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Lord Corporation Expands Auto Body Repair Product Line and Training to Latin America

Lord is launching its diverse line of products in Mexico in response to industry need. According to Guido Albo, Lord de Mexico Technical Sales, there is great interest in Fusor products in Mexico because of the growing use of plastics in automobiles as well as Lord’s proven track-record of developing products that reduce cycle time and expand repair options.

Lord Corporation began its aftermarket initiative in Mexico last year as a participant in the AutoMechanika exhibition PAACE Show in Mexico City. According to Albo, Lord received positive feedback and several inquiries from attendees with regards to purchase of Fusor adhesives from shops, OEMs, training organizations, insurance companies and distributors.

“The market needs Fusor products, especially for plastic bumper repair,” said Albo. “The Fusor aftermarket repair products contain the same advanced formulations Lord supplies to the auto manufacturers. These adhesives allow technicians to bond metal without welding, repair plastic bumpers and duplicate factory seams without expensive equipment or lengthy training.”

Before distribution of Fusor products in Mexico, body shops had limited repair options. Technicians often were left to replace parts that could be easily repaired using Fusor adhesives or were using inferior materials that do not stand up over time, said Albo.

According to Luis Arciniega, Operations Manager for Lord de Mexico, the launch of Fusor products in Mexico is an obvious outgrowth of the company’s offerings in Latin America.

With a presence in Mexico since 1964, Lord de Mexico has an office and warehouse in Toluca, as well as operations in Monterrey. The facilities are conveniently located to service the automotive industry, said Arciniega.

“Lord Corporation’s distribution program will offer easy access to the full product line throughout Mexico,” said Arciniega. “Further, Lord will support the industry with on-site shop clinics as well as distribution of a variety of reference guides and wall charts.”

Lord de Mexico also is responsible for the sales and technical service of Lord products in Central America, where the Fusor product line will be officially launched during the second half of 2004, said Carl Lechner, Lord National Accounts Manager.

“By introducing the Fusor line into the Latin American market,” said Lechner, “Lord will help improve the automotive repair practices in the region. All products being promoted and commercialized by Lord de Mexico are manufactured in the United States and therefore meet the regional content requirement to be competitive in the marketplace.”

In addition to offering a full line of products, Lord Corporation is known for its training, specifically the Fusor 001 Metal and Plastic Bonding/Repair curriculum. Approved by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) through the Industry Training Alliance program, Lord also is an accredited training provider by the Automotive Society of Engineers (ASE). Technicians who complete the hands-on FusorÒ 001 Bonding/Repair Curriculum qualify to earn I-CAR Gold Class Points, while learning valuable skills which improve quality and reduce cycle times in the repair process. Lord Corporation is the first adhesive company to achieve this status with both training associations.

Recognizing the importance of providing such training in Mexico, Lord Corporation launched its Latin American training efforts by participating in a show hosted by the global training organization CESVI in February. Albo and Marcos Luna of Lord de Mexico conducted two plastic repair seminars focused on how to repair plastic bumpers.

“We plan to provide multiple training seminars with our warehouse distributors and their jobbers,” said Albo. “These training seminars professionally demonstrate the products and their use to a large group of end-users at one time, teaching them how to make these repairs in their shop. Further, the seminars effectively train our channel of distribution about our products so they can go on their own to teach others how to use Fusor. In addition, we plan to continue to support the business with key tradeshows like PAACE and with select Spanish language literature and training materials.”

Lord will participate in the PAACE show again this year, to be held July 15-16 in Mexico City.

Developed by Lord Corporation, a pioneer and global leader in the development and manufacture of high-performance bonding solutions for more than 50 years, Fusor products are recognized to meet OEM standards and have been a proven solution in the aftermarket for more than a decade.

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