Crawford Crash Repairs, Wacol
Awards 2002AAMI Autobody Repairer of the Year (Large Shop): Queensland
Dave Taylor and Jim Douglas were jointly managing a small panel beating business in Wacol, Queensland, when the owner decided to get out of the industry. The two saw an opportunity to own their own shop, and have proved to be pretty good at it.
When Taylor and Douglas took over Crawford Crash Repairs, the business consisted of one factory unit. As the suburb of Wacol, on the edge of Brisbane, grew, so did the business. It now employs 23 people, including four apprentices. There are also plans to further expand the business once a neighbouring mechanical repairer moves on, meaning the shop will grow from 900 sq m to 1200 sq m.
The focus for Taylor and Douglas has been on improving productivity. The two Seetal booths were moved to the centre of the shop and because they are double-ended, work flows a lot better. A seven-bay prep area with infra-red systems and a 'fast track lane' with twin-mini-booths, is being installed to further improve the capacity and speed of the paint shop. The shop has been using the BMS barcode staff management system for 18 months and has been measuring efficiency levels for the past two months using the PSC International system. From a below average 68 per cent efficient three years ago, the shop has improved, through a commitment to working smarter, to a world-class 138 per cent average efficiency.
Everything is measured at Crawford Crash; every employee's performance is monitored, every job is costed. "A lot of panel shops struggle to make profits as they used to rely on parts margins for their money. You can't do that anymore," said Taylor. "We are able to measure everything and it gives us a great insight into what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong. Unless you measure the performance of the shop as a whole, how do you know what is working and what isn't? And if you don't know that, how can you ever hope to go about fixing it?" said Douglas.
Dave Taylor said BMS has been instrumental in bringing success to the business: "Their [BMS'] system was our major turnaround to our business -- it has created a win/win situation for us and our employees, and the back up and service from the company was second to none. I don't think we could have done it without them -- a special thanks to Rex Hartley, Aaron Saunders and Nola Sargeant."
Taylor and Douglas are not only attacking problems in the workshop; when judges visited, the reception area was being completely re-built to improve the presentation of the front-of-house.
Crawford Crash has been a Suncorp Gold Repairer for the past 12 months and Douglas said this has really helped the business as it has not only provided more work, but the management have been able to plan the workflow better because they can rely on a certain volume through the insurer. Approximately 41 per cent of the repairer's business comes through Suncorp Metway, with 32 per cent from RACQ and the rest from a variety of insurers including CGU and NRMA. "We are focussed on insurance work and although we can't attack it too much until the shop is completely finished, our goal is to be a key repairer for major insurance brands," said Douglas.
Who: Jim Douglas & Dave Taylor
What: 900 sq m workshop
23 employees
BMS, PSC
Spies Hecker
Seetal, Autorobot
Where: Wacol, Queensland
When: Since 1996