Collision, Structurally Sound in 2013?
By Timothy W. Morgan, Managing Director, Spanesi Americas

The automobile marketplace has seen vehicle manufacturers saved by government loans, the job market shrink and become ‘leaner’ in production and costs. Meanwhile the Collision Industry continues to have to keep up at its own pace without any bailouts.

Where are we now? And have we yet arrived? The answer is NO! Those of us that don’t take well to change, well, we might as well pull over and let our competitors pass because without keeping up we can’t compete.

We can start by looking at Vehicle Design and Content. As the fuel economy regulations continue to rise by government mandate, changes are necessary to reduce the mass (weight) of the vehicle. Most of the reduction has been taken over the years in the areas of ‘steel’. As they reduce, they must also add strength, and that comes from new steel types. Changes are constant in steel manufacturing and trying to meet the next demand for strength and durability by the vehicle manufacturer comes from millions of dollars of research and testing. We know materials are constantly changing, so process should also change, or does it?

Repairs are constantly changing, because research changes. Procedures change or are adjusted by the manufacturer as they find new ways to improve them. That brings us to Training and Technology, are they also affected?

Training is constant, everyday new information comes in from the manufacturers about the ‘next’ innovation. And as the build of the vehicle changes so must the repairs. New designs and processes in repair require training, whether is from the vehicle maker, structural repair equipment provider, welding equipment company, or shop material and paint supplier. They are constantly updating their training to address the vehicle and industry needs.

So what’s changing besides steels, and how does new steel affect repairs? With the changes in steels we are to a point in the industry where technology must take over and analyze the materials we are working with since materials change so quickly. Resistance Welders have taken over 70 percent of panel replacement now joining panels at the factory spot welded seams.  So here comes the ‘smart Spot welder’!

Many ‘Smart Welders’ have hit the market recently promising to fix the future, but be careful, whatever welder it is it is still being controlled by a HUMAN! There are settings of some sort on all welders, and to say today that technology for resistance welding is ‘point and shoot’ like our old Polaroid cameras isn’t really accurate. While sales and marketing claim that it’s all a ‘click and weld’ process, a lot of factors are involved, some say material thickness, some material type, electrode length, power settings, distance to material, and forging PSI, all of these are important.  There are so many factors that go in the milliseconds it takes to complete a weld, in reality what is really necessary is to have a welder that can measure what is going on between the tips and quickly adjust to compensate and change the affect of the next weld on the fly. We are using multiple types of materials, many thicknesses, along with adhesives to build a Uni-side consisting of a side hit replacing a A,B,C Pillar and rocker panel which in certain vehicles need many parameters to complete the proper fusion of welding, without a unit that analyzes and adjusts a technician will constantly finding himself adjusting the welder to complete the repairs. One key factor that goes into any welder is the power. Many facilities still do not have the correct power to make a quality weld. While it may appear to fuse the panels together, only a destruction test will prove the weld is correct. As for welders themselves they have changed over the years, and studies have proven that ‘Inverter’ technology is necessary and 3-Phase power is the main power source. The inverter stores power in its capacitors so the power is not totally drawn from the power source during the weld process. Transformer guns take this process further because they have the power made at the tips instead of it being forced through cables to the tips. Although there are big differences in ‘transguns’ that are being marketed so a close look is necessary. Some are big and bulky with more weight than the standard spot welder we may be used to. But big advantages of a Transgun unit includes longer gun cables since the power is made in the gun instead of pushed to the gun making it easier to reach areas on the vehicle with the long cables.

In addition with all the vehicle manufacturer requirements for proper repairs, looking at manufacturer approvals is necessary on any equipment purchase today.

Beyond welding, straightening prior to that point is even more important when it comes to ‘new metals’. We have grown beyond an analysis printout of the structural damage to a process that must include Before, During, and After when it comes to structural repairs. This documentation is required for any Insurance Claim to get the damage and repairs correct. Also with the stronger materials being used in manufacturing more panels are being replaced since they cannot be put back to correct structural integrity. But even if the panel is replaced that doesn’t mean straightening is out of the process. It actually is very important, because adjoining panels that are not being replaced need to find their original position within the vehicle. Vehicles involved in collisions will require pre-pulls which is hard to explain unless you understand both the repair process and the accident process.  The accident damage is not just the noticeable hit area (Direct damage), but also the movement of the rest of the vehicle which causes inertia damage (In-Direct). Both will require attention to get a quality result in a repair! Without the pull or repair prior to cutting off the damage the new panels may not fit right, and adjoining panels may not be in the correct position.

Now pulling equipment is also changing and the need for a ‘big machine’ is being substituted by a mini-rack which also serves as a working platform improving a technician’s ability to work off the ground and increasing productivity. These mini-type platforms also take up less space so when they are added to the structural area production space can be found, or more through-put labor in less space. Larger machines will still be necessary for heavy hits and full frame repairs.

Efficiency continues to be the factor that requires constant improvement as the competition continues in the market place. Many companies offer training to implement a LEAN atmosphere for your facility. It’s a process that should not be taken on alone. Many different concepts exist for LEAN, but they all start the same and most important task. The first priority in adopting a LEAN atmosphere is to clean and sort your production facility and once that is done it must remain in place. Sometimes LEAN adoption does not work because it’s a discipline that must be adhered to by everyone in the facility. Normally this is where weak links are exposed and sometimes will require additional coaching to refine the process. Especially in a ‘flat-rate’ working atmosphere, LEAN processes are not always adapted well by technicians in this competitive environment. 
 
So once again 2013 will be another year of change in equipment, process, and training. While at the same time customers will continue to crash cars to keep our industry moving!