Learning to Learn
If you would say to the typical collision-shop owner or technician, “You can have anything you want to improve shop productivity”, what do you suppose the most common answer would be? Chances are, it would focus on some new technological advance in equipment or tools.
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Pennsylvania College of Technology has one of the oldest automotive programs in the nation, dating back to 1920 when the institution – then a local technical institute – served to educate World War I veterans in servicing automobiles.
Criminal Cars and the Caped Crusader…Take One!
Holy high tech, Batman," says Robin, as the bad guy’s getaway car releases a slippery liquid onto the pavement. "To the Batmobile," the Caped Crusader yells over his shoulder, slipping and falling on the greasy spray, knocking himself unconscious. Robin tugs and tugs, but because Batman’s outfit is so tight, he can’t get the Batmobile
Lining Their Pockets with Profits: Profit Centers
With rising competition and declining profits, many collision-repair shops are adding profit centers to boost their sales.
Productivity Feeds Growth: Zara’s Collision Center
Ahhhh! The smell of a smoldering steak … The air is filled with its spicy aroma … You’re getting hungry, very hungry, aren’t you? This isn’t the description of a favorite restaurant or a backyard feast, but instead, of a once-a-month lunch at Zara’s Collision Center in Springfield, Ill.
The Daily Grind: Methods for Grinding
Grinding methods, like virtually everything else in collision repair, have certainly changed.
Clean Up Your Act: Spraybooths
A spraybooth, in simplest terms, is nothing more or less than a fire-retardant box with air moving through it.
Before the Booth: Saving Time
In a business where money hinges on your completion time for any job, the impetus to go fast is universal. And painters battle harder to beat the book time than metal men do. While painters are constrained by dry times between coats, metal men have only the suggested book labor time to beat.
Think BIG
The honeymoon was definitely over when Darryl "The Moose" Johnson returned to a demolished home. The Dallas Cowboys fullback, while vacationing with his bride, was having a tree removed from his yard. Taking the tree out in sections, a 195,000-pound crane picked up a hunk too large to hold, swung to the center of the
Insurance Involvement
The collision-repair industry has seen many on-going changes. One aspect of change has been the growing involvement of insurance companies in the industry. We asked body shop owners and managers across the nation the following questions: “How
do you feel about the growing involvement of insurance companies”.
in the collision-repair business?" and "Has it affected
your labor rates? If so, how?"