August 2022 - 8

The most innovative tools
of the year have arrived!
The winners of our Innovation Awards don't disappoint.
By Amanda Silliker, Editorial Director
ASilliker@EndeavorB2B.com
T
his is one of my favorite
issues of the year! On
page 20, you can see the
winners of our PTEN Innovation
Awards. This list is a great way
to know what new tools you've
got to have in order to ramp up
your productivity and get more
cars repaired faster. We get tons
of product entries for the PTEN
Innovation Awards, and our independent
third-party panel of
judges selects the best of the
best for the winners.
Each product is judged on the following
criteria:
* Time savings
* Simplifying a task
* Unique/new approach
* Improving a current tool
* Ease of use
While you can see all the winners in this
issue, some of the PTEN editors' favorites
were the following:
* Tool storage from Shadow that clearly
shows you all the tools in your box.
(You'll never need to rifle around again!)
* A tire changer from Hunter that helps
keep count of tires changed and measures
shop activity and productivity.
* An underbody light from Milwaukee
that has a 12 " magnetic extended arm
and dual joints for 300-degree swivel.
On an unrelated note, here's a question
for all you shop owners out there: How
much of your time is spent training your C
and D techs? I was recently chatting with
a couple of shop owners who said in light
of the technician shortage, they are spending
more time than they used to helping
those younger guys and gals learn how to
complete certain repairs. It was an interesting
conversation, and while one gentleman
was grumbling that he is " not getting
any younger " , and it's harder for him to
do training sessions, they both agreed it
was a good way to make the most out of a
difficult situation where there simply isn't
enough labor walking into their shop.
If you have a young tech with a great
attitude and a willingness to learn,
embrace that. If they've mastered changing
oil and rotating tires, teach them how to
do that next maintenance task that they're
chomping at the bit to learn. In our Best
Young Tech roundtable, Bogi Lateiner
explained that a willingness to learn is one
of the most important things she looks for
when hiring technicians for her shop. She
also looks for people who care about the
work they do and take pride in their work.
So, the next time you need to take a
few extra minutes to show that young
technician how to get a new job done,
be grateful that you found someone with
the right attitude and embrace the fact
that you can mold them to fit the needs
of your shop.
As Lateiner says: " I can teach you how
to turn a wrench; I can't teach you how
to care. "
PTEN EDITORIAL
ADVISORY BOARD
TECHNICIANS
ERIC MOORE,
DeMary Trucks, Columbus, OH
LOU FORT,
K.A.R.S. Inc., Huntingburg, IN
SHOP OWNERS
KIM AUERNHEIMER,
Cool Springs Automotive, Brentwood, TN
TANNER BRANDT,
Autodiag Clinic, Welford, SC
PHIL FOURNIER,
Phil's Auto Clinic, Hemet, CA
JD GOAD,
Goad's Body Shop, Lexington, VA
EDWIN HAZZARD,
Southeast Mobile Tech, Goose Creek, SC
PETE RUDLOFF,
Pete's Garage Inc., Newark, DE
MICHELLE TANSEY,
Dubclinic, Santa Clara, CA
FACEBOOK
facebook.com/
ptenmagazine
LINKEDIN
linkedin.com/company/
professional-equipment-tool-news
INSTAGRAM
@ptenmagazine
YOUTUBE
PTEN (Professional Tool
& Equipment News)
EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS
KIMBERLY COTTLE
Associated Equipment
JIM O'HARA,
Clore Automotive
8 PTEN AUGUST 2022 www.VehicleServicePros.com
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August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2022
