Started in 2007, and held every two years, the Best of Australia competition is an esteemed event that pits the top O’Brien® Automotive Technicians from around Australia against each other in a series of challenges designed to test their skills and expertise. On March 14th, O’Brien® staff from across three divisions, key customers and suppliers came together to witness the competition final and see the 7 skilled technicians battle it out for the title of Best of Australia.

We’d like to congratulate the following discipline-specific award winners:

• Jack Karssemeyer of O’Brien® AutoGlass Moorebank NSW – Best Side and Body Glass
• Nat Rouessart of O’Brien® AutoGlass Tuggerah NSW – Best Recalibration
• Jack Collins of O’Brien® AutoGlass North Parramatta NSW – Best Chip Repair

Of course, in the end, there could only be one overall winner, so we’d like to extend a huge congratulations to:

Jack Karssemeyer – the O’Brien® Best of Australia 2024 Winner.

After being awarded the title at the gala event held on the same night, we were lucky to have a chat with Jack to get an insight into his journey to the podium and what the title of ‘Best of Australia’ means to him.

Here’s what he had to say.

Introducing Jack K. – the O’Brien® Best of Australia 2024 Winner.

Jack, joined O’Brien® as an 18-year-old straight out of high school, going from trainee Technician to the Level 5 Technician he is today, in just over 4 years. He perfectly embodies the O‘Brien® commitment to excellence and has had his eyes set on being part of the Best of Australia competition for some time.

It’s no surprise that when his skills and achievements were recognised; he was in awe when his name was announced as the winner:

“It was surreal. I was so nervous standing up there and when my name got called, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off me… it meant everything. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and something I’ve always had my focus on.”

As a Sydney local, this was Jack’s first time competing in the Best of Australia (BOA). As he describes, his success is a testament to his manager, John Paton, and his technical trainer mentor, Mark Cameron.

“I’d like to shout out my manager, John, my mentor Mark, and the whole technical training team for the amazing job they did to help me prepare for the event. They helped me in so many ways – I hope they’re proud of what we achieved together.”

Celebrating A Century of Service

Jack’s achievement comes at an exciting time for the team at O’Brien® as the company celebrates 100 years of service in Australia. The Best of Australia 2024 was combined with a 100-year celebration event held after the competition wrapped up, where the winner was announced in front of over 300 people.

“Having BOA and the big 100-year celebration was really special – to be a part of such a milestone for the whole company was amazing and it really encouraged the best out of all the competitors as well. There was an amazing buzz out on the competition floor!”

True to the O’Brien® way, Jack admits that he made lifelong friends with his fellow BOA competitors and describes this comradery as one of the highlights of his experience:

“I love O’Brien® as a company. There are so many different branches of progression you can go through. It is like a giant family and the night showed that. People from all aspects of the company came together to support one another and although we were competitors, each of us shared ideas and insights throughout the process and had a great time – I’ve made some friends for life.”

Looking forward: The Best of Belron competition

The Best of Belron is a biennial global event held across the Belron Group. This competition recognises the best Belron technicians from 39 countries worldwide who specialise in using Belron’s standard repair and replacement processes, known as the Belron Way of Fitting. The finalist for each country’s national event is invited to compete on the world stage, which means Jack will now head to Lisbon, Portugal to compete against the best in Belron this June.

“In three months’ time, I’ll be heading over to Lisbon to compete in the Best of Belron competition. It really is an honour to be going over there to compete on behalf of O’Brien®, and to test myself against the other competitors and to show what I’m made of. I’m so excited!”

The road to Lisbon looks much the same as the lead-up to the BOA competition with ongoing training and practice alongside the Technical Training team and no doubt plenty of advice from our Australian BOA Judges and fellow competitors.

We wish Jack the best of luck before he flies off to compete in three months and no doubt plenty of advice from the alumni of Best of Australia winners who’ve represented O’Brien on the world stage. We’ll be keeping across how Jack’s preparation is going, so stay tuned for more updates on Jack’s journey to Lisbon.

Want to join the fun and be part of one of Australia’s most iconic companies?

Do you think you’d love a career at O’Brien®? We’d love to have you!

O'Brien® is always on the hunt for talented people who are looking to start a promising career with us.

Head on over to O’Brien® Careers and find the perfect role for you.

Of course, for all your AutoGlass needs, call 1800 059 829 and speak to the experts in our Customer Solutions Centre today!

The post Congrats Jack Karssemeyer, Winner of O’Brien® Best of Australia 2024 appeared first on O'Brien.

Hailstorms can result in damage to property, especially cars. The impact of hail stones can damage your car exterior, side and rear windows, and windscreen.

According to a recent report from the Insurance Australia Group (IAG), hailstorms are likely to become more frequent and intense in Australia due to climate change, with large parts of southern and eastern Australia most at risk.

With that in mind, you’re probably wondering what you can do or use to keep your vehicle safe in a hailstorm.

Here are some ways to help protect your car from hail and potentially prevent the resulting vehicle repair costs if you happen to be where one hits.

4 tips to keep your car safe from hail damage

Thousands of Australian vehicles are damaged by hail every year. Depending on your circumstances, there are a range of options to help protect your car and keep it safe in the event of a hailstorm:

1. Check the weather forecast.

Prevention is better than a cure! Weather forecasts aren’t iron-clad but can often predict severe weather like hailstorms. Checking a dedicated app or website like the BOM Weather App can help you remain alert and aware, giving you more time to prepare or get undercover.

If your local council provides a weather alert system via SMS, it’s also worth signing up for. Plus, it’s handy to keep an eye (and an ear) on the news throughout the day, too.

2. Avoid driving during a hailstorm.

Driving during a hailstorm can be dangerous.

Not only can it be challenging to see, but the hailstones may cause damage to the body of your car, its windows or the windscreen. When going on an extended trip, always check the weather forecast to ensure no hailstorms are scheduled for when you’ll be on the road.

3. Park your car undercover.

The best way to protect your car from hail is to park your car in a secure undercover location, like a garage or carport. But this is not always possible.

If hail starts raining down while you’re on the road, help keep yourself safe by slowing down, turning your headlights on, and driving cautiously to a nearby covered car park or anywhere with some cover. If no shelter is around, when safe to do so, pull over to the side of the road and wait inside your car for the hail to stop. Make sure you don’t park your car under trees, by power lines, or near bodies of water that might flood during the storm. Stay aware of your surroundings and take the necessary steps to keep safe.

4. Use a hail car cover or blankets.

As the name suggests, a hail cover is designed to cover your car and reduce the impact of hail damage on the vehicle. While a hail cover may not completely prevent damage, it may reduce the severity of the impact that hail stones can cause.

Ideally, a hail cover should only be used as a last-minute option if proper shelter is unavailable. In place of a hail cover, another option is to use large, thick blankets draped over the car to minimise the damage done.

If nothing else is available, you can always use the car floor mats from your car to cover your windscreen glass, which may be the difference between being able to drive your vehicle or not.

Please remember that if you are caught up in a hailstorm, and your vehicle glass does get damaged, it can be dangerous to drive your vehicle as your vision may be impaired.

Call your O’Brien^® AutoGlass experts

Keeping an eye on the weather can go a long way in helping to protect and maintain your vehicle glass. In the unfortunate event of sustaining damage to your glass from hail, or you’re worried about a chip or a crack, the expert team at O’Brien^® AutoGlass will make it easy with our in-branch or mobile service.

At O’Brien^®, we have specialist technicians who can assist you whether you need a chip repair or a windscreen replacement. Not only does our vehicle glass comply with Australian and international standards, but no matter what make or model your car is, you can depend on us and drive away knowing the job has been done right.

For more information about our services, call us on 1800 059 829 or send us a message to speak with one of our friendly staff.

The post Tips On How To Protect Your Car From Hail Damage appeared first on O'Brien.

When severe storms hit anywhere across Australia, O'Brien^® needs to respond with lightning speed – so to speak.

The main priority is always our customers and ensuring that all incoming enquiries and calls for help are answered efficiently, and solutions are provided to those in need as soon as possible.

Nowadays, strong storms and extreme weather patterns are a regular occurrence that affects homes and businesses, vehicles, and the people within them.

It’s reassuring to know that your local experts are there to help when these things happen.

Here’s a sneak peek into how the O'Brien^® team works when a major storm event hits.

Rising through adversity in response to storms across the country

Towards the end of October 2021, South Australians faced what locals described as a “freak” tornado, followed by a hailstorm in the Adelaide Hills.

O'Brien^® once again rose to the challenge, working together to provide support to those customers across Adelaide that were impacted.

While the Bureau of Meteorology had warned of severe storms approaching, nothing could have prepared locals for the destruction brought about by the extreme weather that hit. The tornado uprooted trees and destroyed powerlines, resulting in hundreds of thousands of households being left without power.

The hailstorm caused devastating damage to properties and rural communities. As the storm tore through crops, farms and greenhouses, reports of hail damage to doors and windows, as well as car windscreens, flooded into the O'Brien^® call centre.

While this was already an overwhelming time for O'Brien^® as the call centre team worked day and night to respond to the thousands of calls, COVID-19 restrictions continued to make it difficult for both local and interstate response teams and volunteer groups to join the cause and help manage the situation accordingly.

O'Brien^® streamlines response to help those impacted

As part of our commitment to the local community, we want our customers to know that O'Brien^® will always be there during times of need.

In working to overcome the challenges that storms present, O'Brien^® implements its Storm Response protocol that helps to provide seamless and immediate assistance to customers.

Within moments of a storm impacting a region, the Storm Response Team gathers to implement a predetermined plan based on various scenarios. These plans are reviewed regularly, particularly in the lead up to summer, and teams are trained thoroughly on the process, so they are at the ready.

The O'Brien^® team then identify and address the calls that require an immediate response. All divisions of O'Brien^®, including AutoGlass, Glazing, Electrical and Plumbing collaborate and pool their resources together to respond accordingly.

As an example, the O'Brien^® Customer Solutions team, answer the phones and take the details of those who need assistance. These call patterns also give us valuable insight into where a storm has hit the hardest, providing us with an initial indication of where to direct resources as a priority. If there is a peak in inbound traffic, other areas of the O'Brien^® group, such as Marketing and Human Resources, will also assist in answering calls where required.

Once job details are confirmed, the Customer Solutions team, alongside a task force that includes staff and branch personnel in affected areas, work on establishing bookings.

Depending upon border restrictions, teams of pre-selected technicians are flown in from across the country, to the impacted area, to support and get customers back on the road as quickly as possible.

This was the case with the storms that hit South Australia in late October last year. The O'Brien^® Operations team even set up a pop-up site in the most affected areas to help provide additional support. This move proved crucial as main roads and highways were blocked by flooding and debris.

In the past, we’ve even called upon our international colleagues. So, teams from as far away as the USA and Germany have dropped everything to fly to Australia and support our customers. And given all technicians are training the same 42 steps process for replacing a windscreen, O'Brien^® ensures the same high standard quality of service our customers demand.

Proven emergency response system at the ready

To help complement this process, O'Brien^® has created a storm response page that provides the community with the information they need to help them stay safe during these severe weather events. The page also directs those affected to an online storm damage booking form, providing an alternative for those in need to make a booking for repairs and assistance when the phone lines are busy.

Interested in some handy tips to keep prepared during storm season? Click here

Having experienced and managed many intense weather events across Australia to date, O'Brien^® is continuously finding improvements and new ways to manage storms both internally and for our customers to provide the highest level of service possible.

Since its establishment, our streamlined storm response process has proved to be a significant help to thousands of Australians amidst challenging times. Looking ahead, O'Brien^® is confident we can deal with what the Australian climate has in store for us.

Amidst the extra shifts and the many hours of overtime resulting from storm events, the team at O'Brien^® are always left enriched, satisfied, and proud of the support they provide for those in need by working together.

O'Brien^® – always ready to provide a lending hand

With over 95 years of experience, our expertise in quality service makes us Australia’s leading vehicle glass repair and replacement company, no matter what the circumstances.

For more information about our services, call our team on 1800 059 829, or send us a message. We’re here to help you.

The post How O’Brien Manages Storm Events Across Australia appeared first on O'Brien.

So, what better way to challenge our technicians than to put them to the ultimate test? To become the Best of Australia, with a chance to compete internationally with the best in their field!

And now finally, after two long years of waiting, the Best of Australia competition is back in 2022!

What is the Best of Australia competition?

This competition gives six expert O'Brien^® automotive technicians from around the country the opportunity to claim the title of Best in Australia and go on to represent their country at the Best of Belron event in Barcelona, Spain at the end of June.

About the Best of Belron

The Best of Belron is a bi-annual event held across the Belron Group to find the best technician worldwide that specialises in using Belron’s repair and replacement processes, known as the “Belron Way of Fitting”. The finalist for each country is decided through a national competition held by each member of the Belron Group, with the winners going on to compete in the international round against 30 other nations.

Unfortunately, the arrival of COVID-19 saw the Best of Belron 2020 event put on hold, meaning the six O'Brien^® Best of Australia finalists were unable to compete at the time to determine who among them would take out the top spot and represent Australia overseas.

However, with a few tweaks and changes, the competition is back again this year, with various COVID-safe measures in place and a panel of on-site and remote judges to help us deliver an event that everyone can enjoy, and ultimately, crown the O'Brien^® Best of Australia winner for 2020.

The regional finalists

The Best of Australia competition will take place over two days, from the 15th-16th Feb, with the winner to be announced on the 17th Feb.

We’re pleased to re-introduce our regional finalists:

Jake Kulikovskis (O'Brien^® AutoGlass Moorebank, NSW)

Brett Black (O'Brien^® AutoGlass Braeside, VIC)

Brenden Grech (O'Brien^® AutoGlass Smeaton Grange, NSW)

Phil Cole (O'Brien^® AutoGlass Osborne Park, WA)

Bengt Stayte (O'Brien^® AutoGlass Townsville, QLD)

Luke Passfield (O'Brien^® AutoGlass Rutherford, NSW)

With the help of some pretty cool hi-tech equipment and comprehensive planning, the competition will be held remotely this year for the first time. Multi-site judging across each region will be made possible through the wearing of RealWear Headsets by on-site judges, with each having the ability to communicate with a second, central judge in a remote location to ensure continuity across the board. O'Brien staff across the country can also watch on and cheer the finalists via a live zoom link as well.

Each finalist will compete in their home region, having already won their respective regional events back in 2020. They must successfully complete three challenges around windscreen repair, side window replacement and windscreen replacement. Each of these challenges enables the finalists to showcase their extensive technical knowledge and their outstanding customer service skills along the way.

This event is made possible due to Belron’s 42-step process for Windscreen Replacement, as well as their trademarked tools such as the ART Chip tool and the 1-Tek tool, that O'Brien^® and Belron technicians across the world use every day. In fact, the competition is a highly competitive and respected challenge amongst technicians, giving them the chance to demonstrate their skills and commitment to world-class service.

The O'Brien^® Best of Australia event also highlights our strong commitment to ongoing training and expertise throughout our organisation. We understand that our success is only due to the success and dedication of our expert technicians and staff, and this ongoing commitment is a testament to the quality of service that O'Brien^® provides to its customers across Australia.

We wish all our finalists the very best of luck for this weeks competition, and we look forward to announcing you to the winner Best of Australia competition in a few days’ time.

Want to join the fun and be part of one of Australia’s most iconic companies? O'Brien^® is always on the hunt for talented people who are looking to start a cracking career with us. To kick-start your next career, visit obriencareers.com.au

The post Return Of The O’Brien Best Of Australia Competition appeared first on O'Brien.

“I love being out and about and meeting people and helping them with what they need. I could never work in an office.”

Matthew has worked for O'Brien^® for over 10 years in three different stints. This last time he has been back with the company for just under three years and says it’s the comradery of his team that he enjoys.

“Our manager is very experienced and has worked as a fitter so knows what it’s like. The guys at the branch are all mates and we get along really well. We have a few trainees who we all guide and help out as well.”

Matthew lives in Menai in the Sutherland region of Sydney.

“It’s a great slice of Sydney. It’s not as busy as some other parts of the city and it’s quite easy to get around.”

Outside of work, you’ll find Matthew picnicking with the family on the bank of the Woronora River or on one of the beaches in Wollongong. A certain restaurant in the area is a favourite for sentimental reasons.

“My wife and I love going to Rocksalt for dinner as it’s where we got married.”

If you require vehicle glass repair or replacement in Wollongong, make sure to call the experts at O'Brien^® on 1800 059 829 or book online –  it might just be Matthew who comes to do the job!

The post Meet Wollongong Technician Matthew Singles appeared first on O'Brien.