Manufacturer specialists take repairer awards

Specialising in prestige vehicles with the support of the manufacturer has paid off for this year’s AAMI/Australasian Paint & Panel Autobody Repairer of the Year award winners.

Manufacturer-backed body repair shops have lead the way for the national spoils in the 2009 AAMI/Australasian Paint & Panel Autobody Repairer of the Year Awards.

Westside BMW Bodyshop in Brisbane took out the national small shop award while Mercedes-Benz Autobody in Melbourne was judged to be the nation’s best new shop. The best large shop went to another Queensland business, specialising in Mercedes-Benz, HHarvey Prestige.

Vic Fenech, manager of Mercedes-Benz Autobody located in Port Melbourne, praised the car maker for its investment in a state-of-the-art repair facility which features the latest in repair technology.

Fenech said moving towards a specialist manufacturer-based repair workshop meant being able to deliver greater consistency in the quality of repair work.

He said ongoing training for technicians and access to the manufacturers’ data was a key part of the business success.

Likewise, Mark Slorach of HHarvey Prestige, Upper Coomera, said the support from Mercedes Benz was  important for maintaining a quality shop.

Slorach praised the company’s staff for their effort and told those attending the awards that staff were given a choice of air conditioning or a swimming pool when the shop was first built.

He said the choice was for the pool, which sees many of the staff in the workshop relaxing around the pool during their breaks.

Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific product manager - body and collision, Cameron Thompson, was on hand to see the two Mercedez-Benz shops take the awards.

“Having two Mercedes-Benz authorised autobody repairers winning national awards in their respective categories highlights the commitment both Mercedes-Benz Australia and our autobody partners have to providing first class facilities for our customers,” Thompson said.

“As a leading luxury passenger car brand in Australia it is appropriate that we continue to set the benchmark in customer facilities, repair quality and service.”

Scott Wiseman of Westside BMW, which operates from the dealership in the Brisbane suburb of  Darra, thanked the ongoing support of his suppliers, including Dupont Performance Coatings, for their continual assistance.

The winners were announced at a presentation lunch at the Clovelly Surf Club, attended by many of the industry’s leading autobody repair shop operators and suppliers.

AP&P editor Tim Byrne commended the winners for their quality of service and investment in technology as they kept pace with the ever-changing face of the autobody repair industry.

“These national-winning shops have all embraced the latest in technology to ensure they can repair the prestige range of vehicles they specialise in,” Byrne said.

“All the regional winners are to be commended for presenting successful shops that are not afraid to take the necessary risks to maintain the quality of their repair work.”

The awards are now in their 14th year and recognise bodyshop repairer excellence for the best small (under 15 employees), large (15 employees or over) and new (built or substantially re-built over the past 18 months) shops.
The scoring criteria was established several years ago and has been gradually modified with every awards since.

To help with the exhaustive judging process Paint & Panel had the excellent technical support of two judges.
Neil Powell, a technical expert from the Institute of Technology, Sydney, judged in NSW, SA, WA and Victoria.

Cecil Wright, a teacher with more than 30 years’ experience with the Brisbane TAFE, judged in Queensland.
Former Paint & Panel editor, Will Tuck, rounded out the judging team.