Rocky Leuzzi and Ralph Petrone have been busy reshaping their business.
It’s been a huge amount of work while still managing the day to day running of the businesses but Californian Smash is committed to change and improvement.
It’s been especially stressful for Ralph who has had to fit out a new shed for his engineering shop which was in between the paint and panel shop.
Contractors with elastic deadlines and getting power to the new facility has meant that the move took longer than anticipated.
The removal of the engineering shop has freed up a huge space to improve workflow and parts storage. Ralph and Rocky are considering a stacking system for parts storage using a forklift and plan to visit a couple of shops that already have this in place.
The current layout means the panel shop becomes rammed with cars and time is wasted moving them around, meanwhile there is acres of space in the paint shop.
The new layout will allow for marked bays and a clear ‘road’ to elimate the current downtime spent on car shuffling and join the paint and panel shops.
As Californian Smash is looking towards becoming a ‘badged repairer’ the new layout will mean that the workshop will present well and be easier to maintain well.
This is going to take a culture shift for the talented workforce that aren’t always as tidy as they should be.
To address this Ralph and Rocky called a staff meeting to explain their plans for the business and to talk about keeping the workshops cleaner and tidier.
At the end of the day the crew now stop working before knock off time to make sure everything is in order for the next day.
It’s impossible to achieve all that needs doing overnight. Californian Smash is constantly moving forward and now the business has more space, the pace of change will pick up.
The Californian crew
Actions underway
- Workshop flow: With the help of PPG’s local MVP business solutions consultant Brett Abdy a new workshop layout is being planned. The aim is to increase throughput and still maintain high quality levels.
- Parts storage and distribution: A cramped parts storage area can create bottlenecks, this area is being completely made over.
- Marketing plan: Developed with the WHY agency. A new logo, new website and marketing strategy is being put in place, a facebook page being set up.
- Reception area: While clean and tidy, the reception area layout could be better for customers. It could also work a lot harder for Californian Smash as there is no branding on show. Rocky is in charge of the reception makeover and already has plans for the logo to covr the front of the reception desk.
- Specialists A1 Office Fitouts have been engaged and will be suggesting improvements which we will cover in the next issue of the magazine.
- Uniforms: New uniforms ordered featuring the new logo – if you want your staff to act like a team then dress them like a team.
- Environmental responsibilty: Manufacturers and fleets like to do business with other businesses with proven ‘green credentials’. Californian Smash called in MTA Green Stamp and achieved level two. Plans are in place to achieve the highest level three.