A Bright Future for the Repair Industry
By Troy Mason
The National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) and the Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) are working on consolidating into one group, effective January 1, 2019. Though technically not a merger, NWRA is dissolving its membership and work products and its members will be welcomed into the newly formed Windshield Repair Division of the Council.
But what does this all really mean for our organization—and all of the work we have done for the last two decades? I am here to try to break it down a bit.
ROLAGS™
The Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard (ROLAGS™) has been one of our largest and most prized endeavors. After many years of development, the NWRA turned ROLAGS into a recognized American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard in June 2007. The ROLAGS Standard represents the windshield repair industry’s statement of best practices as compiled under ANSI guidelines by a “balanced” committee of windshield repair system manufacturers, glass manufacturers, windshield repair and replacement retail practitioners, trade associations and other interested parties.
ROLAGS contains an industry consensus of recommended terminology, definitions, process and procedures. These recommendations reflect the expertise of a Standards Development Committee (SDC) with combined experience of several hundred years and many thousands of practical windshield repairs among its members.
So what happens to this valuable work? The Standard will remain in-tact, but will be reintroduced under the auspices of the AGSC, so the AGSC can serve as the secretariat of the Standard and oversee the continuous maintenance that ANSI requires. Our members will still be deeply involved in its updates and content—but we will now do so as members of the AGSC.
Certifications and Programs
The AGSC has formed a Wind-shield Repair Division that will focus on windshield repair and will be developing many programs especially for repair companies. The NWRA certifi cation program requires individuals to show that they understand the steps necessary to be in compliance with ANSI/NWRA/ROLAGS 001-2014.
While the repair standard will be re-introduced, the repair certification program will remain in place (though the program name and logos likely will undergo changes). The good news is that it will be even easier for those seeking dual certifications in repair and replacement to do so, as the AGSC already offers a certification program for auto glass replacement.
Likewise, the AGSC already offers many programs that will be of value to our new repair industry members, such as the Insurers’ CEU Forums it holds all over the United States; its annual member meeting at Auto Glass Week™; its monthly newsletter; consumer-oriented press releases developed for members; a quarterly insurance news-letter to educate your insurance contacts about the industry; an array of marketing tools; and more. Now members of the new Wind-shield Repair Division will have access to all of these programs and more as they are developed.
Repair-Only?
What about repair-only companies? Will they have a place in the new organization? Absolutely, the new consolidated group includes a Windshield Repair Division for companies that solely repair, and do not replace, auto glass.The Windshield Repair Division will be made up of those who solely repair glass as well as Registered Members that also repair. The Division will have a Steering Commit-tee of at least seven people, and of those six, at least one will also serve on the AGSC board of directors. The Windshield Repair division will appoint the chairpersons of all repair-related Standards as well as develop programs and services for repair.
Repair-only companies will not be subject to the AGSC’s audit program, but companies that replace auto glass too will be required to be Registered Members of the AGSC over time.
Contact Us
If you have more questions about the consolidation, please reach out today. I’m excited to discuss this exciting development for our members and am optimistic about the future of the windshield repair industry as part of this new group. I look forward to hearing from you.
Troy Mason is the chairperson of the Windshield Repair Division of the Automotive Glass Safety Council™ as well as CEO of Techna Glass Inc. in South Jordan, Utah.
troy.mason@technaglass.com
To view the laid-in version of this article in our digital edition, CLICK HERE.
