Paint & Panel is offering you the opportunity to tour three of Melbourne’s premier bodyshops on 11 October in the run up to our LIVE conference and Bodyshop Awards gala dinner which take place on 12 October. The tour is sponsored by bodyshop flow management softward company 1Q1 and paintshop solutions company Masterbooth.
There’s no doubt that seeing how others present and run their businesses is inspiring. Repairers we have talked to who have visited other shops always say they take away ideas to implement in their own business. We’ve picked out three very different shops to inspire you.
Weststar Prestige Paint & Panel
This is one of our favourite prestige shops and is run by young Brad Kolich and his family. The business is housed in two buildings within its complex, one dedicated to Mercedes-Benz, as this is a factory approved shop, and the other is for the Peugeot and Suzuki badges. You can see a video here.
A pair of sunglasses is recommended for visiting the paint room which always looks as if it’s never seen a colour mixed in it. The level of cleanliness and attention to detail demonstrates the passion for the business and the quest for ultimate customer satisfaction. Kolich has seen the need to carve out a specialist niche in a competitive Victorian market and has pursued that vision vigorously and successfully.
Spot on Panels
Yes, you’ve probably seen our video on our YouTube channel and that was taken before it was finished. This Deer Park behemoth is breathtakingly huge and amazingly glamorous. There simply isn’t another shop quite like it in Australia and while it isn’t the biggest it will be in the top 10, and definitely the top five for build cost.
It’s almost a fantasy repair facility and you have to see it to believe it – from the underfloor heated reception area the size of many an inner city shop to the long, long narrow workshop which feeds from both ends into the middle. Even the lift is stunning. Owner Vesco Jolevski had a vision for this shop, it took him years and many millions to realise it and he is kindly offering our tour participants an exclusive tour inside.
Smash Repair Solutions, Richmond
SRS is not as glamorous as the other two shops on our tour but it is crushingly efficient. By this we mean the actual workshop isn’t as glamorous – the customer reception area and business presentation is first class. Chris Beatty and Amen El-Dannaoui have been quietly carving out a multi-site operation. Starting just four years ago, the group now has two shops in Melbourne, two in Queensland and one in Sydney. These guys are smart, motivated and innovative. You might say that they are the modern face of autobody repair. They utilise the latest repair methods, are process fiends, attack waste in any form, think about their environmental footprint, have created a great working environment and have an excellent working relationship with their insurance work providers. Watch and learn.
There are only 45 seats on the bus so make sure you secure your place quickly. We'll be meeting at 9:30am in the CBD on 11 October to board a luxury coach, we will then hit the road to visit the shops. Lunch and refreshments will be provided and we aim to be back in the CBD by 4:00pm. Total cost is $140 (inc GST) per person.Click here for details.
Thanks again to our shop tour sponsors 1Q1 and Masterbooth.
