PPG's Paint Shop Interface allows the PaintManager color retrieval software program to work with today's popular body shop management systems to enhance the sharing of critical information between the front office and the paint operation.
Using the Paint Shop Interface, a collision center can track all paint and materials product consumed against the correct repair order, making it easier to evaluate materials usage and financial performance. And since repair order and estimate information is automatically transferred to the PaintManager software from your body shop management system, technicians are assured of having up-to-date information on every repair - eliminating inefficient re-keying of data.
Typical Repair Order data includes:
- Repair Order Number
- Customer Name
- Vehicle Year, Make, Model, VIN
- Refinish Hours
- OEM Color Code
Yes, the data transfer is secure. For many management systems, the data is simply transferred from the management system in the collision center to the PaintManager software in the shop, never leaving that location. In cases where the management system is conducted over the Internet, the data transferred by the interface is fully encrypted and secure.
After the interface has been established between the Body Shop Management System (BSMS) and the PPG PaintManager software, repair order information will automatically transfer from the BSMS to PaintManager software. The paint technician will be able to access all transferred ROs via the PaintManager Production Management software screen. When a vehicle has been repaired and delivered and the RO has been closed in the management system, the RO will be removed automatically from the Production Management view.
Yes. Before the Body Shop Management System can transfer data automatically to the PaintManager software, the mixing computer (TouchMix hardware) must be on the shop network. See Simplifying Your Network for more information.
The PPG Computer Support Help Desk will assist in configuring the body shop management system to the PPG PaintManager Program Software. To learn more, contact the PPG Computer Support Help Desk at 1-800-647-6050.
The advantage of interfacing your body shop management system to PPG's PaintManager software is the ability to get a better understanding of a collision shop’s financial and operational performance. By utilizing the repair order data and tracking all mixing operations through Production Management, shop managers can monitor and manage the productivity and efficiency of their collision center operation. The PaintManager software reporting utility, Report Viewer, includes two key reports - Repair Order Invoice and Paint & Materials Gross Profit. Other benefits include reviewing a paint technician's Mix Accuracy to offer coaching and training if waste is an issue. There are opportunities with these reports to engage the entire operation in workflow improvements and generate more streamlined processes.
PPG developed an open interface solution, which allows a greater reach into the pool of BSMS vendors. Currently, PPG is actively working with the management systems listed below. Please note that we are continuously adding systems on a regular basis (for a current list of interface partners, go the PaintManager Software Support Page). If your system is not included below, please contact the PPG Computer Support Helpdesk and they will initiate a request to the development team. PPG is always interested in adding new management system vendors to the Paint Shop Interface.
- A.B.W. Tracker™ System
- *Auto Claim Solutions Repair Tracker Interactive (RTI)™
- CCC ONE® Repair Workflow
- *Mitchell RepairCenter™
- New Era iAutoFocus™
- NEXSYIS® NEXconnex™
- *Rome Technologies CompleteShop™
- *SummitCRS
*Denotes two-way communications from the management system to PaintManager software.
PPG is solely an interface partner and does not recommend one system over another. We suggest you contact the BSMS vendors directly to set up a demo. Links to our current partners are available on the PaintManager Support Page.
Yes, in some cases. A number of our management system partners have added the ability to load mix data, such as costs and component volumes, into their system in order to allow the use of actual mix costs, as opposed to a general estimate, within the management system.
Contact the PPG Computer Support Helpdesk at 1-800-647-6050.