Collision Repair Training | Australia
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Collision Repair Training | Australia
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Current Events/News: E-newsletter: 2005 Archives |
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INTERNATIONALLY READ I-CAR ADVANTAGE CELEBRATES ITS 500TH ARTICLE
To gain a better understanding of the broad scope of the Advantage and I-CAR e-newsletter readers, below is a list of the countries that have subscribers (48 total) which helps clearly define the international reach of the technical information:
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A FEW WORDS FROM INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS…Providing technical information to the collision industry for the past 17 years, the Advantage articles help better inform the industry of the latest technical procedures. Industry professionals speak out about the importance of the Advantage articles: "The I-CAR Advantage newsletter is unique in that not only is the information now totally free, but that it's up-to-date training, news and information that simply cannot be derived from other sources in such a timely and concise manner. Arguably, the I-CAR Advantage article's greatest strength is its unbridled growth by enthusiastic readers telling other industry partners to subscribe. As we move into the future, faster ways of delivering new vehicle information will become even more important than it is today due to shorter platform life cycles. The internet has proven that much data can be moved into uncounted businesses through this methodology."
"Congratulations to I-CAR on its continued dedication to the collision industry. Celebrating the 500th article of the I-CAR Advantage is truly a milestone for the organization. The I-CAR position within the collision industry and strategic relationships with vehicle manufacturers, has allowed it to deliver the most current technical data to all those in need, year after year. The I-CAR Vision for the industry is that "every person has the necessary technical knowledge and skills relevant to their position to achieve a complete and safe repair". The Advantage is yet another medium I-CAR uses to realize that Vision."
"The early days of I-CAR in New Zealand, now almost 20 years ago, were significantly helped by the addition of the I-CAR Advantage. The Advantage reinforced what we were trying to preach to the collision industry with I-CAR programs, and at the same time update us on any new trends or advancements. This was perhaps of greater advantage for us "down under" than for others back then, as we had very little technical information relating specifically to our sector of the industry. The Advantage publications are still recognized in New Zealand by all sectors of our industry as being factual and tested information. As vehicle advancements become more and more model specific I see the Advantage living up to its name even more and an important tool to keep the industry updated on any new current trends they may encounter. It also provides an awareness of precautions related to the repairing of collision damaged vehicles."
"When the Advantage was originally conceived, it was to be a low cost ($25/ year for printing and postage) way of providing interesting, timely information between course updates or on subjects outside the classroom courses. That was in the days before the internet, and it served well in that capacity for several years. In fact, there were even subscribers who hadn't taken any I-CAR classes and in places around the world where classes were not even offered. Perhaps it was instrumental in gaining recognition for I-CAR better than any public relations effort because it contained interesting, factual information. Now with the Advantage Online, it is available to reach even more people in more places at no cost! That's very significant and way beyond what we imagined 18 years ago. In my own business, I print out copies of each article and give them to each technician, and sometimes even the office staff. Keep up the good work I-CAR!"
"The Society of Automotive Engineers Australia recently began publishing I-CAR Advantage articles in our trade journal autoengineer Australia. In my view there is a significant lack of high quality technical information available to the independent automotive collision industry in Australia. The I-CAR Advantage articles cover a wide range of technical issues in a simple and concise format enabling easy dissemination of this information for the benefit of our members and the wider industry. As such, we welcome our relationship with I-CAR and look forward to broadening the scope of the relationship over the coming years."
"The evolution of the Advantage has truly been amazing. I have many fond memories of my involvement with I-CAR and the rest of the Advantage "team" as we labored to make it the very best technical newsletter in the collision industry. As you transformed the Advantage from paper to the internet I-CAR has maintained its tradition of excellence."
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ADVANTAGE ARTICLES CHRONOLOGICAL HIGHLIGHTSOver the past 17 years, the Advantage articles have had many significant milestones in informing the collision industry of technical information. Below are several of those listings.
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A NOTE FROM I-CAR PRESIDENT AND CEO TOM MCGEEBeginning in 1988 as a subscription-based technical newsletter that was distributed every other month, and then in 2002 as a free service that is included in the I-CAR e-newsletter, the Advantage has been a reliable source of information to the industry. Not only has the Advantage provided the industry with an awareness of current issues, it has also provided insight into future technologies. Thinking back on my career with I-CAR, the Advantage has been a part of many memories. I remember when I began teaching I-CAR classes in the Detroit area, shortly after the I-CAR Advantage was introduced, how I-CAR instructors used the Advantage articles as a source of information to supplement the materials that were provided in the I-CAR curriculum. At that time we would photocopy the articles and make transparencies that could be used to share the information with students attending the classes. When I was provided with the opportunity to have a position on the I-CAR staff, I remember traveling with Jeff Silver on many different occasions. There were not many trips where Jeff wasn't editing the next issue of the Advantage. As my career progressed, the involvement of Amos Stackhouse in providing the review and editing of each issue provided myself and many other staff at the I-CAR Tech Centre with new and exciting perspectives on how to best communicate technical information in a technical article. Throughout my entire career with I-CAR, Bob Jansen, Senior Instructional Designer, has taken the responsibility to continue the traditions and use the Advantage as a means of distributing technical information across the world. Today, technology and the internet have allowed I-CAR to begin to incorporate various media that could not be incorporated into the printed issues of the Advantage. The use of color photographs, three-dimensional animations, video, and audio have allowed the staff to continue to enhance the information that is included in each issue. The latest delivery method has also provided the opportunity for many individuals and organizations around the world to benefit from the information that is delivered through the Advantage. We look forward to having the opportunity to continue to use the I-CAR Advantage to distribute technical information on the latest current and future trends that affect the collision industry. Looking at the variety of topics that have been covered in the Advantage and seeing the pace that vehicles are changing today, imagine what the focus of the 1,000th article will be.
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TO OUR ADVANTAGE
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1988…THE YEAR IT ALL BEGANThe first I-CAR Advantage article was 'penned' in 1988. Here are some other interesting facts during that initial year and how far we have come since then:
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I have had the privilege of working behind the scenes on the "world's greatest technical newsletter" since I started at I-CAR 15-plus years ago. I've been affectionately called the editor. That's only because I had first shot at editing the articles. But I was only the first. Articles are always passed by several sets of eyes. For a while we assigned contract writers for some articles. When writers would see their article in the Advantage, they often would not recognize it. It had been "I-CAR'ized," with personal opinions, quotes, and folksy or complicated language stripped out. In its place, I-CAR professionally addressed the collision industry professionals. It's no coincidence that the writers who worked out were also I-CAR instructors.
I-CAR Marketing Communications Specialist Brandon Eckenrode was 10 years old