If you are reading this, you probably did not make it to

NACE | CARS this year in Anaheim. If you did, you know what I am going to say.  It was the best NACE | CARS I have been to in years. The number of exhibitors was the highest in many years. The training was unparalleled.

Let’s start with the exhibitors. It has been a long time since all the automobile manufacturers have been present. This year, they all had significant presences and staff on the show floor. This is a milestone for the industry. They create and build our vehicles. Who better to keep us up on recent technologies? (More on that later). In addition, the floor was full of innovation and technology. Everything from state-of-the-art repair items to technology and systems to make your business more efficient and profitable.

From a training perspective, the offerings were staggering. Each day had so many courses available it was difficult to decide which session to attend. There was truly something for everyone. From legislation to I-CAR repair classes, one person could not possibly catch them all. As I mentioned before, the OE involvement was very intense. In today’s world of sophisticated design and materials, they play an integral part of keeping those of us in the parts and repair space informed. Each day, the manufacturers had multiple sessions on their new technologies and techniques. This level of information is simply not available in any other one place.

Today, things are moving at a very fast pace. Change is inevitable and we must stay with it in our industry. Telematics, collision avoidance, legislation and vehicle sophistication are only a few of our hurdles to overcome in our businesses today. I for one am glad ASA is committed to bringing us events like NACE | CARS  to keep us all informed.