Rivian Automotive is the newest automobile manufacturer to join the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) as a corporate member.
As described on the Rivian website, "coming together to do more than we can on our own" is a core part of the OEM’s corporate identity. The site elaborates on how "building a collaborative culture is critical for us to deliver on our mission---the complexity of our products and customer ecosystems means that a wide range of skillsets and backgrounds must work closely together to make thousands of decisions every day."
The collaboration is the foundation of the relationship between SCRS and automakers, building channels for connectivity and communication between the companies designing and building complex vehicles, and the collision repair community who is committed to repairing them correctly.
"I’m confident that what SCRS does to support the collision industry is aligned perfectly to the Rivian Certified Collision Network vision," said Frank Phillips Sr., manager of the EV maker's certified collision network. "As an industry professional for more than 30 years, I regularly see the tremendous value that SCRS offers collision center members. From their steady and relentless effort to raise awareness of critical pieces of information, to providing for the immediate needs of the whole industry, to the very specific help and support of their membership with resources and opportunities to improve their business operations, SCRS sets the bar for what collaboration and raising the bar should look like."
"Our culture is the driving force at Rivian, and it is at SCRS as well," added Kelly Logan Sr., manager of the collision repair program. "We are all very cognizant that Rivian’s potential lies in creating solutions that shift consumer mindsets and inspire other companies to fundamentally change the way they operate. This is exactly what SCRS does in the collision repair community as well. Rivian aspires to create a manufacturer collision program that sets the bar for our OE peers to continue to develop and evolve existing programs to support and engage the independent collision repair operators in the United States. To be successful, we need to support the associations and initiatives that deepen the pool of businesses who are committed to the same ideals that we are."
Rivian and SCRS have shared a mutually strong working relationship since the automaker’s entrance into the market, with collaborative work stemming from educational opportunities during SCRS’ Repairer Driven Education at SEMA, interactions between the many certified network members involved in SCRS, and mutual activity through the OEM Collision Repair Roundtable.
"I think the resounding takeaway from interactions between our groups is always how common our purpose and objectives are," said SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. "The team at Rivian really embraces and shapes the good work they are doing. I had the good fortune of attending their first-ever Rivian Certified Collision Annual Summit, and what stood out more than anything was just how genuine and authentic their team is from the top down. Every one of them believes in their product, they believe in the people they’ve surrounded themselves with, and they believe in helping others be at their best when it comes to serving the customer well. Their goals, and our mutual alignment, were obvious over the course of the two-day event. It’s to lift others up and inspire positive change."
"These are the kinds of companies we want in our member roster, and we are all grateful for the relationship and trust," said SCRS Chairman Amber Alley. "In addition to my role with SCRS, I also manage a repair center in Northern California, who was fortunate enough to meet the criteria and receive our certification in September of 2022. Having been through a lot of certified approval processes, what has struck me about Rivian is how committed they are to building the best-in-class network of independent repair facilities. They’ve really prioritized training, the right equipment and performing repairs to the specifications their engineers have developed, but not without making all of it accessible to the repair community. It’s been a rewarding program to be part of."
"Being a member of SCRS, as an OEM, affords us the opportunity to work alongside other collision center members to achieve our common goals," added Phillips. "We are coming from a place where we are both supporting the same good work, for the same reasons, and that creates meaningful connection. We are really excited about our continually developing relationship with SCRS and supporting the industry through this very valuable organization."
For more information about SCRS or to join as a member, visit www.scrs.com, call 1-877-841-0660 or email info@scrs.com.
Source: SCRS
Abby Andrews