Through Collision 360, Spanesi offers far more than just state-of-the-art equipment.
Antony Iaboni grew up in the collision repair business. His father, Giuliano emigrated from Italy in the 1970s and with no prior background in the industry started out as a labourer. “He would re-chrome bumpers, that kind of thing,” says Iaboni. Working his way up to become a sales representative and then ultimately running his own business selling aftermarket parts, Juliano’s work ethic was something the young Anthony Iaboni took to heart from an early age.
Throughout school and into his university years, Anthony worked alongside his father. “Any time I had available, including holidays and weekends, I would work. In many ways it really was my time with my dad.”
Change of direction
It was when he was about to embark on a masters degree, that Iaboni’s life changed direction. “My dad had some key employees leave at that time and asked if I could help. So I came on board.”
It was during this time that Iaboni really got a taste for running his own business. “We put in place new processes and improved the quality. I was looking to branch out and cater to a broader range of clients, when rumours started about the business being sold.”
Iaboni saw an opportunity and started his own operation, Collision 360 Refinish Supply. “It was tough in the beginning, especially with a young family but we had a lot of clientele and some great support in those early days.” Since then, Collision 360 has gone from strength-to-strength and approximately two and a half years ago, Iaboni first came in contact with Spanesi.
“It actually happened via the collision centre located next door, CSN – Garyray,” says Iaboni. An insurer the shop was working with had asked them to invest in a Spanesi measuring system. Very happy with the result and achieving ROI in a short time frame, CSN—Garyray owner Sandro Perruzza, asked Iaboni if it might be a good idea to contact Spanesi. “It proved to be great timing,” states Iaboni. “I contacted the Spanesi family in Italy and they put me in touch with Timothy Morgan, Director, Spanesi Americas.
New distributor
With Spanesi’s existing distributor looking to retire at the time, it proved to be an ideal opportunity for Collision 360 to step in. “It’s been an absolute blessing,” says Iaboni. “We really enjoy working with Spanesi, both in Italy and the U.S. It’s a very family-oriented company, much like our own and the team is passionate, driven and focused on delivering the best solutions and improving the industry.”
Collision 360 currently distributes a range of Spanesi systems, ranging from the Touch Measuring System, to 106 and Pista benches, multi bench packages and even alignment tools.
The Spanesi Touch Measuring System has been a very successful product for us,” adds Iaboni “and we sell, on average about 3-4 per month. It’s a quality product that’s modular and very user friendly.” The benches, particularly the Series 106 and multi bench packages, have also been embraced by Collision 360’s customers but the product itself is only part of the story.
Where the real benefit lies, is in the aftersales, technical and training support. Collision 360 has placed a very strong emphasis here, supported by Spanesi both in Italy and the U.S.
Iaboni points to the training centre Collision 360 has opened as well as the distributor’s strategy when it comes to offering the complete package. “If a customer has a question or needs some help, we are right there. For us, the ROI really comes down to having confidence in your equipment—at the end of the day, any piece of equipment is only as good as the person that’s using it, which is why the training element is so important.”
Dedicated support
With products like the Spanesi 106, Iaboni recalls that when Collision 360 had orders for three of them, Spanesi dispatched a factory trained technician from Italy to spend a week with Iaboni and his team, as well as visit each shop that had purchased one of these three benches to walk them through the process. “He was able to show them different ways to utilize the 106 and for us, having that support available to our customers, in my view is what sets us apart.”
Iaboni believes that in today’s highly competitive collision repair industry, distributors need to ensure they go the extra mile. “It’s not really about the sale,” he says, “it’s about the relationship and the aftersales process. Your customers need to know that you are there to support them, whether it’s something regarding the product itself or whether it’s training or updates. Our goal is really to become that trusted advisor for them.”
Moving forward, Iaboni says there are plans to add new products and create the Spanesi 360 offer, essentially a turnkey solution for collision repair equipment that covers everything from measuring systems to benches, to spray booths and extraction. “The goal is to become a one-stop-shop with Spanesi providing equipment for every need.”
Yet while the products and aftersales support have been a huge driver in Collision 360’s success, perhaps a bigger one has been the team Iaboni has in place. “Our staff are big factor in making it all possible” he says. “They are young, committed and have been instrumental in our success. They are a great example of what the millennial generation can bring to this industry.”
For more information, please visit Collision 360’s website by clicking here.
