The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) recently hosted a successful Industry Night that brought Garden State shop owners together for an interactive evening of networking and learning at the Holiday Inn in Clark, N.J. The event featured representatives from some of the industry’s top service providers who shared insight on ADAS calibrations, compliance, artificial intelligence (AI), estimating and negotiations.
AASP/NJ President Ken Miller championed all for taking the time out to interact with peers and hear from some of the industry’s best.
Craig Camacho of AirPro Diagnostics kicked off the evening with an overview on the ever-expanding world of ADAS, focusing on how important it is to document every step and strictly follow OEM repair procedures to ensure safety.
“In-house calibrations are where it’s at,” said Camacho, because it reduces cycle time and avoids the hassle of needing to make an appointment with an outside third-party.
Sam Sepulveda of American Compliance spoke about the many things that can bring OSHA to a shop’s doorstep and how to stay compliant in order to avoid violations. OSHA sets out to make sure that one’s facility offers a safe work environment. Visits may be random, brought on by an employee who reported something they believe is in violation or because a major incident or death occurred at the facility. Having a safety program in place is ideal; however, there are basic safety measures shop owners can take.
“One major problem is blocked access to the fire extinguisher,” said Sepulveda, an extremely dangerous situation in an emergency. Another is eye wash stations. “Seconds matter when it comes to the eyes, so make sure access [to the station] is clear.”
CCC Intelligent Solutions’ Craig Stevens addressed how repair facilities can leverage technology to modernize their businesses. “Every answer to every question is in their pocket,” Stevens said of this generation.
Many people fear that AI is going to take over jobs, but that is not the case according to Stevens, who suggested that it can provide relief in some areas. “We are not building products to replace employees. We want to combine artificial intelligence with human intelligence to help you do what you do.”
Yanni Koutmos of Eagle MMS closed out the night with intel on how best to go about getting paid for necessary paint and materials through itemizing estimates.
“Make sure that you have everything in writing,” Koutmos suggested while discussing the importance of shop organization in a shop’s negotiation tactics. “Make sure you are doing everything that you say you are doing. The way things look will influence how you get paid. Have your house in order both metaphorically and physically.”
Prior to the presentations, attendees interacted with members of AASP/NJ’s board of directors at an exclusive meet-and-greet at the hotel restaurant.
For more information about AASP/NJ, visit aaspnj.org.
