Squeeze NACE Dry
Trade shows are kind of a microcosm of life in general these days. Everybody’s busy, busy, busy. If you’re not talking to old friends, you’re viewing a product demonstration on the show floor or attending an educational seminar. Blink and you miss it. It’s just the way it goes.
Get Grounded: Electrical Systems
Electrical systems have changed a lot over the years, and like many things, collision repair technicians need to keep up with the latest technology to avoid getting left behind.
Suing as a Solution?
My lawyer friend told me that all parties involved in the collision repair industry are still trying to get away with all they can because there haven’t been enough lawsuits yet. I explored that theory and found he may be right.
Auditing Insurer Estimates
Analyzing insurer-produced estimates versus my own has led me to a better understanding of what body shops should and shouldn’t do during the estimating process.
Only the Strong Will Survive
As we embark on yet another NACE, the industry turns its collective head toward the ever-increasing tension between shops and insurers and asks, “What will be done to make this a more productive, pleasurable and mutually profitable relationship? Because what we have today is simply an exercise in continuous frustration and turmoil.” As if on
Turning Vendors into Partners
Identifying your vendors’ weaknesses and then helping them improve their businesses will improve your business as well.
Rethinking Shop Profitability
The collision repair climate has changed a lot over the past 20 years. A look at your
numbers can reveal a new strategy for making money in this new environment.
We’re Talking Dollars, Not Hours: Labor Hours
Labor hours or units are like Vegas gambling chips: They’re easier to throw away than actual dollars. Retraining our brains to think of these hours as dollars, though, will lead to greater profitability
DRPs, Here We Come?
Doing good work and counting on referrals will only get collision repair shops so far. At some point, we need to step up our marketing efforts. Part 12 of a series.
Effective Job Descriptions
Effective job descriptions ensure that potential hires will know exactly what’s expected of them. And that, in turn, will result in them being happy and productive.
Galvanic Corrosion and Cross Contamination
This oldie but goodie from the BodyShop Business archives explains what happens when two dissimilar metals, like aluminum and steel, come in electrical contact of each other.
Sectioning the 2007 Ford F-150 Front Lower Frame Rail
Each day, as you prepare to evaluate and repair structurally damaged vehicles, you and your team must ask many questions: Should I repair the damaged area or replace it? Should I section this part or replace it with a complete piece? Does my technician know where the weld locations are? Do my technicians have factory
