David Co, owner of Maaco in Hayward, Calif., didn’t set out to own a paint and body shop, but when he visited a Maaco to get a dent repair estimate about 17 years ago, it changed his path.
Co also didn’t plan to overhaul his facility to be environmentally friendly, but when he got a face full of sanding dust while walking through his Maaco location, he knew something had to be done.
“This cannot happen in a quality repair shop,” said Co. “I knew I needed to do something for our team members, our shop cleanliness and our efficiency.”
Co, a member of the Maaco Advisory Board, had upgraded his lighting five years ago to switch to more efficient LED fixtures throughout the facility. This lighting delivers bright work areas for his technicians, but draws only 100 watts instead of 400 watts, cutting his electricity costs dramatically.
Co is now finishing the installation of solar panels on the roof, which will further reduce his electricity use. By working with his accountant and the state of California, he expects to receive a 30% rebate on his investment.
But the sanding dust was the last straw. Co immediately began researching solutions and found the Total Automotive Sanding System from 3M.
“We bought five units and put them to work in our facility, and it reduced 95% of the dust,” Co said. “It is amazing. Our facility is cleaner and we don’t waste countless hours cleaning each day, our team members are happier because they don’t go home covered in dust, and we see better quality in our paint jobs because there are fewer airborne particles floating around.”
Co combined that with the 3M Accuspray paint system and low-VOC paint to meet California’s stringent environmental emissions standards.
“I’m not a painter or a technician, but I understand the importance of creating a clean, hospitable workplace that helps improve team members’ work experience,” said Co. “And, I understand the bottom line — making improvements that keep our facility cleaner, brighter and efficient also drive cost-savings and profitability for our business.”
For more information, visit Maaco.com.
