In case you missed our MSO feature in the January/February issue where we talked to all the major groups we'll be publishing their interviews individually online. This week:
IQ Body Group
Sites: 8/ Mobile vans 14
Employees: 87
Type of work : Cosmetic, light repairs, wheel repairs, PDR
Established: 2010
No of apprentices: 4
Funding: Privately owned
Sites in: QLD,NSW, VIC, WA, SA
IQBodygroup is an entirely different MSO to the others featured here. Sandra and Jason Noach are like expert niche truffle hunters. They find them first, do them exceptionally well and now, after COVID brakes are hopefully released, are easing onto the gas pedal for further expansion.
The IBodygroup consists of IQ Autobody which are the fixed sites, Extreme Dents which is cosmetic and PDR repairs which are mainly undertaken by mobile units and AutoXCarCare. The latter is a dealer only scratch and dent membership program offering ‘free’ repairs, and alloy wheel repairs to genuine OEM Standard with various options for repair locations – for example at your home or at a fixed site. It has become so popular that IQ now has sites in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth as well as the original sites in Victoria and Queensland and the product is now in over 180 dealerships.
The Noaches are genuinely dedicated to excellence and on the subject of company values Sandra says it is all about integrity. “We treat our customers and our staff like family. Each repair has to pass the mum test – would you repair the car like that for your mother?”
With over 500 five star reviews that culture is clearly being embraced. “We’ve been around for over 10 years now and run our business with old fashioned honesty – and people are drawn to that.”
At the fixed sites they deliberately choose to work with boutique insurers and the sites also service the AutoXCarCare clients who aren’t able to accommodate the mobile vans. “There’s definitely room to grow in Sydney and Melbourne and we are looking for a location on the Gold Coast,” Sandra said.
The couple have recently launched a paint protection brand, Protect IQ , after multiple dealer group requests. The Noaches tested a number of products and the clear winner is a product that has graphene in it which is 100 times stronger than steel, absorbs heat and is antistatic.
The biggest challenge Sandra sees is getting the right staff although they were fully staffed at the time of this interview. “COVID has taught us to be more flexible with our staff, they spent time at home over lockdown with their families and enjoyed spending more time with their kids.
“At the moment we are all recycling each other’s staff and there’s some wild money being thrown around, especially with borders closed. We’d love to have more apprentices but it’s difficult to find the right kids,” she said.
Other challenges are the same as everyone else dealing with the availability and price of parts but also a lack of van stock to increase the mobile fleet. IQBodygroup has now been able to source some and expects to have 20 vans on the road by the end of the year.