It’s prestige at Panel One

For Ian Healey, it’s a long way from a smash repair apprenticeship at Bay Street, Botany to utilising carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), a technology mostly used in aeronautical and high-performance yachting.

It is this technology that is revolutionising auto construction and, of course, if there is damage, it enters the domain of the smash repair industry. It is used by BMW, for instance, to lower the centre of gravity of a high performance M3, to give better handling, strength and safety.

At Panel One, one of a small number of specialised high tech smash repair companies in Sydney, located at near city Alexandria, director Ian Healey is practising skills of repair on the prestige car market’s top cars. It’s certainly a long way from Healey’s beginnings in the business at J.F.Somers, in Sydney.

When Healey was apprenticed more than 30 years ago he little thought that in 2001 he would be opening new body work premises at Alexandria and leading a business helping to put right the damage caused in hundreds of accidents to prestige cars. Seven years later Panel One has developed into one of Sydney’s premier specialist car companies dealing in repairs for top of the line automobiles. His workforce skills have been recognised by BMW in appointing Panel One a recommended repairer. Likewise he also concentrates on Audi and Lexus repairs, although right now he is doing a pretty good job at fixing damage to the rear end of a new $390,000 Bentley.

BMW recommendation doesn’t come lightly. “They inspect the equipment levels, quality of work and many other factors on a regular basis and that’s why they have continued to recommend us,” Healey says.

At this point the question of carbon fibre technology comes in. Healey explains that the new technology has been around since approximately 2001 and developing in usage and quality. Thanks to constant updating and training, Panel One employees are right up to date on CFRB use and so is the clerical staff.

“With the non-workshop staff, we wanted them to know all about the technology as some of them have to pass on this knowledge to customers.”

Healey says the carbon fibre roofs were not about making a car handle better. ”They produce good safety statistics and lightness to aid fuel economy.” BMW has designed its cars not only for customer pleasure, but it has also put in a big effort to make them easier to service and repair. “It’s a pleasing aspect of the German construction,” Healey added. ”BMW know their cars so well that if something goes wrong it’s easier to put right compared to many other cars. As smash repairers that helps us and the customers.”

The change in location of Panel One, from Matraville to Alexandria, according to Healey, is just common sense. “We knew that being at Matraville, we couldn’t develop the prestige market as well because these type of customers want to be near their place of business. At Matraville we had a group of 25 workers but the location meant that many prestige car owners did not identify with the location. Now, at Alexandria, we are on the way to the airport, not too far from the city and generally in a good place for car drop-offs. We leased at Matraville, but at Alexandria we decided to buy and to purpose change the building to suit our needs. That took six months whilst we worked away at repairs in Matraville. When it came to changing over we just up and moved into the new premises.

“Now we have our own parts division, a dedicated parts person in a warehouse area, including a special room just for bumper bars. We also have a first floor area for storing cars, and those in disputed circumstances. This takes away the need for space on the workshop floor giving us a dedicated area for working on repairs.”

Healey says now the company specialises in cars less than four years old and that meant a step up in service and the quality of working tools and facilities. “We went from 75 per cent servicing prestige cars at Matraville to 95 per cent at Alexandria.”

Panel One now uses all the modern technology needed to repair at the high end of the business. “We have infra red dryers and each workshop has three phase power air in and air out for dust extraction. This is bolstered by two spray booths and five side draft prep booths.”

Due to concentrated planning to increase productivity, Healey says, output has gone through the roof.”We now do five to six cars a day with l8 staff, whereas in the older times we would do the same job with at least a dozen more workers.

A key to Panel One’s ability to handle the prestige market is that all the staff, including clerical workers, attend regular manufacturer training days. “With this part of the industry going the way it is going, all of our workers need to keep abreast of the techniques companies like BMW use. BMW are not surprised that all the company’s clerical staff also attend. It’s just the way the company works. We don’t want anyone here feeling they do not know the work we do.”