The Efficiency Myth
Everything you’ve ever learned about efficiency is wrong. Individual efficiencies don’t
matter one bit. It’s the overall process — the process efficiency — that we need to
focus on.
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
Heat Shrinking Metal
Lots of controversy surrounds heat shrinking, yet I’ve successfully used this process for 40+ years. It not only makes a damaged panel repairable (and can save a job from totaling out), but it’s also a less invasive repair.
Standard Operating Procedures – Working Smarter, Not Harder
Maximize productivity by standardizing “best practices” across your organization. “Since we started truly implementing standard operating procedures, it’s a statistical fact that I only spend two hours a week in three locations and that we grew from five employees to 50 in a four-year time period,” says Troy Gates, owner of a three-shop operation called Gates
Doggone Drivers
A dog caught illegally driving a pickup truck that smashed into an O’Reilly Auto Parts store will not be charged with any driving violations, say Springdale, Ark., police. The owner of the truck opted not to press charges against the offending canine. Police say the owner of the truck, Michael Henson, entered the parts store
Quality Is Not Subjective
So what if the guy down the road will do the repair the wrong
way for less money? Don’t fall into the “locally acceptable quality” trap.
Thoughts from the NACE Show Floor
Business has been bad lately. Real bad. So I went to NACE
looking for some inspiration and insight — and I got it.
The Heat Is on: Buying My Heat Inductor
I’ve made a lot of misguided tool purlchases through the years, but buying my heat inductor wasn’t one of them.
Lowering Your Overhead
Earning money is one thing. Keeping it is another. You’d be surprised what shops can do to reduce overhead besides raising door rates
Driving With Sharks: Off-Roading Means Being Able to Drive Your Car Into a Lake
To some people, off-roading means getting off the main roads and heading out to trails, deserts, mountains … To others, like former body shop owner Dave March, off-roading means being able to drive your car into a lake. “The idea of going fast on water in a car has always intrigued me,” says March, an