Axalta sets off innovation fireworks

Axalta sets off innovation fireworks

“Drivus” is the name of the new umbrella brand under which the paint giant Axalta will now bundle its consulting and services and offer them to customers in the automotive industry. “Just as we have the premium refinish brands Cromax, Spies Hecker and Standox, Drivus is an independent brand for innovative business services for workshops,” explains Axalta Refinish Marketing Manager Andreas Auer. And they have a lot planned here: The spectrum ranges from digital tools for optimizing business processes to training programs such as sales and management training to management consulting or smart repair solutions. Network services such as the proven Automotive Repair Network ARN are also bundled under the Drivus brand.

Drivus will be rolled out step by step across Europe, with various services being added little by little and can be used by customers in the industry like a modular system. It starts with a digital inventory management tool called Advanced Inventory Management (AIM), which Axalta implements as needed. This allows the entire inventory management in a company (not just paints and accessories) to be optimized. 

Digitization of the workshop

Statistics can be created, for example about the consumption of certain items or the consumption per employee. Different suppliers and warehouses can also be set up. This tool can already be ordered. “We want to act as a holistic partner to the refinish industry,” explains Axalta Refinish Sales Manager Marco Windbüchler. There is a great need for digitalization of the workshop.

“Ultimately it’s about helping customers optimize processes so that productivity, performance and profitability are increased,” adds Andreas Auer, who is responsible for Drivus in Austria. The costs are manageable and should pay for themselves quickly: the warehouse management software, for example, will cost around 500 euros per year.

Fully automatic color mixing process

But there is also exciting news at Axalta in its core business: With Daisy Wheel 3.0, the company says it is presenting the refinish industry's first fully automatic color mixing process. “This is really a huge step,” says Axalta Refinish product manager Gerhard Steinbock. The highlight of the system is that the bottles are already filled, meaning that manual pre-filling is no longer necessary. This distinguishes Daisy Wheel 3.0 from its predecessor models of the first and second generations as well as from other systems on the market that only functioned semi-automatically.

Depending on the version, the cost of the device is around 20,000 to 30,000 euros, plus a service fee for regular maintenance. The system fits perfectly into Axalta's cloud-based digital color management and saves paint shops significant time by helping to reduce lead times. In addition, there is an exact dosage – “accurate to two decimal places,” as Steinbock emphasizes. The dosing accuracy is actually +/- 0.05 g! This in turn reduces material waste and painters can work faster and more precisely. The Daisy Wheel 3.0 can already be ordered and will be delivered in Austria from the beginning of 2022.