Safety Tips for Lifts
Automotive lifts are critical to the operation and profitability of your business, and the safe use of lifts is critical to preventing employee injuries and damage to customers’ vehicles. By operating lifts correctly, you can ensure that your shop is profitable, productive and safe.
One Man’s Ad Plan
Every year, when my paternal relatives gather for a reunion, Aunt Shirley tells the embarrassing story of when I – just back from gymnastics camp – decided to do a cartwheel on the picnic-table bench. After losing my balance, I knocked a pitcher of fruit punch into my grandmother’s lap and landed bottom-first in a
Waterlogged: Submerged Vehicles
Repair of water-damaged vehicles is done daily across the United States, which makes it quite possible that your shop may someday be – if it hasn’t already been – involved in
estimating, and possibly the salvage and restoration, of a vehicle that’s been submerged in water.
Insider Trading
The collision-repair industry is big business.
In 1995, shops averaged an annual gross-sales volume of $415,168.
With shop profits soaring that high – even higher at Dun &
Bradstreet’s "Top 100" facilities – owners are as much
businessmen as they are technicians, estimators and managers.
And just like any other business leaders, shop owners are interested
in efficiency, profits and success.
Mistaken Identity
Attributing the ownership of 17 collision-repair facilities with more than $22 million in annual sales to a mistake is a bit hard to swallow. But for Bruce Mackie, president of Mackie
Enterprises, Inc., it’s the true story of his success.
Partnering With A Paint Company
With so many paint-company partnership programs in the marketplace, making a decision which – if any – to join can be a confusing and time-consuming decision.
Restoring Corrosion Protection
I think we’re all in agreement that new-car construction techniques have given rust the old heave-ho. Used to be a new car would show signs of red rust in as little as 12 months, whereas nowadays, new cars carry 100,000-mile rust-through warranties.
When the Goan Gets Tough: the Goan Body Shops
The age of refinish technology has yet to dawn in India. With a population in excess of 900 million, labor is cheap and plentiful and money is scarce. Needless to say, specialized collision-repair equipment is virtually nonexistent. Although India has only 5 million cars and CVs, the demand for collision-repair shops is high. The roads
Seeds of Success: Redfield Collision Center
Name: Redfield Collision Center Location: Festus, Mo. Owner: Greg Redfield Established: 1976 Square Footage: 18,200 Number of Employees: 27 Repair Volume: 116 cars per month Average Repair Cost: $1,640 The first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was made entirely by hand by four men in a backyard shed. Although it started out simple, the now-mass-produced Iron Horse ended
Lining Their Pockets with Profits: Profit Centers
With rising competition and declining profits, many collision-repair shops are adding profit centers to boost their sales.