Body shop consultant

[Michael White]

Dealer friend is have very severe financial, employee, and productivity problems in their body shop. they are looking for an outside consultant to assist them in all aspects of their work.

any recommendations?? this body shop is really in trouble!!!!!!!

[fburrows]

Michael:

We have done Body Shop consulting, but we dont anymore except for existing clients. Based on 30 years of experience overseeing a large successful body shop operation and later on as a consultant, I can tell you the most five most important things in a body shop. They are:

Good Manager
Good Manager
Good Manager
Good Manager
Good Manager

After you get this accomplished, everything else is easy. I obviously dont know anything about your friends operation, but if he has all these problems he doesnt have the right person running the body shop. Body shops can be great profit centers, if well run, but complete nightmares if poorly run.

The body shop manager is unique because they are constantly being pulled on by the customer, the insurance company, the body men and painters and the need to make a reasonable profit. At the same time they have to produce quality work on time. It is a very tough job and it requires a strong manager. If the manager is not strong they will get beat to death.

If you ask any dealer with a successful body shop operation they will tell you it is all because of a good manager. If you want to identify the good managers in your area ask the parts manager which body shops are their best customers. They are the ones that order the right parts in the beginning and dont return half the stuff months later. The insurance adjusters will also tell you which shops are well run.

I think a consultant can be valuable in fine tuning a good operation but they can't fix a bad manager.


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Frank Burrows ABS
fburrows@absdata.com

[Michael White]

thanks for responding. The old manager is gone and a progressive manager is in there now. the idea is to utilize a knowledgable consultant with outside experience, and establish a new game plan and assist the new body shop manager.

[This message has been edited by Michael White (edited 02-07-2004).]

[Results]

Mike, I am an automotive consultant and I have to agree with Frank. I don't think your friend needs a consultant at this point.
Replacing the old manager sounds like it was the right step but I have to go a little deeper and ask...
Did it take a week to get the body shop in this condition, a month, a quarter, or even a year.
You tend to get what you inspect and I have to look at the manager above the body shop manager to see how this kind of wreck could go as far as it did.
Sometimes you can change the mule on the plow and still not plow a straight line.

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Results
Mike Stinson
results@rintuit.com
www.rintuit.com