Founded in 1976 as Autodata Manuals
ABF Systems, Inc. was founded in 1976 by Thomas LaVielle as Autodata Manuals. We developed and published estimating guides for the collision repair and insurance claims industry. We specialized in estimating guides for LKQ replacement assemblies and we also published a labor time guide on complete vehicle refinishing. We earned a reputation for providing realistic and accurate data. Our customer base consisted of over 6,000 body shops and insurance adjusters throughout the United States and Canada.
In 1991, we developed and began marketing collision estimating and shop management software for the auto body repair industry. Great emphasis was placed on ease-of-use and added value for our customers.
In 1992 we changed our corporate name to ABF Systems and focused on collision shop consulting and software development. We sold the rights of our estimating data to Hearst Business Publishing, the parent company of Motor Information Systems. The LK
