Our History
1965
1965
At the tender age of 17, Don Iacobucci boarded a boat from Italy destined for Melbourne. He had a passion for cars, and before he could speak English properly, he started working as a Panel Beater at a small shop in Fitzroy
1984
1984
DSI Panels was born. Don and his wife Silvana first opened at Lexton Road, Box Hill North and employed 14 people – 6 of them being apprentices
1984
1994
1994
DSI relocated to Bayswater. Barry Wilson from Dent Masters worked along side Don, sharing the factory space and referring work to each other
1998
1998
Barry Wilson came across a factory for rent in Blackburn and suggested the move to Don, which is where DSI still remains today. 10 Terracotta Drive was the turning point for DSI, and our presence in the area has remained strong
1998
1999
1999
David, Don & Silvana’s only son, officially started his Panel Beating apprenticeship
2000
2000
Don & Silvana purchased the factory in Blackburn
2000
2006
2006
David became a part owner in DSI, buying 50% of the business and factory from his parents
2010
2010
Shortly after marrying David, Clarissa joined the DSI ‘family’ bringing the employee total to 6
2010
2014
2014
David & Clarissa purchased the other 50% share of the business and factory, with a dream of taking the strong foundation that Don & Silvana had created over the years to the next level
2018
EARLY 2018
A factory in Croydon South was purchased, and so began the long hours! David & Clarissa worked tirelessly to build our state-of-the-art workshop from scratch
2018
2018
MID 2018
DSI had 14 employees, almost half being family
2018
LATE 2018
DSI was averaging 150 repairs per month for most insurance companies and various fleets & dealerships
2018
2019
2019
Our purpose built second facility in Croydon South was officially launched in February 2019, trading as DSI Panels Croydon. We are the first conventional panel shop in Victoria to have installed a Gas Fire Infrared Arch within a Spray Booth. The DSI workforce family grew from 14 employees, to over 30
2019
MAY 2019
DSI achieved the highest-level Green Stamp Environmental Accreditation for our Eco-Friendly practices and systems
2019
2019
JUNE 2019
DSI was awarded a Certificate in Excellence of Health, Safety & Wellbeing by Pro-Visual Publishing Pty Ltd
2019
JULY 2019
DSI earned a Gold Class Facility Accreditation through our industry-based training provider, I-Car Australia
2019
2019
OCTOBER 2019
DSI Panels was crowned ‘Best New Shop Victoria’ in the 2019 Paint & Panel Bodyshop Awards.