Craftsman Collision has been a loyal customer of Wedge Clamp Systems for over a decade. Craftsman has been in business since 1977, now with 35 collision repair shops throughout British Columbia, Alberta and China, making them the largest independently owned and operated auto body chain in Western Canada. It is a family run business overseen by President/CEO, Bill Hatswell, and his two sons Rick Hatswell – GM of Operations and Greg Hatswell – GM of Real Estate.

Craftsman Collision chose to work with Wedge Clamp again when searching for new paint efficiencies because of their new innovative product NitroHeat. Seeing how much other Wedge Clamp products have helped streamline their day-to-day operations in the shops, Craftsman was confident in the purchase.

“We had several objectives when looking for a new spray painting system: shortening the cycle time for our painters, reducing our paint consumption and providing our customers with a quality repair; which means returning their vehicle with a flawless paint job” says Rick Hatswell, General Manager of Operations. Hatswell further adds, “We have always been very happy with the products and customer follow up we have received from Wedge Clamp over the years, and am happy to say that we have seen a great ROI from using NitroHeat.”

Currently Craftsman Collision uses fifteen NitroHeat units in their shops, and has just purchased ten more units that will be installed in shops throughout British Columbia and Alberta. Their goal is to have all thirty-five of their body shops using NitroHeat over the next few years.

Dave Naismith, Senior Paint Technician with Craftsman Collision for the past sixteen years, relays his experience, “What I like best about NitroHeat is the base coat dries quicker than other spray painting systems I have used over the years, and I don’t have to mix as much paint. Having the ability to get a vehicle painted, inspected, and back to the body technicians quicker means there are better operational efficiencies for the shop. Most importantly, the customer gets their vehicle back on time with a fantastic paint job!”

Rick Hatswell concluded, “Wedge Clamp has been able to provide us with not just another piece of equipment, but with a solution that helps our business be successful in a very competitive industry where operational efficiencies can give you an advantage over your competitors.”

Visit us at SEMA –Booth 10669 or call 1-800-615-9949.