Have you ever thought, “Boy, my bottom line could use a little boost.” You do your mainstream collision repair work every day, but you feel as if your technicians and tools are being underutilized. You could do something more that might bring in a few more dollars and a higher gross margin. Maybe capitalize on a trend out there and offer an ancillary service that fills a market need.
You’re thinking of an add-on business or profit center.
They come in many shapes and forms – sprayed-on bedliners, paintless dent removal, even armor installation. Typically the investment is minimal but the return potentially great. But the return won’t just happen magically – it will require good management and marketing of this new service.
Check out some of these add-on businesses and see what you’ve been missing.
ArmorThane Polyureas and Polyurethanes
Description: Two-component elastomeric spray coating
Features: ArmorThane is thicker, better spray-molded-in-place seamless protection, with immediate return to service
Average Investment: $4,800 to $28,000, depending on high or low pressure, faster spray time and shop needs
Average Gross Profit Margin Per Job: 300% to 400%
Average Retail Price Per Job: $400 to $550
Average Job Time: Two hours
Equipment Needed: High- or low-pressure spray equipment
Website: www.armorthane.com
“ArmorThane bedliners are a great complement to the business we already do here. If I’m painting a truck or making body repairs, quite often the customer will take advantage of their truck already being at the shop and get an ArmorThane bedliner sprayed in as well. The great product and consistent service and support from ArmorThane make this a great fit for my body shop.” – Jeff Potts, Potts Body Shop, Columbia, Ky.
U.S. Chemical & Plastics Dominator Truck Bed Liner
Description: Urethane-based truck bedliner (kit) that delivers superior coverage and outstanding chalking resistance; plus, it’s easy to apply. The formula is also tintable and sets a new standard in resin technology for unmatched durability and solvent resistance.
Features: Tintable, UV resistant to chalking, waterproof, easy-to-measure activation
Average Investment: $171.60 per kit
Average Gross Profit Margin Per Job: Material gross profit is around 35%; however, this largely depends on what the shop is charging for labor/installation.
Average Retail Price Per Job: $260.58 per kit
Average Job Time: About two hours
Equipment Needed: Compressor, supply hose, 80-grit abrasive or equivalent, safety clothing and gear, respirator, masking tape and paper, clean-up thinner
Website: www.uschem.com
“This is a new profit center for dealerships and body shops. They can upgrade the vehicle protection and appearance with an easy process that doesn’t include trying to match today’s difficult colors.” – Brian Lewis, global brand product manager, U.S. Chemical & Plastics
Raptor Liner
Description: Tough and tintable coating
Features: Raptor is a tough two-part urethane coating that’s super durable, chemical and UV resistant, won’t fade or chalk, and protects against rust, corrosion, road salt and moisture. Available in black, white and tintable fomulas and in bulk from 1- to 200-liter sizes. In addition to bedliners, Raptor can be applied to running boards, roll-bars, rocker panels and even over paint to create a custom look. Additionally, Raptor is ideal on many applications around the home, shop, boat and RV. Raptor has been used by many industrial, OEM and aerospace companies for years. New Raptor products available include: anti-corrosive epoxy primer, adjustable professional application gun and GM fleet white 4-liter kits. One 4-liter kit covers a standard pickup truck bed. No special equipment required. Available in spray-on and roll-on formulations. Many uses around the garage, home, marina and industry.
Average Investment: $175 to $200
Average Gross Profit Margin Per Job: 50%+
Average Retail Price Per Job: $400 to $600 plus labor
Average Job Time: 4 to 6 hours plus cure time
Equipment Needed: Compressor and gun
Website: www.upol.com
“So far, the Raptor product has met all expectations in the field. We originally decided on this product because it visually blended in with the factory plastics, but the durability, chip resistance and ease of use make this a stand-out addition to our own products. As we are always looking to improve our own methods and processes, it is comforting to know that Raptor works on virtually any surface, giving us maximum flexibility.”
LumiLor
Description: LumiLor is a light-emitting coating (LEC) that creates light that you can control. It’s not reflective or glow-in-the-dark; it’s controllable light. Anything you paint with LumiLor can be turned into a controllable light source that you can turn on and off, sequence, strobe, motion or make sound-active. You can control LumiLor the same way you can control a light bulb. LumiLor can be incorporated into a larger design and it can be topcoated with translucent materials (pearls, candies, airbrushing, hydrodips, etc.) to modify its appearance.
Average Investment: A LumiLor Starter Kit costs $499, which includes LumiLor, sample shapes to paint, electronics, access to our support team, and video training that walks you step-by-step through the LumiLor application process.
Average Gross Profit Margin Per Job: 40% to 100% or more based on time and materials
Average Retail Price Per Job: Under $1,000 to $20,000-plus; average retail job is about $5,000
Average Job Time: Less than a week
Equipment needed: HVLP spray equipment, spraybooth and standard paint shop accessories. A black light and heating gun are needed for the light-up step of the process.
Website: www.lumilor.com
“Lumilor has been a great addition for Empire! We offer a number of services here from paintless dent repair, detailing, collision repair, LED lighting and custom painting. Lumilor has provided us with a super-cool product that is easy and fun to promote. We have doubled our initial investment in Lumilor sales, and it’s also helped us bring in new clients for our other services.” – David Nauseef, owner of Empire State and Hail Co.
3D-Shield
Description: An ultra lightweight armor that, with its 3-D design, provides greater coverage; a system of preformed parts that conform strictly to the complex shapes of the vehicle’s body
Features: NIJ Level IIIA; protects against .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum, 9 mm submachine gun; no welding, cutting or modifications to the vehicle; custom molded for any make or model car, truck or SUV; preserves the original forms of the vehicle; protection to rear air conditioning; thermal and acoustic insulation
Average Investment: $5,000 minimum to register shop with Dream Shield Automotive Corp.; $10,000 to $20,000 to build your own display model. Shop inspection required and training provided.
Average Gross Profit Margin Per Job: 3x markup, $10,000 to $50,000-plus
Average Job Time: Approximately one week to install with two to three employees working regular hours
Equipment Needed: Tools found in a typical body shop
Website: www.3dshield.com
“This is the best solution to the rise in road rage shootings.”
Vortex Sprayliners Kv5006 System
Description: The only truly portable, completely self-contained sprayliner system on the market; 110V plug is all you need
Features: Completely self-contained, you can spray the liner in a shop, garage or parking lot. EPA exempt, so no need for an expensive spraybooth. Can be used to spray more than just a truck bed – toy haulers, tractors, decks, docks, commercial, retaining walls, containment wells and more. Uses a patented low-pressure system (built-in) that has less than a 2 percent waste factor compared to over 20 percent waste with high-pressure systems.
Average Investment: Complete system is under $15,000; comes with enough material that can pay for the system just doing truck beds
Average Gross Profit Margin Per Job: Based on average liner charge of $600, gross profit is about $480
Average Retail Price Per Job: $600
Average Job Time: About 2.5-3 hours
Equipment Needed: Everything is included with the KV-5006 Vortex system
Website: www.vortexsprayliners.com
“Spray-in bedliners still tend to be the No. 1 accessory for trucks today, but beyond that, being completely portable doesn’t limit you to trucks coming only into your shop. Liners can be sprayed at the dealership or at the customer’s home or business. And, being EPA exempt, Vortex can be sprayed indoors and outdoors without a spraybooth. Being able to offer hundreds of colors is a great advantage, and all leftover colors can be converted to black so there is no waste.”
Rock-It Liner
Description: Rock-It Liner is a high-quality, urethane, textured coating that provides a durable, protective finish for truck beds and restoration projects.
Features: Free optimized applicator included in every kit; improved durability, gloss and texture; excellent sound dampening; outstanding adhesion; chemical and corrosion resistant; Superior fade resistance
Average Investment: $188.69 MSRP
Average Gross Profit Margin Per Job: 35%
Average Retail Price Per Job: $399
Average Job Time: 2-3 hours
Equipment Needed: Masking tape, masking paper/sheeting, bed brush or scuff pad, DTM primer, SEM Solve or XXX Universal Surface Cleaner
Website: www.semproducts.com
“Bedliners are an excellent source of additional revenue at a great gross profit for any shop. If you want to maximize your shop’s potential, grab a box of Rock-It for your next job.”