Briefs
Australia Post delivering on car insurance
Australia Post has ented the insurance sector by offering competitively-priced car insurance online and via the phone under the Australia Post Insurance brand in conjunction with specialist provider, A&G Insurance Services.
Australia Post car insurance features a life-time guarantee on all repairs, a Rating 1 protection option, flexible payment terms, choice of repairer, accident hire car option and allows choice of agreed or market value.
Australia Post’s expansion follows the success of other postal organisations offering insurance in countries such as France, NZ, Germany, Italy, the UK, Ireland, Singapore and Japan. In the UK, for example, one in every 200 homes and one in 50 cars are insured with UK’s post office.
It will promote insurance throughout its extensive retail network - the largest in Australia. To take up insurance, customers can pick up a brochure at a participating Australia Post retail outlet, call the hotline or visit the website.
WA Safety Show back in August
Western Australia’s largest workplace safety trade show, the WA Safety Show, returns to Perth from August 24 to 26.
The inaugural show in 2008 attracted 4000 visits. WA Safety Show organiser Marie Kinsella of Australian Exhibitions & Conferences expects similar attendances this year.
“In one afternoon at the WA Safety Show, visitors can find solutions to the vast array of safety challenges they face, such as radiation, noise, vehicle and lone worker safety, materials handling and even wellness,” Kinsella says.
As well as staying abreast of the technological advances in safety, the show promises to keep visitors informed of the latest regulatory changes. A new model Work Health and Safety Act to be implemented right around Australia was announced in December 2009 and seminars at the show will outline the implications for Western Australian workplaces.
Thatcham to use 3D CAD solution
3D solutions will help Thatcham reduce lead times and operational costs in estimating automotive repair times. Lattice Technology Inc. is delivering key solutions to Thatcham to be able 3D simulation and documentation of automotive repairs for UK .
Thatcham’s research has traditionally involved physically disassembling a particular model, stripping it of its parts and then conducting timed studies as it is reassembled. 3D CAD could reduce the cost of the research process.
Lattice Technology’s Lattice3D Dataway provided the ideal solution for handling all major 3D CAD data formats.
Silver most popular car colour in the world
One in four new cars across the world is silver, making it the most popular car colour in the world (25 per cent) followed by black with a market share of 22 per cent and white with 16 per cent.
That’s according to part two of the Standox Colour Trend Report 2010 which looked at the current ranking of the most popular automotive colours. Grey takes the fourth position with a market share of 13 per cent.
In the 2010 report, called Automotive Color Popularity – Global, more than three quarters of all cars sold around the globe are achromatic.
Standox analyses the major colour preferences every year to note trends early and to supply the required refinishing materials for future OEM colours before they are needed.
Blue was the only chromatic colour to make it into the international top five with a share of nine per cent closely followed by red with eight per cent.
Red used to be very popular but in the 1990s was replaced by silver as the fashionable choice.
The natural shades of brown/beige score only four per cent.
Deborah’s body Solution
The latest in a succession of miracle paint protection finishes, GTECHNIQ, kicked a goal when applied to the V8 Monaro belonging to model and television personality, Deborah Hutton.
She sent this glowing, unsolicited testimonial to Ray Graham, the CEO of Melbourne based Automotive Burg Design which markets the product in Australia.
“It may surprise you to know my Holden V8 Monaro is my absolute pride and joy. I’ve been driving Holdens for years and for me they made no better car than this. Always trying to keep it looking its natural best (a bit like myself) I had it recently coated with GTECHNIQ surface coating. It came back gleaming, with a shine brilliant enough to adjust make-up!
“Looking completely brand new, I was obviously impressed, but what really got me excited was the continuing easiness of looking after my four-wheel baby. Dirt doesn’t stick, water runs off it and the coat continues to look as good as new with city driving wear and tear.
“Now, if I could find the same long term solution for my body...I’d be over the moon!”
There must be plenty of suppliers willing to give their products a try on Deborah’s body, especially if they can assist in the application.
1car1 helps McGrath Foundation
Sydney-based car rental company, 1car1 (now Compass Claims), has announced a partnership with the McGrath Foundation as a corporate friend.
Every time a booking is made through 1car1, $1 of each car hire rental will be donated to the McGrath Foundation, helping to fund additional McGrath breast care nurses in community right across Australia as well as educating young women to be breast aware.
Managing director, James Frape, said he was proud 1car1 was able to help their customers make a difference to the McGrath Foundation just by choosing 1car1 as their preferred car rental service.
The McGrath Foundation aims to raise money to place McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia as well as educating young women to be ‘breast aware’. Visit www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au for more information on how you can make a difference.
AkzoNobel self-healing clearcoat for Toyota
AkzoNobel Car Refinishes has received approval from Toyota Motors for global use of Sikkens Autoclear LV Exclusive, its scratch resistant, self-healing clearcoat.
The product was developed in close collaboration with Toyota as an aftermarket clearcoat for use on the Lexus LS series of luxury cars, which are factory equipped with a scratch resistant finish.
The clearcoat features two-component cross-linking urethane with a softer, finer and more flexible structure to provide better protection against chipping and to make repairs easier.
According to AkzoNobel, Sikkens Autoclear LV Exclusive will be used to repair Lexus vehicles at Toyota dealerships and Toyota-affiliated bodyshops around the world in order to maintain the characteristics of this new production clearcoat.
New AARN board members confirmed
The new AARN board has been finalised. Those AARN Members that have committed to represent the AARN Group are:
Richard Nathan, Nathan Smash Repairs, NSW; Frank Zulian, Keswick Crash Repairs, SA; Bryson Shafer, Ken Shafer Smash Repairs, NSW; Peter Bubeck, Rugolo Motor Body Works, VIC; and Paul Sprunt, Fawkner Body Repairs, VIC.
AARN general manager Geoff Bedofrd said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the three members that were a great help in the early days during the original transition process. They were Vaughn Pappin, QLD, Phil Munday, VIC & Ray Iversen, QLD and were the members of the interim board, who assisted in the development of the AARN branding, the constitution and the business plan.