NACE Automechanika has now opened for business at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The opening day included several mechanical, collision and management classes, along with many hands-on demonstrations, presentations and innovative product displays from exhibitors including Gtechniq North America, Pro Spot International and The Matrix Wand.
One of the sessions was presented by Dave Luehr, the founder of Elite Body Shop Solutions. He was in high spirits as he presented his session, The Winning Mindset of America’s Greatest Body Shops, in the morning on the first day of the show.
“Right now is the best time to be in the collision repair industry,” said Luehr. “Perfecting all of the technical aspects of the business is only a part of the body shop success equation. The right winning mindset can overcome more challenges and take you, your business, and your team further, into limitless potential.”
General Motors’ Customer Care and Aftersales division announced the launch of the GM Collision Repair Network at the show. The company also used a morning presentation to speak with repairers about joining techniques GM utilises as a result of ‘light-weighting’ efforts.
“Today’s light-weighting of structures drives new engineering designs as well as new material usage,” said Joe Villanueva with GM Service Engineering, during his presentation. As an example, he spoke about the 2019 LD Chevrolet Silverado, soon hitting dealerships. The vehicle’s weight has been reduced by more than 200kg through the use of aluminium parts such as bolt-on cowls, tailgates, doors and bonnets. Aluminium doors are now full replacement only, with no door skins available, said Villanueva.