The Collision Repair Expo returns to Sydney from April 11 – 13, with an exhibition hall full of state of the art body finishing materials, crash repair equipment and tools – plus a busy program of industry events offered by keen supporting organisations.
Held at the Sydney exhibition centre in Darling Harbour, this trade expo is hosted by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) and focuses on helping workshop owners and managers boost their business.
“The collision repair industry is undergoing rapid change,” says Stuart Charity, AAAA executive director.
“Every issue of every industry magazine reports on those changes and the challenges they bring. The Expo is designed to bring together as many solutions for these challenges as possible in one place at one time,” he says.
“The Expo is held only every two years, which means exhibitors’ displays are not repetitive year after year. For every Expo, they display fresh product and demonstrate the latest technologies,” says Charity.
I-Car Australia will feature the very latest welding technologies on its expo stand. Chief executive officer Richard Pratt says the technologies exhibited will include alloy, high strength steel, zircon bronze and adhesive bonding.
“We will exhibit the new Commodore front rail repair procedure and we may have a sample alloy body to highlight I-Car’s appointment by Mercedes Benz to deliver its aluminium welding re-certification program,” says Pratt.
“To increase safety and reduce emissions, manufacturers are expanding their use of light weight materials. For example, the Mercedes Benz SL Class body is made almost entirely from aluminium, and with lightweight design, is between 125 and 140 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, depending on the equipment installed,” says Pratt.
The Collision Repair Expo will also offer visitors an array of special business opportunities and personal prizes. Valspar Automotive will launch its Qantas frequent flyer points program for De Beer and Valspar Refinish paint purchases.
Valspar national marketing manager, Richelle Ellis, said once trade customers sign up for this rewards program members can look forward to earning points when they purchase eligible Valspar Automotive paint products and accessories from participating distributors.
Motorsport fans will want to visit the DNA custom paints and the Autolac stands at the Expo. Visitors can enter the draw to win a genuine V8 Supercar bonnet autographed by Craig Lowndes and 2012 V8 supercar champion Jamie Whincup. DNA’s Scott Ferguson says the bonnet will be displayed on the company stand and visitors can enter the draw by purchasing any DNA product from the Autolac stand.
DNA is a sponsor of the Triple Eight Race Engineering / Red Bull Racing team and the signed bonnet fits their Commodores. To support their V8 Supercar sponsorship, DNA will launch the new paint colour “Blue Wings” created specifically for Red Bull Racing Australia.
“We look forward to people visiting the stand to learn about custom painting and check out the look of “Blue Wings” and our new flat black,” says Scott Ferguson. “Our paint artist Brian Streitberger will perform live demonstrations daily in the Lowbake spray booth showing a range of specialist products, including our new DNA Virtual Chrome and Mutant CrystalZ.”
New Sydney based exhibitor It Wasn’t My Fault says it will offer benefits to both panel shop and car owners by providing insured not at fault drivers with replacement vehicles while theirs is repaired, and links to BodyShopDirectory.com.au, which provides consumers with a one stop selection of crash repair shops.
Join the conversation