Lester Glenn Collison Center’s 33,000 square-foot facility in Toms River, NJ has been serving collision repair needs since 1956. Affiliated with nine OEM car lines, and producing approximately $5 million worth of business a year, Lester Glenn has seen the incredible benefits of having a USI Italia Spray Booth.
“About seven years ago, we reached out to a couple companies for a spray booth,” explains Collision Center Manager Dan Paganelli. “USI showed up, and out all of the proposals and all the meetings, they showed the most professionalism. They walked us through what we could have, what we could do and why we should do it. We felt very comfortable; the meeting was focused on what the booth was capable of, and how it would fit into what we wanted to do for the future.”
Paganelli described the difficulties the painters at his shop were having with waterborne paint drying on cars, and with the help of USI’s team, the new spray booth revolutionized the way they did business.
“We were one of the first shops to incorporate this new booth style that had a superior heating capability. We removed all the blowers, and USI showed us how to use this new technology. It amps up the drying temperature, the air movement is great over the vehicle and with increased heat, the drying time is faster.
“The service from USI was so helpful we actually became a one of the shops in the area that taught people how to not use blowers, which are very cumbersome – they get in the way, and they take more time than the way we were now doing things. One of our paint reps came in and asked us to show them what we were doing and how to do it. We were showing everybody how to use the booth, and they were very impressed.”
At Lester Glenn, Paganelli’s painters utilize the spray booth, and their double-heated press deck, every day, clocking over 320 hours every week, with the goal to soon be 500 hours. Additionally, the shop is in the process of installing a second spray booth, and Paganelli is excited to see how it continues to improve business.
“Something I really love is their new computer system. They can go in there overnight and upload any additional information that we need, or perform any upgrades to the booth. Any troubleshooting, they can do it from New Jersey or Italy – even when we’re closed. [USI’s] service has been above average, and that’s hard to find with an outside contractor. In this industry, with spray booths, that’s very, very difficult to find. They’re really standing behind their product line, which we appreciate.”
Since the installation of the first USI Italia spray booth, Paganelli says his employees have really valued the simplicity of the booth, as well as the longevity it has provided to the company over the course of a long day.
“Our painters really love the drying capabilities, and just the overall ease of operation. It’s really simple to maintain and great to work with. For the amount we use it, it’s a workhorse – and that’s what you need. You need reliability. You need to know that it’s working from seven in the morning until five at night – and that’s what it does.”
In regard to training associated with the booth, Paganelli says USI’s team came out to the shop to go over the different capabilities of the system.
Additionally, he’s benefitted from the expertise of USI’s representatives.
“The drying of the paint – they gave us a ton of input in that respect, and that has just catapulted us. It has saved us a lot of cycle time in the booths, and that was huge for us. There’s no barometer for how much that has helped us – it’s increased our business one car per day at the very least.
“USI’s input was also very instrumental in the layout of the shop, and that was a great advantage to us.
For Paganelli and Lester Glenn, it’s the reliability of the USI Italia spray booths – as well as the USI representatives - that have proven to be the biggest benefits.
“It’s comforting to know that someone’s at the other end of the phone. I feel comfortable knowing I have someone I can depend on. We’ve never had a problem with lighting, mechanicals, running the booth. It’s been very reliable. If I need to reach out to them for service needs, I know they’ll help me.”
In the future, Paganelli is confident that adding a second USI spray booth will only continue to bolster their business.
“The installation of the second booth will allow us to bring on another full-time painter, which I think can increase our paint capacity from 320 to well over 500 hours a week. That alone can increase our total sales for the month by 30 percent. Over a year’s time, we think it can push us well over that $5 million mark – that’s how much of an advantage it’ll be.
“USI is so straightforward. There’s no bells and whistles. The booth moves a lot of air, it moves it consistently – there’s no failure, no lag – that’s what you want: Longevity, consistency, and the ability to bake the cars properly to OEM standard.”

USI REFINISH TECHNOLOGY,
Our products save shops money, time and energy and that's why we're one
of the premier manufacturers of spray booths in the world today.

USI Italia spray booths are carefully engineered, thoroughly tested and manufactured
to lead the market for these following reasons:

1. World's Fastest Painting Cycle: With the shortest flash-off and curing times on
the planet. You will never need additional tools in your booth such as blowers of any
kind, IR or compressed air heating systems with a USI Italia booth. By featuring shorter
curing times with the highest flow available anywhere provided by our exclusive turbofan
system, the energy savings are huge and the results are exceptional.

2. Standardized Quality Results: With a USI Italia spray booth, you can rely on the same
excellent results time and time again. Before we introduce a new model to the public,
strenuous testing with a select system of controls is conducted, ensuring that it will
perform at a high level in any shop environment. With all of the latest cutting-edge
products and components working together, the entire painting process is controlled
and fully automated through our Easy Paint System. It takes all of the guesswork out
of the process, because with every cycle, our E.P.S. suggests the most efficient process
with each vehicle in real-time and enables your crew to obtain the highest quality results
in the shortest time at the lowest cost overall.

3. Economy and Superior Technology: Especially ideal for waterborne products,
USI Italia spray booths are durable and reliable while saving collision repairers time,
energy and money by painting more cars with precision performance. Painters love USI
Italia booths because the finished product is exemplary and while enabling them to paint
more cars every day by tapping into our advanced technology.