Page 18 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2020

18
News • In Focus
PAINT&PANEL SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
FIX AUTO GROWTH
SOMERVILLE AND DISTRICT PANELS IN MELBOURNE AND CLASSIC BODYWORKS IN QUEENSLAND ARE TWO OF THE LATEST INDEPENDENT REPAIRERS TO JOIN FIX AUTO.
OMMERVILLE AND DISTRICT
Panels is owned and operat-
ed by Bill Kubeil who joined the brand in March. Despite the obvious challenges the pan- demic presented the business, Kubeil and his team remained focused on their transition plan and began a significant rebrand exercise which included the demolition and reconstruction of several parts of the building, new offices and staff areas being created as well as recon- figuring the workshop to optimise vehi-
cle flow and efficiency.
“We always knew we wanted to change
the way the business worked and how it looked. We knew it could be better, we just always seemed to be too busy to get it done. Joining Fix Auto and having a sense of purpose and direction, along with the odd nudge now and then to stay focused, has made all the difference,” he said.
Stuart Faid, head of the Fix Auto Austral- ian business commented “Everyone has been energised by the re-imagining of the
business and seeing that come to life in what is now Fix Auto Sommerville. I was worried that the timing would dampen spirits as we battle with such uncertainty during the pandemic. I could not have been more wrong, if anything it galvanised us all to make sure this happened and I am delighted with the result”.
Rick Norris, owner of Classic Body- works in Rockhampton took his time weighing up if Fix Auto was the best di- rection for his business. Having been in the industry for 30 years Norris has seen a lot of change in the industry. Like many others he wanted to wait and see if corpo- rates would affect the market and wheth- er this new arrival in Australia would stay the course.
“It was a number of things coming to- gether at once that ultimately convinced us it was the right time and the right move. I was reluctant to entrust my family owned business to a new start company in Aus- tralia when they first arrived, I didn’t know if they would be here tomorrow if things
got hard and I didn’t know just how tough things would get for me as an independent. Two years after my first discussions with Fix Auto, the network has grown, their team has grown and they are not giving up on their vision. The final piece of the puz- zle for me was the endorsement of the work providers about how the model can really support our business. The team at Fix make a real difference to the operations of the business, improving efficiency, driving up margins and providing much needed commercial support," he said.
Faid said: “Rick is no different to a num- ber of repairers who have been waiting to see if Fix Auto has the staying power to deliver on its promises and more impor- tantly that we are committed to this mar- ket for the long term. Nobody makes the decision to join our network lightly and nor should they, but once they do, they have that peace of mind that their future is secure. We have been around since 1992 and are now present in 13 countries worldwide. We are here to stay.”
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