Starting at the end of this month, the 2015 aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 pickup will take center stage at the nations biggest annual collision repair industry gathering here. The July 29-Aug. 2 event, which consists of three overlapping conferences, will address the challenges facing the collision repair industry as new fuel economy regulations, lightweighting and new technologies change vehicle architectures. Were in this evolution of vehicle technology, said John Van Alstyne, CEO of I-CAR, a nonprofit organization that develops training programs for collision repair technicians. All of that drives a lot of complexity into the collision repair business. The repairs youll be doing in 2016 and 2025 are not the same repairs youve been doing for the last 100 years, he said. I-CAR worked with Ford to develop an aluminum repair curriculum for Ford dealers and independent repair shops so theyll be ready when the new pickup arrives late this year. Van Alstyne says the changes taking place are the biggest since the industry moved from rear-wheel-drive, body-on-frame structures to front-wheel-drive unibody architectures in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The July 30 keynote address, The Changing DNA of the Vehicle: Reinventing the Automobile, will be delivered by Larry Burns, professor of engineering at the University of Michigan and former vice president of r&d and planning at General Motors. Three Ford experts will also speak July 30. Robert Fascetti, vice president of powertrain, will address the challenges of corporate average fuel economy regulations and vehicle optimization. Peter Reyes, chief engineer of the Ford F series, will discuss the 2015 F-150; and Paul Massie, powertrain and collision product marketing manager, will discuss Fords new collision repair service strategy. There will also be a session on lightweighting featuring Raymond Boeman, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who will discuss carbon fiber; Ronald Krupitzer, from the Steel Market Development Institute, who will discuss advancements in steel; and Randall Scheps of Alcoa, who will discuss the expanding role of aluminum. A third I-CAR session will address advanced electronics, communications and safety. The Automotive Service Association will host a three-day exposition and conference called NACE/CARS July 31-Aug. 2 that will feature a series of workshops on collision repair techniques and service. The July 29 Collision Industry Conference will serve as a forum for repair professionals. Van Alstyne says the conference gives collision specialists notice that changes will spread everywhere in the automotive ecosystem.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:01:23 +0000
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