Paint & Panel editor Sam Street was invited to drop in at the new Express Repairs Northside in Artarmon, Sydey by owner Gavin Stuart.
The shop had only been open for a week when we stopped by for a quick peek and it was full to bursting. Stuart is on a innovation mission and has not only developed an impressive looking new workshop, but added his new management system which has excellent visual cues and animated training videos which allow users to interact with the system while they are learning from the video. He is also experimenting with a 'pod' system for his tradespeople.
Instead of a traditional paint and panel shop, Gavin is dividing his businesses into pods to meet growing demands for commercial volumes and lean principles driven by the industry. These pods can compete with each other, while still having to achieve their quality KPIs. As his business expands in Artarmon the plan is to have pods working in other factories in the area for different work providers, based on individual insurer terms and targets. The shop complements his other Express Repairs facility in Wetherill Park, NSW