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HOT BIKE with a HEARTRAY EVERNHAM, DAVE PEREWITZ AND PPG REFINISH TEAM TOGETHER TO CREATE A CHOPPER AND HELP A GREAT CAUSE
VOLUME 65 NUMBER 2
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HELP STOP WASTEFUL DUPLICATE MAILINGSIf you receive duplicates of the same brochure with different customer numbers, please send us the labels. Be sure to indicate the correct label and we’ll update our records. Thanks so much for your help.©2005 PPG Industries www.ppgrefinish.com LITHO IN U.S.A.
ATTN: PAINT AND BODY SHOP PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDPONTIAC, IL
PERMIT NO. 293
PPG IndustriesAttn: Refinish Group 19699 Progress Dr. Strongsville, OH 44149
Forwarding Service Requested
World Leaders In Automotive FinishesAbsolutely the hottest colors for the coolest rides
Colors gone wild.
Wild colors, unique pigments and hot effects, the new Vibrance Collection from PPG offers the industry an awesome array of show-stopping finishes.
Radiance™ II, Hot Wheels® SPECTRAFLAME™, Liquid Crystal, Flamboyance™ and Harlequin® are just a few of the show-winning finishes.
The Vibrance Collection. Absolutely the hottest colors for the coolest rides. Guaranteed that you will hear them say “Awesome!”
The absolute hottest colors for the coolest rides.
Bike builder: Perewitz Cycle Fab
Computerized estimating for heavy-duty truck repairs has arrived!
Introducing AdjustRiteTM. The easy-to-use, online estimating system for heavy-duty truck repairs.
The AdjustRite Commercial Estimating System from PPG is the advanced way for heavy-duty truck repair facilities to save time, write more accurate repair estimates and increase overall shop productivity.
You’ll be amazed at how fast and easy it is to create an accurate estimate using the AdjustRite Commercial Estimating System. Users simply have to “point ’n click” and follow the easy 5-step process.
Interested? Find out more by visiting www.adjustrite.com
Full-Featured Benefits
• Creates more accurate estimates and repair orders
• Captures often-missed opportunities for increased revenue
• Advanced logic automatically calculates overlap / overhaul
• Saves time, improves productivity
• Superior record-keeping capability
• Creates professional documentation for customers and insurers
• Available 24/7—anywhere you have access to the internet
16NORTHSIDE FORD
This San Antonio dealership occupies 156,000 square feet in a former Super
Kmart Center.
D e p a r t m e n t s
4 Inside Line Performance Power TM helps CertifiedFirst ® shops optimize operations.
4 Team PPG PPG news and information.
10 What’s New PPG’s CeramiClear TM Mar- and Scratch-Resistant Clearcoat is now available as an aftermarket product. Plus—The latest addition to the Deltron® product range—DC4000 Velocity Premium Clearcoat.
15 Tech Talk The OneChoice TM Plastic Prep System makes short work of a tough assignment.
20 Training Update PPG’s newest class is the Vibrance Collection TM Product Training Class.
22 PPG Spotlight Quick, quality repairs, 24 hours a day, are Nassau/Suffolk Truck’s stock-in-trade.
27 Gallery The 2004 NSRA winners and a classic Woody.
PPG Repaint Reporter Volume 65, Number 2
Executive Editor Tara Strunk
Creative Director T. Jon Worden
Design Director Dave Buffington
Design Staff John Janiec Kevin Nowak Mark Francisco Bob Santoro
Contributing Editors Ann Donati Meredith Simpson
Writers T.G. Morrisey Rich Altieri Gail Driver John Stanley
Production Manager Shellie Hill
Contributing Photographers John Walters Robert Klein Jana BirchumMark Langello
PPG Repaint Reporter is published by the Advertising Department of PPG Automotive Refinish. Send comments and questions regarding this publication to:
PPG Industries Repaint Reporter Editor 19699 Progress Drive Strongsville, Ohio 44149 Or, fax to: (440) 572-6880
C o n t e n t s
24LEMAY MUSEUM
The largest private automobile collection
in the world.
12TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Throughput Performance Management offers
significant improvement potential for
individual businesses.
6 ONE HOT BIKE
ONE GREAT CAUSEPPG Refinish,
Ray Evernham and Perewitz Cycle Fab create a one-of-a-kind ‘Choppa’
for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
5
T E A M P P G
This past December the theme of
the PPG booth at NACE was “Driven
by Performance.” This theme reflects
PPG’s commitment to helping our
collision repair partners achieve
maximum performance
in the areas that matter
most. A large part of this
effort is directed at
providing our top quality
collision repair centers
with the technology tools
needed to drive process efficiencies
and grow their business.
One significant program
introduced during our 2004
Performance Summit is aptly named
Performance Power TM. This new
business solution provides
CertifiedFirst ® Network collision
repair centers with a combination
of technology, tools and training
for optimizing their operations.
At the heart of Performance
Power is a technology solution
that gives shops the ability to
easily access, analyze and
leverage the data in existing
estimating and management
systems. The ability to utilize this
Ins ide L ineB y J e f f B l u mD i r e c t o r , P P G Au t o m o t i v e A f t e r m a r k e t A l l i a n c e
PPG Industries and Kansai Paint have announced the successful conclusion
of negotiations to launch an alliance for the sale of automotive coatings to global original equipment manufacturers. The joint venture, to be known as PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes (PKAF), has established legal entities in the United States and the United Kingdom. Registration certification has been initiated in Canada, Mexico, France and Japan.
Officials from PPG and Kansai said the alliance will assist both companies in responding quickly and effectively to the demands and requirements of the global automotive OEM industry.
The initial focus of the alliance will be Japanese-based OEMs in North America and Europe. Later, PPG and Kansai will establish marketing and sales operations in Shanghai, China, and in other Asian countries to serve all automotive OEM customers in that region. In addition, PPG and Kansai will develop technology jointly, benefiting customers worldwide.
Troy, Michigan will be the head office in North America and Birmingham, United Kingdom, will serve as the European head office.
Kansai Paint, established in 1918 and headquartered in Osaka, Japan, is a leading supplier of automotive coatings products in Japan and Asia, including China. ■
PPG and Kansai Paint Launch Alliance
PPG Industries has announced they will expand capacity at the Wichita Falls, Texas flat
glass plant to meet the growing demand for low-emissivity glass and accommodate future generations of energy-efficient, high performance products.
Mark Orcutt, PPG’s vice president of flat glass, said the company will invest approximately $40 million to install a magnetic sputtered vacuum deposition system at Wichita Falls. The system, which applies thin, transparent coatings that enhance the color and optical properties of glass substrates, will
enable the Texas plant to make products such as Solarban ® 60 solar-control low e-glass, whose coating can help reduce heating and cooling costs in homes and buildings.
When the expansion is complete, scheduled for the first half of 2006, Wichita Falls will become the fifth PPG facility to make coated glass.
“Architects and builders require energy-efficient glass to meet their customers’ demands as well as increasingly expanding building codes,” said Orcutt. “PPG has the products and the capacity to meet those needs today and into the future.” ■
PPG to Expand Wichita Falls Flat Glass Plant Aquapel glass treatment is
now available at Firestone Service Centers and
Firestone Expert Tire Centers across the United States. The treatment, which utilizes innovative technology, reduces glare and enhances driving visibility in the rain.
“Installation is completed in the Firestone shop within minutes, and the treatment will last all winter,” said Paul Recrosio, Aquapel business manager.
Developed by PPG Industries, Aquapel’s advanced fluoropolymer-based formula lasts for months of normal vehicle use and cleaning—six times longer than silicone-based products. The treatment repels rain and snow from auto glass, reduces
glare and makes ice, snow, insects and road dirt easier to clean from auto glass.
With the growing consumer popularity of rain repellent glass treatments, the service line has become a key area for automotive service centers to build profit potential and encourage repeat business.
In addition to Firestone centers, Aquapel glass treatment is professionally installed at many glass shops, body shops, quick lubes, car washes and other automotive service operations throughout the United States. Do-it-yourselfers can also buy applications of Aquapel glass treatment that they can install in just five minutes. For details, visit www.aquapel.com. ■
Aquapel® Glass Treatment Installed at Firestone Car Care Centers
Pittsburgh Paints were recently used in refurbishing the Cabinet Room in the West
Wing of the White House. The room, where presidents traditionally meet with Cabinet members to discuss the pressing business of the nation, was redecorated by First Lady Laura Bush, according to a report in the Washington Post.
In related news, Pittsburgh Paints has donated paint, color analysis and technical support for renovating the interior of the Ellis Island Ferry Building. Built in the 1930’s, the Ferry Building
was used as the departure point for millions of immigrants who had successfully passed their immigration and health inspections and were awaiting ferry transportation to new lives in America. The building is scheduled for public reopening in early 2005. ■
Pittsburgh Paints used in White House, Ellis Island Projects
Larry McKenzie of Pullman, Washington was awarded the PPG/ASE Master Refinish
Technician of the Year award at the ASE banquet held at the Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada in November, 2004. The annual award is given to the collision center technician who receives the highest score on the ASE Painting and Refinish test, which is administered twice each year.
McKenzie, who has over 25 years experience as a collision center technician, has been employed by Myers Auto Rebuild and Towing in Pullman, Washington for the past 17 years. He has achieved certification as an ASE Master Repair/Refinish Technician and as an ASE Collision Estimator is I-Car Certified and has attended Chief E-Z Liner Frame School.
“The best thing about being a technician is the rewarding work,” McKenzie said. “You’re always faced with new challenges in this ever changing field. Being PPG and ASE certified provides professional credentials and a positive professional image, which has helped me to improve my skills and enhance my earnings potential.”
“It’s always a pleasure to recognize someone who has achieved this level of success in the collision repair industry,” said Bill Troyer, manager of training for PPG Automotive Refinish. “This annual award goes to show that continual training throughout a technician’s career can enhance their performance and keep them abreast of new developments in the industry.” ■
Larry McKenzie: Technician of the Year
Raymond W. LeBoeuf, chairman and chief executive officer of PPG
Industries has announced he will retire July 1 after nearly 25 years with the company and eight years as its chairman and CEO. In March the board of directors elected Charles E. Bunch as president and chief executive officer.
Bunch joined the company in 1979 as an assistant to the corporate controller. He served in a variety of assignments in the United States and Europe before being named corporate director of purchasing and distribution in 1988. He became general manager of architectural coatings in 1992, vice president of that unit in 1994, and vice president of fiber glass in 1995. He was elected senior vice president of strategic planning and corporate
services in 1997 and executive vice president, coatings, in early 2000. He was subsequently elected president, chief operating officer and a PPG board member in July of 2002.
A native of Philadelphia, Bunch received a degree in international affairs from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.
Bunch will become chairman of the board and CEO July 1 upon LeBoeuf’s retirement. ■
Bunch to Take Helm of PPG
4
Larry McKenzie (second from right) receives the PPG/ASE Technician of the Year Award. Also pictured (from left to right) Ron Weiner, President of ASE; Bill Troyer, PPG Manager of Training; and Billis Willis, past Chairman of the ASE Board of Directors.
information in a meaningful way
creates opportunities for continuous
improvement. This translates into
satisfied customers, which in turn
translates into business growth.
Another Performance Power
benefit is PPG’s ability to provide
insurers with aggregate network
performance reports. These reports
will demonstrate the network’s
overall performance against the
top key performance indicators
valued by insurers, and will
support compliance to insurers’
DRP programs by helping shops
understand their strengths as well
as opportunities for improvement.
This proactive approach to
performance management is one
more illustration of the multiple
ways PPG strives to benefit both
shops and insurers. We encourage
all of our CertifiedFirst Network
participants to take advantage of
this powerful new tool and to
learn more about how they can
achieve “Performance Power.” For
more information on this exciting
new initiative, please send an
email to [email protected]. ■
Hot Bike one greatone
66
Last year when the PPG marketing group was working with Dave Perewitz, custom bike builder extraordinaire of Perewitz Cycle Fab, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to come up with ideas to promote PPG’s Vibrance Collection™, the idea of an awesome custom bike painted with Vibrance Collection colors was born. It wasn’t until Perewitz attended the NASCAR race in Loudon, New Hampshire and spoke with Ray Evernham, the owner of Evernham Motorsports and lead developer of the Dodge motorsports program for NASCAR’s premiere Nextel Cup Series that the project came to life. Evernham, who uses PPG paints for all his racecars, offered to sponsor the bike if it could be used to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As a caring human being and a father, he leads a life that has been touched by the blood cancer of leukemia.
“My son Ray J was diagnosed at age one with leukemia. Today Ray J is a healthy teenager and a survivor. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has been incredibly important to me and my family, and I’m committed to finding new and unique ways to
help raise funds for the important work they do,” said Evernham.
And Ray’s approach to anything is the same—full throttle.
“We have promoted the work of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with our race team, and we have a donations link on our website, evernhammotorsports.com,” he said. “I wanted to do something different to not only promote awareness of the disease, but to also make a significant contribution toward future research.”
Ray Evernham, a longtime motorcyclist and a connoisseur of custom V-twin choppers, knew exactly how to accomplish those goals. Joining forces with PPG and Perewitz, together they agreed to commission a one-of-a-kind custom motorcycle that would tour the country showcasing the Vibrance Collection colors, Perewitz’s awesome craftsmanship and also raise awareness of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. After the nationwide tour, the motorcycle will then be placed up for bid on eBay, with all proceeds going to the Society.
“I’ve known Ray for a long time,” said Dave. “I’ve always respected him as a very knowledgeable rider, and he’s always admired my bikes but I’ve never built anything for him before. So I welcomed this as an opportunity to expand our friendship and do something unique and outstanding for a very worthy cause.”
From the beginning, everyone involved agreed on certain things.
First and foremost, the custom bike would have to be a practical, rideable
PPG Refinish, Ray Evernham and Perewitz Cycle Fab create a one-of-a-kind Chopper that will promote its sponsors and raise money and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Sam Eisenberg, 4, of Dallas, a leukemia survivor, and twin brother, Ethan, his bone marrow donor, both honored patients of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, were at the Texas Motor Speedway April 15th to help kick off the Charity Chopper tour.
888
machine—because Perewitz will not build anything else. “I absolutely will not build a piece of ‘eye candy’ or jewelry that you can’t take out on the street,” said Perewitz. “Our cycles are one hundred percent street-ridden, daily-use motorcycles. They are designed that way, and then we ride them to make sure they’re that way before they go to the customer. Anybody can make a bike that looks outrageous, but we make a bike that looks outrageous and performs.”
Second, the bike would have to look spectacular... “which is really par for the course for us,” said Dave. “Most everything we build has either been on a magazine cover, on a TV show or in a calendar—sometimes all three. And we knew that this bike would be touring before going up for bid, so we made sure it was something you could walk around and go, ‘Wow!’”
And third, the bike had to have f lames. Evernham’s team uses PPG finishes on their racecars, and the PPG Vibrance Collection truck has that awesome f lame paint job, and Dave Perewitz’s f lame paint schemes are really a legend among people who love custom bikes. “Paint is something that really makes our bikes unique. Most shops job their paint work out, but we have always done ours in-house, and I was our
original painter. And for a f lame scheme, I still am—if a Perewitz choppa rolls out of here with f lames on it, it’s my hand that put them there,” said Perewitz.
From there on, design was a close collaboration between Ray and Dave.
“Before we got started on the build, Ray and I had about half a dozen conversations on design, riding characteristics, basically what sort of bike we were after,” said Perewitz. “And our design was also guided by the fact that the bike is going to be up for bid, so we needed a design that would have maximum popular appeal. That helped guide us to a swing rear end instead of a hardtail, a moderate rake rather than a super-long chopper front end, a lower and more comfortable handlebar orientation, and just generally the kind of bike that anybody that loves to ride could get on and ride all day. And that’s one of my favorite styles of bikes to build, because I love it when I see my ‘choppas’ on the streets. That’s what they’re for.”
But, practicality aside, the bike also had to have the depth of detail that could
attract a crowd at the curbside. “When a person rides this class of cycle, there’s a certain level of quality that’s expected,” said Dave, “and we make it a point to exceed expectations. When we deliver a bike, the customer is blown away, absolutely. No other reaction will do.”
That the motorcycle would be crafted from premium components and materials was also taken as a matter of course. Perewitz created the machine around a 121-cubic-inch TP Engineering ProSeries V-twin engine, driving a Baker RSD 6-speed transmission, to deliver its power to the 10.5 x 18-inch rear wheel by dependable belt drive. Both wheels are Weld-Recluse, the frame is Daytec, and all metalwork was designed and done in-house by the Perewitz team. And when it came to paint, there was only one choice.
“Oh—Vibrance Collection absolutely,” said Dave. “We have a PPG mixing center integral to our downdraft, baking spray booth and dedicated prep area, and the Vibrance colors and their candies, pearls and prismatics are just exactly what the doctor ordered for the bikes we
build—especially this bike, which will
be touring with the Vibrance show truck, and has a paint scheme especially designed to harmonize with that truck. And I guarantee that this will be the kind of paint job where you can spend hours looking at the details.”
To top things off, Perewitz used a PPG Vibrance Collection Liquid Crystal color “O-So-Orange,” with purple candy f lames outlined with a corrugated gold leaf pinstripe. The custom motorcycle also incorporates elements especially created for it by the Evernham Motorsports machine shop, designed to ref lect the project’s NASCAR heritage.
The bike made its debut at the PPG Sales and Platinum Distributor Conferences in Orlando, Florida in March and then traveled to Daytona Bike Week in Daytona, Florida. The bike will be on display at National Street Rod Association (NSRA), Goodguys and select NASCAR-related events throughout the summer (see schedule at right).
During the PPG Platinum Distributor Conference, an auction was held to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. PPG Platinum Distributors bid on racing memorabilia, posters, body shop equipment and supplies, and more to raise over $32,000 for the cause.
As part of the yearlong fundraising effort, there will be monthly charity auctions on eBay, beginning on the 30th of every month. A few of the prime items that will go on the block include authentic Evernham
Dave Perewitz’s flame paint schemes are a legend among people who love custom bikes. “Paint is something that really makes our bikes unique,” said Perewitz. “Most shops job their paint work out, but we have always done ours in house. If a Perewitz choppa rolls out of here with flames on it, it’s my hand that put them there.”
Motorsports items autographed by one or more of the team’s drivers. Go to www.ebay.com/charitychopper for details. Don’t miss this chance to bid on one-of-a-kind racing memorabilia to support a great cause! 100% of the proceeds of all auctions will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The fundraising activities culminate beginning September 30th when the awesome Charity Chopper itself goes up for auction on eBay.
As announced by Ray Evernham during a press conference on April 15th to the NASCAR media, the Charity Chopper will be presented by himself and PPG representatives to the lucky winning bidder at Texas Motor Speedway during the November NASCAR race weekend. At the same ceremony, a check representing all of the proceeds that have been raised from the yearlong fundraising activities will be presented to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
For more information about the Charity Chopper and its complete 2005 schedule, go to www.ebay.com/charitychopper. ■
The front line in the battle against blood cancers
Headquartered in White Plains, New York, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood
cancer research, education and patient services. The Society’s mission is
to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve
the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949,
the Society has invested more than $360 million for research specifically
targeting blood cancers. For more information about the Society, and
how to help support its work, click the link
on the Evernham Motorsports website, or
go to www.leukemia-lymphoma.org.
Cool April Nights April 8-10 Redding, CANASCAR event, Texas Motor Speedway April 15 Justin, TX29th Western Street Rod National April 29 – May 1 Bakersfield, CAMyrtle Beach Bike Week May 13 – 22 Myrtle Beach, SC1st Great American Rod & Custom Nationals May 27 – 29 Springfield, MO32nd Annual Street Rod Nationals East June 3 – 5 York, PA17th Hot Rod Nationals June 10 – 12 Indianapolis, INLA Roadster Show June 17 – 19 Pomona, CA21st Rocky Mountain Street Rod Nationals June 24 – 26 Pueblo, CO4th Heartland Nationals July 1 – 3 Des Moines, IA8th Goodguys PPG Nationals July 8 – 10 Columbus, OHPPG Place July 19 Pittsburgh, PABike Fest July 22 – 24 Carlisle, PA36th Annual Street Rod Nationals August 4 – 7 Louisville, KY 16th Great Lakes Nationals August 12 – 14 Waukesha, WIIHRA World Nationals August 24 – 27 Norwalk, OH26th Street Rod Nationals North September 16 – 18 Kalamazoo, MI4th Mid Western Nationals September 23 – 25 Kansas City, KS13th Lone Star Nationals September 30 – October 2 Fort Worth, TX18th Southeast Street Rod Nationals October 14 – 16 Tampa, FL12th Southeastern Nationals October 28 – 30 Charlotte, NC16th Autumn Get-Together November 12 – 13 Pleasanton, CA
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W H A T ’ S N E W
GLOBAL REFINISH SYSTEM D8126CeramiClearTM Mar- and Scratch-Resistant Clearcoat
Owners of high-end vehicles expect lasting, mar-resistant
perfection in the finish of their vehicles. But owners of luxury cars and SUVs rarely have the time to hand-wash their vehicles, so drive-through car washes are generally the norm. And using drive-through car washes and keeping a mar-free finish on a vehicle have generally been seen as mutually exclusive conditions... until now.
Knowing that their owner base contains an extremely large number of time-is-money businesspeople—people who keep their vehicles clean, but rarely have the time for a sponge and a chamois, Mercedes-Benz came to PPG with a challenge for a clearcoat that could weather repeated machine car-washing and minimize the hairline scratches and scuff marks so common on machine-washed vehicles.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for rock-
hard durability or maximum cycle time with optimum
quality—PPG Refinish has the clearcoat for you
PPG met the challenge with an OEM product that is now the standard clearcoat for Mercedes vehicles worldwide—and is now being made available for the first time as an aftermarket product.
D8126 CeramiClearTM Mar- and Scratch-Resistant Clearcoat is a new-generation clearcoat offering exceptional mar and scratch resistance. Utilizing innovative nanoparticle technology that bonds at the molecular level, D8126 creates a glass-like, extremely hard surface that offers superior gloss retention and exceptional resistance to car washing and polishing scratches.
10 11
Specially designed and
warranty-approved for the repair of Mercedes-Benz vehicles with CeramiClear original finishes, D8126 can be used over Global Refinish System basecoat colors, as well as Envirobase ® basecoats. A high-solids clear, it is formulated to meet National Rule and Southern California VOC limits.
Before using this high-performance product, technicians should refer to product bulletin EU142 for complete application, health and safety information. ■
DELTRON® DC4000Velocity Premium Clearcoat
Time is money.”Whether you’re a paint
technician or a collision shop owner, you’ve long since taken that adage to heart. Minimizing cycle time and maximizing throughput is a matter of concern for most shops today, and a matter of absolute necessity for high-volume urban repair centers. But quality is also a major concern—so how can you maintain exceptional results in the minimum amount of time, especially with today’s deep-gloss, clearcoat finishes?
The latest addition to the Deltron® product range is DC4000 Velocity Premium Clearcoat, specifically formulated for multi-panel and overall refinishing in spray booth conditions. DC4000 combines speed, quality and clarity to deliver a superb, deep rich gloss with ultimate durability.
Complementing and using the same hardeners as DC3000 (designed for spot and air-dry refinishing), DC4000 force-dries in as little as ten minutes, IR bakes in as little as five and can be polished immediately after cool down, reducing energy cost and therefore shortening cycle time.
Suitable for spot repairs, yet having the versatility to spray complete vehicles, DC4000 is the ideal choice for high
production collision centers.
Deltron DC4000 Velocity Premium Clear may be
applied over Deltron basecoats (DBU and DBC) and Concept® Acrylic Urethane. Before using DC4000, paint technicians should refer to product bulletin P-241 for complete application, safety and health information.
For more information on Global D8126 CeramiClear TM Mar- and Scratch-Resistant Clearcoat, Deltron DC4000 Velocity Premium Clearcoat, or any PPG Automotive Refinish product, visit the PPG Refinish web site at www.ppgrefinish.com. ■
C l e a r l y S u p e r i o r
“
12 13
T A K I N G C A R E O F B U S I N E S S
W ould it have a positive impact on your sales
potential, profitability and return on
investment? Would processing jobs faster
improve your accounts receivables and cash f low? Would
shorter cycle times make your business more attractive to
consumers and insurers? Would achieving significantly
higher levels of throughput performance give you a
significant competitive advantage?
No doubt most will have answered an emphatic ‘YES’ to these questions and that’s great because it proves that you have a clear understanding of the potential benefits that can be gained by improving throughput!
Throughput is not a new idea by any stretch. Henry Ford introduced his moving assembly line process in 1913 and this innovative boost to throughput changed the
Rich Altieri,Manager of Business Solutions Development
manufacturing world forever. Ford understood that to make his automobiles more affordable to the masses and still make a profit, he had to find a way to drive out cost while maintaining quality. Speed, quality and reduced cost became the key factors that led to his milestone invention of the assembly line process.
Following World War II, Dr. W. Edwards Deming began working with Japanese industry leaders to
help them rebuild their manufacturing businesses
with a philosophy focused on continuous
improvement. Fast forward to 1950 and Toyota founder, Mr. Toyoda, had just returned from another visit to the Ford and G.M. plants in the U.S. He called his plant manager, Taiichi Ohno, into his office and handed him a tough new assignment—improve Toyota’s manufacturing process to the point where it equals the productivity of Ford!
That vision led to the development of the famous Toyota Production System, or Lean Production System (as it’s known in the U.S.). Toyota’s approach was based around keeping inventory levels (and therefore cost) to an absolute minimum while, at the same time, maximizing speed and quality. Has Toyota’s approach been successful?
Today Toyota is the world’s third largest automobile manufacturer, behind G.M. and Ford, and auto industry analysts estimate it will pass Ford in 2005. What’s more, Toyota’s annual profits for 2003 were larger than those of G.M., Ford and Chrysler combined. And on average, Toyota builds a car in 25% fewer labor hours than Chrysler, G.M. and Ford.
Now, at this point you might be thinking that this is all pretty interesting but what has it got to do with collision repair? At the beginning of this article I stated that managing throughput is not a new idea but it is definitely an idea whose
time has come in the business of collision repair. Indeed, it’s already having a substantial impact on many collision repair businesses.
As world leaders in automotive finishes, PPG has made significant development and training investment in the sciences of Lean Six Sigma and T.O.C. (Theory of Constraints)—all well established approaches to throughput performance improvement. At the recent PPG Refinish Performance Summit, held in Orlando, Florida, we introduced a series of workshops directed at throughput improvements and the opportunity to focus on the subject will continue via the 2005 MVP Roundtable meetings.
There’s no time like the present to begin exploring new opportunities and ensuring that your business
stands out in the crowd! Here are a few recommendations to consider:
Gather your people together and do some strategic thinking:
Many markets are experiencing fewer accidents, an increased number of total losses and other influences that are creating a tougher competitive landscape. Try asking your people ‘what are the challenges we face as a company’ and, based on those challenges, ‘what is most important now’?
In general, it’s factors such as quality, profitability, customer loyalty, insurance relationships and employee development that will be critical to your success today and in the future. So what should your strategy be? How will you become
T h r o u g h p u t F o c u s e d M a n a g e m e n tWhat would it mean to your business if you could process the average repair job, keys-to-keys, in just three to four days while your competitors take 10 to 12 days?
continued on page 14
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T E C H T A L KThroughputcontinued from page 13
That’s why PPG developed the OneChoice TM Plastic Prep System. The streamlined system includes everything you need to prepare an unprimed plastic surface to receive literally any PPG Refinish basecoat. System components include:• SU4901 Clean and Scuff
Sponge—The sponge is specially formulated to clean and abrade the surface for optimum adhesion.
• SU4902 Plastic Adhesion Wipe—The wipe applies a film forming adhesive and removes adhesion-resisting static.
• SUA4903 Advanced Plastic Bond (Aerosol—also available as SU4903 sprayable liquid)—Advanced Plastic Bond forms a durable surface that is optimal for traditional automotive refinishes.
PLASTIC MAKES PERFECT
with water, dry, sand if necessary, then wipe with SXA103 Multi-Prep or DX103 Multi-Prep applied with a clean white cloth in one direction and immediately dried with a clean cloth. After 3–5 minutes f lash time, you can proceed to topcoat or undercoat.
Sound simple? It is. Your customers will love the results, and you’ll love the durability. ■
* Source: National Nanotechnology Initiative
Automakers often resort to plastic
body components to achieve the
complex shapes so necessary for today’s
aerodynamic body styles. For collision
repair specialists, that provides the extra
challenge of achieving a long-lasting repair
on a non-traditional substrate. Fail to do
that, and you could be facing a revenue-
consuming warranty repair.
OneChoice TM Plastic Prep System makes short work of a tough assignment
15
What makes the system work is PPG’s patented NanoAdhesion Technology—technology that works with molecules on the 1–100 nanometer scale (to put this in perspective, a DNA molecule is 2–12 nanometers wide*). Working at this extremely small scale allows PPG to create a film that firmly grips even plastic surfaces that appear absolutely smooth to the eye.
Yet, sophisticated as the technology is, it takes no special expertise to use it. In fact, for unprimed plastic parts, all you need to do is:
Tear open SU4901 Clean and Scuff Sponge
and clean the substrate thoroughly using the pre-saturated scuff sponge, using only moderate pressure. Then rinse with clean water and blow or wipe thoroughly dry with a clean cloth.
Tear open SU4902 Plastic Adhesion Wipe. Apply a light even coat over the entire area, wiping in one direction to minimize product overlap. Allow 3–5 minutes f lash time.
Shake SUA4903 Advanced Plastic Bond well, and apply a single light coat, allowing 3–5 minutes f lash time before proceeding to topcoat or undercoat.
For primed surfaces, you may use the SU4901 Clean and Scuff Sponge, rinse thoroughly
the most attractive repairer and employer of choice? How will you measure success? How will you tailor your compensation and reward systems to reach your goals?
Determining your current performance and setting target
performance is the key to continuous improvement. Available through your PPG territory manager and distributor, the MVP Benchmark Performance Analysis is an excellent tool that will help you identify opportunities for improvement by comparing your performance to the industry’s largest performance benchmark database.
The MVP Collision Center Operations Manual is packed
with information that can help you run a more efficient operation. You
can order one for $100 or receive it free with your first MVP Benchmark report. If you already have one, pull it off the shelf, blow the dust off of it and share it with your management team. Challenge
each other to explore new opportunities for improvement.
If you haven’t attended an MVP Business Management
workshop for some time, do it now! These one-day workshops offer an excellent opportunity to further develop your business. You might even consider a course that you’ve attended before since the value of these courses goes well beyond just the content when you consider the opportunity to meet other shop
owners who share similar challenges and opportunities. In particular, the MVP Cycle Time Management course offers many tips and an insight into the best practices to achieve improved throughput.
Begin to study the actual sciences of throughput
performance. There are thousands of books, videos and web sites on the subjects of Lean Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints.
My personal recommendations include: ‘What is Lean Six Sigma’ by Mike George, Dave Rowlands and Bill Kastle. This 92-page book is easy to read and most will complete it in just a few evenings. Better still, buy a copy for each of your managers, have them read it and schedule a meeting to discuss their ideas and thoughts on how these process improvement philosophies can be applied to your business. For those looking for a more challenging read, try ‘The Toyota Way’ by Jeffery Liker, which provides an in-depth look at the Toyota Production Process.
Accurate performance measurement is critical to
continuous improvement. Ask your territory manager about Performance Power (P2)—PPG’s new offering for measuring, benchmarking and reporting on key performance indicators such as cycle time, customer satisfaction and estimating metrics.
If you’re not one of the 1,800 participants in PPG’s
CertifiedFirst TM Network, contact your territory manager or distributor and explore how this unique program can help you grow your business in 2005 and beyond.
Participate* in MVP Roundtable Meetings and take
advantage of the opportunity to collaborate with other shop owners and managers who collectively boast hundreds of years of experience (*subject to certain eligibility criteria).
Work closely with your PPG territory manager and
distributor toward interdependent success. They visit with literally hundreds of shops throughout the year and through them you can gain access to the multitude of PPG resources available to you.
Make a strong commitment to continuous improvement and
then communicate that commitment to everyone in your organization—every day. Continually ask the questions ‘What’s important now?’ and ‘What are we doing about it?’ ■
Rich Altieri is a long-time veteran of the collision repair industry with over 30 years of experience. Altieri is a Manager of Business Solutions Development for PPG Refinish. You can contact Altieri by email at [email protected].
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T E C H T A L K
That’s why PPG developed the OneChoice TM Plastic Prep System. The streamlined system includes everything you need to prepare an unprimed plastic surface to receive literally any PPG Refinish basecoat. System components include:• SU4901 Clean and Scuff
Sponge—The sponge is specially formulated to clean and abrade the surface for optimum adhesion.
• SU4902 Plastic Adhesion Wipe—The wipe applies a film forming adhesive and removes adhesion-resisting static.
• SUA4903 Advanced Plastic Bond (Aerosol—also available as SU4903 sprayable liquid)—Advanced Plastic Bond forms a durable surface that is optimal for traditional automotive refinishes.
PLASTIC MAKES PERFECT
with water, dry, sand if necessary, then wipe with SXA103 Multi-Prep or DX103 Multi-Prep applied with a clean white cloth in one direction and immediately dried with a clean cloth. After 3–5 minutes f lash time, you can proceed to topcoat or undercoat.
Sound simple? It is. Your customers will love the results, and you’ll love the durability. ■
* Source: National Nanotechnology Initiative
Automakers often resort to plastic
body components to achieve the
complex shapes so necessary for today’s
aerodynamic body styles. For collision
repair specialists, that provides the extra
challenge of achieving a long-lasting repair
on a non-traditional substrate. Fail to do
that, and you could be facing a revenue-
consuming warranty repair.
OneChoice TM Plastic Prep System makes short work of a tough assignment
15
What makes the system work is PPG’s patented NanoAdhesion Technology—technology that works with molecules on the 1–100 nanometer scale (to put this in perspective, a DNA molecule is 2–12 nanometers wide*). Working at this extremely small scale allows PPG to create a film that firmly grips even plastic surfaces that appear absolutely smooth to the eye.
Yet, sophisticated as the technology is, it takes no special expertise to use it. In fact, for unprimed plastic parts, all you need to do is:
Tear open SU4901 Clean and Scuff Sponge
and clean the substrate thoroughly using the pre-saturated scuff sponge, using only moderate pressure. Then rinse with clean water and blow or wipe thoroughly dry with a clean cloth.
Tear open SU4902 Plastic Adhesion Wipe. Apply a light even coat over the entire area, wiping in one direction to minimize product overlap. Allow 3–5 minutes f lash time.
Shake SUA4903 Advanced Plastic Bond well, and apply a single light coat, allowing 3–5 minutes f lash time before proceeding to topcoat or undercoat.
For primed surfaces, you may use the SU4901 Clean and Scuff Sponge, rinse thoroughly
If television makeover shows are to be
believed, a new look leads to a new future
and greater happiness. At Northside Ford in
San Antonio, Texas, that may well be the case.
Northside Ford now sells F-150s, Tauruses,
Mustangs, and more in a building that was
originally designed to dispense everything
from shoes and socks to garden rakes. This
entrepreneurial dealership has taken a building
designed as a gigantic Super Kmart Center,
and made it their own. A welcome and
familiar part of the San Antonio business
scene for over a quarter century, Northside
Ford was looking for a place that echoed the
wide-open-spaces and everything’s-big-in-
Texas philosophy of the Lone Star State.
And they got it—the dealership now has
156,000 square feet of space under a single roof.
DetailRetailNorthside Ford Collision Center:
Old Values Grow in New Places
Through the magic of dreams, dedication and a lot of hard work, the dealership reclaimed an important community building and turned it into an experience that is almost magical for their customers. The converted shopping center has everything a prospective auto customer could want. Rows of new Fords await interested buyers; offices provide a comfortable environment to conduct business, and professional staff stands ready to help new and returning customers. Part of the makeover included a state-of-the-art collision center; a place where wounded cars and worried owners get a second chance at the road.
Standing at the helm of the collision center is body shop director Rob Strom. He oversees twenty-two employees working in the 26,000-square-foot, air conditioned facility. The work area is dotted with state-of-the-art equipment, but equipment can only go so far in pleasing customers and meeting needs. What makes the difference in customer satisfaction at this facility is simple, homespun Texas values.
“Our customers get a prompt greeting and a warm handshake when they
Company name Northside Ford, San Antonio, Texas
Started August 2004 (in new location)
Owner Gary Woods, (president of the Minnesota Vikings); Rob Strom, Body Shop Director
Major equipment Car-O-Liner® BenchrackTM frame machine; Car-O-Soft electronic measuring; Global Finishing SolutionsTM downdraft paint booths; 3 Global Finishing SolutionsTM Prep Stations; CCC Pathways Collision Estimating System.
PPG products usedPPG Global Refinish System
PPG repArnie Jamnik
PPG jobberEnglish Color and Supply
S H O P F A C T S
From to
The new Northside Ford location, which occupies 156,000 square feet in a former Super Kmart Center in San Antonio, Texas, offers everything a prospective auto customer could want, including a state-of-the-art collision center.
1716
continued on page 18
18
service comes from the heart; quality service comes from training, and training is at the core of Northside’s service.
“We train constantly,” Strom states. “Everyone trains, from the director on down.” PPG plays a central role in that ongoing education. Strom’s department has made full use of PPG training including the MVP series, technician certification, and manager education. The collision center at Northside Ford is a member of CertifiedFirstTM Network meaning they are numbered among approximately 1,800 shops and dealerships whose standards, training, and business ethics qualify them for the prestigious referral service.
Committed to excellence, Strom’s shop relies on PPG’s Global Refinish System to enable them to do the best work possible in a shorter amount of time. Northside Ford’s motto is, “Others promise… We deliver.” It’s a sentiment that sets the tone, not only for the dealership but for the collision center.
Strom and the others at Northside Ford know that customers will be impressed by the size of the building, the expansive lots and the modern shop, but it will be the handshake, the smile, the understanding attitude, and the excellent work that will be remembered.
In a city best know for the historic San Antonio River, the bustling River Walk, and of course, the world-famous Alamo, Northside Ford has added another unique landmark—a business that knows the power of civic mindedness, a friendly greeting, a warm handshake and the satisfaction of a job done right. ■
It’s been a good match. “Business continues to grow in our new location. Every month we move about 180 cars through the shop. We fix everything from small dings to $20,000 repair jobs. Each job gets our full attention.”
Such variety keeps things interesting and for Strom that is the joy of the work. “The work is always challenging. Every job is different from the one that came before and each has its own set of challenges.” For Strom, the goal is to get the job done right. He knows that every customer has the same expectation when it comes to a repair: they want their car or truck to look just the way it did when it first rolled off the lot.
In a state where the issues can range from deer strikes and armadillo dings to working on bodies affected and corroded by years next to the Gulf of Mexico, making things showroom-new can sometimes be a real challenge. “The real pleasure comes from taking a bad situation and making it a good one,” Strom admits.
With 180 cars f lowing through the bay doors and through the paint booths, it might be easy to lose sight of the big picture amidst the pressures to get each job done on time, but a dogged persistence to do great work when others settle for that which is merely good, sets this collision center team above the rest. “There is a sense of fulfillment in putting a wrecked car back on the road again, helping customers, and seeing the gratitude on their faces.” Sending troubled customers out the door with smiles on their faces motivates him.
Northside Ford, whose owner is Gary Woods, president of the Minnesota Vikings, prides itself on friendly, quality service. Friendly
enter our facility,” Strom says. “We continue that level of service from the time they drop their car off until they drive it away.”
Strom, an unassuming, self-effacing man with a winning smile, is a veteran in the auto body repair business. Like many in his profession, he started young.
“I began working with my dad in an independent workshop,” he recalls. “I worked there for ten years doing everything from sweeping f loors to payroll and rising through the ranks.” Along the way, he gained indispensable insight into the running of a professional collision center.
That job evolved into a full-f ledged career when Rob signed on with the popular Texas Ford dealership. “I joined Northside Ford as an estimator and worked for them for six and a half years.”
After nearly seven years, the two parted company for a time and Strom further honed his skills and leadership elsewhere. He would return when Northside offered a challenge that he couldn’t refuse. “I worked for another dealership but came back to Northside Ford to help open the new body shop.”
With a new, larger facility came a new, larger collision center. Strom began that work in May of last year.
Retail to Detailcontinued from page 17
Every month the dealership moves about 180 cars through the shop, fixing everything from small dings to $20,000 repair jobs.
A HAND
THE TOOLS
SOMETHING TO PAINT
The Essentials
Del eet EssentialAll You Need To Finish The Job.
PPG IndustriesCommercial Coatings
We’re Everywhere You Look
www.ppgcommercialcoatings.com
014573icippg_SinglePage.indd 1 3/14/05 5:14:17 PM
A HAND
THE TOOLS
SOMETHING TO PAINT
The Essentials
Delfl eet EssentialAll You Need To Finish The Job.
PPG IndustriesCommercial Coatings
We’re Everywhere You Look
www.ppgcommercialcoatings.com
014573icippg_SinglePage.indd 1014573icippg_SinglePage.indd 1 3/14/05 5:14:17 PM3/14/05 5:14:17 PM
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T R A I N I N G U P D A T E
Custom finishers
of street rods,
race cars, custom cars,
motorcycles, skate boards, snow boards—even
motorcycle helmets and guitars, can now take
advantage of PPG training. PPG’s newest training
class for 2005 is the Vibrance CollectionTM Product
Training class, designed especially for
those interested in the application
of the spectacular colors and eye-
popping special effect finishes in
PPG’s newest product line.
Vibrance CollectionTM Custom Training Classes Coming Near You
completion of the course, students are awarded a Certificate of
Accomplishment.“Custom finishers can
take advantage of a full range of courses to
enhance their knowledge,” Troyer adds. “In addition
to the Vibrance course, PPG offers Custom Airbrushing, Custom
Graphics and Custom Flames Design.”
Classes will be held at state-of-the-art Business Development Centers across North America. For a complete schedule of classes, interested technicians can visit the PPG web site at www.ppgrefinish.com and click on “Training” or call 1-800-970-2283. ■
Color Creationsyour
Introduced in 2004, the Vibrance Collection includes such color systems as Harlequin®, Liquid Crystal, Harlequin® Essence, Liquid Metal, Crystal PearlTM, Prizmatique ®, Flamboyance TM, Radiance® II, and SparkleMistTM . These extraordinary finishes have garnered a great deal of
attention and excitement in the custom market since their introduction.
“These outstanding finishes require a little extra attention to mixing and application techniques in order to achieve the maximum effect,” said Bill Troyer, manager of training for PPG Automotive Refinish. “We encourage all custom finishers to take this course to discover the full range of the effects you can achieve with these products.”
The course includes all of the necessary technical information to properly apply these finishes and includes extensive hands-on spraying of Vibrance
Collection products. Topics covered include:• Safety• Product line overview• Undercoat and topcoat offerings and compatibility• Color system overviews• Basic equipment setups• Helpful tips, tricks, and techniques
The two-day course is formatted to allow one-on-one student/instructor interaction, and is limited to a maximum of 12 students per class. Students will receive Vibrance product line course materials and color cards, as well as several contoured show panels of their own design. At the
22
F ast turnaround is something most customers
want in today’s time-sensitive environment.
But no market is as time-sensitive as the commercial
f leet market in New York. In a world where time
is money, a vehicle that is broken down or out of
service can mean revenue irrevocably lost.
That’s why, when Kirk Lombardi opened a Long Island towing business in 1986, he took it as a given that his hours would be the same as those kept by New York—“the city that never sleeps.” Towing was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and clients included motor clubs, repair and body shops and police departments.
Of course, when you’re the go-to guy in the event of a breakdown, one thing you need to do is make sure that your own trucks are in top shape. So in 1991, Lombardi opened a 2,000-square-foot, two-
N e w Y o r k M i n u t e“We decided to use up that excess
capacity by offering maintenance and repair services for commercial customers and their f leets of trucks,” he says.
Nassau/Suffolk Truck was born.Lombardi recalls that “it took two
years for the repair business to take off.” But when it did take off, it quickly used up the towing business’ excess capacity—and then some. Lombardi credits that to “people power.”
“Our success is a direct result of our employees’ hard work and dedication,” he says. “Our employees’ hearts are into it. They really care about the company and the staff. And our customers’ support and confidence has help us grow and add many new services.”
One of those services was added in 1995, when Nassau/Suffolk Truck moved to a 12,000-square-foot facility. In addition to repair, Lombardi began to offer painting as a service.
“Adding paint was not just a matter of bringing skilled technicians on staff,” Kirk Lombardi says. “It also meant that we needed to set up the shop in the most effective manner. That’s where PPG came in. Of everyone we spoke with, it was obvious that PPG had the expertise to not only supply us with paint, but to advise us on how to set up that end of the business. And it meant immediate new business for us. We picked up large accounts—beverage companies and township sanitation f leets—that needed repainting as well as our other services.”
It meant so much new business that Nassau/Suffolk Truck moved again—twice. In 2000, they moved to a 15,000-square-foot facility. And in May of 2004, they moved to their present facility, a 25,000-square-foot workspace at 59 Gilpin Avenue, in Hauppauge, New York.
“Our new location is centrally located, right off the Long Island Expressway,” Kirk Lombardi says. “We have bay space for 40 trucks, a Beeline truck laser alignment machine, equipment for welding steel, stainless and aluminum, an onsite PPG mixing area with computer access to OEM codes, and a 60-foot downdraft spray booth. And as before, PPG was instrumental in advising us on how to best set up our paint operations.”
Lombardi understands the value of promotion, and advertises through telemarketing, direct mail and onsite visits to current and potential customers. Nassau/Suffolk Truck also plans to make an open-house and lobster and clam bake (see sidebar) an annual event. But Kirk Lombardi candidly admits that “the biggest thing that attracts customers is the fact that they know we are open day and night, and that we do prompt, high-quality work, with most vehicles returned to service within 24 hours of arrival.”
To help ensure such a quick turn, Nassau/Suffolk Truck carries a thorough inventory of frequently needed parts, such as brakes, seals, filters, mirrors, starters, alternators, batteries, lights and drivetrain parts. And they only use PPG paints—principally Delf leet ®.
“I know it’s been said before, but Delfleet is a win/win,” says Lombardi. “The speed of application, the coverage, the cost-effectiveness, and—most of all—the quality are all a perfect match with our way of doing business.”
W hen you have a showplace of a repair facility, sometimes the best way to communicate that is ... to show it.
That’s exactly what Nassau/Suffolk Truck did last fall, when it opened its doors to more than 400 New York City and Long Island area fleet owners and general managers, municipal officials, roadway commissioners, and other truck fleet decision-makers. They came to see the company’s new 25,000 square-foot Hauppauge, NY repair facility and to enjoy a lobster and clam bake, but they were greeted by much, much more.
On display for the event was equipment from Airflow Dump, American Roads Snowplows, Brandon Heavy Dump Bodies, J&J Truck Bodies, Lehman Lift Gates, Malvese Equipment, Monroe Snow and Ice, US Truck Bodies, Vic Kessler Custom Airbrushing, and Vortex Spray-On Rubber Coating.
Custom motorcycles from Cycledelics and the Plycon Show Truck—the number-one show tractor-trailer in the country and a Nassau/Suffolk Truck project—were also on hand, as was a special
visitor: PPG’s Vibrance Collection Show Truck.
“Our customers were surprised, impressed and shocked,” Nassau/Suffolk Truck owner Kirk Lombardi reports. “A lot of people will never be able to walk through a piece of equipment like that.”
The show worked well. Lombardi reports that, in less than a month, Nassau/Suffolk Truck added 14 new major customers,
including two government agencies, as a direct result of the show. And plans are already underway to make the open house and seafood bake an annual event.
Lobsters, Clams, Bikes and the Vibrance CollectionTM
Quick, quality repairs, 24 hours a day, are Nassau/Suffolk Truck’s stock-in-trade
bay facility to repair and maintain his own towing fleet. It was a modest facility, but even so, Lombardi soon found himself with a surplus.
“The maintenance on our own trucks only required two days a month,” Lombardi says. “We were conserving resources by doing our own repairs, but we didn’t have enough work to keep the facility busy. We had 28 days of downtime out of every 30.”
Lombardi saw that as opportunity knocking.
And Delfleet quality has been a key to another Nassau/Suffolk Truck strong point—follow-up business.
“Every vehicle that comes in is run through two extensive quality reviews and checklists,” Lombardi says. “Our customers like this because we can often alert them early to things that could cause bigger problems later on. And we like it because a vehicle that comes in for say, a spot repair on a bumper, may end up being a repair job for box damage, or a cab problem or another issue that the customer
overlooked, but that we found in our thorough inspection.”
Nassau/Suffolk Truck works on virtually any kind of truck, including specialty municipal and sanitation trucks, fire trucks and general
commercial vehicles. The most unusual to date was the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, which broke down on the Long Island Expressway and was towed in for speedy repairs so it could make it to its next promotional appearance. But the majority of the repairs made at the facility are on “straight trucks”—trucks that have their cabs, engines and drivetrain all on one straight chassis (and do not look as if they could use a dab of relish or squirt of mustard).
If the Weinermobile ever breaks down around the Big Apple again, though, Nassau/Suffolk Truck will be ready—24 hours a day, seven days a week with on-site mobile roadside truck repair and fully equipped service trucks. And if they need to, they’ll even be ready to find a perfect Delfleet match for “hotdog bun brown.” ■
“Our success is a direct result of our employees’ hard work and dedication,” says Nassau/Suffolk Truck owner Kirk Lombardi. “Our employees’ hearts are into it. They really care about the company and the staff.”
23
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C a s t o f T h o u s a n d s
Harold E. LeMay always did things just a
little bit differently. Take the 1940s, for
instance. Harold served a stint in the SeaBees
and established a lucrative business, shuttling
workers to Tacoma, Washington shipyards,
and hauling freight. So friends thought he was crazy when he took a
1935 Chevy truck off a paying hauling job and fitted it with a hand-
cranked wooden dump box to collect trash. But Harold was unfazed.
He was looking ahead.
The LeMay Museum—
recognized by Guinness as
the largest private automobile
collection in the world
“As long as there are people,” he said, “there will always be garbage.”
From that one truck, LeMay grew a business that eventually had 125,000 customers and 450 employees. He bought other refuse companies, two major landfills, and several other investments.
And he noticed something. While there would always be garbage, there wouldn’t always be the vehicles he’d grown up with. Not unless someone took steps to preserve them. So Harold LeMay took steps… a marathon’s worth.
With his wife, Nancy, Harold scrimped and saved in some areas so they could spend on a mission that they considered important.
And the result, known today as The LeMay Collection, is nothing short of mind-boggling. Other individuals have amassed more expensive collections but no other privately collected f leet even comes close in magnitude—at one time more than 3,000 show-worthy cars, trucks, motorcycles and commercial and specialized vehicles with enough automotive memorabilia to fill a warehouse or two. When the LeMays heard that Marymount, an 87-acre former military academy, was coming up for sale, they bought it, both to preserve the historic grounds and to house the burgeoning collection. Marymount soon became the site of an annual late-summer “Car Show and Open House.”
Harold E. LeMay passed away in November of 2000, but not before the Guinness Book of World Records certified his as the largest private collection of automobiles in the world. And today, Harold and Nancy LeMay’s collection is getting a brand-new home. The Harold E. LeMay Museum, home of America’s Car Museum, is going to be built on a nine-acre building site, provided by the City of Tacoma. Valued at $17.5 million, the site is adjacent to the Tacoma Dome, and in the heart of the city’s convention and tourism area.
The new facility is on track to break ground in early 2006 and open in 2008. In the meantime, a portion of the collection is open to the public at Marymount f ive days a week with guided tours of over 400 vehicles.
Of course, with that many vehicles—enough to populate a small town—maintenance is a never-ending proposition. And
keeping a few thousand cars in show-worthy condition is the job of Tom Towers, who runs LeMay Restorations, an organization that is maintained separately from
the museum for the exclusive purpose of caring for the collection.
“I met Harold in the 1980s,” Tom recalls. “I was working at a Los Angeles Lincoln-Mercury dealership at the time, and I delivered some vehicles that Harold had purchased at an auction. As soon as I saw the collection, I knew that I had found what I wanted to be doing with my life. When Harold asked me to come on board 16 or 17 years ago, I jumped at the chance.”
Towers’ shop, which he describes as “not a hobby shop, and not a modern restoration shop, but
continued on page 26
This 1923 Autocar Station Bus was restored in the museum’s shop, LeMay Restorations, using PPG paint. According to Tom Towers, who runs the shop, “We had no record of what the original paint would have been. So we went by instinct and came up with a green and yellow paint scheme with red and cream accents.”
Harold E. LeMay and his wife, Nancy scrimped and saved to establish what is now the largest private collection of automobiles in the world.
27
G A L L E R Y
something in between”, is like the vehicles it cares for—classic.
“We have state-of-the-art nothing here,” he says. “We have a homemade spray booth, and most of the equipment we have is about 20 to 25 years old. Like the collection, it’s getting up in years.”
But that’s okay, Towers says.
“We spray very little basecoat/clearcoat here,” he says. “We use all PPG paints, and most of what I shoot is Delstar ®, lots of acrylic enamel. Remember, we are finishing with the period in mind. In the ‘40s, Chevys didn’t come with basecoat/clearcoat paint.”
Towers says that some of the collection is so old that only black-and-white reference photography is available.
“In that case, we go with what we think would look right. For instance, we just f inished painting a 1923 Autocar Station Bus, a huge vehicle, and we have no record of what the original paint would have been. So we went by instinct and came up with a green and yellow paint scheme with red and cream accents.”
But with the more modern vehicles in the collection, paint match is critical.
“Typically, we will be asked to get a vehicle ready for a show, and when we inspect it, we may find some peeling or other age-related issue with the paint,” he says.
“And if that is the case, then I take a chip off of the vehicle and head down to the PPG store to have them match it for me.”
But PPG paint is only one of Towers’ secret weapons. The other is an army
of talented and dedicated volunteers.“We still do the show every
summer,” he says, “and we still have to get the collection ready for up-close-and-personal viewing by anywhere from 8-10,000 people. To do that, we have about 4-500 volunteers who come in to work on the collection and get it ready. It’s a labor of love. But then, so is everything when you’re dealing with vehicles like this.”
For more information about America’s Car Museum, log on to: www.lemaymuseum.org. ■
L e M a y L e M y s t e r i e s
The vehicles collected by Harold LeMay ranged from the mundane to the arcane. Here are some questions about five of the museum’s holdings. See if you can answer all five, then use the form below to mail in your answers. Respondents who answer all five questions correctly will be put into a drawing to win one of ten Vibrance CollectionTM color decks or new Vibrance Collection merchandise!
1) The LeMay museum has a 1914 Ford Model T that has brass trim over a blue body. Was blue a correct color for this year of the Model T?a) Yes. Blue was available as a color in the 1914 model year.b) No. The Model T was available in “any color you want, so long
as it is black.”c) No. This particular Model T was delivered in primer and then
finished in blue by the Post Office.d) Yes and no—this Model T was painted blue at the factory, but
only because it was the personal car of Henry Ford.
2) The 1929 Acme Dump Truck in the LeMay Museum has a six-cylinder engine that was fairly powerful for its day. What is its horsepower?a) 215 HP c) 46 HPb) 165.3 BHP d) 28.9 HP
3) One of Harold LeMay’s acquisitions was a 1956 Messerschmitt KR200 compact car, made by the same company that manufactured the famous German ME-109 warplane. What characteristic does the car share with the airplane?a) Both brake using wing flaps.b) Both have only three wheels.c) Both are entered through sliding glass canopies instead of doors.d) Both have propellers.
4) The LeMay Collection’s 1964 Checker Marathon is a station wagon, built for personal use. But from 1923-1959, Checker built vehicles for one specific commercial application only. What was it?a) Street sweeper c) Taxicabb) Police pursuit vehicle d) Cargo van
5) The Museum’s 1986 Zimmer Quicksilver is a coachbuilt body mounted on the frame of what well-known vehicle of its era?a) Chevrolet Corvette c) Pontiac Fierob) Ford Bronco II d) Chrysler Newport
The winners will be announced (and answers revealed) in our next issue.
LeMay LeMysteries Entry FormPlease circle one answer per question:1) a b c d 4) a b c d2) a b c d 5) a b c d3) a b c d
Name: __________________________________________________
Shop Name: ______________________________________________
Business Address: _________________________________________
City: _______________________ State: ____ Zip Code: ____________
Phone No: __________________ Fax No: _______________________
Email:____________________________________ Shirt Size:______
Mail your entry form to: PPG Industries Repaint Reporter Editor 19699 Progress Drive Strongsville, OH 44149-3205
LeMaycontinued from page 25
As much a symbol as a car, the ’49 Ford Woody has long been associated with the
surfing community, but even those who never go near the water can appreciate it. Chris Glidden of St. Petersburg, Florida is keeping the icon alive with this eye catching example. “I’ve wanted a station wagon, so I asked, ‘What’s the best
station wagon?’ A Woody!” Realistic Restoration of St. Petersburg was Glidden’s choice. “They did a lot of European cars and were good at working with wood.” What had been a battered junkyard husk was resurrected with K36 Prima TM primer, DP Epoxy Primers, a Royal Cherry Deltron ® 2000 basecoat, and finished off with DCU2021 PPG clear. The clearcoat was also used on the quilted maple and Andiroba mahogany that gives the car its distinctive look. The woodwork was done by Rick Mack of Lakewood, Washington. And the results speak for themselves. “It’s like going down the road with Jimmy Buffett,” Glidden says. Beach party anyone? ■
Woodn’t it Be Nice?
Scott & Keyma Bullock, St. Louis, MO1937 Ford Pick-Up
Chip Wolny, Naples, FL1940 Custom Pick-Up
Kenneth J. Allen, Sorrento, LA 1937 Ford Coupe
Five spectacular street rods were awarded the PPG “Outstanding Use of Color” award at the 2004
National Street Rod Association (NSRA) nationals, last August in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the 15th year PPG has presented the awards to the vehicles judged most outstanding for the use of color, design, gloss and execution of the paint job.
Pictured are winners: Kenneth J. Allen of Sorrento, Louisiana for his 1937 Ford 3-window Coupe; Gai Wilson of Louisville, Tennessee for his 1932 Ford Coupe; Dennis Shrewsbury of Princeton, West Virginia for his 1938 Lincoln Zephyr; Chip Wolny of Naples, Florida
PPG Presents 15th Annual Outstanding Use of Color Winners
for his 1940 Custom Pick-Up; and Scott and Keyma Bullock of St. Louis, Missouri for their 1937 Ford Pick-Up.
“The PPG team had a really tough time choosing the winners, as there were so many outstanding vehicles to choose from,” said Mark Rapson, product manager for PPG Automotive Refinish, North America. “The color schemes, attention to detail and execution of the paint job were immaculate for all five winners.”
PPG will feature a display at all NSRA events this season, showcasing the hot colors, unique pigments and special effect finishes of the Vibrance Collection TM. ■
Gai Wilson, Louisville, TN1932 Ford Coupe
Dennis Shrewsbury, Princeton, WV 1938 Lincoln Zephyr
27
G A L L E R Y
As much a symbol as a car, the ’49 Ford Woody has long been associated with the
surfing community, but even those who never go near the water can appreciate it. Chris Glidden of St. Petersburg, Florida is keeping the icon alive with this eye catching example. “I’ve wanted a station wagon, so I asked, ‘What’s the best
station wagon?’ A Woody!” Realistic Restoration of St. Petersburg was Glidden’s choice. “They did a lot of European cars and were good at working with wood.” What had been a battered junkyard husk was resurrected with K36 Prima TM primer, DP Epoxy Primers, a Royal Cherry Deltron ® 2000 basecoat, and finished off with DCU2021 PPG clear. The clearcoat was also used on the quilted maple and Andiroba mahogany that gives the car its distinctive look. The woodwork was done by Rick Mack of Lakewood, Washington. And the results speak for themselves. “It’s like going down the road with Jimmy Buffett,” Glidden says. Beach party anyone? ■
Woodn’t it Be Nice?
Scott & Keyma Bullock, St. Louis, MO1937 Ford Pick-Up
Chip Wolny, Naples, FL1940 Custom Pick-Up
Kenneth J. Allen, Sorrento, LA 1937 Ford Coupe
Five spectacular street rods were awarded the PPG “Outstanding Use of Color” award at the 2004
National Street Rod Association (NSRA) nationals, last August in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the 15th year PPG has presented the awards to the vehicles judged most outstanding for the use of color, design, gloss and execution of the paint job.
Pictured are winners: Kenneth J. Allen of Sorrento, Louisiana for his 1937 Ford 3-window Coupe; Gai Wilson of Louisville, Tennessee for his 1932 Ford Coupe; Dennis Shrewsbury of Princeton, West Virginia for his 1938 Lincoln Zephyr; Chip Wolny of Naples, Florida
PPG Presents 15th Annual Outstanding Use of Color Winners
for his 1940 Custom Pick-Up; and Scott and Keyma Bullock of St. Louis, Missouri for their 1937 Ford Pick-Up.
“The PPG team had a really tough time choosing the winners, as there were so many outstanding vehicles to choose from,” said Mark Rapson, product manager for PPG Automotive Refinish, North America. “The color schemes, attention to detail and execution of the paint job were immaculate for all five winners.”
PPG will feature a display at all NSRA events this season, showcasing the hot colors, unique pigments and special effect finishes of the Vibrance Collection TM. ■
Gai Wilson, Louisville, TN1932 Ford Coupe
Dennis Shrewsbury, Princeton, WV 1938 Lincoln Zephyr
HOT BIKE with a HEARTRAY EVERNHAM, DAVE PEREWITZ AND PPG REFINISH TEAM TOGETHER TO CREATE A CHOPPER AND HELP A GREAT CAUSE
VOLUME 65 NUMBER 2
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World Leaders In Automotive FinishesAbsolutely the hottest colors for the coolest rides
Colors gone wild.
Wild colors, unique pigments and hot effects, the new Vibrance Collection from PPG offers the industry an awesome array of show-stopping finishes.
Radiance™ II, Hot Wheels® SPECTRAFLAME™, Liquid Crystal, Flamboyance™ and Harlequin® are just a few of the show-winning finishes.
The Vibrance Collection. Absolutely the hottest colors for the coolest rides. Guaranteed that you will hear them say “Awesome!”
The absolute hottest colors for the coolest rides.
Bike builder: Perewitz Cycle Fab
