.jpg)
Photograph
Paintless Dent Repairs Special Interest Group (left to right)
Rear: Sebastian Lentini, Greg Stewart, Chris Lambert, Jason Cheung
Front: Matt Blizzard, Laury Chibnall
VACC, the peak Automotive Industry body in Victoria, has formed a Special Interest group for Paintless Dent Repairs (PDR).
PDR is a cost-effective way of repairing dents in motor vehicles where paint has not been chipped or cracked. It requires no filling, sanding or expensive paintwork.
The process leaves the vehicle with the original factory finish.
Laury Chibnall was elected unopposed as Chairman of the group which is managed by VACC’s Michael McKenna.
Mr Chibnall ran a panel beating workshop in Ballarat for fifteen years before being introduced to Paintless Dent Repairs in 1996 while traveling in America.
There, he qualified as a Paintless Dent Repair Technician (PDRT) and returning to Victoria, founded Ausdent Franchising Pty Ltd. In March 2005, Laury founded his new business, called ‘Dents R Us’.
Mr Chibnall has recently been awarded the Australian Industry Group Ballarat Export Hub for 2008 New Exporter award for taking his training PDR Academy to New Zealand and Singapore. He is currently working on strategies to take the Academy to India.
“VACC is pleased to announce the formation of this new and important Special Interest Group,” VACC Executive Director, David Purchase, said.
“There has been a gap in the market as not all body repair work merits panel beating. The Paintless Dent Repairs group will provide a forum for those associated with this niche, but expanding, market.
“The group aims to seek recognition for this category of highly skilled tradesmen; to rid the industry of illegal ‘backyard’ workers and to offer members the opportunity to discuss industry issues,” Mr Purchase said.