Among the Elite
Name: Elite Auto Painting and Body Repair Location: Modesto, Calif. Owner: Moises Martinez Established: 1994 Square Footage: 18,000 Number of Employees: 16 Repair Volume: 120 to 140 vehicles per month Average Repair Ticket: $2,100 Making good decisions has become a habit for Moises Martinez. Start with the 34-year-old’s decision to open his own shop after
The Invisible Repair
Bringing a collision-damaged car back to preaccident condition in a fast, quality-oriented manner while still making a reasonable profit is the goal of every modern body shop today.
To Be Dust Free Or Not To Be
An investment in a dust extraction system
Why Weld Plastics?
It’s not unheard of for someone to ask, “Why even bother with plastic welding?” The answer: It can be a cost-effective repair method for many plastics that you’d normally throw out.
A 10-Step Plan to Profitability
A set of procedures that are very helpful for analyzing the operational and financial health
of body shops.
Aftermarket Crash Parts vs. OE
Some people view the aftermarket crash parts vs. OE parts debate as a war, with the sides being the collision repair industry (wearing the armor of the OEMs) battling the insurance
industry (sporting aftermarket armor).
Singin’ the Blues in Montana: Blue Body Paint
Name: Blue Body & Paint Location: Billings, Mont. Owner: Delane Langton Established: 1989 Square Footage: 4,320 Number of Employees: Two Repair Volume: 10 per month (collision) Average Repair Ticket: $2,000 Delane Langton has the blues. It’s not that he’s sad … it’s just that, well … he likes the color! All of his cars are
Streets of Gold: Shurway AutoCenter Ltd.
Name: Shurway AutoCenter Ltd. Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. Owner: Giovanni "John" Scarfo Established: 1981 Square Footage: 17,500 Number of Employees: 20 Repair Volume: 150 cars per month When the first immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, they believed the streets of America were paved with gold. Obviously, they weren’t truly paved in a precious metal. But, to
Will Bonding Endure a Crash
The use of “structural” adhesives to attach outer door skins, hoods, deck lids and body panels is nothing new. In fact, the vehicle manufacturers have been doing it for years.
Beauty and the Body Shop
Uncovering beauty in a beastly lot and a run-down building, shop owner Boyd Dingman is helping to change the image of the collision repair industry and to maintain the image of an Omaha, Neb., neighborhood.