"We are very proud to have sponsored these important awards for nearly two decades.
Amidst phenomenal industry change, these awards are timely and due recognition of excellence, innovation and leadership across the industry.
Regardless of region or repair specialty, I believe the most successful repair businesses are innovative, flexible and committed to quality. They have a proactive customer-centric approach and react positively to immediate and long-term opportunities.
As an insurer, we aim to follow a similar structure. We know that the only way we can continue to ensure high-quality, timely repairs for our customers is through strong partnerships with successful and sustainable smash repair businesses.
I would like to congratulate this year’s finalists, and indeed all repairers that are working hard to innovate, achieve operational excellence and stay one step ahead of the game."
Leigh Bryant
Suncorp Head of Motor Claims
(Excerpt from Bryant's awards speech)
There are a number of criteria that we take into account to find the best shops on our judging circuit.
Presentation:
- Kerb appeal, customer facilities, reception, signage, website, workshop environment.
- Equipment
- Investment in the latest repair technology
- Organised equipment storage
- Organised parts area
- Robust training schedule for correct use of equipment to achieve repairs to manufacturers’ specifications
- Staff welfare
- A clean, healthy work environment
- Good H&S procedure
- Staff development
- Staff facilities
- Green initiatives
- Solid recycling program including thinners
- Extra credit for water recycling, energy efficient equipment and other green initiatives
As well as:
- Having a coherent vision for the future of your businesses
- Demonstrating how you have adapted your business to meet current challenges
- Involvement in the industry by trade associations or industry business groups
- Positive attitude towards the industry
- Investing in the future of the industry with apprentice training.
- Innovation in working practices or business philosophy.
Using these criteria the judges then look at which shop shines in the most categories.
National Best Small Shop
Europanels, Vic
This was our hardest decision as the standard of small shop winners this year was exceptional. Our state winners ticked all the boxes.
Bodyline Motor Body Repairers and Refinishers in Sydney offers exceptional customer service, has state-of-the art equipment, has highly trained staff and despite being well established in an old shop, is ambitious and capable of growing the business.
While the business is efficient, the workshop layout is cramped and less than ideal. If the company expands the premises and re-model then it will be contenders for a national title.
West Perth Panel and Paint admitted that it was a little slow to see the ‘writing on the wall’ as a steady workflow from loyal customers and work providers had been the norm.
However, the business is working on a marketing plan to increase volume as well as aiming for a few more manufacturer badges.
The workflow and organisation in this narrow shop is impressive.
Carrumbin Panel & Smash on the Gold Coast was an eye-opener. A totally dedicated, goal-oriented, highly focused partnership between Michelle Neumann and Paul Edwards has produced a workshop of exceptional specification, organisation and cleanliness, and all of it is paid for ahead of the demanding schedule they set themselves.
A canny buy of an IR arch at auction also means that the shop can ramp up its output easily.
We can only judge on what is in place when we visit and although the shop is under way with a website, it’s not currently up and running so that didn’t sway the award in their favour.
Welland Crash Repairs in SA does everything right. Its environmental credentials include solar panels, it has a robust marketing strategy, is active in the industry and the workshop is a haven of organisation and cleanliness.
The shop has an excellent website and is active on Facebook. The only one area where we could criticise is the cramped reception area, which also incorporates the office. It clearly doesn’t hamper efficiency but going forward perhaps the team could look at a solution for this.
What made Europanels then stand out? Firstly there was the presentation of the business – and a sharp, modern exterior followed by the stunning entrance, which is made to look like an Italian piazza with wall paintings and a ceiling painted with clouds.
The upstairs reception is lovely and there’s a fantastic board room and staff kitchen/diner.
The workshop is immaculate and highly equipped, and the parts storage area is even partly carpeted, clean and uncluttered.
The staff are well trained, including Dianne and Carly Ruggeri, who deal with the business admin and marketing.
As well as being active in the VACC, we admired Peter and Dianne Ruggeri’s total confidence in the future of their business and the professional way that they carry it out.
Peter is uncompromising about price and quality. His son Jake runs the workshop and he and sister Carly will eventually take over the reins. Quite simply, this is a stunning family business built on strong foundations with a highly coherent strategy for its future.
National best medium shop
Planet Smash Queensland
This is a new category for Victoria, NSW and Queensland. There were just two contenders, ABS Smash in Sydney and Planet Smash in Warana, Queensland.
While ABS has a host of fine qualities in terms of organisation, work standards, attention to detail marketing and market positioning, Planet Smash’s star shone brighter.
It has the advantage of being a newer, purpose-built facility.
The shop is stunning inside and out. Eye-catching green livery continues inside into reception and back into the immaculate, highly productive workshop and onto the sharp website.
This really is a poster shop for business presentation, shop layout, organisation and levels of professionalism.
Best large shop
Maxbutts Auto Body Works
There was an impressive line
-up of large shops this year.
Wayne Phipps Smash Repairs in Midland, WA, offers exceptional customer service, has heaps of business savvy and a well-trained workforce carrying out high quality repairs.
Owner Wayne Phipps has developed an impressive marketing strategy which has paid off in keeping the shop busy.
This was the first purpose-built smash repair shop in WA back in 1977 and if we have to criticise anything, then the exterior is looking dated.
The panel shop, while organised, efficient and well equipped, doesn’t have the ideal configuration that we
have seen elsewhere.
Jason Miller has transformed Triple A Crash Repairs in Adelaide since he bought it five years ago.
We loved the shiny exterior cladding and the period reception building. Miller has a clear vision for the business, a well-thought out marketing campaign, high levels of staff development and good business skills.
The workshop is clean and well organised for optimum workflow but needed a little something extra to lift it to national winning status.
It still didn’t look revamped – perhaps some smarter storage solutions might help – and the reception area didn’t mirror the sharp exterior of the workshop.
Fixwell Smash Repairs in Melton, Victoria, is highly impressive facility. Purpose-built in 2011, it is a vast, modern shop specialising in heavy hits and went head to head with winning shop Maxbutts.
They have many aspects in common: both are one-stop shops offering every service from mechanical to hire cars and towing, both with smart exteriors and reception areas and excellent signage for customers and staff.
Fixwell has the advantage in size – 1.3 acres of shop and probably the same again in storage outside with plenty of room to perform every task and ensure ideal production flow.
We were a little disappointed having visited the shop a couple of times previously that it wasn’t quite as clean as it had been.
What tipped the balance in favour of Maxbutts was the sheer productivity in a less than ideal space.
Daily team meetings to ensure everyone knows what is expected of them means around 73 repairs a week are carried out by four painters and an apprentice and 12 panel beaters and an apprentice with just two spray booths.
Even though the shop is cramped with so many cars going through, it is kept clean and works like a well oiled machine.
Best new shop
Repair Process Management, 
Sunshine, Victoria
We didn’t see too many new or substantially refurbished shops this year.
The contenders this year were Gemini ARC in Queensland, Express Repairs in NSW and McCarthy’s Panel and Paint in WA.
Gemini has a sharp modern reception area but the shop layout isn’t ideal and although a very productive and efficient shop lacked the wow factor of Repair Process Management (RPM).
The McCarthy clan has totally transformed its shop and it is a haven of simple tasteful design. As the council wouldn't let the owners demolish and purpose-build, they have made the best of the space and workshop configuration that they have.
However, you would expect a prestige shop that holds a Bentley factory accreditation among other manufacturer approvals to be highly specified and have good customer facilities.
Express Repairs in Wetherill Park, Sydney, has highly impressive processes, high productivity and shows real innovation in working processes. However, when pitched against RPM, our winner just pips Express Repairs in reception facilities, workshop processes and efficiencies.
ER owner Gavin Stuart has elected not to have a website as he receives all his work from one insurance company and doesn’t need to market the facility or encourage drop-ins.
However, RPM is in the same position and yet has an excellent website. The judges believe a website is a vital customer service as often the first thing they will do when they are told where their car is being repaired is to jump on the internet to reassure themselves that the shop looks professional and equipped for the task.
NEW NATIONAL AWARDS:
Best customer experience
Wayne Phipps Smash Repairs, WA
All of our winners excel in cu
stomer service, so this was a hard one to decide.
They also carry out customer satisfaction programs, many with nice touches such as a stamped address envelope to encourage feedback.
Carisbrook Collision in SA rings all customers a week after they have collected the car to check they are happy with the service they received and with the work carried out.
Maxbutts Autobody in Queensland has folders full of praise from customers, while Queensland's Gemini ARC and SA's Rhino Crash keep in touch with customers throughout the repair process to let them know what stage the car is at, as do most of our winners.
Bodyline Motor Body Repairs in NSW offers all large vehicle repairs a free spanner check a few weeks after the repair.
Planet Smash hands over cars with a neat tin of mints and a full explanation of the repair from an estimator to the customer.
So how did Wayne Phipps Smash Repair stand out from the crowd?
Firstly, we liked the quirky approach. The reception area has cabinets full of interesting nick knacks that fascinate customers. There’s a fun large painting of the business behind the reception desk.
Customer freebies include Wayne Phipps bottled water, playing cards and for special customers a jigsaw of their car.
Customer satisfaction surveys have an impressive 43 per cent response rate and after handing over the car and explaining what work has been done, there’s a handshake and ‘thank you’ for your business.
What Phipps does above and beyond our other winners is that each year he recalls customer cars that the business repaired five and 10 years ago to check how the repair has held up and how good the paint looks, and this has allowed the shop to improve its quality of repairs.
Operational excellence
Highland Smash Repairs, Queensland
This award was given to a shop that was judged but not selected as a regional winner.
Ray Iveson is a master of lean processes. Highland is an old shop and the panel and paint shop are on different levels with a ramp between to the two. It isn’t glamorous but is supremely functional.
It’s a large shop at 2358sqm of production area on a 3348sqm site.
Highland specialises in heavy hits and a highly trained workshop staff of six painters and two apprentices, seven panel beaters and one apprentice repair 30-40 cars a week.
Health and safety is rigorously policed and Highland has a risk factor of just 12 per cent on the Monit system.
Every inefficiency has been considered, down to the time lost finding car keys. Iversen designed his own secure key boxes that sit on the outside of the car and are unlocked by a master key which staff carry.
Overall, the customer and work processes are extremely thorough and dedication to repair quality very high. Iversen runs a tight ship than works like a well oiled machine.
Best regional repairer
Coulson, NSW
Suncorp was very keen to recognise the different business conditions that repairers outside of major cities encounter.
The standard was extremely high in terms of business management, equipment levels and levels of customer service.
The judging team was unable to physically visit the shops and so this year judging took place on Skype where possible. It isn’t ideal and we will be considering ways of fine-tuning this process for next year.
Contenders were Atherton Smash Repairs in far north Queensland, purpose built in 2010 when it won the regional Queensland best new shop award.
It’s not so easy for regional repairers to attend I-CAR or other training courses and although this was in the plans for the near future, a lack of recent training went against the shop, as did the lack of a website.
Bendigo Accident Repair Centre in Victoria is a large, family-owned, highly equipped and efficient shop that constantly reinvests in the business.
It has high customer satisfaction policies, is an active AARN member and is forward thinking and up-to-date on all the industry developments.
However, the exterior does look a bit dated and the customer area could be better.
Coulsons Body Repairs in Unanderra, NSW, presented as the most modern business, with great customer facilities, a great website and a clear vision of its future.
Owner Glenn Cahill is planning to separate his heavy and light repairs and is even considering a high-volume fast repair facility as there isn’t one in the area.