2016 Year in Review

The end of 2016 is near, and it seems like just yesterday we were all eagerly awaiting the ball to drop for 2015. The presidential election was the news juggernaut and caused many to shut themselves off from the world completely. However, when it comes to the world of auto collision, election year or no, there is always a great deal of change.

At Chief we continue to update our products to help keep your shop on the cutting edge of productivity.. We have been busy over the past year releasing several new products to our portfolio, so in case you missed them, here is a quick 2016 product wrap up:

Globaljig Partnership
Both Chief and Globaljig have a long history of serving the collision market with quality products, so it makes a lot of sense to partner together. The alliance helps round out the product options for North American customers with simple, fast and easy-to-use bench and fixture system that have a long list of OEM approvals.

MI-200T
The MI200T squeeze-type resistance inverter spot welder serves the sole purpose of spot welding during maintenance work on car bodies, for stock of up to 3 mm sheet gauge and combinations of up to three sheets within its specifications. Chief’s MultiSpot® welder delivers the large currents needed to heat today’s car metals for flawless fusion. Energy delivered to small areas in short amounts of time will increase your productivity and weld effectiveness.

Centurion Rack
Chief, introduced Centurion, the largest and strongest frame rack in the industry. With custom lengths up to 80 feet, technicians can simply drive the largest heavy-duty vehicles into position on the Centurion, swing the towers into position, and get to work in just 10 minutes. Each tower provides 55 tons of pulling power, so Centurion can straighten any truck, trailer, bus or other heavy-duty vehicle. 

CamScan HD
Measure, check, pull. Measure, re-measure, pull, check. For those of us in the auto body repair industry, this was a typical day in the life of a technician. Fast forward to the present and we now have electronic measuring systems like Chief’s Laser Lock™. Electronic measuring systems make technician’s lives easier by taking out the guess work; showing exactly where repair is needed. Unfortunately, the guess and check game is still being played in the heavy-duty repair industry. But Chief is changing all that. The Chief CamScan HD is an all new photographic imaging and measuring tool for HD shops.

Vulcan ADU
It’s no secret that today’s vehicles are built differently than those of years past. Your techs are likely seeing more and more aluminum, high-strength steel and “exotic” metals come through the doors, and that means the tools they used yesterday may not cut it anymore. That’s why we’ve developed the Vulcan ADU (Adhesive Debonding Unit). The first of its kind, it’s designed for use with the latest aluminum vehicles, and it also works on steel parts. Let’s take a closer look at how this new body shop tool works. 

Chief will continue to provide the best collision repair equipment on the market and be a true partner for your shop. If you would like more information on any of this year new releases, or any of Chief’s full line, please contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable distributors today!