Keeping Up with the Times

It’s that time again when we reflect on the past year and make resolutions aimed at improvement for the year to come. Hopefully, we are realistic both in our look at how we have done in these last twelve months and in our expectations for 2002.

Looking back to our industry’s NACE2001, we are justifiably proud of the big event: information sharing and serious hard work spiced with awards and fun. Business is primary in the Collision Repair Industry, and cutbacks in the sponsored banquets and party room free stuff have not put a damper on NACE at all. More frills-cutting should be expected for NACE2002, especially with automotive refinish manufacturers looking carefully at their expense budgets.

The ASA has a survey available at www.naceexpo.com for your comments.

It is easy to gauge real progress in the slow and sometimes bumpy journey toward industry open electronic transaction standards. About a year ago, we were hearing rumblings from ADP about encryption of data, but now we can see real progress in the open information exchange technology arena. It seems that customer feedback can and does matter.

Our traditional January feature, our overview of things past and yet to come in our industry, offers some ideas for practical New Year’s resolutions. In December 2002, we at INSIGHT will be checking our statistical analyses and predictions against the reality that will unfold during the coming twelve months. Our crystal ball has been pretty darn accurate over the years, so you may want to read this carefully.

Collision Repair Industry-related stocks are pretty much holding their own (except, of course, for our dot-com comrades) in a Market that our publisher, Charlie Baker, predicts will be starting a slow recovery in the near future.

The nation is holding its own, too, with a firm resolve shared by a clear majority of Americans to stand strong.

As any well-informed, carefully planning collision repair facility owner can tell you, in business and in life you need to plan well but always expect the unexpected.

Our Who Pays for What? survey comes to shop owners with this issue. Please get it back to us for our next feature article about insurer payment of p-page items. Call us if you need us to fax you a form.