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Transtar Autobody Technologies to break ground on $1 million training, color development center

Transtar Autobody Technologies Inc., which supplies paint, primers and specialty coatings to the aftermarket industry, is expanding its headquarters and manufacturing plant in Brighton with the construction of a $1 million training and color coating development center.

The 6,000-square-foot center is set to be built to the north of the current property, said Chris Hoeh, vice president of operations. The project is part of an effort to better serve its customer base in North America, according to a news release.

The general contractor on the project is Wixom-based ACS Build Inc., and Farmington-based GAV & Associates is the architect.

Construction is expected to start after the Fourth of July holiday and will be completed by late September, Hoeh said.

The training center will have the capacity to train 400 technicians and painters annually, and will house a mixing room, classrooms, prep stations and a spray booth, the release said.

Transtar will use the center to train distributors, body shops and its employees on vehicle body repair and refinish techniques using its products, Bill Ruffini, vice president of business development, said.

The manufacturer’s intention is to work with training authorities within the automotive aftermarket industry and possibly open it up to the public, though nothing has been formalized, according to Keith Sena, Transtar’s director of marketing.

The project includes a color laboratory, which will speed the addition of new color formulas for the latest vehicle models to Transtar’s refinishing system, the release said.

With the expansion, the company anticipates an output of up to 1,000 color formulas per year.

Transtar products can be found in places such as FinishMaster, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and other aftermarket stores.

“The new Training and Color Development Center is going to enhance our capabilities to support our customers and channel partners,” Transtar’s president, Charlie Fuqua, said in a release. “We’ll be able to help fill a desperate need in the collision repair market for trained technicians. Additionally, having the color lab on site will speed our ability to get new, accurate formulas out into the market.”

The company employs about 150 in Michigan, and the expansion will add two to four jobs, according to Sena. The company declined to disclose revenue figures.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. June 18 at the manufacturer’s headquarters at 2040 Heiserman Drive in Brighton.

Posted By: Crain’s Detroit Business on June 11, 2019.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

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