Cervini's Auto Designs Thrives in High-Production Climate With PPG Waterborne Technology

CARLSBAD, Calif., September 10, 2019 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This June SPS was originally published online in May 2019.

General Manager Jim Frie at Cervini’s Auto Designs in Vineland, New Jersey oversees a fast turnaround and demands accuracy.

That’s why he is so enamored with PPG’s ENVIROBASE® High Performance waterborne basecoat system and its color matching capabilities. “When a customer buys a product from us, we offer them the option of pre-painting it for them so that they can install it right out of the box,” Frie said. “It’s added a whole new level of service and provides convenience for our customers who want all three: quality, delivery and price.”

The founder and owner of Cervini’s Auto Designs is Danny Cervini, who owned a body shop with his brother for many years. Frie said, “Danny has always been a big fan of the Mustang Mach 1 and very connected to the Mustang community. He owns a 1988 Mustang GT convertible. One day, Danny thought that a 1971 hood from a Mach 1 would look really good on his ‘88, so he decided to cut up a hood, fabricate it and graft it onto the vehicle. He took it to a few different swap meets and car shows where people started asking him, ‘Where did you get that?’ and he told them ‘I made it,’ and that’s where it all began.”

Cervini’s Auto Designs was founded in 1991 by Cervini who took the company from three employees in a small facility to an industry leader that is well-known for high-quality styled hoods and body components. In 2006, Cervini’s Auto Designs reinvented itself to become a true turnkey Mustang and Ford F-150 Conversion company. Today, the company makes approximately 3,000 products and sells them online. They manufacture hoods, bumpers, side and rare scoops, upper and lower grilles, side exhaust packages, rear spoilers, diffusers and related parts for Camaros, Fords, Dodges, Challengers and GMC muscle cars and now dabbles in the imports market as well.

Three main reasons for the company’s success are fast delivery, convenience and accuracy. Frie said, “People are now in that Amazon mentality where they want it now, so everything we do has to be there within 2–3 days max, including the paint. If we can pre-paint that hood or bumper for the customer, all they have to do is install it without having to take it to a body shop to be painted. To do the job right, we know that our color accuracy has to be dead-on because we can’t obviously look at the vehicle prior to painting the part. We take a lot of pride in being able to color-match our products, and our policy here is to get the paint right every time. We’re known for matching factory colors because we make it a priority here.”

It takes a lot of research and development to find a precise match. “We have great relationships with all of the car companies, so we know what colors the new 2020 Mustangs will be painted in before they come out. We accumulate a lot of data to create a master formula that we can rely on. It may take a day or 2-3 weeks, depending on how many spray outs we have to do and what adjustments we need to make. After we have the master formula, the PPG PAINTMANAGER® software will follow that exact same formula with each color. Their software is ideal for us because it allows us to mix paint perfectly every time.”

Two months ago, Cervini’s dropped their former paint vendor of 12 years and began spraying PPG’s Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat system. “Being environmentally friendly is a big deal here in New Jersey because we have some of the toughest VOC emissions laws in the country,” Frie said. “The use of waterborne isn’t mandated here, but being ahead of the curve was where we wanted to be, and that’s why we’re very happy with PPG’s waterborne paint.”

There are many significant advantages for Cervini’s switch to PPG’s Envirobase waterborne product. Frie said, “We are being more efficient, getting great color matches and creating a better product, as well. It has allowed us to fit in almost another full cycle every day, which means that we’ve been able to increase our overall productivity by 50 percent, which is substantial.”

With solid training and an awesome relationship with its local jobber, Cervini’s gets the whole package from PPG. “PPG came here and did a phenomenal job training our guys,” he said. “They were here in our shop, and our two painters were up and running quickly. Our jobber is Bill Flannery Automotive in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, and their excellent knowledge and customer service is one of the reasons why we chose PPG.”

Within the next five years, Cervini’s wants to expand into other markets, including more muscle cars and off-road vehicles made between 2020 and 2024. PPG is a new member of the crew at Cervini’s Auto Designs, so the future looks bright and the colors are right.

Cervini’s Auto Designs
Location: Vineland, NJ 
(800) 488-6057 
www.cervinis.com

Company At A Glance... 
Type: Collision Aftermarket 
Facility Employees: 50 
In Business Since: 1991 
Number of Locations: One 
Combined Production Space: 
56,000 square feet

PPG 
Cathy Rusnak 
(440) 572-2800 
[email protected] 
www.ppgrefinish.com

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Source: Autobody News