AAMI/AP&P Autobody Repairer of the Year 2000: SA Winner

AAMI/AP&P Autobody Repairer of the Year 2000.

All three State Finalists in South Australia know each other well. Each of the participants can trace their origins back to Southern Italy and in fact two of the finalists -- Mario Cavallo and Tony Audino -- come from the same village; Caulonia in Reggio Calabria. Similarly passionate and knowledgeable approaches to business meant the SA Finals were a close call. However, excellent presentation both inside and out at Australian Crash Repairs edged out two worthy finalists.

State Winner: Australian Crash Repairs

Mario Cavallo has been in the auto repair business in Adelaide since 1969 and with his family, takes a leading role in local industry circles. He believes in good presentation first and foremost, and his spotless workshop and well turned out offices are testament to this. He is not shy about his reputation in the industry and is clearly proud of his business. "We are better than a normal panel shop. We provide a unique service in South Australia, we are not just a crash repairer, we are something special, we are professionals," he says.

Motor manufacturers have recognised Mario's passionate approach to his work and Australian Crash Repairs is a BMW recommended repairer as well as the only Alfa Romeo authorised repairer in South Australia.

The company has been Quality Endorsed for three years and Mario believes the extra paperwork involved has been a boon, not a burden to his business. "The system gives us better traceability in terms of document control, it streamlines the paperwork."

Mario and his management team are proactive in their approach to staff training. "BMW fly us to Melbourne for two full days training on every new model." Mario says Australian Crash Repairs is the only shop in Australia to use Glasurit water-based paint at present; "If it works here, it will be rolled out across the whole of the country". The company has an in-house training system in addition to suppliers' training days and a monthly meeting sees the management go over new developments and market intelligence with all staff.

The management at Australian Crash Repairs looks on its workshop staff as a valuable commodity and the service longevity of some of its staff are evidence of this. "I have two panel beaters here who have been with me for 25 years and I have started apprentices 16 years ago who are still with me," says Mario.

The workshop has been significantly upgraded in the past three years, with a second level under a new raised roof, a new floor and a major office upgrade. Mario won't stop there however, as he sees upgrades and expansion as a necessary way to keep ahead of customer and manufacturer expectations. The company has already purchased an adjoining property and there are plans to expand the workshop area by 25 per cent by November.

The company has installed a Low Bake oven set at ground level, has a state-of-the-art computerised paint mix room, a double paint prep bay with an overhead infra-red system and a CMC spray booth.

Australian Crash Repairs is committed to providing a quality product but the company is always striving for that little bit extra. "In terms of customer service, presentation and workmanship, the customer is expecting more and more as the years go on. Our quality needs to grow if we are able to exceed their expectations and the expectations of motor manufacturers and insurers," says Mario.

The presentation of the car to the customer is important to the company and because of this, a full-time detailer is employed. Five brand new Festinas, two BMWs and a further car complete the Australian Crash Repair courtesy fleet. These are details that Mario feels differentiate an average repairer from an excellent one. "We look for that extra touch, something that the customer does not expect."

Who: Mario Cavallo & family

What: * 3400 sq m site
* 17 staff
* 60 cars repaired/month

Where: Allenby Gardens, Adelaide

When: since 1978

Highly commended: Keswick Crash Repairs

John Zulian and his brother Frank are aiming to run what they term a 'boutique crash repair shop'. The low volume, high margin approach runs counter to most business models at present implemented over fears of falling margins. Instead of looking for high volumes to take up the short-fall in profits, the Zulians are improving efficiencies and saving costs as a way of creating growth. "We're young and progressive thinking and we aim to be in the top two per cent of repairers in South Australia," says John.

Because Keswick Crash Repairs is a relatively small shop, the brothers are able to keep a tight control on the business, with the result that they are one of two Honda recommended shops in Adelaide. Their intelligent approach to bodyshop management means they have also been able to play an influential role in the local crash repair industry. "We decided to aim at becoming an industry leader, we can't be seen to be playing catch-up, we want to lead from the front," says John.
The Keswick shopfront and reception are very well presented, to the point that the business won a city council garden competition. An environmental designer picked the reception colour scheme to be female-friendly and it is this type of attention to detail that makes Keswick Crash Repairs stand out from the crowd.

Highly commended: Silver's Motor Body Repairs

Tony Audino and Joe Rugari run the only Landrover Australia recommended repair shop in South Australia and do a lot of work for Prestige Walkerville, a large Ferrari and Maserati dealership in Adelaide. This is evidence of a commitment to continual improvement on the suburban business since its establishment in 1983. The partners plan to move and upgrade the office and reception area to the other side of the building by November in order to extend the workshop and create a new frontage for the old office in keeping with the rest of the building. A new infra-red oven is planned for the end of the year to add to two existing baking ovens.

Tony believes in working with insurance companies to create the best environment and has worked hard to bring his shop up to the high standards demanded for prestige work. "We have made sure to keep up with the demands of manufacturers and have even tried to predict what they will be requiring next in order to stay one step ahead -- we are always thinking of the next move."

His customer service goes that extra mile needed to keep people coming back: "We often offer customers a lift home or pay their cab charge and people are surprised, as if we are doing it out of the goodness of our hearts, which we are to a certain extent, but it's also good business sense," says Tony.