repair shopsuplift their investments in both people training and expertise andequipment levels training, some markets have become easier to bemore successful.

QWe note that in on-site training for skill level compliance thetests conducted on proficiency are quite difficult to pass. Is the

standard high?

AIn our training we are talking about each candidate’scompetency and the basic need or desire to manage and

develop some basic levels of panel and body joining repairstechnology. This is a vital part of the courses taken, as is the speedof a repair. It’s quite clear that from our information thatprospective colleges aren’t keeping pace with developing bodymanufacturing cold cure technologies globally – and that’s wherewe fit in.

QDoes one standard of competency always apply for trainees?

AIn general the answer is no. Each motor maker demandsdifferent types of body structure repairs especially the

European major carmakers. Korean and Japanese concerns are fastcatching up in this area of the business with Hyundai, Kia, Toyotaand some Chinese makers looking at high standards for theirvehicle repairs in a collision repair area of damage rectification.

QBody welding seems to be a discipline of all change. Where doyou see that all going?

ATechnologies change fast as new variations of welding are beingdeveloped in metal joining with laser welding and hydro-

formed parts becoming common. These are difficult to replicate atthe repair level in many cases. So really Mig Brazing and its lowertemperatures has gained in a big way in recent years as hasspecialist spot welding machinery which meets motor makers laidout criteria for approval programmes.

QAre you seeing more or less model specific training coursescoming from some car makers?

AWhat we try to establish at TTi Global is a good foundation ofbody repairing techniques and that overall competency will in

our view stand up well for the repairer of tomorrow’s vehicles. It isclear to us that kevlar light weighting materials will become one ofthe major movers in materials being used as the quest for lighterand more fuel efficient vehicles becomes a driving influence in thefuture in South Africa. Ford. GM and VW are some new companiesthat we will be involved with next year. As we speak we try to takeno more than 10 trainees at a time. In the future we will have moreonline material that will be available from our sources.

QTell us about your role at TTi Global, Kevin.

AMy personal piece in the TTi Global training operation thatnow embraces seven countries is one of global support like in

South Africa. Since day one we have tried to implement highstandards on Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux repair with everyconceiveable tool and repair technique needed to effect a goodquality repair. Developing good people locally for training has beenpart of the start up phase in Johannesburg as well as rolling out alarger training module plan.

QHow do you gauge the upliftment process on a before andafter training level on training?

AOur results at the end of all the competency training oftendeliver at every level of the business. Satisfied customers,

whether they are in collision repair, car sales or services, getting arepaired unit out on time and being right the first time is key. Itoften takes around only four days or so to see if a trainee is goingto master all the technology training and its the coaching andhelping that master a technicians progress and it’s this focus on asort of hand-on approach that wins the day. My final thoughts on itall is that body shop owners are today left with little option otherthan to keep on investing in upgrading equipment levels as processchanges hit us and investing in people and their expertise will alsoform a big part of any future success for any concern.




MIRKA AD J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:14 AM Page 1

The BLOODHOUND Projectstarted the 12-month countdownto its first Land Speed Recordattempt in November 2014, and

celebrated Jaguar joining the programme asInnovation Partner, by staging a high-speedcommunications test at Hakskeen Pan,South Africa.

An L39 jet aircraft flew multiple passesdown BLOODHOUND’s specially prepareddesert track, synchronised with the new all-wheel drive (AWD) Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupédriven by project director Richard Nobleand a Jaguar XF saloon, at closing speeds ofup to 1 126km/h. The cars carried the sameequipment that will stream data, voice andimagery live from the BLOODHOUNDSupersonic Car during test runs and recordattempts in 2015 and 2016.

The event was attended byrepresentatives of the Northern CapeGovernment, the Project’s hosts in SouthAfrica, and was the successful culmination ofmonths of preparation byBLOODHOUND’s TechnicalCommunications Partners MTN, Emcomand Poynting.

A recent communications test sawBLOODHOUND take an important steptowards fulfilling its ultimate goal: to inspire ageneration about science, technology andengineering by sharing a unique engineeringadventure.

To that end, data from over 300 sensors,plus three streams of 720p video, will betransmitted live via single channel from thejet and rocket powered vehicle as it blastsdown the desert racetrack during the test.By way of comparison, a modern F1 cartransmits 150 channels of data over a singleradio channel during a Grand Prix weekend.Each run by BLOODHOUND SSC willgenerate information equivalent to 125 MP3music tracks played concurrently.

Beaming data at over 1600km/h will pushavailable communications technology to thelimit. To meet the challenge, MTN andPoynting Antennas have created a bespoke4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network forthe Project, based on known and trustedmobile telephone technology. The 800MHzsignal is highly focused, rather thanbroadcast, to ensure the network has ‘linkbudget’ capable of streaming 4 Megabytesper second of data live from the car akilometre in 2.25 seconds.

The signal was then captured byBLOODHOUND engineers on the track. In2015 and 2016, it will travel to the team’sMission Control Centre and then be relayedto the nearest town, Upington, 130kilometres away, to be fed into the internet,ready to be viewed by schools, colleges andother audiences worldwide.

For this test, custom-made Poyntingantennas with Sierra Wireless Air Primeembedded LTE modems were mounted onthe Jaguar XF, replicating the kit that will bebuilt into BLOODHOUND’s tail fin.

Simulated BLOODHOUND SSC dataand footage from four high-resolutionStemmer Imaging cameras, equipped withunique BJR lenses, was streamed live fromthe Jaguar XF during the high-speed passes.

Driving in tandem was an all-wheel driveJaguar F-TYPE R Coupé carrying Emcom’slatest Digital VHF Radio technology. Thisequipment has been specially calibrated toensure clear voice communication from theTeam to both Andy Green in the supersoniccar and Jaguar’s two rapid response vehicles.This test ensured there were no frequencyclashes across the spectra the team will beutilising across the 142 square km area ofHakskeen Pan.

Flying above the cars in the L39 Jet,BLOODHOUND’s IT manager Sarah Covellmeasured signal strength from the 60m tallsolar powered MTN mast 14.5 km from thewest of the track.

The Project’s entire radio infrastructure isnow in place, ready for 2015 and thebeginning of BLOODHOUND’s high-speedcampaign. It was also testament to theoutstanding support and expertise ofBLOODHOUND’s partners in South Africaand the UK.

Some Fun Facts:l The world land speed record of 1 227

km/ph is held by Thrust SSC, a UK team ledby BLOODHOUND’s Project DirectorRichard Noble and driven by Andy Green.

l The BLOODHOUND team scouredthe globe to find the perfect desert to runthe car on, it needed to be at least 19kmlong, 3km wide and perfectly flat. TheHakskeen Pan, Northern Cape, South Africawas selected.

l At full speed BLOODHOUND SSCwill cover 1.6km in 3.6 seconds, that’s 4.5football pitches laid end to end per second.

l BLOODHOUND has three powerplants, a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet from aEurofighter Typhoon, a cluster of Nammohybrid rockets and a 650 bhp engine thatdrives the rocket oxidiser pump.

Between them they generate 135,000thrust hp, equivalent to 180 F1 cars.

l BLOODHOUND SSC is currentlybeing assembled at the BLOODHOUNDTechnical Centre in Bristol, UK. It is onschedule for roll out summer 2015 where itwill undergo UK runway testing up to321km/h at the Aerohub, Newquay.

The Team will then deploy to SouthAfrica to begin high speed testing with thetarget of reaching 1,287 km/h. The Team willreturn to the UK to review the data andreturn to South Africa in 2016 with the aimof reaching 1,609 km/h

l Over 250 global companies, 180 ofthem SMEs, are involved in the Project,which has become a showcase for scienceand engineering capability.

l Over 5,700 UK primary and secondaryschools have signed up to use the freeBLOODHOUND Education resources intheir classrooms

l The educational outreach programmealso runs in South Africa with more than 600schools already participating and more than100 BLOODHOUND Ambassadors signedup to help use the project to inspire youngpeople about studying maths and science.

The programme reaches out to schoolsacross the country, but particularly in theNorthern Cape Province, home to the trackwhere the BLOODHOUND SSC will run.

TECHNICAL INTEREST

SUCCESSFULPARTNERSHIPS FORTHE BLOODHOUNDPROJECT



WHAT’S HOT?

Andy Green is seen alongside the new All Wheel Drive (AWD) Jaguar F-Type R Coupé and the Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SCC). The Jaguar was driven by Project DirectorRichard Noble and the vehicle were recorded at speeds of 1 126km/h. The car will carry the equipment that will stream data, voice and imagery live from BloodhoundSCC during its test runs and record attempts in 2015 and 2016.


Consistently ahead of its class rivals interms of innovation since inception,Clio is renowned for its inclusion oftechnologies usually reserved for

cars in upper segments. It was the first car inits category to obtain a four star, then a fivestar, Euro NCAP rating. A meeting offashionable and functional, the fourthgeneration New Clio remains the ‘small carwith big car attributes’.

New Clio’s sporty, coupé-like silhouette isaccentuated by the integrated rear doorhandles concealed close to the rear quarterlights while the ratio of wheel-size to vehicle-height has been fine-tuned to afford a moredynamic look. The lower ride-height benefitsthe car’s aerodynamics while pronouncedshoulder lines make the fourth generationNew Clio even more visually distinctive andappealing.

Style by design, New Clio is theembodiment of Renault’s new design rebirththat is simple, sensuous and warm. Threewords which, thanks to the Renaultengineering team’s skill in matching the vehicleto the design team’s original vision, make it acar high on emotion inside and out.

All practical and easy-to-use, a host of up-to-the-minute multimedia bells and whistles,standard smart features include, cruise control

with speed limiter, Bluetooth connectivity foraudio streaming, hands-free telephony, USBconnectivity, onboard computer, the new BassReflex sound system, motorway touchindicators, Renault keycard and Hill StartAssist.

Thanks to Renault’s engineeringexcellence and expertise in powertraindevelopment, the new 66kW Turbo engineboasts amazing power and torque for a lowcapacity engine with unparalleled flexibility,agility and high drivability.

New Clio also comes with a range ofefficient solutions designed to help drivers’reduce their fuel consumption and CO2emissions. To optimise fuel economy, ‘ECO’mode can be activated at the push of a buttonreducing fuel consumption by up to 10percent.

“As always with Renault, on-board safety isparamount – irrespective of pricing or classsegment,” says the company. “From the entrylevel Clio 55kW Authentique and upgraded66kW Turbo Expression to the top-of-the-range 66kW Turbo Dynamique, the on-boardsafety equipment and features are the same.”

For enhanced safety and driving pleasure,all New Clio engines incorporate Hill StartAssist connected to an ESP system that isstandard across the range and represents a

unique offering in the segment. Additionalactive safety features include ASR tractioncontrol, ABS, EBD and EBA as well as electricvariable-rate power steering and cruisecontrol/speed limiter. New features are the‘motorway-mode’ indicators that are anextremely practical feature to produce threeflashes of the indicator when preparing toovertake by lightly moving the indicator stalk.

New Clio is an entirely keyless car. The‘regular’ key is replaced by an electronic card(depending on equipment level) that locksand unlocks the doors and permits the engineto be started without the driver removingsame from his or her pocket, bag or wallet forexample.

In the event of a head-on impact,occupants are protected by four high-efficiency airbags – two front and two sideairbags – as well as by seat belts equippedwith pre-tensioners and load limiters. The rearseats are also equipped with an anti-submarining hump and three three-point seatbelts with load limiter.

As is the case across Renault’s entireproduct range, the three New Clio variantscome standard with a five-year/150 000kmmechanical warranty, a three-year/45 000kmservice plan and a six-year anti-corrosionwarranty.

DRIVEN RENAULT CLIO




Global Auto Coat ings d i rector Wayne Nort je ( le f t) and PreggiePi l lay (r ight) , have worked hand in hand wi th A lberanteAutospray to br ing the shop to fu l l product ion in a short spaceof t ime wi th great back-up serv ice on PPG Env irobase products .They are seen here wi th the owner Manny Henr iques.

Manny Henriques the owner of Alberante Autospray isno stranger to the collision repair trade. In terms ofsheer survival Manny has done the whole nine yardsto keep his lifetime dream alive of running the auto

body shop operation. The latest move to a new location has seenanother massive amount of investment to keep the company onan industry-leading path forwards.

Manny came from Portugal in the eighties but only worked foranother body shop for a couple of years before striking it out onhis own. In order to keep pace with both quality and productiondemands as well as other challenges, the all-new shop has nowmoved to Barney Street in Benrose. It features new carproduction routing plus a 48-hour express repair centre fordriveable and small area body repair.

The production hall has a number of Car-O-Liner bench racks.It is equipped with the latest three-dimensional 3D measuring forcorrect realignment as well. “We’re now able to process over 300cars per working month,” says Henriques, “and with eight qualifiedpanelbeaters plus three full time apprentices the shop is hummingalong nicely. The shop also boasts the newest type of aluminiumbay which is approved for both Audi and VW for body repairs.”

The company has expanded to over 70 employees and theyhave also installed the Aer-o-wave and prep system from Aer-o-cure for top class body preparation results. These fast cycle areasare coupled to the current waterborne refinish system supplied byGlobal Auto Coatings from Benoni. “We were one of the firstbody shops to convert to Envirobase refinish and this helped usto increase our key to key time on units repaired for our regularclients.” It’s been a full 20 years of progress for Manny and hisability to work close to a 20-hour day in all that time seems bynow to be well rewarded.

Alberante Autospray give a full workmanship guarantee onwork completed and have teamed up with all the major insurancehouses. This peace of mind approach has seen the companydevelop no less than 13 approved panel shop repair certificates.Looking at the wall containing the approvals, clients can quicklygauge how professional they are at car repairs. There is a row offinished customer cars all lined up for anyone to see, that awaittheir collection from satisfied owners.

With the new shop already producing great repairs, Manny ispleased at just how fast the production ramp-up phase has beenachieved. The company have installed a new update progressreport system to fast track all work in progress to enable the ‘offthe road’ customer to keep up with exactly where their damagedvehicle is in the repair cycle.

There is a big team effort at all times at Alberante Autosprayand should guarantee good results for the company in thedecades to come.

“This is what you can achieve in todays ultra competitive repairmarket, if you continue to invest in the latest equipment and trainyour staff into the new technologies that lie ahead,” says Manny,who continues to manage just about everything in a very personalway to keep these results coming at Alberante Autospray.

The end result speaks for itself.

The f ront counter recept ion area is impress iveand packed wi th warm smi les and he lpfu l s ta f f .



TOP SHOP ALBERANTE AUTOSPRAY

A LIFETIME OF INVESTMENT Story and pics by Ian Groat




Manny Henr iques has a 30-year t rack record of bu i ld ing asuccessfu l body shop by re invest ing prof i ts .

New inverter spot welders get the body repair back to factorystandards.

The expert body repair sect ion run fast set-up dr ive-on benches tohelp workf low.

I t looks l ike a factory product ion l ine down at the preparat ionzone.

The 8 000 square metre co l l is ion repair shop is huge and a l readyproduc ing over 70 cars per week.

At tent ion to deta i l is ever present at A lberante Autospray and i tis an outstanding repair centre.




The De Beer paint company, a specialist in automotiverefinish systems and a division of the global paint giantValspar, has expanded the portfolio of their sales managerfor Africa, Shanker Achari, to now include the South

African market. With the task of heading up the next stage in DeBeer’s growth strategy for SA, Shanker says that the brand hasseen a steady growth in market share, leading to a stronger focuson this key market within the company and resulting in increasedinvestments in marketing and branding with their local importer,Cowley Automotive SA and Industrial Coatings.

“My role,” says Shanker, “is to assist our distribution partners togrow De Beer brand sales with factory-approved collision repaircentres across Africa, with a special focus on South Africa andother countries in the SADC region.” After a successful auto partssales career, plus a stint of selling auto-body refinish ancillaryproducts, Shanker now covers over 20 African countries for theDe Beer refinish paint brand, travelling for two weeks every monthto booming markets in Africa such as South Africa, Algeria,Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria and Kenya.

The De Beer paint company is investing heavily in training, withfour international training centres in the Netherlands, Italy, US andAustralia; and by fielding a well-trained technical team in SouthAfrica through their partners, Cowley Automotive SA. The provenDe Beer, “Train the Trainer” concept will enable the South Africandistributors and their technicians to empower spray-painters andpanel-beaters in body shops across South Africa, with the newestand most efficient solutions in the auto-body repair industry.

Approvals Thrust“New partnerships with international motor manufacturers are

ramping up the sales of De Beer, Octoral and other Valspar paintbrands across the world,” says Shanker. “The latest partnershipentered into with KIA Europe was another key milestone in thesuccess of our brands. Now, along with the General Motors globalapproval of Valspar for their brands Opel, Vauxhall, Cadillac,Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Holden and Isuzu, we are well on the wayto growing our brand profile in South Africa as elsewhere acrossthe globe. Further, our Ford and Chrysler global approvals willopen up new markets for De Beer to take its place as one of theleading automotive refinish brands, globally”.

The force behind the De Beer brand in South Africa, AndreCoetzee, general manager of Cowley Automotive SA, has set thebase for Cowley and De Beer to be leaders in the SA refinishmarket. The brands can now boast a solid infrastructure and salesgrowth leading towards a strong future. “In six short years theCowley group has embarked on an ambitious sales programme tobecome a successful partner in the Valspar family, and to rivalother significant markets such as Australia,” says Coetzee, “and ourconfidence stems from the professionalism and expertise of auto-body refinish businesses in South Africa.

“This confidence is being reciprocated by an increasedacceptance of the total quality proposition that De Beer delivers,by body shops across the country. This goes in line with theCowley SA objectives, with our distribution partners, to continueto grow the business by over 15% year-on-year. We are confidentthat our product quality, internationally acclaimed colouristics andapprovals status will enable an increasing number of bodyshops totake advantage of our competitive offerings, to make a success oftheir business in these strenuous economic times”.

The De Beer paint company and Cowleys Automotive SA takethe opportunity to thank their distributor partners and bodyshopcustomers across South Africa for their support and look forwardto welcoming new partners to join the family.

For more information about De Beer products email them [email protected] or call them on +27 (0) 78 782 9618.

INDUSTRY NEWS

DE BEER’S AFRICAN EXPANSIONCONTINUES TO GAINMOMENTUM

WHAT’S HOT?

De Beer ’s Sa les Manager for Afr ica, Shanker Achar i ( le f t) , is upbeat about Cowley Automot ive’s success in the South Afr ica market . Heis seen here wi th Genera l Manager, Andre Coetzee f rom Cowley SA.


Call for distribution opportunities in your area.Sole Importer Cowley Automotive Products Tel: (016) 933 2233 email: [email protected] AUTOMOTIVE & INDUSTRIAL COATINGS (PTY) LTD

DE BEER BEROBASE S-O 2011_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:06 AM Page 1

The latest development in 3M rectification systems for bothnew and aging car refinish panels is the Paint RectificationPolishing System process. It uses all new Trizact ultra finepad technology. The vehicle’s appearance system can be

started with grits that go to P1500 to remove dust inclusions. Theseare quickly followed by a dual action sander using the 3000 gritTrizact and with a damp surface this quickly polishes out the courser1500 grit marks.

Once again the process can be repeated using the incredibly fine6000 Hook-It discs which comes complete with its own soft facebacking to eliminate any scratching or swirl marks once the panel iscompleted to a firm key.

For the polishing procedure it takes, in some cases, less than 10seconds to bring back a full wet look gloss with the Perfect-It or FastCut XL final polish. “All the economies of scale with the new systemare delivered because the chances of polishing through old paintworkare now vastly reduced,” says Malcolm Groom, “and the 3M systemis now so well co-ordinated to meet the demands of the latestgeneration of clearcoats. Both the high solid type or conventionalmaterials respond well to the Paint Rectification Polishing Systemsystem of rectification and polishing.”

The Perfect-It III Polishing System consists of colour-codedcompound, polishes and pads that have been developed in Europe.The system is ideally suited to the paint finishes found in South Africa.

The Paint Rectification Polishing System promotional introductionkit has all the products that are required to achieve that showroomfinish on all makes of cars. The removal of surface defects is simplifiedwith the use of 3M Trizact abrasives. The defect removal and scratchrefinement is achieved with Trizact P1500 and 3000. The use of

these products will also assist in productivity by reducing polishingtimes. The Perfect-It III Polishing System comes with 150mm foampads to make access into corners and recesses easy.

New to South Africa is the 3M Trizact 6000 abrasive disc whichis recommended for dark shade colours but will improve the finishon all vehicles.

Numerous of KZN body shops have already converted to the 3Mprocess because of its sheer speed and increased vehicle outputlevels, says Groom who heads up the technical side of body shopsupport for KZN.

James Stewart from Classic Coachworks says that with such aclean and fast final polishing system now up and running verysuccessfully, customers are absolutely delighted with the final finish itproduces.

LOCAL UPDATE

3M PAINT RECTIFICATIONPOLISHING SYSTEMBOOSTS FINAL FINISHOUTPUT



FINAL FINISH

James Stewart (left) from Classic Coachworks in Durban is upbeat about the Vanity polishing system from 3M. Its ability to produce a great result everytime with incrediblein-house hygiene has really helped to increase their finished quality output. He is seen with Malcom Groom from 3M (centre) and Ricky Ruthilall from Balco.


VERMONT N-D 2014 ADS_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:26 AM Page 1

February 2-6 Module 5 StandohydMarch 2- 3 Module 1 Spraypainters ForumMarch 4 -5 Module 4 ColouristicsMarch 16-20 Module 6 StandoblueApril 8-9 Module 2 Spraypainters Forum AdvancedApril 10 Module 3 Painting PlasticsApril 21-21 Module 7 Specialised TrainingMay 11-15 Module 5 StandohydJune 8-12 Module 6 StandoblueJune 23 Module 3 Painting PlasticsJune 24-25 Module 4 ColouristicsJune 30 - July 1 Module 1 Spraypainters ForumJuly 27-31 Module 6 StandoblueAugust 18-20 Module 7 Specialised Training31 August - 4 September Module 6 StandoblueSeptember 16 Module 3 Painting PlasticsSeptember 17-18 Module 4 ColouristicsSeptember 28 - October 2 Module 5 StandohydOctober 20-21 Module 1 Spraypainters ForumOctober 22-23 Module 2 Spraypainters Forum AdvancedNovember 4 Module 3 Painting PlasticsNovember 5-6 Module 2 Spraypainters Forum AdvancedNovember 17-19 Module 7 Specialised Training

January 20-21 Module 1 Spraypainters ForumJanuary 22-23 Module 2 Spraypainters ForumFebruary 24-27 Module 6 StandoblueMarch 24-27 Module 5 StandohydMay 5-8 Module 5 StandohydJune 4 Module 3 Painting PlasticsJune 10-11 Module 4 ColouristicsJune 17-19 Module 7 Specialised TrainingJuly 28-31 Module 5 StandohydSeptember 22-23 Module 5 StandohydOctober 13-14 Module 1 Spraypainters ForumOCtober 15-16 Module 2 Spraypainters Forum AdvancedOctober 27-28 Module 4 ColouristicsNovember 17-20 Module 6 Standoblue

February 2-6 Module 5 StandohydMarch 2-3 Module 1 Spraypainters ForumApril 8-9 Module 2 Spraypainaters Forum AdvancedApril 10 Module 3 Painting PlasticsJune 8-12 Module 6 StandoblueJune 23 Module 3 Painting PlasticsJune 24-25 Module 4 ColouristicsJune 30- July 1 Module 1 Spraypainters ForumJuly 2-3 Module 2 Spraypainters Forum AdvancedAugust 31 - September 4 Module 6 StandoblueSeptember 28 - October 2 Module 5 StamdohydNovember 17-19 Module 7 Specialised Training

KZ

N

W

/CA

PE

GA

UT

EN

GFOCUS TRAINING 2015

76 R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

STANDOX TRAINING

METALUX TRAINING26-27 February 1. Spot Repair & Blending Epping Training Centre Cape Town16-17 July 1. Spot Repair & Blending Epping Training Centre Cape Town12-13 February 1. Spot Repair & Blending Clayville Training Centre Gauteng 25-26 June 1. Spot Repair & Blending Clayville Training Centre Gauteng12-13 March 1. Spot Repair & Blending Canelands Training Centre Durban30-31 July 1. Spot Repair & Blending Canelands Training Centre Durban

23-25 March 2. Advanced Colour Tinting Clayville Training Centre Gauteng22-24 June 2. Advanced Colour Tinting Clayville Training Centre Gauteng2-4 November 2. Advanced Colour Tinting Clayville Training Centre Gauteng20-22 April 2. Advanced Colour Tinting Canelands Training Centre Durban27-29 July 2. Advanced Colour Tinting Canelands Training Centre Durban13-15 July 2. Advanced Colour Tinting Epping Training Centre Cape Town16-18 November 2. Advanced Colour Tinting Epping Training Centre Cape Town

8-10 June 3. Start to Finish Epping Training Centre Cape Town7-9 September 3. Start to Finish Epping Training Centre Cape Town26-28 October 3. Start to Finish Epping Training Centre Cape Town23-25 February 3. Start to Finish Epping Training Centre Cape Town9-11 March 3. Start to Finish Canelands Training Centre Durban18-20 May 3. Start to Finish Canelands Training Centre Durban23-23 September 3. Start to Finish Canelands Training Centre Durban9-11 February 3. Start to Finish Clayville Training Centre Gauteng4-6 May 3. Start to Finish Clayville Training Centre Gauteng10-12 August 3. Start to Finish Clayville Training Centre Gauteng12-14 October 3. Start to Finish Clayville Training Centre Gauteng




February 9-11 PE3 (2 days) RCC MidrandFebruary 16-18 CE1 RCC MidrandFebruary 19 PS2 (1 day) RCC MidrandFebruary 23-25 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) RCC MidrandFebruary 26-27 PS1 (2 days) RCC MidrandMarch 9-11 PE1 & PE2 RCC MidrandMarch 9-11 CE1 RCC MidrandMarch 12 PS2 (1 day) RCC MidrandMarch 23-25 CE2 RCC MidrandApril 8-10 CE2 RCC MidrandApril 20-22 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) RCC MidrandMay 18-20 CE1 RCC MidrandMay 21 PS2 (1 day) RCC MidrandMay 25-27 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) RCC MidrandMay 28-29 PS1 (2 days) RCC MidrandJune 8-10 CE1 RCC MidrandJune 11 PS2 (1 day) RCC MidrandJune 17-19 CE2 RCC MidrandJuly 1-3 PE3 (2 days) RCC MidrandJuly 13-15 CE2 RCC MidrandJuly 16 PS2 (1 day) RCC MidrandJuly 20-22 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) RCC MidrandJuly 23-24 PS1 (2 days) RCC MidrandAugust 3-5 PE3 (2 days) RCC MidrandAugust 17-19 PE3 (2 days) RCC MidrandSeptember 14-16 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) RCC MidrandSeptember 17-18 PS1 (2 days) RCC MidrandSeptember 28-30 CE2 RCC MidrandOctober 26-28 CE1 RCC MidrandOctober 29 PS2 (1 day) RCC MidrandNovember 2-4 PE3 (2 days) RCC MidrandNovember 23-25 CE2 RCC Midrand

February 2-4 PE1 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreFebruary 16-18 CE1 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreMarch 9-10 PS1 (1.5 days) FCCC Training CentreMarch 10-11 PS2 (1 day) FCCC Training CentreMarch 11 PS2 (1 day) FCCC Training CentreMarch 16-18 PE2 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreApril 28-30 CE2 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreMay 11-13 PE3 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreJune 2-3 PS1 (1.5 days) FCCC Training CentreJune 4 PS2 (1 day) FCCC Training CentreJuly 1-3 PE1 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreJuly 20-22 CE1 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreJuly 27-29 PE2 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreSeptember 1-3 PE3 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreSeptember 15-17 CE2 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreNovember 2-4 PE1 (3 days) FCCC Training CentreNovember 16-18 CE1 (3 days) FCCC Training Centre

February 16-18 PW1 & PE2 (3 days) Flanagans Training CentreFebruary 19-20 PS1 Flanagans Training CentreMarch 19 PS2 Flanagans Training CentreMarch 30 - April 1 CE1 Flanagans Training CentreApril 20-22 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) Flanagans Training CentreApril 23-24 PS1 Flanagans Training CentreJune 8-10 CE1 Flanagans Training CentreJune 11-15 PS2 Flanagans Training CentreJune 29 - July 1 CE1 Flanagans Training CentreJuly 21-23 CE2 Flanagans Training CentreAugust 11-13 PE3 Flanagans Training CentreAugust 17-19 CE2 Flanagans Training CentreSeptember 7-9 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) Flanagans Training CentreSeptember 10-11 PS1 Flanagans Training CentreSeptember 28-30 PE3 (2 days) Flanagans Training CentreOctober 15 PS2 Flanagans Training CentreNovember 16-18 CE2 Flanagans Training CentreDecember 7-8 PE3 (2 days) Flanagans Training Centre

February 2-4 PW1 & PE2 (3 days) Central Refinish CentreFebruary 5-6 PS1 (2 days) Central Refinish CentreMarch 2-4 PE3 (2 days) Central Refinish CentreMarch 5 PS2 (1 day) Central Refinish CentreJuly 27-29 PE1 & PE2 (3 days) Central Refinish CentreAugust 31 - September 2 PE3 (2 days) Central Refinish CentreSeptember 3 PS2 (1 day) Central Refinish Centre

All

date

s an

d tim

es s

uppl

ied

wer

e co

rrec

t at

the

tim

e of

goi

ng t

o pr

int.

GLASURIT TRAINING

BLO

EM

KZ

N

W

/CA

PE

G

AU

TEN

G


SPIES HECKER TRAININGFebruary 2-4 Spraypainters CollegeFebruary 5 Blending Techniques & Painting PlasticsFebruary 9 -11 Tinted ClearFebruary 16-20 PermahydFebruary 23-27 PermahydMarch 9 -13 Hi-TECMarch 23-25 Spray Painters CollegeMarch 26 Blending TechniquesMarch 27 Painting PlasticsApril 13-16 PermahydMay 4-8 Hi-TECMay 18-20 Spray Painters CollegeMay 21 Blending TechniquesMay 22 Painting PlasticsJune 22-26 Painting PlasticsJuly 7-9 Tinted ClearJuly 20-24 Hi-TECAugust 10-12 Spray Painters CollegeAugust 13 Blending TechniquesAugust 14 Painting PlasticsAugust 24-26 Tinted ClearsSeptember 7-11 PermahydOctober 12-14 Spray Painters CollegeOctober 15 Blending TechniquesOctober 16 Painting PlasticsNovember 9-13 Hi-TEC

January 26 - 30February 16 - 20March 16 - 20May 25 - 29July 27- 31October 19 - 23November 23 - 27

February 8 - 14 Hi-TECMarch 8 - 14 Spray Painters College April 12 - 18 Painting Plastics & Colour CollegeMay 24 - 30 PermahydAugust 9 - 15 Spray Painters College & Blending TechniquesOctober 25 - 31 Colour CollegeNovember 8 - 14 Permahyd

January 27-28 Spray Painters CollegeJanuary 29-30 Blending TechniquesFebruary 10-13 Hi-TEC March 10-13 Permahyd May 19-22 PermahydJune 3 PlasticsJune 11-12 ColouristicsJuly 1-3 Specialised TrainingJuly 14-17 PermahydSeptember 8-11 PermahydOctober 6-7 Spray Painters CollegeOctober 8 Blending TechniquesOctober 29-31 ColoursticsNovember 10-13 Hi-TEC

1. Namibia training takes place in Cape Town and is planned as 4 separate week sessions.2. Port Elizabeth training takes place in Cape Town and is planned as 4 seperate week sessions.3. Technical sessions with distributor technical and sales staff.4. Additional sessions and visits as per other regions. 5. Eastern Cape training sessions are not specific to a topic and will be tailor-made according to customer needs.

CA

PE

TO

WN

K

ZN

E/C

AP

E

GA

UT

EN

GFOCUS TRAINING 2015

78 R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE


79R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

February 2-4 TP 1 & TPB RCC MidrandMarch 2-4 TP 3 & TP 4 RCC MidrandMarch 23-25 TP11 & TP12 RCC MidrandMarch 26-27 TP5 RCC MidrandMarch 30 - April 1 TP1 & TPB RCC MidrandApril 16-17 TP5 RCC MidrandMay 18-20 TP3 & TP4 RCC MidrandJune 1-3 TP1 & TPB RCC MidrandJuly 3-4 TP 3 & TP4 RCC MidrandJuly 6-8 TP11 & TP12 RCC MidrandJuly 9 - 10 TP5 RCC MidrandJuly 27-29 TP1 & TPB RCC MidrandAugust 20-21 TP5 RCC MidrandAugust 24-26 TP3 & TP4 RCC MidrandAugust 31 - September 2 TP11 & TP12 RCC MidrandOctober 11-12 TP11 & TP12 RCC Midrand

February 2-4 TP1 & TPB First Car Care CollegeMarch 2-4 TP3 & TP4 First Car Care CollegeMarch 23-25 TP11 & TP12 First Car Care CollegeMarch 26-27 TP5 First Car Care CollegeMarch 30 - April 1 TP1 & TPB First Car Care CollegeApril 16-17 TP5 First Car Care CollegeMay 18 - 20 TP3 & TP4 First Car Care CollegeJune 1-3 TP1 & TPB First Car Care CollegeJuly 3-4 TP 3 & TP4 First Car Care CollegeJuly 6-8 TP11 & TP12 First Car Care CollegeJuly 9 - 10 TP5 First Car Care CollegeJuly 27-29 TP1 & TPB First Car Care CollegeAugust 20-21 TP5 First Car Care CollegeAugust 24-26 TP3 & TP4 First Car Care CollegeAugust 31 - September 2 TP11 & TP12 First Car Care CollegeOctober 11-12 TP11 & TP12 First Car Care College

March 16-18 TP11 & TP12 Flanagans Training CentreApril 8 - 10 TP11 & TP12 Flanagans Training CentreApril 28-30 TP3 & TP4 Flanagans Training CentreMay 11-13 TP1 & TPB Flanagans Training CentreMay 14-15 TP5 Flanagans Training CentreJune 1-3 TP3 & TP4 Flanagans Training CentreJune 4-5 TP5 Flanagans Training CentreJuly 13-15 TP3 & TP4 Flanagans Training CentreOctober 5-7 TP1 & TPB Flanagans Training CentreNovember 9 - 11 TP1 & TPB Flanagans Training CentreNovember 12-13 TP5 Flanagans Training CentreNovember 23-25 TP11 & TP12 Flanagans Training Centre

KZ

N

w/C

AP

E

G

AU

TE

NG

R-M TRAINING• TP1 Focus on efficient use of R-M waterborne basecoat systm Onyx HD TP1 & TPB - 3 day course• TPB Multi Stage Blending. Identify and complete most efficient repair solution.

Blending of 3 & 4 stage pearls and spot repair.• TP 3 Painting of plastic parts. TP3 & TP4 - 3 day course• TP 4 Surface Preparation.• TP 5 Optimisation of application techniques TP5 - 2 day course• TP 11 & TP 12 Colour retrieval and Colourimitry and colour adjustment techniques. TP11 & TP12 - 3day course

All

date

s an

d tim

es s

uppl

ied

wer

e co

rrec

t at

the

tim

e of

goi

ng t

o pr

int.




Tammy Robberts, the regional sales manager for theWestern and Eastern Cape as well as Namibian markets forPPG Refinish paint, has moved the current outlet to a newlocation – Tygerwaterfront – in Cape Town’s northern

suburbs.“The new operational headquarters will assist in improving client

services,” says Tammy. “We have a team of over 10 specialists tosupport the Envirobase® HP range of waterborne materials whichinclude both technical experts and also key internal staff memberswho are involved in the day-to-day deliveries throughout theWestern Cape markets, as well as the city centre area.”

Tammy has many years of successful support behind her withlong stints seen in the Cape central collision repair markets whereEnvirobase® HP has proven to be a very popular brand for a loyalbrand of body shop users. PPG have a special team for all theiraccounts that operate in the Western Cape and also distributethrough three successful distribution outlets.

“Also popular is the MaxMeyer® range imported from Italy,which offers a great value option on costs and performance to keepup with economical market needs,” said Tammy. “Thetechnologically advanced Selemix, a product that gives an amazinggrip to bare steel substrates, is also on offer and as a system thereare a number of special epoxy primers and acrylic top coats fromPPG.

For more information call Tammy or the PPG team in CapeTown on +27 (0)21 914 1287.

INDUSTRY NEWS

PPG MOVE UP A GEAR IN THE CAPE OPERATION

WHAT’S HOT?

Tammy Robberts has a successfu l t rack record at PPG and greatwork ing re lat ionships wi th customers.

The profess ional team at the new headquarters in theTygerwater f ront complex sees the inc lus ion of four technica l back-up staf f to keepboth Env i robase® HP and MaxMeyer® Ref in ish sa les buoyant .


For more information call +27 (0)11 953 2576 or visit www.ppgrefinish.com

PPG J-F COLOUR EXP 2012_Layout 1 2015/02/03 11:17 AM Page 1



The Carsystem Plastic Repair Kitis intended to keep Carsystem plasticrepair products perfectly sorted in ahandy box. The kit boxes arestackable and can be fitted togetherto save space.

Power Mix is a two-compoundpolyurethane material used forstructural and quick repairs andbonding of plastic parts. The 25mlcartridges are used by hand and the50ml cartridges are mixed with theCarsystem Power Mix Gun. The dualcartridges are supplied in the mixingratio 1:1. They are automaticallymixed with the static mixing tip. Aviscous compound for repairing,filling, bonding and sealing isproduced. For more informationcontact the Bulldog Abrasives salesteam on +27 (0)11 786 5991 [email protected].

CARSYSTEM PLASTIC REPAIR KITBULLDOG ABRASIVES

Terostat 8597 HMLC Direct Glazing Adhesive is aone component, moisture curing Direct GlazingAdhesive with excellent sag resistance base onpolyurethane, which cures by reaction with moisture toa soft elastic product. The skin formation and curingtimes are dependent on humidity and temperature, andthe curing time also depends on joint depth.

By increasing the temperature and moisture thesetimes can be reduced; low temperature as well as lowmoisture retard the process.

Contact Craig on +27 (0)79 504 4563 for moreinformation on this product as well as their wide rangeavailable for collision repairers.

HENKEL SATEROSTAT 8597 DIRECT

GLAZING ADHESIVE

NEW PRODUCTS

The Carsystem Plastic Repair kit contains: Power Mix Gun 1 pc.

Power Mix black 50ml 3 pcs.Power Mix transparent 50ml 2 pcs.

Power Mix black 25ml 1 pc.Power Mix transparent 25ml 1 pc.Power Mix Primer/Activator 1 pc.

Power Mixer 12 pcs.Power Mix supporting / reinforcing film 1 pc.

Prep Hand Cut size 10 1 pairCutter 1 pc.




CUMI™ pioneered the manufacture of CoatedAbrasives and Bonded Abrasives. With strategicglobal alliances and state-of-the-art manufacturingfacilities, CUMI™ has achieved a reputation forunbeatable quality and innovation.

Local testing in SA industries has provenCUMI™ Abrasives to be more durable thanEuropean or American equivalents and the fullrange is now available in South Africa.

The CUMI range includes the following types:Coated Abrasives: lSheets & rollsl Fibre, velcro & Stikkit Discsl Flap discsl Abrasive beltsl Non-woven abrasivesl Spindle & Bore Flap wheelsBonded Abrasives:l Cutting & grinding discsl Super abrasivesCall Mix & Match on more information on the

entire range on +27 (0)31 465 4511/1078.

CUMI ABRASIVES NOW IN SAMIX AND MATCH

Speedliner is a complete dent pulling kit, essential for repairing small,medium and big dents: such as sills, wheelhouses, car fenders. There is alsothe Speedliner ALU E.FV, a complete dent pulling kit for aluminium, essentialfor repairing small, medium and big dents using M4 M5 and M6 studs. Thisdevice allows dents to be removed in doors, wings and bonnet etc withoutstripping.

With Speedliner you can:l Remove dents without disassembling vehicle fittingsl Repair without replacingl Reduce the down-timel Increase your marginl Improve your profitability.Contact Aer-o-cure on +27 (0)11 444 6454 about these and other dent

pullers as well as much more on the comprehensive GYS range.

GYS DENT PULLER RANGEAER-O-CURE

Q-Brands, importers of the 4CR range, introducetheir “Fine Stoppers”. The two pack Elasticweiss (2200)is white in colour, has good adhesion, is pin-hole freeand has a non-shrink formulation. The one packCombi-Stopper (2625) is green in colour and is usedfor filling minor scratches and stone chips.

Contact Geoff: 072 069 5423 or Valerie:082 923 4373 or visit www.QbrandsSA.com

FINE STOPPERSQBRANDS


WHAT’S HOT? JOBS, EQUIPMENT, SERVICES AND MUCH MORE

Auto Industry Consulting provide technical information and consultancyto the global collision repair industry. Our subscription based websitewww.autoindustryinsider.com includes: l Vehicle Technology Review Videos l New model introductionsl Vehicle manufacturer connections l Technology trend overviewsl Vehicle engineering materials l In depth industry reportsl Industry news and more.Ezi-Methods; our vehicle repair methods solution: CRI Tech Reports; a monthly publication providing strategic and practicalindustry information.For further information on any of these products andservices please contact: [email protected] or by calling + 4 4 ( 0 ) 7 9 2 3 5 6 3 2 6 0

www.autoindustryinsider.com

We weld with over 20 years of experience.Repairs to aluminium, magnesiumcomponents, high strength steel, bronze,pewter, iron, titanium, copper and damagedsteel.

PARTS MADE NEW.Call Mark on 086 100 9353

84

DON’ T FEELLEFT OUT?ADVERTISE ANDBUILD YOUR BRAND.The voice of the collision repair industryfor over 29 yearsCALL US +27 (0)11 949 4091EMAIL US [email protected]

The voice of the collision repair industryfor over 29 years

UTOMOTIVEA R E F I N I S H E R

DON’ T FEELLEFT OUT?ADVERTISE AND BUILD YOUR BRAND.


WHAT’S HOT? JOBS, EQUIPMENT, SERVICES AND MUCH MORE

85

DENT PRO-PORTABLE DENT PULLER

Call us on 076 142 7263082 452 6631

www.panelprotech.co.za

A BRIGHT SPARK LOOKS NO FURTHERFOR A MULTI-PURPOSE LUBRICANT

tel: +27 (0)860 772 652 l email: [email protected] l www.spanjaard.biz

S p e c i a l L u b r i c a n t s a n d A l l i e d C h e m i c a l P r o d u c t s

Quality lubricating, moisture-repelling penetratingoil which does not attract dust. A permanent

lubricant, protects against rust and corrosion.

Call Geoff: 072 069 5423, Val: 082 923 437 3 or visit www.QbrandsSA .com

The 4CR Overspray clay with the Clean and Protect Spray

from Q-Brands are a great combination for your surfacecleaning needs. The Overspray clay comes in blue or redblocks and removes overspray surface rust and maskingresidue. The Clean and Protect Spray is developed toremove polish residue, finger marks and dust from paintsurfaces easily and quickly leaving a high gloss.


Holiday time had hit and the year-end bonanza was in full flightwith clogged roads andoverloaded buses. It was, as per

usual, a case of panic on wheels as the nationsplit up into 50 directions for the holidayhappening.

This year the Boss was about to take hislong time friend, Commander Kettle, on aburst of military history. Commander Kettlewas intent on spending far too many of thefew remaining hours on planet earth lookingat the military battle sites that surroundKimberley in the Northern Cape.

Their push in this quest quickly saw themholed up in the Kimberley Club doing whatneeded to be done and that was to try andfind the final resting place of CommanderKettle’s distant family, who was dispatchedto meet his maker at the battle ofMatjiesfontein at the turn of the previouscentury in the Anglo-Boer war.

A past where doubtful glories were theorder of the day in many battles where noone was the real victor. What prompted thevisiting tourist to take it all on was the factthat Commander Kettle had a full line-up ofshiny medals that were won by the ladposthumously, in his possession.

He had them pinned to his chest on theevening they went down to dinner wherethey were set upon by the only waiter onduty at the club. The Boss asked why it wasso quiet on such a glorious Friday summer’snight, only to be told that there was an epicrugby showdown taking place between the

Griquas – the local team – and the FreeState Cheetahs that night. After a short driveto the stadium, they sat amongst 20 000spectators who were shouting themselveshoarse in enjoyment. The pair took on toomuch alcohol that night and awoke the nextday with a blurry outlook on life and thatwith a huge hangover.

This was suitably resolved with a bigbreakfast and the pair set out in their luxurycar to tour the delights of Hopetown andother far flung salt pans in their quest to findjust where the Welsh and Scots guards werebrought to a complete standstill by thesharp-shooting Boers.

After traipsing to and fro, finally atMagersfontein they were winding throughthe military museum remnants which are setto hell and gone – almost 30 kilometresfrom the tar road. Here in this remote placeonly a solitary hawk flying overhead where1 000 soldiers had perished on that fatefulday. It had all turned out to be sort of futileas Commander Kettle donned the familypith helmet and jacket resplendent withmedals and bars. It was a job well done infinding this place, but sadly proved little inthe way of exploits of old, very unlike theromantic stories of yesteryear.

Commander Kettle was pleased that theyhad commemorated the fallen forefathers,but could quickly visualise that a sad end hadbefallen both sides in the conflict. In theseering heat of desert conditions, there areno winners.

The trip had cost the Boss quite a few

Rands as Commander Kettle was sort ofdown on his luck with poor health and hadno financial resources to cover the historictrip. But the Boss had enjoyed taking hisfriend on the all-expenses incurred three-day journey into the past.

Winding their way slowly back to theReef that day, they were prompted byhunger to stop at the Portuguese cafe inWolmaranstad to get something on the run.Commander Kettle jumped out while therefuel was underway for two baconsandwiches, “I’ll get this,” he said andpromptly returned to the car spitting blood.

“Can you believe those thieves.” he saidfuriously, “They charged me R20 each forthe two bacon sandwiches!” Now here wasa visitor that the Boss had blown over tengrand on for his lifelong quest, as part of abucket list, and to be able to complete hisfamily lineage, was completely upset athaving to spend twenty bucks on a measlysandwich.

After a further bubble of discontentment,the Boss told him in no uncertain terms thathis tightness on spending money sort ofbeggared belief and the burst of genuinelaughter lasted for the next 100 kilometres.Commander Kettle clearly felt a bituncomfortable for showing little gratitudefor the Boss’s generosity and patronage.

Truthfully, they remain great friends, butthe Boss often tweaks a raw nerve about thetightness of his mate and the cost of a baconsandwich for the price of a trip of a lifetime.



AFRICAN PANORAMA - THE BACON SANDWICH by Ian Groat


Telephone: +27 (0)83 604 2395Emai l : [email protected] te : www.3m.com

3M VANITY AD M-J 2014_Layout 1 2015/02/03 9:56 AM Page 1

AEROCURE OBC AD J-F 2015_Layout 1 2015/02/03 9:58 AM Page 1