New name, but same great repairer awards

We kick off the search for the best autobody repairer in Australia for 2011 with a name change to the competition.

The Suncorp/Australasian Paint & Panel Autobody Repairer of the Year will be out and about, recognising excellence in this great industry.

This is the 16th year the awards have been run, the first 15 being under the AAMI sponsorship.

While the name and corporate colours have change, the awards themselves will not be any different.

Suncorp executive general manager of claims, Jason McCracken, said that while the name has changed the objective of the awards remains the same – recognising innovation and achievement by smash repairers in Australia.

“We are very proud to continue to offer these awards in partnership with Paint & Panel magazine,” he said.

“A lot has changed in the autobody repair industry since these awards were started by AAMI 15 years ago and the pace of this change only appears to be accelerating.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the latest developments are reflected in the winning shops both nationally and across the states.”

The judging panel will be out to look over all types of shops – small and large, new and old, corporate run and family-operated. We want to be visiting as many panel and paint shops as possible.

The competition judges panel shops throughout the country, selecting a state winner in each class – Best Large Shop, Best Small Shop and Best New Shop.

A large shop is one that has more than 15 employees, a small shop 15 employees or under, and a new shop is one that has been built, or substantially rebuilt, and is less than 18 months old in June, 2011.

From the nominations, state-based judging takes place during June and July with the state regional winners announced in the October/November issue of AP&P.

The national winners are announced at a premier luncheon to be held in Melbourne in October which will be attended by a who’s who of the industry to celebrate the excellence presented by the winning regional panel shops.

To enter fill out the form inside Paint & Panel magazine or go to www.paintandpanel.com.au and follow the awards link to the 2011 entry form.

Any further inquiries call Paint & Panel on 02 9213 8334.

Remember – you’ve got to be in it to win it. Best of luck.