Career Shop or Stepping Stone? High Employee Turnover Rate
A high employee turnover rate can slow shop productivity, weaken the image of your business and dilute the morale of remaining employees. But by understanding techs’ most common complaints, getting personal and offering some unorthodox benefits, you can be sure the employees you hire today are with you tomorrow.
Where Have All The Graduates Gone
The number of quality entry-level techs graduating from vo-tech schools continues to slump. So what are you doing about it? As the saying goes, if you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem.
Personnel Profile: Technician Shortage
It’s no secret the collision repair industry is suffering from a technician shortage. What’s maybe not quite as well-known is that some of the industry’s current techs are suffering, too.
The Next Generation: Difficulties Shop Owners have Recruiting New Blood into the Industry
The economy of our great nation has been strong enough of late that young folks who have the desire to succeed and become proficient at something can choose many career routes to follow. Unfortunately for us, repairing damaged vehicles doesn’t seem to be at the top of their wish lists. Computers, sales, various unionized trades … these choices rate higher than our industry. Just look at attendance at various vo-tech schools. More class space is allocated to other career choices, and more students attend classes for other career choices than they do for autobody repair.
Employees and Ergonomics
Professionals who work with their hands -and the companies for which they work – are learning that productivity and safety are linked to safe ergonomic practices and smart tool
choices.
The Final Chapter: The Slates
During the past year, BodyShop Business brought to you the Slates, new body shop owners in Tennessee who shared their trials and triumphs with us, hoping to help others who encounter similar situations.
Body Shop Boot Camp
While the collision shop of today is repairing existing vehicles, the cars of the future are off the drawing board and plans for production are underway. Increased use of aluminum and plastics, computerized navigational systems, crash-avoidance computers and sophisticated adhesives are all becoming part of our reality.
Speaking Their Language: Female Customers
Understand your female customers and you’ll not only make the repair process less intimidating, you’ll gain their loyalty, too
Mistaken Identity
Attributing the ownership of 17 collision-repair facilities with more than $22 million in annual sales to a mistake is a bit hard to swallow. But for Bruce Mackie, president of Mackie
Enterprises, Inc., it’s the true story of his success.
Coming Up Corvettes
Name: Jerry’s Custom Paint & Collision Center Location: Gresham, Ore. Owners: Jerry and Lori Geiszler Established: 1979 Square Footage: 10,000 Number of Employees: Nine Repair Volume: 60 cars per month (25 percent restoration) Average Repair Cost: $2,000 – collision $12,000 to $15,000 – body and paint restoration Jerry Geiszler has restored so many "American Dream