Ford Impact Conference and Awards 2015
On Friday 23 October, bodyshop magazine attended the Ford Impact Conference and Excellence Awards 2015 at Donington Park.
The event, now in its seventh year, hosted an array of trade stands and conferences that took place over the course of the day. Speakers included; Tom Overington, vehicle safety project manager Ford, Nigel Stimpson, manager of development and quality, Henry Ford Academy and Andrew Marsh, Auto Industry Insider.
Discussions began around what drives vehicle safety at Ford, before progressing on to the emerging technologies that specifically deal with road safety and accident prevention at the blue oval.
Nigel Stimpson discussed the new Henry Ford Academy based in Daventry, what the 2016 Accident Repair Curriculum at Ford will entail, and the new Insurance Engineer Training Programme, which will also begin in 2016.
Andrew Marsh then took to the stage to discuss ‘Technology patterns and the collision repairer’. He outlined where the pattern of vehicle manufacturers sharing technologies across a range started and how this is still prevalent in most vehicles today. Andrew continued to talk about how component sharing in vehicles is now widespread and how the amount of materials used in vehicle construction has jumped considerably in recent years.
Following on from Andrews’s discussion, the Ford Impact Excellence Award winners were announced.
The Ford Impact Awards winners were:
Bodyshop Manager of the Year – Eddie Coe, Allen Ford, Essex, Romford
Contribution to the Ford Network – Steve Mullan, Ford Network Manager
Small Bodyshop of the Year – Perry’s East Midlands
Medium Bodyshop of the Year – TC Harrison, Derby
Large Bodyshop of the Year – Paynes of Hinckley
Commercial Vehicle Bodyshop of the Year – Allen Ford, Essex, Romford
National Bodyshop of the Year – Allen Ford, Essex, Romford
Write-off Avoidance Champion – Lucas Ford Colchester
Independent Write-off Avoidance Champion – East Bilney Coachworks
Vehicle Damage Assessor of the Year – Andrew Argyle
