Jason Miller, owner of Rhino Crash isn’t your typical bodyshop owner.
For starters he was never a tradesman, yet has worked in the industry since leaving school.
Miller worked his way up to administration manager at Tom Howard Crash before leaving to work at AutoQuote. When Howard retired, Miller bought the business and has expanded it to three sites which carry out different types of repair work.
What impresses about Miller is his modern, business-oriented approach. Marketing is a big focus, with radio campaigns and unusually, Miller displays a thorough understanding of digital marketing, using online marketing experts Reach Local and pay per click strategies.
The excellent Rhino website explains every part of the repair process to customers, sets out Rhino’s credentials including its Green Stamp Plus status and introduces the Rhino team.
The name of the business came to Miller after a safari holiday where he discovered that the collective noun for a group of rhinos is a crash.
The reception, offices and staff lunchroom at the Triple A site in Kemptown is housed in a quirky period building. The workshop next door has a smart stainless steel cladding on the exterior and a clever matching screen to hide the recycling area.
There’s also adequate parking for customers.
Miller bought the business five years ago and inside the large workshop he has made a number of changes to the layout to
improve workflow. The group is part of the Sikkens Acoat programme and Miller recently attended an excellent PCE (process centred environment) bootcamp in the US.
As well as a good workflow in the shop, not surprisingly given Miller’s backgroup, there are excellent administration processes too.
Miller utilises every saving available both financially and operationally from the economies of scale that can be found in running a multi-site business.
Miller admits that it has taken a while, from taking over this site and its staff, to getting the right team in place, but now feels the two managers, admin person, two spray painters, four panel beaters and apprentice panel beater are all working well together.
Miller believes in providing a safe and nuturing environment for his staff. He has developed his own well thought out, comprehensive OH &S manual and invests in training.
The relevant team members attend I-Car course and his managers have all achieved Cert 3 in Business.
While quality of repairs is, of course, central to the business and Miller is proud of the compay’s quality control checks, it is refreshing to encounter a panel shop owner with a different perspective on the business.
Often quality is a reflection of the business owner’s own skills and is placed above all the other essential business skills such as cost control, business planning and marketing, which should have equal status.
Miller plans for Triple A to specialise in bigger hits in the future which are more profitable if workshop flow is at optimum levels.
Powell’s comments
Miller has applied his own well developed and successful business plan to this repair facility to align it with the other Rhino Group repair facilities.