Clark’s Corner: Three Spray Guns
Three DeVilbiss spray guns tell a tale of how I learned to paint cars.
Clark’s Corner: A Culture of Safety
We’re certainly a tough bunch in collision repair, but even the toughest guy in your shop is still at the mercy of flying debris, dangerous overspray or solvent absorption.
Clark’s Corner: Wise Advice from (Really) Old Collision Industry Veterans
In a series of conversations with some old friends and customers, we generated a non-inclusive list of ways to save labor time, get organized and produce better work faster.
Start Small When It Comes to Tracking the Financials in Your Body Shop
I know this industry doesn’t attract many math or finance majors as shop owners. But I implore you to start tracking your financials because, if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
The Evolution of Spray Guns
Both spray gun technology and the cost of spray guns have increased dramatically since I first wrote about them in the September 1991 issue of BodyShop Business.
The Essential Craftsman
I’ve been a car guy forever. I drew cartoon Bucket T’s with flat-head V-8s, velocity stacks, headers and flames on my grade school notebooks.
The Next Blizzard of Collision Industry Acronyms
Each of the changes in car construction, finish quality, environmental regulations and passenger safety were all ushered in on a tsunami of scary acronyms: SAI, HSS, BC/CC, HAPS, HVLP, ABS and now SDV. But what do they mean?
Stop Putting Out Fires and Attend a Meeting
I’ve spent some discussion time recently with both collision shop owners and paint, body and equipment (PBE) wholesalers, and I’m discouraged again that many small business principals don’t have time to attend a learning event that will make their lives easier.
Why Are Body Shops Still Not Safe?
My recent foray to the front lines of collision repair, where it smells like thinner and you can hear the pulling chains groan, told me that technician safety was less comprehensive than I had expected.
What’s the Buzz in the Collision Industry?
What I heard out in the real world was that things are pretty good on the collision repair front these days. If we could just get the insurance companies to send the work to our shop and pay us for all the necessary repairs…
