Recently I was able to do a great interview with a leading collision repair instructor, Donnie Smith and his site: www.LearnAutoBody.com

1. What is your name and what shop do you own/operate?
Well, I don’t know if I’m what you’re looking for or not, but I will give you my information. My name is Donnie Smith; however, I am a Collision Repair Instructor for Butler Community College in Kansas. I am not a shop owner.

2. How long have you been in the collision repair business?
I started working in a dealership in high school. After graduating, in 1988, I went to Laramie, Wyoming (WyoTech) and obtained an Associates degree in Collision Repair and Management. Since them I have worked in the collision industry. The last four of those years as an instructor. Three in Texas ans one in Kansas.

3. What do you think is the single biggest development in the business in the last couple years?

Internet has been the biggest development of the way a shop does business. The shop-insurance relationships, auto part shop-parts relationships, drp shops, and even training have been affected by Internet.

4. How has the business component of the industry changed in the last couple years?
All the different types of metals used today: mild steel, high strength steel, ultra high strength steel, boron steel, laminated steel, laser rolled steel, aluminum, cardon fiber, etc. This has greatly affected the industry, as each one of these take different procedures to repair. The days of sectioning and and performing tasks by a general set of procedures are gone. Each car may have different recommendations of the correct repair procedure. Therefore, the technician must be highly trained to work on these modern day cars.

5. What do you think will be the next great development in the business?
I’m not sure, with the speed of new technology today; nothing would surprise me.