Following one of the most tumultuous years in the history of the automotive industry, three of the industry’s leading automotive manufacturers shared their insights of the future. The event was the recent AkzoNobel Acoat selected annual business forum. In a presentation titled “Auto Manufacturer’s New Reality and its Impact on the Collision Repair Industry,” Toyota, Ford and Honda representatives shared their thoughts on recent industry happenings and potential outcomes for the automotive industry.

The panel of experts was comprised of Karl Krug, Senior Administrator for Toyota Motor Sales; Gerry Bonanni, Senior Engineer at the Ford Paint and Technology Center and Gary Ledoux, Assistant Manager of Parts Marketing Department/Collision Group American Honda Motor Co. Inc. Topics for discussion included new materials used in vehicle construction, the effect of collision avoidance systems, decline in new vehicle sales as well as the potential impact of e- Bay Motors.

Collectively the panelists verified that the actions of the past year have been challenging times for the automotive industry. They confirmed that the industry was on the path to recovery but also acknowledged that the path was uneven and could be an uphill climb. “The good news in dealing with a ‘new reality’ is that a new structure brings new opportunities,” said Chuck Mayne, AkzoNobel Strategic Account Manager for OEM Activities, who served as moderator for the panel discussion.

“This industry is powered by people with an entrepreneurial spirit. They are accustomed to every day and each repair being different. These may have been unprecedented times but I feel confident that no one left this presentation not feeling better about the future.”