OEM APPROVED

With exception of a few original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), historically they have not been involved much with collision repair in regard to repair procedures or equipment recommendations.  In the past few years, we have seen a focus from many OEMs on collision repair. With the rise of OEM recommendations in a collision, we have also seen companies come in that audit the equipment in a shop such as Verifacts, assured performance, and a number of independent audit companies. While anyone in the collision repair industry could speculate as to why the change of OEMs now focuses on collision, one critical reason is the fact that technology from every aspect is changing drastically in today’s vehicles. The OEMs need to help with recommendations as to what equipment will work with these advanced technologies.  The technologies that are changing include every aspect of the vehicle, from steel used in construction, the actual construction process, and the creation of crumple zones, to the safety systems that are monitoring the driving conditions known as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS for short.

As an owner of Innovative Solutions & Technology, I have seen a lot of trends in our industry.  I have watched many customers start to ask about these OEM recommendations, and I have watched many of the companies we represent, as well as many of our competitors, go out of their way to change the way they market products, from the value of the equipment to what is in an OEM program.  There are many reasons for this, but for numerous equipment manufacturers, it is because they are paying to be in a specific OEM program.  This is why I greatly recommend steering clear of companies that have claimed to be the leading manufacturer of OEM approvals. I am proud to say that the companies we choose to represent have a history of working with OEMs in a positive manner. What I mean by this is, that I have seen the proof first-hand of extreme testing from OEMs to prove the ability of the equipment we sell.

I believe that in time we will see further OEM-driven recommendations on all aspects of collision repair, and the companies that do the auditing for OEM programs will also grow. As a consumer, you can certainly expect that the equipment in these programs will change, in many cases faster than you can anticipate.  This is the reason that our core values here at Innovative Solutions & Technology have never changed during this new OEM focus of the industry. The core value of Innovative Solutions & Technology is to always sell the customer exactly what their technicians need to complete the task at hand in a faster, safer, and easier way than they were doing it before investing with us.  We always take the time to put ourselves in the shoes of the technician. If we cannot make their job easier with the equipment we sell, then we have lost.  Each and every one of our sales staff understands the struggle of the technicians in a body shop.  Our equipment is what makes a difference to productivity in the shop and is simply the best value for your investment.

Products sold from Innovative Solutions & Technology include OEM approvals from the following manufacturers: