The Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) announced that the next CIECA Webinar will be held on Thursday, March 27 at 11 am PST/1 pm CST/2 pm EST: “3D Printing in Collision Repair.” The one-hour live broadcast will feature Harold Sears, head of the advisory council for Auto Additive, and Gerry Poirier, a consultant with Vector Squared.
During the free webinar, Sears and Poirier will discuss how 3D printing is used in the collision industry today and its future impacts. All collision industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend the presentation.
Topics will include:
· The types of 3D-printed parts being made and the materials used
· 3D-printed parts pricing compared to traditional replacement parts
· Quality control measures in place and certification
· Potential impact on customers
· Liability issues with 3D-printed parts
Sears brings over 36 years of experience in the automotive industry, with 32 years at Ford. His time at Ford included 29 years in additive manufacturing. His last role at that company was technical leader and manager of Ford’s Additive Manufacturing Technology. Sears retired from Ford in December 2022. He has a proven capability to develop and implement additive manufacturing processes that leverage state-of-the-art technologies for the production of commercial parts and prototypes. He received a Henry Ford Technology Award for developing an innovative process that utilizes 3D printing to manufacture sheet metal stamping tooling. Sears is also a recipient of the Additive Manufacturing Users Group’s Distinguished Innovator Operator (DINO) award for additive manufacturing expertise and contributions to the industry.
Poirier has over 50 years of experience in the collision and auto physical damage (APD) industries. He has held auto physical damage management positions with The Hanover Insurance GMaterroup, AIG and Farmers Insurance. In those roles, he was tasked with multiple process improvement projects to improve the claims experience for consumers as well as provide guidance and technical expertise to the staff. He is an active member of the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Intertek and multiple school collision advisory boards in Georgia. Poirier holds a position on the National Auto Body Council (NABC) board and the Changing and Saving Lives Foundation. He is I-CAR Platinum, has held multiple ASE certifications and was a certified welder.
Register for the March 27 CIECA Webinar: HERE
About CIECA:
The Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) develops and promotes electronic communication standards that allow the collision industry to be more efficient. It is the vision of CIECA to have an e-commerce-enabled collision industry that allows all industry segments to communicate electronically, independent of platform or software used. CIECA membership is open to the collision industry and related segments, which include repairers, insurers, OEMs, information technology companies, appraisal services, new and aftermarket parts suppliers, materials suppliers, equipment and tool companies, rental car companies, salvage and towing.
