Over 140 delegates have heard the issues, trends and best practice from all corners of the globe during the morning sessions of IBIS CEE.

In the opening session of IBIS CEE, Chris Mann offered anoverview of the industry issues faced in countries around the world. He looked at repair markets in countries including Argentina, Canada, China and Greece and described how they all face their own issues, yet many are common across the world.

‘There are many issues we face as an industry, which are common the world over,’ said Chris. ’One such issue is the rise of multi site bodyshop operators who are growing in size and importance in mature markets as well as emerging markets including India.’

David Lingham was next to take to the stage with his presentation ‘building business around the world’. David described business relationships in three different stages – ‘courtship, marriage and avoiding divorce’. David encourage delegates to be aware of models around the world and ‘chose business partners with care, they should be for life.’

AZT’s Norbert Hermann described the AZT business model and their position as the ‘gateway’ to the automotive industry. He explained the current projects being implemented including a calculation aid for plastic and dent repair as well as green repair methods. ‘We are also in the process of calculating paint data for 30 countries,’ Norbert told delegates.

‘We work in partnership with the schooling system to attract and train our future staff,’ said Henk Van den Boom of Car-e-Schade during his presentation. ‘Be prepared for the future, reduce total costs and implement quality and standards’ he explained as being his three keys to success. Following discussion about networks, David Lingham summarised ‘Its not a question of if, it is a case of when they will influence your market.