When the Experts Are Absent: Cross-training Works
Do you dread employees going on vacation or calling in sick because your shop can’t function without them? Do you dread being sick or going on vacation because your shop can’t function without you? If so, cross-train to create substitutes who fill in when the experts aren’t there.
Guilty! State Farm to Pay $1.19 Billion
When the jury for the aftermarket parts trial against State Farm awarded the plaintiffs $456 million and the judge ruled the insurance giant committed fraud and awarded the plaintiffs an additional $730 million, some people cheered, some people jeered and others shed tears. But how will all this ultimately affect consumers — and repairers?
In Court with State Farm
The trial against State Farm for its usage of aftermarket crash parts is underway. Since you can’t be there in the courtroom, we’re doing the next best thing: bringing the courtroom to you.
Repairing the Crash-Parts Market
The situation with replacement crash parts may be a bit of a wreck, but it’s not a total loss. What’s considered a pile of unwanted sheet metal and plastic by many repairers could be turned into a more favorable and profitable alternative to OE parts — if the industry can quit complaining and learn to communicate.
Becoming the Fastest Gun in the Shop
Because the industry is changing rapidly, the best painters are productive technicians, active communicators, speedy problem solvers and quick learners.
Bought Out
“If I knew then what I know now …”. Only after promising them anonymity would several former shop owners speak openly about why they sold to consolidators, where it’s gotten them and if they regret it.
Buy What You Know
The edge you need to make a smart investment is often something you already have — the intimate knowledge of the companies you do business with daily.
Shop Owner Profile
You can’t go one month without hearing or reading about a consolidator buying an independent collision repair shop. In the past few months alone, ABRA Auto Body & Glass acquired East Marietta Paint & Body in Marietta, Ga., formerly owned by Donnie and Ruth Reeves; Sterling Collision Centers acquired JSI Collision Centers, with four locations
Pat Is Back! Pat (just Pat)
Our “spy on the other side” Pat the insurance adjuster gets us caught up on how Consumer Reports A/M parts article affected insurers and why Clinton’s proposed budget may make repairers’ lives more difficult.
A Case for Competition: OEMs vs. A/M Parts
A/M crash parts were once the collision industry’s best-kept secret — until insurers discovered them. When the tables turned, so did repairers allegiance to A/M parts. But where would the industry be if only OEMs supplied replacement crash parts?