DealersEdge Professional Forums

To all the Fixed Operations Managers out there, what department did you come from, Service Or Parts? And what is your experience, did you jump departments in between?

From my experience the number coming from service is about 80%+ as opposed to those coming from Service.

Worked as a counter guy at a medium volume dealer for 10 years. Left and came to a small-town dealer for a PM gig 2 years ago. Worked as PM for 9 months, then SM announced he was leaving for another opportunity. Talked to the owner and told him I thought I could do both (for more $ of course). Became SM and PM with ZERO service experience. It was a steep learning curve for the first year (just started my 2nd year in April) but I've caught on. I feel like I'm very much the minority when it comes to a fixed ops guy who actually understands the challenges not just in service, but in parts as well.

Started as a service advisor. Did that position for 1 1/2 years and was moved to parts manager. Had ZERO parts experience prior to being appointed manager. Did that for 5 years. We then purchased another store and I was moved to that store as Parts & Service Director. It is a small store so there are no other managers in either department other than myself.

If anyone knows other fixed operation managers stories, please feel free to tell.

I was at a Toyota/Mitsubishi store about 25 yrs ago. The P&S rep was from Japan, on a 'tour' of the US, as part of his career path. He told Toyota always recommended to dealers that IF they were going to have a Fixed Ops manager/director/dictator, that that person should come from the parts side of the business. The reasoning given is part have a real,static cost, while labor does have a cost, it's more fluid and most service managers are used to the fluid, rather than static costs, and it's harder for them to adjust to balancing the 2. I ended up being P&S manager there for a while, then moved both home after my dad passed to help my mother. I've been at the same GM dealer for 23 yrs now, and my titles are Parts Manager and Internet Service Manager. I really believe that coming from parts does give you a much easier way up.

My fixed operations manager started off as a service advisor for about 5 years at a small town Toyota store, moved up to an assistant service manager luxury big group store, stayed there for less then a year, got promoted within to a service manager position at a import store with the same group, moved to a domestic high volume store as a service manager, got promoted to fixed operations manager there, that's when I met him as a fixed operations manager, he then left there for the small town domestic dealer, next door too where he first got his start and he took me with him there. Very dedicated manager for under 40