The company showcased five new systems to help technicians make clean and efficient repairs, from roughout to a flat finish.
Article reprinted from: Autobody News
With Glue Pull Repair (GPR) increasingly being used in body shops today, KECO launched a variety of new GPR tools and systems during the 2023 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, in November.
In addition to the company’s flagship L2E GPR Collision System, which received SEMA’s 2021 New Product of the Year award in the Collision Repair and Refinish category, the company showcased five new systems to help technicians make clean and efficient repairs, from roughout to a flat finish. This included the GPR+ Collision System, a runner-up in this year’s New Product of the Year awards in the same category.
“With the introduction of our new GPR Systems and many other products at SEMA, KECO Body Repair Products continues our passion to bring innovative solutions to the automotive repair industry,” said Chris White, president of KECO. “Our commitment to developing tools that enhance the capabilities of technicians and improve overall repair quality is evident in these new systems.”
KECO was established as a plastics injection molding company in 1963. In 2010, the company began manufacturing GPR tools for the automotive repair industry under the name KECO Body Repair Products. Today, KECO primarily focuses on GPR tools and systems for technicians and repair professionals worldwide.
The L2E product has the capability to do repairs from roughout to finish, including paintless dent repair (PDR). Over the last year, the company focused on enhancing the L2E with additional tabs and designing new systems to meet the needs of the industry.
“We think of repairs that are done in terms of a continuum, from roughout to finish and the new systems reflect this,” explained White.
- The L2E (Compact) GPR Collision System is a compact version of the flagship system, with all the tools, tabs and modularity of the L2E, but it sits on a smaller 18” cart. White said this allows for ease of movement throughout the shop.
- The GPR+ Collision System supplements the L2E Collision System and assists technicians looking to correct sharper and more complex damage with precision and efficiency.
- The GPR Technician Companion System works in unison with the central L2E for larger tools and allows technicians to address a smaller percentage of damage.
- The GPR RoughOut System provides half of the full system. It was designed for technicians to repair medium to large damage, ensuring a faster and more efficient repair process. It contains the items needed to achieve basic pulls to roughout damage, which will ultimately require a filler for finishing.
- The GPR Finish System, focused on smaller flat finish repairs and detail dents, provides the tools, tabs and modularity to work toward a flat refinish.
The company also developed KECO’s Mother of All Beams (MOAB) specifically for Rivian electric delivery vans. The 60-inch MOAB provides the length and strength to move difficult damage or structures found on electric delivery vehicles, tractor-trailers, RVs and other fleet vehicles.
“We went from those vans being literally unrepairable and needing to be replaced to being able to repair them,” noted White.
The company prides itself on being problem solvers for the industry and creating custom solutions to offer a method for repairability. However, when deciding whether to repair or replace, White stresses the importance of always following OEM procedures.
“The KECO team is passionate about advancing auto collision repair methods and ensuring they are the least invasive and most efficient,” he said.
For more information, visit www.kecotabs.com.
