A Journey, Not a Destination
Lean is about a process of continually ‘getting it’ because you never stop trying to get there. But you must begin with understanding where you’re going and why you’re going there.
OSHA: When Safety is a 4-Letter Word
An OSHA inspector recently showed up to perform a ‘random’ inspection. He noted two minor violations and complimented us on our compliance, saying the average body shop has 12 violations. Because he said his report would reflect favorably on us, we mistakenly thought our fines would only be a few hundred bucks.
Proprietary Repairs
“Do you think that in the near future, other car manufacturers will follow Jaguar’s lead and require repair shops to be ‘certified’ to fix their vehicles?”
Achieving Consistent Volume
“With 21 DRPs, we still see peaks and valleys. What’s the best approach to having a consistent flow of work?”
Long Live the Oxyacetylene Torch
Some think the oxyacetylene torch is dead. But more than a few master techs consider it a vital tool in their arsenals, and you may too once you understand its versatility.
Success is No Clich
One of our primary contributing editors, John Sweigart, recently provided us with some thoughtful input. He said that shops “need to start fixing the business process that fixes cars.” That struck a chord with me. Other contributing editors chimed in on this topic as well, and when you read over the collective diatribe, you find
Shifty Business: Cost Shifting
Not getting paid properly? Cost shifting is not the solution, and is just plain bad busiess.
Stand Out from the Competition – Gates Auto Body
Gates Auto Body believes that standard operating practices allow companies to do what their competition doesn’t – turn their employees into top performers and maximize results.
Think Tortoise, Not Hare
Many who attempt to implement ‘lean’ become frustrated when, initially, the business seems more chaotic than before. The key is to create operational stability and organizational discipline – and to be patient.
Busy But Broke
Repairing cars is only a part of what we do. Ultimately, we run a collision repair buisness – which means we need to make a profit on the cars wedo fix.