Scientific Motor Body Works

With two bodyshops, one on Sydney’s Broadway and the other in suburban Matraville, Scientific Motor Body Works might well feel it has a slab of the prestige market locked-up.

With about 80 per cent of its business from prestige vehicles, the shop’s founder, Michael Zammit, with 40 years in the business, says the two bodyshops are not standing still.

Seen as one of Sydney’s leading motor body repair businesses the three-year-old Matraville bodyshop and its sister shop in Broadway are highly regarded. Having won awards before, Scientific is no stranger to the leadership role but the reins now are largely in the hands of Michael Zammit’s son Daniel who manages both shops.

Michael Zammit, however, is still with the shops as a mentor for the Zammit family whose daughter Renee and wife Gail run the office.

But just running successful and well equipped businesses is not a reason for awarding the Matraville repair centre the best NSW large shop accolade. The shop is successful because it also has very strong management principles.

One of those is the seemingly unusual decision to do away with receptionists and to put service advisors in their place. This means that when you telephone Scientific Motor Body Works at Matraville you will be given a more informative commentary on your vehicle’s repair.

If your car has gone for panel beating you will be told what is happening to it and, instead of a lack of technical feedback at the end of the phone line, real procedural information is provided by a team of technical advisors. A receptionist has been replaced by a technically trained adviser. Constant monitoring of every job means the caller will get a full and intensive breakdown of the progress their vehicle is making.

“With the amount of cars we deal with you have to give that sort of service,” Zammit says. “Customers also receive a fully technical explanation if it is requested.”

Zammit says that the process eliminates the dozens of calls they would normally get from customers. “Sometimes we get up to four calls from the same family about a vehicle and that is just time wasting. One explanation, fully outlined, gives all the information in one hit.”

The Matraville shop gives its customers the chance to ask questions even if they do not initiate the contact with Scientific. It is the shop’s policy to contact each client every Monday and Wednesday to inform them of the progress of their vehicle’s repair.

This means high quality work in the shop itself. There is a manager and floor managers to watch the work and check on a vehicle’s progress. There are also quality checkers to eliminate any problems with a repair. Service advisors are also located throughout the Matraville repair centre just like the Sydney shop.

“Stuart Harper, our Matraville manager, is a top guy for us,” Zammit says. “He takes care of all the issues here while my son Daniel takes care of the overall running of both Matraville and the Sydney shop.”

The shop is immaculately equipped with an aluminium bay, two full down-draught booths which are bigger than usual and six bays with infrared rail systems and vacuum extraction. The paint selection is interesting. At Matraville they use Standox but at Broadway, Glasurit. “We are trying to compare the paints but it is difficult because of the high standards set by both companies.”

Zammit has been in the business for 40 years but he still revels in its work. “I like to see the many different changes and challenges that it throws up,” he says.

Until now, Zammit and his family have coped well with the modernisation of the industry and this award recognises that.


Powell’s view

Scientific have been leaders in the organisation of large scale smash facilities in Sydney, first at Sydney’s Broadway and now at Matraville. The shop is well equipped with top managers and tradesmen and the work keeps flowing in.