Since COVID-19 first hit North America at the end of March, the rate of mobility amongst Americans for both work and recreation has decreased 20 to 30%, affecting more industries than anticipated. Collision repairers, being one of those businesses, have decided to take advantage of this unexpected downtime to reinvest in themselves.
Online estimates, vehicle pickup or delivery, and increased sanitization throughout the repair process are just a few of the new standards put in place across the industry. However, CARSTAR owners throughout North America have decided to not only implement these enhancements but also take their updates one step further.
“The time to prepare for stormy weather is not when clouds are on the horizon, but when the sun is shining at its brightest,” said Gary Boesel, owner of CARSTAR Alpine Auto Body and CARSTAR Jordan Road Collision in Denver. “We have been affected like everyone else, but our ‘culture of process’ helps keep our business going. During any sort of downtime, our process helps inform us what should be done in the facility, like analyzing our existing repair procedures, finding new business in unique places, making any updates to the store, participating in industry training or earning new professional certifications.”
While collision repair facilities were declared “essential businesses”, almost all of them saw declines in business as people stopped driving during quarantine. Sharing the same values as Boesel, CARSTAR owners are using this downtime to their advantage so they can ultimately better serve the community when business ramps up.
Refinishing Facilities
CARSTAR Liss Auto Body decided to repaint their wash bay, leaving it feeling fresh and new. CARSTAR Danrich repainted their shop walls, reorganized their parts room and even repainted their shelving CARSTAR colors. CARSTAR Rapid City painted their garage doors, digitized their workflow process, and even created custom CARSTAR half-stars for the shop walls, thanks to their owner’s professional woodworking skills. CARSTAR Yorkville added LED lights throughout its facility to not only provide better visibility but also save on its energy usage. CARSTAR Custom 77 and CARSTAR Toronto Millwick repainted their entire shop floor, making the space feel brand new for its employees.
Adding Safety Guards
Several facilities have provided personal protective equipment for the staff or installed new barriers to protect both staff and customers, like CARSTAR West-Hill, which added a sneeze guard to its reception desk. CARSTAR Crystal created a safe drop-off zone for keys with some hand sanitizer close by.
Making Time for Community Work
CARSTAR McAbee decided to take on a local passion project by assisting with the body and paint work for a ’99 Silverado, which was in memorial of a couple’s son who was killed in a motorcycle accident. This job was done free of charge, so it would have been difficult to complete during normal business operations. However, the team at CARSTAR McAbee was able to put together an amazing finished product and deliver the vehicle on the two-year anniversary of the son’s accident, which was an emotional exchange.
CARSTAR Brantford and CARSTAR Brantford West have been working with their industry partners and community members to donate $4,300 to the Brantford Food Bank. As food banks across North America continue to experience a strain on their supplies, this contribution helps the organization purchase the crucial items needed for Brantford’s most vulnerable.
For more information on CARSTAR, visit CARSTAR.com.
