Church Brothers Ensures Proper Repairs With Pro Spot

Pro Spot2Indiana MSO Ensures Proper Repairs With Pro Spot i5 Welders
Written by Autobody News Staff
Church Brothers Collision Repair
Indianapolis, IN
(877) 972-4872

Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 163
In Business Since: 1929
Number of Locations: Six
DRP Programs: Ten

Combined Production Space: 100,000 square feet


    Nearly 90 years ago, two brothers, Noel and Clem Church, established Church Brothers Collision Repair. Since then, the business has grown to include six locations in Indianapolis, IN.
    “We have a culture of being a family and that’s the way we want to keep it,” said Ted McClintic, the president of Church Brothers since 2002. “Our goal is two-fold: take good care of customers and repair their cars correctly.”

    McClintic estimates the privately-held MSO repairs about 10,500 cars a year. With that volume of vehicles coming through their shops, it is especially important to have the latest and best technology, such as the Pro Spot i5 Smart Welders that they have used for the last year.

    Pro Spot3
    Church Brothers Collision Repair in Indianapolis, IN,
    repairs about 10,500 cars a year.
    In 2015, the company began working toward becoming ProFirst Certified with Honda. “Honda opened our eyes to all of the changes that are happening in the industry and all the things we need to do differently when repairing cars,” said McClintic, who has worked at the company for 25 years.

    Church Brothers found that their current equipment didn’t meet some of Honda’s specifications to repair vehicles, so they began researching other options. In addition to conducting research over the Internet, they set up demos to find out which welders on the market met Honda’s requirements as well as what would be a good fit for their technicians. “The equipment is only as good as what the technicians are willing to use,” said Greg Gambrel, manager of technical processes and equipment.

    Allen Haulk, a metal/frame technician at the Church Brothers Castleton location, installing a rear body panel with the Pro Spot welder.

    Gambrel began working for Church Brothers in 1985 as a technician. In 1997, he left the company and became a high school career technical teacher. He also had a seat on the I-CAR Education Foundation board. After a decade, he returned to work at Church Brothers and said he currently helps drive the change of continuous learning at the company. “With the tsunami of change we are dealing with on vehicles, it’s important to keep our technicians aware of advances and changes in the industry,” said Gambrel.

    As an I-CAR instructor, Gambrel was already familiar with Pro Spot welders, which are often used in I-CAR classes. “We were impressed with the Pro Spot demo,” said Gambrel. “The i5 Smart Welder was easy to use and the technicians were in favor of purchasing it.”

    Gambrel said one of the main concerns buying new equipment was if the process was updatable so they wouldn’t find themselves in a position of owning equipment that wasn’t relevant with the introduction of new vehicles and materials.

    “Because we were going to make a big investment with six stores, we wanted to make sure we were getting our money’s worth out of the equipment,” he said.

    Gambrel said they were they were very impressed with Pro Spot’s products and Church Brothers purchased six i5 Smart Welders for each of their locations. “Dollar for dollar, we found there was nothing else on the market available that was comparable to the i5,” he said.

    Gambrel worked with the Pro Spot rep, Bill Montville, owner of Collision Correction in Hilliard, Ohio, to train the technicians. “He must be Superman, because whenever we have an issue or questions, he’s Johnny-on-the-spot,” said Gambrel. “He is always here helping us.”

    Pro Spot June Shop Product 2017 3
    Church Brothers purchased six i5 Pro Spot Smart Welders for each of their body shop locations.

    Pro Spot manufactures all their resistance spot welding equipment in the United States out of their Carlsbad, CA, headquarters. Established in 1986, the company owns an onsite machine shop, a research and development department, a fabrication facility and production lines for the various welders.

    “We would absolutely recommend Pro Spot equipment,” said Gambrel. “It’s user-friendly and there is no question about the quality of the weld on the vehicles.”

    “When that piece of equipment is used, it gives everyone the confidence that we’re fixing cars correctly,” added McClintic.

    One feature that sets the i5 apart from other welders is the ability for technicians to access OEM requirements within the system. Not only does this help improve cycle time, but McClintic said it is important when repairing vehicles so technicians can identify what needs to be done on every single car they are welding.

    The i5 also allows technicians to print out documentation about the number of welds done on every vehicle. This enables the shops to track usage of the equipment constantly.

    When they aren’t repairing vehicles, giving back to the community is also an important priority for Church Brothers. Throughout the year, the company supports numerous organizations such as the Concord Center, The Gary Dudley Memorial Scholarship Foundation, ICAN, Wish for Heroes and many others.

    “Church Brothers has been blessed over the years with thousands of loyal collision repair customers who have trusted us,” said McClintic. “I feel like it’s our responsibility to give back in some way.” Whether that’s through repairing cars properly with equipment such as the Pro Spot i5 welders or donating time and money for fundraising events, he said Church Brothers Collision Repair is committed to helping its customers and the community.
    Pro Spot
    5932 Sea Otter Place
    Carlsbad, CA 92010
    (877) PRO-SPOT
    prospot.com
    http://prospotwelding.blogspot.com

    Popular posts from this blog

    TECH TIP: SP MIG 'Hot Start': The Why & How!

    Image
    SP MIG 'Hot Start': The Why & How! The Benefits & Programming of the SP Pulse MIG Welder's Hot Start Function. Quick Overview It's no secret that welding aluminum is different than steel. One of the biggest differences is how heat is dissipated on aluminum. Steel: Heat stays confined to the area where the heat is applied. Aluminum: Heat rapidly transfers throughout the material.  This causes what is known as a " Cold Start ";  the beginning of the weld bead is weak due to not enough heat at the start causing poor penetration. To counter this we have two options:  Tail-In Method -   You start the weld outside and move in toward the weld join so that the material is pre-heated allowing proper penetration.  Hot Start function  - The cleanest way to program it and avoid the cold start. (See VIDEO below) Solution :  The SP series MIG welder's " Hot Start Function ",...
    Read more

    TECH TIP: How to Apply Solid Rivets Faster & Easier

    Image
    Still Using Bucking Bars to Apply Rivets? Image shows the EXT-25 Extender and the Solid Rivet Dies Head and Forming sides.  Apply Solid Rivets with One Button!  For faster, easier application of Solid Rivets:  U se the Solid Rivet dies with the Pro Spot PR-5 Rivet Gun. The dies easily screw onto the Rivet Gun and is ready to work right away.  Photo Credit:  Bettmann/  Bettmann Archive To improve the application of Solid Rivets,  Pro Spot has designed new Solid Rivet Dies in an effort to help shops save time and hassle .  No longer will you need to "make something work", using a loud air hammer with a bucking bar, or use flattening dies which can be dangerous. Installing solid rivets is now as easy as installing an SPR!  WHAT :  NEW SOLID RIVET DIES- Solid Rivet Die Head Side (PRR-40) and Forming Side (PRR-41). WHERE : Easily screw on threads to PR-5 Rivet Gun. WHEN :  Are...
    Read more

    TECH TIP: How to Save Your Aluminum Wire

    Image
    Proper storage for aluminum wire when not in use is KEY to making it last longer and for producing quality welds!  Aluminum  oxidizes rapidly , and this can cause issues with weld quality and overall strength of repair.  When oxidation forms on the aluminum wire it will disrupt the arc and will be nearly impossible to maintain a proper arc. ALUMINUM WIRE WILL GO BAD IF NOT STORED PROPERLY  NO MATTER HOW LITTLE IT IS USED   Although Aluminum is becoming more abundant during production, depending on the shop, Aluminum welding may not be a regular occurrence like steel is. Proper wire storage is very important when not in use, as the aluminum  oxidizes rapidly  and this can cause issues with weld quality and overall strength of repair. This is something that is often an after thought or overlooked in the shop, and blame gets placed on welder instead of looking at the wire. When Aluminum welding wire is not in us...
    Read more