This article was originally printed in Collision Repair Magazine, and the full article can be read on pages 44 to 45 of Volume 16, Number 4.
With 68 locations across Ontario, Assured Automotive has become a well-known and respected name in the Canadian collision repair market. The company’s rapid growth and success is due in part to its eagerness to incorporate innovative technology and its vision of putting the customer first.
When Assured Automotive designs new facilities or renovates existing ones, high-quality products and advanced technology are at the forefront of their plans. One of the company’s newest facilities, Assured Orleans South in Ottawa, Ontario, is a prime example.
The 13,500 square foot facility features an ultramodern design and boasts the latest and greatest in collision repair equipment — including Car-O-Liner® Speed Frame Alignment System, InvertaSpot GT® and InvertaPuls welders, Miracle System for aluminum and steel repairs, Global Finishing Solutions® (GFS) Ultra® Paint Booths and REVO Accelerated Curing Systems.
By incorporating state-of-the-art equipment, Assured Orleans South is able to deliver high-quality products and services to their customers and move vehicles through the facility faster. This is especially true with the addition of their new REVO Systems, which are designed to significantly increase paint shop throughput and improve the quality of paint jobs.
The team at Assured Automotive carefully researched and considered IR technology before selecting REVO Systems. Former managing partner, Don Strong, played a key role in bringing this technology to Assured Orleans South.
“Don was incredibly knowledgeable about innovative technology and influential in our decision to purchase REVO Systems. He knew this cutting-edge technology would allow us to stay in line with the leaders in the automotive industry,” said Alex Savard, manager at Assured Orleans South.
When they opened their doors in 2016, Assured Orleans South was the first shop in Ottawa to use REVO technology, incorporating it into their collision repair process from start to finish, with two Rapid units, a Speed System that is integrated into their GFS Ultra XR paint booth, and a mobile Spot unit.
One of the REVO Rapid units is located in their designated body filler area for fast curing of filler. Whereas it used to take 15-20 minutes in perfect weather for filler to dry, they can now cure filler in just a few minutes. Additionally, there is no guessing whether or not it is completely cured, as the short wave IR technology penetrates the filler or coatings to heat the substrate underneath and fully cure from the inside out.
The other REVO Rapid System is on rails in the triple-bay GFS Ultra XR CTOF prep bay for accelerated curing of primer.
“Because it cures primer so fast, we are able to share the REVO Rapid between the three prep bays with no wait. It also allows us to cure two vehicles or panels at the same time, saving us even more time,” said Savard.
When it comes to curing paint, the semi-automatic REVO Speed System allows Assured Orleans South to greatly improve efficiencies in the paint booth. It is designed to dramatically reduce paint curing time for repairs on one to four panels. With the addition of the REVO Speed System, Assured Orleans South is able to achieve one-hour throughput for multiple vehicles in the booth as opposed to the average two-hour turnaround for one vehicle.
Lastly, a small, mobile REVO Spot fast-tracks small jobs by rapidly curing filler or primer on small areas.
Although they’ve already recognized improvements in throughput, Assured Orleans South is confident that with experience, they will continue to see gains in throughput due to their IR technology.
An added bonus of incorporating REVO technology is reduced energy costs. Savard has noted that the energy cost with REVO is very low, allowing them to reduce their monthly energy bills.
Assured is not only dedicated to improving shop throughput and reducing energy costs; quality and customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to them.
“REVO has allowed us to effectively speed up the repair process without affecting — and instead improving — paint finish quality. The end result is impeccable,” said Savard.
By completely curing filler and coatings, REVO Systems can effectively improve quality. Vehicles are less likely to return for rework due to issues appearing hours or days later.
A paint booth with premium airflow also plays a key role in paint finish quality. Assured Orleans South’s Ultra XR downdraft paint booth provides a safe, clean, contaminant-free environment for achieving flawless paint jobs.
Being a high-production facility, excellent service and support of their equipment is important to Assured. Down, unusable equipment costs them money and affects key-to-key time for the customer. They count on their equipment suppliers and distributor, Ontario Spray Booth, to provide a high-quality product with excellent service.
“GFS provides incredible sales and service to help us if we run into any problems or need training. The leader in the automotive industry, GFS’ products have a proven track record and are built to last. That made our decision to purchase from GFS very easy,” said Savard.
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