On the heels of the big push for aluminum repair in refinish, the most recent issue of SHAPES by Sapa includes a feature on Desmond Chan, president of Wedge Clamp Systems. Shapes is a magazine for the Sapa group, the largest aluminum solutions company in the world. Shapes is published twice a year in seventeen languages. It brings trends, new applications, technical articles and independent market analysis.
Sapa offers a multi-day course to learn more about aluminum’s flexibility in manufacturing. Chan attended the Sapa’s Profile Academy. This academy teaches customers how to design cost-effective, functional and clever solutions. Sapa is sharing its expertise by working with colleges and universities, many of which want to incorporate information about aluminum profiles into their engineering and design curriculums, often for the first time.
Collision repair shops are beginning to recognize the flexibility, light weight and aesthetic advantages that come with working with aluminum. Many are eager to learn more about this versatile material that is now being used more in automotive as well as the traditional options from appliances to computers.
Chan’s innovative commitment to intelligent manufacturing gained a lot of insight from this Sapa participation. Wedge Clamp is the epitome of smart footprint equipment for shop profit maximization. He sums up the value of the experience in engaging with “the combination of technical and design expertise of the Sapa speakers and staff, joined with the experience of seeing product development in all the stages from raw material to final end product, helped to envision the endless possibilities of product design and at the same time understand some of technical processes.” He adds, “The technical and design knowledge that I gained from the Sapa staff allows me to now look at new product design and current products from a much broader perspective, and I can draw from more aluminum-based products in everyday life for some inspiration.”
Wedge Clamp’s sophisticated frame measuring and straightening systems, compact EZELift car-lift system, and NitroHeat nitrogen-charged painting systems are distributed worldwide.
