Antitrust
‘Antitrust’ is spoken of frequently in the collision repair industry but is still often
misunderstood. Here’s a clear definition of what it is and how it relates to insurer- repairer business relations.
Would Your Work Pass an Auto Safety Expert’s Test?
Many post-repair inspectors are finding that collision repair shops’ work isn’t up to snuff. And that can lead to a liability nightmare, not to mention the end of their businesses.
MLOs on the Grow
New research suggests that consolidation will continue and multiple-location collision repair operators will continue to gain favor as insurers push DRP performance.
A Few Good Techs
Is there really a technician shortage or just a misappropriation of qualified techs? Is the pool of technicians shrinking faster than the collision repair market?
Will the end result be higher door rates?
On the Spot
Due to the misconceptions and lack of knowledge regarding squeeze-type resistance spot welding and its equipment, we conducted a welding machine challenge — a test that would simulate working on a vehicle and help shop owners make
better decisions when purchasing a machine.
Examining DRP Contracts
State Farm’s decision to move to a single Select Service direct-repair program has the collision world abuzz – so this is exactly the right time to talk about all DRPs and what a shop truly receives and incurs by joining an insurer’s repair network.
A ‘How-To’ Guide for Increasing Labor Rates, BodyShop Business, February 2006
Rather than belabor the exhaustive list of reasons labor rates need to rise, let’s focus on what type of market conditions act to create higher – or more frequently increasing – prevailing rates in individual markets. By Tigger (from his view in the Thousland Acre Wood) No one in the collision repair industry would argue
(Bed)Line up for Profits: Spraying Bedliners Is a Way to Boost Your Bottom Line
Spraying bedliners is a way to boost your bottom line — and is strictly a customer-pay upgrade (read: no insurer involvement). It’s not easy owning a collision repair shop these days. Business is down, costs are up (and continue going up), customers are pickier than ever, insurers are cheaper than ever … Bet you could
Build a Better Mousetrap, and the World Will Beat a Path to Your Door
7 strategies for quality-driven shops to maintain profitability in a marketplace fixated on “fast” and “cheap.”
Repairing Aluminum-Bodied Cars: Nepotism vs. Capitalism, Pete Petursson
Consumers are clueless they’re “captured,” insurers are angry they’re captured, and shops capturing the work are unsure they’ll ever recoup their investment. Yet OEM-authorized repair shops are a reality … for now anyway.
