Leading Edge believes education is important not just for collision shops, but for insurance companies as well. It’s important that the collision shops and insurance companies understand each other and share common goals and objectives. Industry communications are difficult and complicated because word definitions, interpretations and actions of industry participants are often misunderstood and lead to conflict.

Our goal is to provide expert training to insurance companies that sets aside emotion and focuses on how the collision repair industry functions, how the work is to be performed and how to meet industry expectations.

Tom Lantz	Bob Kennedy

Navigating the Collision Industry is one of our most interesting classes. Moving from location to location, this full-day training session introduced The Travelers Group to the new Aluminum technology in an “Audi Certified” work bay. Next stop was a presentation on the “Keys to Keys” experience a consumer might expect during the repair process followed by “Duplicating the Factory Paint Process”,  which is a hands on experience in the paint department including color matching, film build, longevity of paint and product warranty. After a break for lunch Travelers experienced the “Car Repair Process” which covered car manufacturer equipment and repair procedure requirements or recommendations, diagnostic and measuring procedures. On the third leg of our journey class attendees were brought up to date on industry trends, industry dynamics and a brief introduction to many interesting and complicated legal issues that affect the insurance and collision industry.

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Farmers Insurance - Automotive Plastics Repair Seminar

On May 11, 2005 a plastics repair seminar was presented to The Farmers Insurance Group. The seminar was given at the Farmers Regional Office in Phoenix Arizona. Supervisors and COD Coordinators from Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico were instructed on Damage Analysis, Repair Procedures and the proper use of Equipment and Materials. Bob Kennedy, a certified BASF instructor at Leading Edge stressed that proper preparation is the key to success when dealing with plastic repairs and the refinishing of plastic parts. “Plastics can differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model, it is important to know what you are working with so you can properly prepare the plastic to achieve a Quality result.” Those in attendance were given the opportunity to work with the latest repair materials and have questions answered about the durability of repairs, the warrantee of the repair materials used and what causes the paint on plastic parts to sometimes not match. The attendees went away with a better understanding of the repair process and what can be repaired and what damages cannot be successfully repaired.

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