The Automotive Service Association (ASA) held their annual trade show in Orlando this year. It’s actually two shows, the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) and the congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS).
I’ve been going to CARS since 1998 to take advantage of some of the best training the industry has to offer, and this year was no exception. However, all this time these were two separate events in two different hotels in Las Vegas, presented the same week as the AAPEX and SEMA shows, so I’ve never seen NACE before.
I’m impressed by the science and technology involved in collision repair. A growing number of vehicles are being built with mild steel, high-strength steel and aluminum all on the same chassis. You don’t straighten a chassis like that by just pulling on the bent part until the new body panels fight right. The measuring and diagnostic equipment, vehicle dimension database, computer controls… a whole new world for me that will be fun to learn about.
