Autobody News: Body Shop Delivers Quality Repairs With Florida Pneumatics' AIRCAT Air Tools
CARLSBAD, Calif., August 28, 2018 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This June SPS profile was originally published in print in June 2018 and online in May 2018.
When Johnny Ding was growing up, his father Johnny Sr., a retired construction worker, always told him to “buy the best and buy it once."
With AIRCAT Pneumatic tools, you know you are getting a quality tool. They are balanced and just have a good feeling in your hand. They are strong and hands-down, they are the most powerful.
Johnny Ding, Body Shop Manager, Law Auto Body
”I’ve been doing that since my career started when I was 17 years old,” said Ding, the body shop manager of Law Auto Body in Illinois. “I would buy a tool and do my research to make sure it was the best one, so I wouldn’t have to buy it ever again.”
Ding began working in the industry as a porter for Gerber Collision & Glass.
“It fascinated me; I loved seeing a car in its different stages of repair,” he recalled.
After being employed there, he decided to take a break and spent the next decade working as a paintless dent repair (PDR) technician and master technician before returning back to the body shop industry.
“I always loved painting cars, so I decided to get back in the body shop business,” said Ding.
He ran his own shop, Body Boss, in Addison for 10 years before merging with Law Auto Body in the neighboring community of Bensenville in 2015. The parent company Law Auto Group also runs two high-end used car dealerships owned by his sister-in-law Tanya Povorozniouk. Law Auto Group is in Bensenville and Lux Cars Chicago is located in Buffalo Grove.
Povorozniouk and Ding decided the timing was right. He dissolved Body Boss, merged with Law Auto Body and now runs the shop with his sister.
“Originally, it started out for us to fix our own cars, but word spread like wildfire and we now have a consistent customer base and steady flow of insurance work,” said Ding.
Since joining the company, Ding said he has been awakened by the fact that vehicles are being built and repaired very differently than the way they were a decade ago.
“There is a right way and a wrong way of fixing these vehicles,” he said. “The more complex these cars are becoming, [the more] we have to invest in more equipment and more tools, and we’ve found that it’s [about] quality, not quantity.”
Ding first learned about AIRCAT Pneumatic tools from Steve Packer, the sales rep for the company, and recalled what his father had taught him about purchasing first-class tools. Ding has purchased a variety of products from AIRCAT Pneumatic Tools and said they are of good quality and dependable. The AIRCAT brand is Florida Pneumatic Mfg’s. corporate line of professional mechanic/body shop air tools. Florida Pneumatic Mfg. Corp., a subsidiary of P&F Industries Inc., is a global manufacturer and distributor of more than one million products, which include air tools, pipe threading equipment and intake compressor filters every year. Established 50 years ago, the company prides itself on supplying products that offer superior quality and performance. The tools are constructed of steel, aluminum and composites that are heat-treated where applicable and 100 percent performance-tested.
Some of the tools Law Auto Body uses on a regular basis include 1/4 and 3/8 ratchets, angle and straight air grinders, belt sanders, file sanders and polishers.
“You know you are getting a quality tool. They are balanced and just have a good feeling in your hand,” said Ding. “They are strong and hands-down, they are the most powerful.”
A few months ago, they purchased the ½-inch impact wrench.
“We found they are every bit as good or better than the competitors in the market,” he said. “The warranty is better too, although I’ve never had to use the warranty.”
Over the years, Ding said he has owned tools from other companies that break down right away. Even if they are under warranty, it doesn’t help because technicians need the tools at the shop rather than the repair facility.
“I’d rather spend more and have quality tools that last than rebuy tools every six months or even sooner,” said Ding. “All of our tools make us money. Having broken tools or frustrated technicians isn’t helpful for the shop.”
Although there is usually no training necessary to operate the tools, Ding said Packer is great at demonstrating the products and explaining the differences between them.
As an I-CAR platinum-certified technician and being ASE master-certified in collision repair, Ding recognizes the importance of continually retraining and relearning.
“Once you say you know everything, it’s time for you to retire because every day things are changing,” he said.
Within the last few months, the shop has done a lot of post-repair inspections.
“It’s important to do post-repair inspections because so many poor repairs are being done,” said Ding. “It’s all about customer safety and bringing the car back to a crashworthiness state.”
Using tools such as the ones from Florida Pneumatic has helped the shop repair cars properly and put customers’ best interests first.
Law Auto Body
Location: Bensenville, IL
(630) 347-0347
lawautogroup.com
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: Eight
In Business Since: 2011
Number of Locations: One
DRP Programs: Zero
Combined Production Space: 10,000 square feet
AIRCAT a Division of Florida Pneumatic Mfg. Corporation
(800) 356-3392
www.aircat.com
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Source: Autobody News
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