South Barrie Collision Centre goes “green”

South Barrie Collision Centre in Barrie, Ont. held a launch reception on Nov. 8, 2007 to celebrate that the facility has ‘gone green’ and is now using environmentally compliant waterborne paint.

The state-of-the-art 40,000 sq. ft. collision centre, which is co-owned by six local auto dealers, is part of the national CertifiedFirst Network. It is using PPG Automotive Refinish waterborne paint products as part of a move to adhere to new regulations set out by Environment Canada.

“New and more stringent proposed VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) regulations in Canada are the catalyst behind the move to waterborne refinish basecoat as an effective means of lowering VOC emissions and thus improving air quality and our environment,” according to a statement from the company.

In addition to the environmental benefits of waterborne, the new low VOC paint technology boasts ease of use in a high-production environment including fast cycle times and precise colour-matching accuracy.

According to Alec Smales, president and general manager, South Barrie Collision Centre, “with 75 per cent of OEM’s using waterborne paint — waterborne refinish provides a superior colour-match, and with it’s new ‘anti-stir’ technology, cumbersome mechanical mixing systems are a thing of the past. Simply grab a bottle, shake it and pour.”

The collision centre, which is the largest north of Toronto and one of the five largest in Canada, according to Smales, worked with the Ministry of the Environment to ensure it went beyond the set requirements.

Patrick Brown, Federal MP, Barrie, was at the collision centre’s open house to present the company with a certificate and to commend them for adhering to Environment Canada guidelines well in advance. •