Autobody News: NRD Anti-Static Device Saves Time, Money for Hi-Tech Auto Body

CARLSBAD, Calif., October 9, 2018 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This June SPS profile was originally published in print in June 2018 and online in May 2018.

Daniel Markarian, the owner of Hi-Tech Auto Body, is young for being a shop owner at just 33 years of age.

I am always working with my painters to keep dust out of the booth. We do a good job of it, but it still gets in there. That's why we need the AC Auto Body Refinishing Anti-static Gun by NRD. After using it for just one week, it already paid for itself and now it's become a huge part of our overall production process here.

Daniel Markarian, Owner of Hi-Tech Auto Body

However, by making smart decisions and expanding on the business his father created, he is succeeding in a market that is changing every day.  

In 1990, Daniel’s father, Jack, opened Hi-Tech Auto Body and quickly turned it into a flourishing business by stressing customer service and quality. The shop currently specializes in repairing high-end vehicles such as BMW, Mer- cedes, Lexus, Porsche, VW, Audi, Toyota and Honda, and does a large amount of dealership work as well. In addition, Daniel recently opened a shop right next door called Absolute Body Works that does strictly fleet work for a national rental car company.  

Jack is retired and living in Florida now, but his path to becoming a shop owner wasn’t easy.  

“He came here from Lebanon when he was only 15, but he learned the business and after a while, he wanted to start his own shop,” Daniel said. “So he borrowed $10,000 from my grandfather. In 2013, my father retired. I owe everything to the man because he was a smart businessman and taught me everything I know.” 

Daniel has embraced doing fleet work because none of the repairs are extensive. By working fast and turning cars over, he can make money drama-free.  

“It’s the same cars, same parts and only one client when it comes to fleet work,” he said. “Most of the repairs are dented doors, hoods and cosmetic work and average $800–$1,200, so it’s a comfortable niche for us.”  

In the automotive industry, electrostatic discharge is a constant challenge in a world where perfection is the only option. Static attracts dust and unwanted particles, making it very difficult to keep surfaces clean and causing blemishes in paint finishes and other work surfaces. It’s absolutely essential to eliminate static from the environment—at every stage of painting—in order to avoid costly reworking.

NRD manufactures specialty ionizers for the auto body industry to eliminate surface contamination. These ionizers allow you to keep the surface clean so you can avoid unnecessary reworking and buffing, saving both time and money.  

The Neutralizer® AC Auto Body Refinishing Anti-static Gun Model 6500 incorporates the efficiency and power of an air amplifier with the proven technology of corona ionization to produce a highly effective anti-static blow-off gun. It’s perfect for automotive surface prep in collision or restoration shops.

Daniel was convinced when his jobber demonstrated NRD’s Neutralizer® AC Auto Body Refinishing Anti-static Gun for the first time, he said.

“Richie McMahon from Stone Auto Body Supply came here and said to check it out. He put a strand of hair on a bumper and it stuck, but when he used the gun on it, that hair ran away. We tried to place the hair back on the bumper, but it wouldn’t do it,” Daniel said. “That’s when we realized that we needed to get this device.”  

By using the Neutralizer AC Auto Body Refinishing Anti-static Gun by NRD, the crew at Hi-Tech is able to prevent dust and debris from getting on a vehicle during the painting process.  

“We use the device on the car before we paint it and after each stage,” Daniel said. “We do it after the basecoat, following the second coat and then again when we apply the clear. It also eliminates fisheyes and the finished product is amazing—it looks like glass!”  

Daniel is delighted with the result because he is saving time and money by using the AC Auto Body Refinishing Anti-static Gun Model 6500. 

“In the end, it adds maybe two minutes to the entire painting process, but it saves so much more time overall because we don’t have to wet sand and buff the cars, which means that we can get them back to the customers more quickly,” he said. “It saves us time on our prep work and also cuts down on labor and materials, which is what you always want from any piece of equipment.”  

Daniel likes the fact that NRD makes tools and equipment that are used in laboratories and clean rooms because he looks at his paint booth the same way, he said.  

“We do everything we possibly can to create a dust-free environment, but the bottom line is that body shops create dust,” he said. “I am always working with my painters to keep dust out of the booth. We do a good job of it, but it still gets in there. That’s why we need the AC Auto Body Refinishing Anti-static Gun by NRD. After using it for just one week, it already paid for itself and now it’s become a huge part of our overall production process here.”

Hi-Tech Auto Body, Inc. 
Location: Cambridge, MA
(617) 876-9545
hitechautobodyinc.com 

Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 15
In Business Since: 1990
Number of Locations: One
Combined Production Space: 25,000 square feet

NRD, LLC
Company Contact: Colleen Clancy
Product Marketing Manager
Grand Island, NY 14072
(800) 525-8076
nrdllc.com

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Source: Autobody News