Managed Collision Repair
Editor Jason Stahl gives a recap of tips for reducing cycle time through improved shop management gleaned from his trip to the Sherwin-Williams A-Plus Network Vision Group in Phoenix.
Negotiating Claims: Refuse to Do It
Collision business owners are routinely and institutionally told by insurers that they must negotiate with them to an agreed price on repairs on property they don’t own, even though they have no legal standing or credentials to do so.
Eliminating Waste for a Lean Body Shop
Why do we all spend ridiculous sums of cash to create low cost? Until all parties involved in the collision repair process start looking at the value stream together, we’ll never realize the potential of what we can provide for the customer and for our organizations.
Building a Kaizen Engine
As more and more people in our industry turn to lean solutions for their businesses, I feel a stronger urge to point out the vast difference between how lean is practiced today and what it’s original intent was.
Don’t Get Lured into the Hype About SOPs
You might think creating standard operating
procedures (SOPs) to standardize work is a good thing until you realize that no improvement is going on. Only once the need exists to find a better way to work will a work standard actually be used as an effective tool by employees.
Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement
The concern about creating a kaizen culture is always the same: “I don’t think my people will tolerate this level of change.” But failed change usually results from failed management, not people’s unwillingness to change. Create a culture they can thrive in, and you’ll soon be on the path of continuous improvement.
Tracking Lean Performance and Productivity
Most businesses track performance with accounting system financials. But body shops aren’t typical businesses. For us, the key number to know is the amount of resources required to produce a specific amount of value.
Know Body Shop’s Problems to Start Lean Transformation
Is someone trying to sell you slick lean “tools” before you’ve identified your shop’s problems? Fall into this trap and you may be very disappointed by the outcome.
Developing a Lean Body Shop Business Model
Figuring out what problem you’re trying to solve in your shop is the first step toward creating a clear picture of where you want your organization to go.
LEAN & MEANER: Know Your Next Move
“Learn by doing” doesn’t mean “learn lean.” It means “learn how to create the future,” and know which way to go next. And the key to that is to paint a clear picture of your future.
LEAN & MEANER: Building a Lean Front Office
You’ll find that the greatest opportunity for eliminating waste in the collision repair business exists not on the shop floor but rather up front in the office. Here’s how to do it.
EDITOR’S NOTES: Refining the Machine
Three sets of eyes bored a hole in me. I read in their glares that if I screwed up, I was going to get stomped. I started to sweat profusely but tried to will it away, knowing that moist fingers handling small LEGO pieces could surely lead to my untimely death. To make matters worse,