A Meaty Design: Layout to Increase Profits
Give your shop’s layout more bite! Though you’re not making hamburgers, you can McDonaldize your shop’s design and procedures to increase profits.
Before You Build: Plan!
Shop owners have lost more money on new facilities in one day than they’ve earned in a lifetime. When designing and building your own facility, plan, plan and plan some more.
The Spanish Experience: Spain’s Collision Repairers
Like bulls in a bullfight, Spanish collision repairers struggle to stay alive. But, as their country and their country’s way of doing business changes, they’ll need to assume the role of matador if they wish to take charge and survive.
When Worlds Collide: Collision Repairers vs. Insurers
Can collision repairers really fight off the insurer invasion of the industry? Or, rather than waging war, should they learn to live together in peace?
The Necessary Equipment
If your shop were simply painting used cars,
you could do an adequate job with a bare minimum of equipment.
A paint gun, a random orbit sander and a masking machine would
get most of the work done. If you intend to do productive collision
repair, however, much more equipment is necessary.
Knowledge is Power
Question: What are you doing to inform consumers
about their rights when it comes to repairing collision damage?
Most states require, in writing, a disclosure regarding aftermarket
parts. But do you take this a step further and verbally explain
how aftermarket parts may affect the repair process?
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?
Rains, Planes and Dames
Name: J&L Auto Body Location: Summerville, S.C. Owners: John and Linda Disher Established: 1981 Square Footage: 10,000 Number of Employees: Nine Repair Volume: 12 cars per week (collision) Average Repair Ticket: $2,000 September 1989: The winds picked up. The heavy rains came. The ocean went crazy. Wreaking havoc on lives and properties, Hurricane Hugo stormed
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,
Strategic Partnerships
No business exists in a vacuum, least of all a collision repair shop.