Southfield, MI (5/15/98) -- Collision repair isn´t just a matter of fixing a damaged car and repainting it. Collision shops are actually in the remanufacturing business, an increasingly complex and competitive business that demands constant improvements in the production process.

As part of its VisionPLUS® program, BASF -- a world leader in the automotive refinish industry -- offers a unique series of professional Business Management Seminars that address the important issues facing collision repair businesses. The newest entry in this acclaimed series is "Fast Track Production," specifically designed to help shops use their people and resources more effectively and increase the all-important "thru-put" of their operations.

The BASF "Fast Track Production" seminar is conducted by Bernie Blickenstaff, president of Collision Management Services, Inc., and a recognized collision industry expert. Blickenstaff has been a successful shop owner and currently operates Superior Auto Paints, a BASF distributor with multiple stores in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area. He is a former president of Collision Auto Repair Specialists (C.A.R.S.) of Maryland and a former board member of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). He helped develop a Maryland-approved Collision Technician Apprenticeship Program (CTAP) and is a frequent contributor to Hammer & Dolly magazine. Blickenstaff brings his extensive experience, along with his dynamic and enthusiastic approach to business management, to "Fast Track Production" as well as to other seminars in the series.

Among the areas covered by the "Fast Track Production" seminar are:

Systematizing all production processes
Optimizing people, space, and time
Improving production flow
Increasing shop capacity and profitability
"One-Day Repair"
Gaining a distinct advantage by shortening repair times
Building profits by removing barriers to production

More information about the "Fast Track Production" seminar, or about BASF´s Professional Business Seminar series, is available from the BASF Customer Service Center at 1-(800)-825-3000.ly harmonized quality evaluation and certification standard. The ISO standards do not evaluate product quality, but rather whether a facility has a proper quality system in place and can document its use.

ISO 9000 models are essentially checklists of functions, policies, and rules considered necessary to assure the quality of a company´s products and services. The ISO 9000 family of standards was purposely designed to be generic so that the same system can be used and recognized by manufacturing and service industries all over the world.

ISO 9001, earned by the three BASF Automotive Refinish facilities, is the most comprehensive model in the ISO 9000 series. It requires businesses to conform to 20 quality system elements focusing on design control, development, production, installation, and servicing. In addition to ISO 9001, there are various other models in the ISO 9000 system (ISO 9002, ISO 9003, ISO 9004-1, and ISO 9004-2) which are more limited in scope.

BASF Automotive Refinish was required to apply for certification with an independent, accredited certification body (or "registrar"), as called for by ISO 9001 specifications. The registrar evaluated the BASF Automotive Refinish quality manual and inspected on-site procedures, determining that ISO 9001 status was deserved. The certification is renewable every three years and is enforced by scheduled surveillance audits, which occur every six months.

The BASF Automotive Refinish system impacts quality along the entire value stream, explained Kim Christian, management representative for the BASF Automotive Refinish Quality System. "The scope of our Quality System includes design, development, production, and servicing of products throughout the BASF Automotive Refinish business group," Christian said.

According to Al Winterman, Group Vice President for BASF Automotive Refinish, ISO 9001 certification reflects the BASF Corporate Quality Policy. "BASF is expressly committed to continuous improvement and conformance to the needs of our customers," Winterman pointed out. "These aren´t just buzzwords to us. Our employees understand that a genuine commitment to quality helps our company in several ways. For one thing, it means better products, which leads to satisfied customers."

Winterman positioned the ISO 9001 certification as a foundation for ongoing excellence. "Now that we have achieved certification, our goal is not only to maintain, but to build upon our Quality System through continuous improvement," Winterman concluded, signaling a new era of ever-increasing product and service quality that BASF customers can expect in the years ahead.