The ABCs on DRPs
Ever wonder just how many shops are on direct-repair programs (DRPs)? Based on BodyShop Business’ 2000 Industry Profile, 44.8 percent of respondents are. And of that 44.8 percent, 91.3 percent say they’re better off because of their DRP arrangements.
Is Your Shop the Only One
Ever been told your shop is the only one charging for that? Well … you’re not alone.
Consent Decree: Enforceable or Forgetable?
In 1963, 265 insurers signed a Consent Decree drafted by the U.S. Justice Department and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. By signing, they agreed to abide by the Decree’s terms: no more demanding discounts, setting hourly rates, boycotting repair shops and using specific appraisers. It’s still a binding agreement today … but will it ever be enforced?
Hitting Your Mark: Accurate Estimators
Writing an accurate estimate takes precision and skill. Are your estimators up to the challenge? With knowledgeable and personable estimators leading your team, your shop will win customers and score profits.
Getting Your Money’s Worth
"How does a consolidator arrive at the value of a shop?" — Clyde Wilkerson, owner, Wilkerson Body & Frame, Kokomo, Ind. To answer this question, we must first define which type of consolidator you might be dealing with. Collision shop consolidators generally fall into one of two categories. The Predator First, there’s the consolidator whose
Live From Motor City: The 2000 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)
With our press badges in hand and our cameras poised, we scoured the North American International Auto Show in search of the world’s coolest concept cars. Ever seen a Bugatti Veyron or a Mercedes-Benz SLA? We have — and we have pictures to prove it!
Show Me the Money! How and When to Sell Your Shop
As a successful collision shop owner, you’ve probably had to pour most of your time, energy and money into your business for what may have seemed like forever. It’s not forever, but it is a long time – the typical shop owner has been in business for 15 to 20 years.
Salvaging the Salvage-Parts Market
Collision repairers agree: Used parts are a viable alternative to new OE crash parts. They also agree that the lack of compensation they’re given for making used parts usable isn’t doable. Their solution? Insurers need to scrap their current way of thinking and recognize what repairers have to do to save them money.
In September’s article, "Repairing the Crash-Parts Market" (pg. 44), we took a closer look at the manufacturing of aftermarket crash parts, the problems repairers have with their use and the solutions raised by industry leaders. This month, we’ll examine the salvage-parts market in much the same way.
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.
The Incredibly Shrinking Industry
Until three years ago, the prospect of some Wall Street investor teaming up with a body shop owner was incomprehensible. Today, it’s reality. Welcome to the brave, new — consolidating — world of collision repair.