The Wedge Clamp System was invented in the 80's by a large production collision repair facility, in Vancouver, Canada to address changing industry requirements. Traditional auto body repair equipment evolved from the repair of frame-type vehicles. The frame rack and bench fixture systems had not kept up with the need for upper body diagnostics and repair, and were not well suited to address the need to vastly improve repair efficiency and body shop productivity. Equipment needed to be more compact, more universal, easier to work with and enable faster and more accurate repairs.

The development of the Wedge Clamp System was based on field research, which confirmed that technicians preferred to avoid complicated systems – they wanted to work 'smarter' and not 'harder'. Design experiments were done, and several approaches were tried, ultimately designing and building a sophisticated wedge-locked, four-point anchoring system that eliminated the need for the heavy, expensive and bulky frame racks then in use. At the same time, separate research commenced to address the problem of measuring systems. Productive repairs with the new unibodies required a measuring system which would allow three-dimensional measurements anywhere on the vehicle body and suspension areas, that would be fast to set up because it would be needed frequently during unibody repairs, and that would be simple enough to allow technicians with average skill capabilities to easily learn and use the system.

The basic design of the Wedge Clamp System represented an entirely new approach that was less expensive, easier to use, and would ensure repairs were made to original factory specification. The anchoring, measuring and pulling components on the system have been refined through continuing field trials. Patents have been obtained on key features of the Wedge Clamp System.

Early market development centered on Canada. Almost immediately customers responded positively to the first edition of the product, with the result that Wedge Clamp soon claimed a leading share of the Canadian collision repair equipment market. Building on this success, in 1987 a Japanese company, eagerly became Wedge Clamp's distributor in Japan, providing an opportunity to test the company's product in the world's most quality-minded market. The product's design was well received in space conscious Japan because it took substantially less space than other systems in use. Users also liked the equipment's simplicity of operation, and its ability to quickly provide accurate damage diagnosis and guidance in repairs.

By 1990, more than 1600 units of the early versions of the product were sold in Canada, Europe and Japan. Following Japanese and American market feedback, Wedge Clamp has refined both the Anchoring and Pivot Measuring System to allow the equipment to adapt to the increasing variety of vehicle models presently found on the road today.

Recent additions to the Wedge Clamp System product line include the EZE Tie Down System, designed to do light and panel pulls. Anchoring Adapter Kits then joined the Wedge Clamp product line, to provide secure four-point anchoring for most united and frame vehicles. And the latest, the Full Frame Anchoring System which addresses the need with the increasing popularity of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs).

About Wedge Clamp
The Wedge Clamp System is the most efficient, productive repair system. It outperforms ordinary bench and rack systems in every category: anchoring, measuring, lifting and pulling. The Wedge Clamp System is easy to use and is fast and simple to set up. It is the best anchoring system that provides the ideal working height and adapts to all makes and models and damage conditions. Storage is compact and portable. Aircraft quality engineering and materials make the Wedge Clamp System tough enough to stand up to rigors of everyday use, yet lightweight and easy to operate. Wedge Clamp provides a line of high performance equipment and accessories to help body shops achieve maximum efficiency. For more information call: 1-800-615-9949.