March 1, 2011

Auto body open house to feature demonstration of new diagnostic tool

POLKTON - South Piedmont Community College's I-Car Alliance auto body program will have an open house March 25 at noon, featuring a first look at the program's newest piece of technology.

The Matrix Wand is a handheld portable photogrammetry system that provides 3-dimensional measurements that are used in real time for collision repair, and are archived and retrievable for later use. This will be the first local public demonstration of this new technology.

The open house will be in the Whitaker Applied Technologies Center, 163 Hornetown Road on the L.L. Polk Campus. Those planning to eat lunch should RSVP to rwinfrey@spcc.edu or call 704-272-7554.

Guest speaker for the event will be Robert Dyer, a former insurance representative who is the local I-Car district manager in charge of training. SPCC's alliance with I-Car enables its students to get I-Car credits that are recognized worldwide as the standard for collision repair and mechanical repair. The credits that students get toward their I-Car status can be used anywhere in the United States to gain employment at the advanced level required by today's modern repair shops.

The open house will include a tour of the facility, and students will be on hand to explain some of the things they are learning about vehicles and vehicle repairs.

Auto body technologies instructor Robert Winfrey will be available to answer questions and explain how the I-Car Alliance program works. Winfrey has more than 30 years experience in the auto body field, covering all facets of auto body repair. He currently owns All Precision Collision Repair in Marshville. He will demonstrate some of the I-Car presentations, and tools and equipment used for instruction at SPCC.

Media Contact: Rosemary Britt, 704-272-5342, rbritt@spcc.edu