Panel & Paint
Last month I suggested it was useful to see what’s happening in other countries to gain a clearer perspective on what’s happening here, so you can set a plan for the future. Essentially you can forget autonomous (driverless) vehicles for a few years yet; they won’t be impacting on us for at least 10 years until the numbers build up. The saving grace is that until people stop driving cars there will always be a mixed environment on our roads of “man versus machine” – so even if cars are parked on the side of the road, they are still at risk of damage.
Now let’s start getting serious about the future, because it’s going to be a golden one. I say this with a fair degree of certainty as the trends are clear for those who ride out the storm blowing through the industry. However, it’s not about traditional thinking unless you’ve thought seriously about the niche you own.
The latest drying systems and production style repair management procedures are nothing short of brilliant. Since the last issue I have been in contact with BodyShop Revolution to invite them to New Zealand to tell us how it works, but unfortunately with operations on several continents it’s not going to happen for a while.
However, they have agreed to do a webinar and On Request New Zealand Ltd is currently working on the arrangements. If you want to be a part of this event pre-register at www. onrequest.co.nz/revolution to ensure you don’t miss out.
Robots in our shops
So who is Symach? It is another European company providing solutions for the car body shop – this time from Italy. If you are going to be sticking around, then drying robots and shortened production cycles are going to be your saviour, because it’s all about maximising the return on your floor space
For example, the Symach Drytron is a portable infrared lamp that perfectly dries small areas roughly the size of an A4 paper sheet in less than one minute. Use it to dry body filler, undercoat, water base and clear lacquer. At the other end of the scale a RoboDry is a fully automated drying robot that can manage up to 14 complete large volume paint jobs a day – in one spray booth.
This technology utilises different infrared wavelengths with an extremely broad spectrum. The resultant exothermic catalytic chemical reaction combines hydrogen and oxygen using natural gas or LPG – without the use of flames; so there is no risk of fire or explosion. According to the material on the website, the wave spectrum is entirely safe for human health with no side effects – even after prolonged exposure.
Instead of leasing or buying more space to fit in more vehicles, it would be much wiser to change to a FixLine layout and aim for a 50 to 60 percent increase in productivity, which equates to 1.5 to two jobs more per technician each week. I’ve said many times you make money when you write the estimate, and loose it on the shop floor when you do the job – so any method that drives efficiency will make a big difference across many levels.
Adopting new more efficient methods such as this can be discovered on www.symach.com has the power to turnaround the collision repair industry. The alternative is to allow new players with this kind of technology – such as Gemini – to enter the market and take your lunch.
Approximately 25 percent of repair jobs involve a single panel repair. Can you make a promise to your customer they can return in half a day to pick up their car because it’s completed and waiting for them? Or what about if there are up to three panels requiring repair (and still drivable)… how will you compete if your competition can turn the job around in 1.5 days?
The Symach FixLine process is also able to reduce the delivery times of large jobs by up to 50 percent With this kind of productivity you can expect more efficient utilisation of your courtesy cars. Without it, those formerly loyal fleet customers will be voting with their feet.
Does it work?
Well, we have some different ways of doing things, and an amazingly large number of makes and models (more than 35,000) plying our roads with an average national fleet age of 12 years. We also have a huge reliance on used parts instead of new, and any parts not already in stock are usually here within 14 days. Plus we still like to recondition things. Clearly there are some obstacles to overcome, or alternatively a degree of specialisation such as simple repairs on late model standard vehicles and fitting new parts only
In other news
In case you haven’t heard, there is another new player about to enter our insurance market. Motor will be their initial focus, and they expect to receive a license to operate in NZ by mid-November. My understanding is they have considerable expertise and are willing to challenge head-on, so It will be interesting times ahead as they break into the market. Unfortunately I’m not able to say who it is at this stage, or who is involved.
Courtesy and fleet management
It often surprises me just where panel beaters’ sign-written courtesy cars are spotted. Often its many km away from the workshop, and it makes me wonder why anyone would allow abuse such as this when there is such an easy solution.
GPS has been around for many years now, and with the aid of tougher new legislation around workplace safety it’s starting to get more traction. It’s a costeffective method of ensuring employees stay on the straight and narrow. With current technology it can be as simple as popping a device into the OB2 port.
We have much experience in this arena and can assist any progressive panel shop keen on knowing just where their vehicles are – even to the point of setting up geo-fences around no go places (such as casinos) or establishing boundaries.
In summary, I’m delighted to see some massive advances in methodology available, especially for panel shops that will shorten repair cycles and restore profitability. Increased returns mean more funds available to keep good staff and attract people back into the industry. Yes, there is a great future ahead, but you have to be the one to claim it. It’s time to stop grumbling and pre-register at www.onrequest.co.nz/revolution.
As always, feel free to flick me an email: peter179@me.com to express your views.