The Two Faces of Japan
From ancient Shinto temples to modern-day skyscrapers, the Japanese relish technology, yet revere tradition. But with Japan’s collision repair industry changing with the times,
will the Japanese people also deviate from tradition to fight for their industry’s autonomy?
Peak Performance: Maintaining the Equipment in Your Paint Shop
The investment in a state-of-the-art paint department can be mind boggling.
Hazardous Free
Dave Humes, owner of Humes Collision Center in Hermantown, Minn., made some
changes in his shop that he’d reduce his hazardous waste by 60 percent.
Community Spirit
There’s plenty of opportunity for you to boost your shop’s image, gain customer loyalty and contribute to the welfare of the community.
From Wreck to Right
It’s a dark stormy night. You realize that you’ve strayed from the main paved road and are now traveling down a gravel one. The road is soft. Your vehicle isn’t handling well. It’s raining so hard that the car’s windshield wipers can’t keep up, and the ditches on both sides of the road are very
Among the Elite
Name: Elite Auto Painting and Body Repair Location: Modesto, Calif. Owner: Moises Martinez Established: 1994 Square Footage: 18,000 Number of Employees: 16 Repair Volume: 120 to 140 vehicles per month Average Repair Ticket: $2,100 Making good decisions has become a habit for Moises Martinez. Start with the 34-year-old’s decision to open his own shop after
Multiple Shops, Multiplied Profits
Name: Alamo Body & Paint, Inc. Location: San Antonio, Texas Owners: Wayne Baker Established: 1973 Square Footage: 80,500 (total of three locations) Number of Employees: 152 (total of three locations) Repair Volume: 1,150 cars per month (total of three locations) Average Repair Ticket: $1,300 They say everything’s bigger in Texas. Take Alamo, for instance. (No,
Three of a Kind
In my 27 years in the industry, I’ve never seen paint problems more infrequently than I do today. Massive, critical paint failures are extremely rare in any shop that uses a single brand of automotive finishes from start to finish. The few times in the last couple of years that I’ve gone to look at
Aftermarket Crash Parts vs. OE
Some people view the aftermarket crash parts vs. OE parts debate as a war, with the sides being the collision repair industry (wearing the armor of the OEMs) battling the insurance
industry (sporting aftermarket armor).
A Well-Rounded Painter
If your customer-service index is high and your marketing efforts are giving your shop a healthy backlog of work, you know that what happens when vehicles reach your paint
department is critical to your continued success. And what goes on in your paint department is highly dependent upon the quality.
of painters you employ.