Change was in the air at the recent BASF invitational at Casa Loma in Toronto, ON. The event brought together people from all sectors of the collision industry.

Among the evening's highlights was a panel discussion addressing changing VOC emissions regulations and what each business must do too accommodate them.

The panel members included Guy Gaugnier from Environment Canada, Larry Lithgow from ING Insurance, Sam Piercey of Budd's Collision, Frank Pacifico from BASF, and Dennis Carlini of Windsor CARSTAR Collision.

The take-home message was that painters with will adapt and learn to work with the new technology in a relatively short time frame. improvements made to waterborne coatings in recent years will help the issue. for example, colour-matching has made great strides,and are at least 95 per cent better than in the past, according to some estimates.

"While there are still some difficulties with it where metallic colours are concerned waterborne lays down like a silk tie," says Sam Piercey of Budd's Collision, and a regular columnist for Collision Repair magazine. "There are also much easier techniques now for blending and production time won't suffer as a result. In addition there is a lot less work involved since polishing the finish has almost become obsolete. It's smoother, and the paints are better than they've ever been, basic solvents just don't compete. There is less material needed to cover bumpers as very seldom will crack it off."

One thing that is often ignored when talking about waterborne conversions is the chance for branding the converting collision repair facility as an environmentally sound business. Green facilities are likely to get more customers, as they cater to a public whose ideals are shifting towards environmentalism. Switching too waterborne is a vital and positive step for any collision repair facility. It addresses a global issue, one which we can be thankful that Canada is taking a lead.

For more information on the proposed VOC regulations, please visit the Environment Canada website at ec.gc.ca. For more information on products and programs offered by BASF, please visit basfrefinish.com.

Originally published in Collision Repair magazine Volume 7 Issue 1.