Autobody News: Automark Collision Relies Exclusively on Celette Sevenne Frame Benches

CARLSBAD, Calif., December 26, 2017 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This October SPS profile was originally published in print in September 2017, and published online in October 2017. 

When a shop is affiliated with a dealership, repairing vehicles to OEM specifications assumes a heightened level of importance.

We merely measure the frame damage and get the car on the bench. When we fix a car with the Sevenne bench, we know it is being done right and the repair will be exactly the same the first time around. There's no guesswork, so it speeds up the process and takes less time to fix, allowing us to be more productive and profitable while improving the quality of the repair.

Andrew Lekosiotis, Body Shop Manager, Automark Collision

Automark Collision in Farmington Hills, Michigan, along with its new location in Bloomfield Hills, provides collision repair services for Erhard BMW, which owns the shops in conjunction with body shop manager Andrew Lekosiotis. While the facilities repair all makes and models, Automark Collision specializes in European imports and has acquired OEM certifications through BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover.

Although Automark Collision is part of Erhard BMW’s network, the shops operate separately.

According to Lekosiotis, “Our highly skilled and trained technicians’ top concern is quality and giving our customers a premium experience. We want to do an excellent job and return their vehicle to its pre-accident condition so that it looks, drives and smells the same. It’s important to provide the customer with the repair they want.”

When it comes to structural repairs, Automark Collision relies solely on its Sevenne frame benches from Celette.

“When we first opened in 2004, we bought a Celette bench and a competitor’s product, but we had a really bad problem with the other bench within our first three months. When we moved the car to the Celette bench, the repair went perfectly, the fixtures lined up exactly, and every alignment point married precisely as when the vehicle was manufactured,” Lekosiotis shared. “When I’d done my research, I chose the Sevenne bench because of its dedicated fixtures and Celette’s dedication to restoring the vehicle to its pre-accident condition — but seeing how the bench made our customer’s car perfect again was an eye-opening experience. We sold the other machine because it was just taking up space, and ever since, we’ve used nothing else for our structural repairs because we know Celette is the best.”

Automark Collision has invested in four Celette Sevenne frame benches — two for each location — and Lekosiotis feels the product has dramatically helped his employees’ efficiency.

“We merely measure the frame damage and get the car on the bench,” Lekosiotis said. “When we fix a car with the Sevenne bench, we know it is being done right and the repair will be exactly the same the first time around. There’s no guesswork, so it speeds up the process and takes less time to fix, allowing us to be more productive and profitable while improving the quality of the repair.”

Training on the Sevenne bench was also easy for Automark Collision.

According to Lekosiotis, “It was a quick, almost instantaneous, implementation process; it’s just a new way to do things, but it’s a simpler way to pull the structure of the vehicle and measure it. Celette taught us how to set up the fixtures where they belong, and we were done.”

Lekosiotis has also had very positive experiences with Celette’s customer service team. 

“They’re fantastic, knowledgeable guys, and they’re always available if we need anything,” Lekosiotis said. “Our technicians absolutely love Celette’s Sevenne bench and never want to go back to the old way of doing structural repairs. Celette’s benches are easy to set up and use under any conditions. We only use Celette, whether there’s a small or large amount of damage.”

Investing in the industry’s best products and equipment is important to Automark Collision because of the dramatic increases in the complexity of modern vehicle technology.

Lekosiotis noted, “It’s becoming harder to work on today’s vehicles because they require more training and awareness to properly repair since vehicle structures are being constructed from lighter metals. Technicians require more training, which results in increased labor costs. This trend is pushing more work toward dealer networks, which are becoming a driving force in determining how cars should be repaired. Consumers are more educated now, and due to vehicle purchases being such a large investment, many customers are requesting the use of new OEM parts to ensure their car is repaired properly.

“Insurance companies are also more involved in the repair process, but as a result of consumer demands and new technology, many of the insurers we deal with are offering different policies that provide the customer with more choices regarding the parts used. However, insurers are also pushing hard to advocate their DRP facilities, which may not be the best shop to perform the repairs. This is confusing some consumers who aren’t certain how to make the best decision, yet their expectations are high because they’re investing a lot of money in their vehicle.”

Automark Collision
Location: Farmington Hills & Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
(248) 473-8100
automarkcollision.com

Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 38
In Business Since: 2004
Number of Locations: Two
DRP Programs: Two
Combined Production Space: 35,000 square feet

Celette
Bastien Dias Da Costa
(630) 396-6100
celette.com
1-800-CELETTE

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Source: Autobody News