Page 100 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2018

2018 REGIONAL WINNER QUEENSLAND
Left: Helena Willmot and husband Wes Jenkins, Main: Drive through booths in a well planned workshop.
POWELL’S COMMENTS
Starting with a blank sheet, lots of research and sound advice Helena and the team have created a good workflow by arranging spray booths and production lines, in a new shop to complement each other.
BEST NEW QLD
WILLMOT SMASH REPAIR SPECIALIST
SHOP STATS
Size: Workshop 1800m2 Site 3,400m2 Staff: 25
Type of repair: All types
AVG cars repaired per week: 60
A great example of the second generation building new foundations – a highly productive, customer-focused, well planned new workshop.
HELENA WILLMOT AND husband Wes Jenkins have built a state-of-the art repair facility to allow them to increase produc- tivity, provide a clean, modern, spacious, well-equipped working environment for staff and improved facilities for customers.
Wilmots is one of two 'volume' repair shops in Cairns and the majority of work comes from Suncorp, QBE, Youi and RACQ and business is Lexus approved.
The couple have invested in the future and moved from the former smaller workshop with quirky decor to the modern, corporate site they created. The smart, monchrome building looks fresh and appealing and has a wide covered driveway where customers can stop and be checked in or quoted. The car is then driven down a side road, round the back to the ample car park and from there to the panel shop for repair.
Spacious bays make for a pleasant working environment and the shop is very well lit. The couple use IBodyshop to help plan and track jobs. The parts department is also spacious and extremely clean and well organised so that technicians can find what they need immediately. Parts sourcing can be a real headache out of major city centres which makes their average key to key times of three days for driveables and eleven days for non-drives impressive. Willmots ticks all of the boxes, it has level three Greenstamp, undertakes a wide range of training from OH&S to I-CAR, is heavily invested in the community and knows how to market itself. Although customer satisfaction is measured by the
32 PAINT&PANEL September / October 2018
insurers, Willmots still send automated SMS surveys and reply paid envelopes to ensure clients have many avenues to give feedback. In Powell's book if you have a large workshop then you have to have drive through booths – so yes another tick there.
The workshop processes are sustained by the team leaders ensuring efficiency and quality. These are continually improved through training, encouraging feedback, weekly toolbox talks and team meetings.
Willmot said: “ We have built a culture by making all staff feel a part of the company, with recognition of achievements, sharing success and rewarding initiative. We aim to get the best out of each staff member individually while they enjoy being team players.”
We didn't mention their customer reception area yet, another one that could rival a chic hotel with its white leather chairs and benches. Given their pristine condition we're going to bet the weekly toolbox meetings don't take place in here.
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