Insurers Don’t Set Prices – Unless We Let Them
It’s time that we, as repairers, start holding insurers, information providers – and each other – accountable for the state of our industry.
Inside an Old-Timer’s Toolbox
In the early days when a bodyman faced a repair problem, he couldn’t just buy what he needed. He had to conceive a tool that would repair the problem- and then forge it himself.
No Supplements Allowed
My techs stopped speaking to me for a while, but once they started reaping the benefits ($$$) of our new system for heavy hits, they liked me again. And I liked the fact that my shop was more efficient and profitable.
By Door Rate Dollars, We’re In the Dumper
Autobody shop rates.
Globe Trotting: Collision Repair in 16 Countries
Despite the miles – and oceans – separating them, collision repair markets around the world aren’t as unique as you might think. In fact, a developing market will likely experience the same growing pains and challenges as did its more developed counterparts on the other side of the world. Collision repair shop owners experience similar
Web Browser: Mentors at Work
Currently this industry loses seven out of 10 apprentice candidates in the first 18 months and once they leave, they often leave the auto industry for good. Collision shops, insurers, mechanical shops and dealerships cannot afford to allow this to continue,” says Mentors At Work president and CEO Mark Claypool. Mentors At Work is an
Give Yourself a Raise: Working Together
Insurers know a local shop environment is very competitive, and they use this to pit local shop against local shop. But what if repairers refused to play this game and started working together instead of against one another?
Associations Can’t Do It Alone
With more than 2,500 shops in Illinois, only 50 shops attended the most recent AASPI State Convention. How can we expect our industry associations to influence politicians, effect laws and make changes when we don’t even bother to show up?
May the (Work) Force Be with You
The collision industry’s workforce is dwindling at an alarming rate, and journeymen are just about as hard to come by as Jedi Masters. To combat this shortage and to stay competitive in the years to come, take a cue from the Jedi Code: Pair an apprentice with a mentor.
Love (to Undercut) Thy Neighbor
“It seems like shops are more obsessed with competing than with working and sticking together, so how will we ever better the industry for ourselves?” – Dennis Terry, technician, Hilltop Auto, Cabot, Ariz. The fact that insurers work so hard to control the consumer explains one of the reasons why shops don’t “stick” together. Shops