With approximately 20 years of experience in paints and coatings, Meghan Barrera has a deep understanding of demands from the collision repair industry. 

As body shops grapple with technician shortages, higher productivity expectations, and a growing need for sustainable practices, Barrera is focused on developing practical solutions to meet these challenges, head on.

In her current role as business director for PPG’s Allied Products, Barrera helps drive its transformation. In that capacity, she is tasked with expanding beyond just paints and coatings to include adhesives, abrasives, polishes, and tapes — products that help boost efficiency and productivity in shops nationwide.

In this Q&A for CoatingsPro Magazine, Barrera shares her perspective and her approach to helping enhance the productivity of the group’s customers and end users.

Q: What drives your product innovation, and what can shops expect next?

Barrera: We’ve zeroed in on solving the real challenges shops face today — from labor shortages to operational bottlenecks. Right now, we’re expanding our Allied Products line under the SEM brand to give shops a complete toolkit that boosts both productivity and sustainability.

Take our recent and impending product launches, for example. Our new polish and compound system uses color coding to help technicians simplify the application process, cutting down on guesswork and mistakes.

We’ve also upgraded our body fillers to be more durable and easier to apply, which means less rework and faster turnaround. These are practical solutions that matter in shops that are often stretched for resources, where every minute counts.

Q: PPG recently invested in improving a facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Could you tell us more about the plant expansion and its impact?

Barrera: The Rock Hill expansion gives us the capacity to meet growing demand while also advancing our sustainability goals. We have expanded capacity of our existing production lines, as well as building new production capabilities for new product categories.

We have also invested in improvements to reduce our energy and waste profile of the site. These improvements cut costs and environmental impact, delivering value to our customers on both fronts.

Q: Tell us how you support body shops in achieving their sustainability goals.

Barrera: Product development focuses on reducing volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions and finding more sustainable raw materials. Efficiency marks another key factor.

We work to design products that minimize waste to help shops reduce resource consumption and operate more sustainably. It’s about supporting the shop’s sustainability goals practically and impactfully.

Q: How does training continue to fit into your overall strategy?

Barrera: Access to training is a topic of extreme importance for shops and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) alike, which we place a heavy focus on. Well-trained professionals benefit shops by reducing mistakes and liability, and the training can help with retention and job satisfaction in a challenging labor market.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of our flagship course, SEM School. Through the decades, thousands of technicians and other employees have attended this industry-leading training course and left with a newfound confidence to use our products effectively and correctly.

Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to pivot quickly to offer various models of online and virtual courses tailored to customer needs, models that we still offer today.

Our dedication to training has never been stronger, and it drives our commitment to excellence that our partners have come to expect and rely upon from the brand.

Q: How would you describe your leadership approach to meeting customer demand?

Barrera: I set a clear direction and empower my team to execute with creativity and accountability. I foster an inclusive and diverse work environment because diverse perspectives are key to innovation. By encouraging varied viewpoints and ideas, we can better meet the real-world needs of body shops.

Also, through mentorship and resource networks, we support our team's growth, which benefits customers and strengthens industry relationships.

Q: Where do you see your business in the next five years?

Barrera: The collision repair industry will likely continue its increasing focus on efficiency and sustainable practices. We aim to be at the forefront, helping shops adapt to these changes with products that make their operations smoother.

By staying close to our customers and prioritizing innovation, we position ourselves for long-term growth that supports the industry and our customers' success.

For more information, contact: SEM Products, Inc., (866) 327-7829, www.semproducts.com