The Aluminum Association's Transportation Group to Present During SCRS' OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit

Prosser, Washington, August 25, 2014 - In early August, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced the launch of the first issue-specific collision repair industry forum being held at the SEMA Show. The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit will be held on Wednesday, November 5th at the Las Vegas Convention Center and will explore how automotive design and technology intersect with repairability, and how developments in this area impact the collision repair process and the professional businesses planning for their future in the ever-changing landscape of this industry. Registration can be made at www.semashow.com/scrs.  

In addition to panel discussions with technology 

experts representing the automakers, certified repair facilities, equipment suppliers, and certifiers/auditors, the program will feature special presentations from subject matter experts on automotive materials.

SCRS is pleased to announce that Doug Richman, Technical Committee Chairman of the Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG) will offer insight into the role aluminum will play in collision repair businesses now, and in the future.

"The ATG is eager to share with SCRS session attendees key insights on aluminum's long history in the automotive industry," shared Richman. "Aluminum-intensive vehicles have been in the marketplace for many decades and are regularly repaired as needed. Within the next ten years, seven out of 10 new pickups produced in North America will be aluminum-bodied, according to a recently released survey of automakers conducted by Ducker Worldwide. As aluminum use in auto bodies grows exponentially in the next decade, we applaud the SCRS' efforts to educate and train repair professionals to be better prepared for the change in status quo materials that come through their shop doors." 

Richman will deliver visibility into the technological advancements being made in the aluminum industry relative to the automotive market, and an overview of how their market is developing as a result of increased integration into our modern fleet. He will share reasons behind the automakers interest in, and use of, aluminum; and what their industry is doing to aid in the development of that relationship.

In addition to his role with the ATG, Doug Richman is Vice President of Engineering and Technology for Kaiser Aluminum. He joined Kaiser in 1996 and was appointed to his current position in 2001. Before joining Kaiser, Richman was Vice President of Automotive Castings for Alcan Aluminum and his background also includes almost 20 years of experience in development and design management at General Motors.

Richman is a long-standing member of the ATG, serving as technical chairman of the sub-committee. He also serves as co-chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Light Metals committee. 

The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit is made possible through support from PPG Refinish Products, Ford Motor Company, BASF, Toyota Motor Sales and The Hertz Corporation.
 

For more information about SCRS' Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, and to register for the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit and other RDE sessions, please visit  www.semashow.com/scrs.