Page 18 - Australasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2023

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HALL OF FAME
THIS YEAR IT GAVE THE PAINT & PANEL TEAM GREAT PLEASURE TO INSTITUTE A HALL OF FAME, CREATED TO RECOGNISE ONE PERSON EACH YEAR WHO HAS MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY. OUR INAUGURAL INDUCTEE WAS ROBIN TAYLOR.
R OBINHASBEENINVOLVEDIN the collision repair industry for over 30 years. Over the 11 years that this editor has been talking to shop owners during the judging circuit his name has come up more often than any- one else’s as a person who has made a huge difference to the business and helped that business boost their produc- tivity and therefore profits and sustain-
ability.
He has a wonderful skill set. Firstly the
ability to walk into a workshop and almost immediately discern areas that aren’t working or could be improved. He is pro- cess driven and has helped very many bodyshops implement processes that have improved every aspect of their business.
Robin is a numbers savant - not only has he helped hundreds of shops to un- derstand their costs, P&Ls etc. but also guided them on how to improve them.
On top of all he is such a good human being that he has also ended up as life- long friends of the many of the business owners he has helped.
In his acceptance speech Taylor de- scribed himself as being “incredibly honoured and humbled” by the award. He thanked his wife Naomi for all the support she has given and looking after the family while he travelled.
“Working with Dulux/PPG, AkzoNo- bel and now Axalta I have had the op- portunity to work with many great peo- ple, customers, and collegues, from whom I have learnt a huge amount. If I tried to list them all we would be here for a long time. There are a few people I need to acknowledge,” he said.
“At Dulux/PPG Paul Galea and Hugh O’Neil, at Akzo Paul Wake and Axalta, Paul Wake again and Craig Tonkes. These are key people who supported me and allowed me to develop and grow.
There are three ex owners and two cur- rent owners of shops that have had a major impact on me, I have known them for over 20 years, and we remain friends to this day Andy Holzer, Richard Na- than, Stuart McDonald, Carl Francesca and Tony Robinson.
“My passion is helping people, be it customers, peers or people who work with me to maximise their potential. My aim is not to tell people what to do but work with them to work out the best so- lution for them. I will ask the hard ques- tions no-one else is game to. It is quite a simple philosophy which has gained me respect, trust and many, many good friends. A customer very recently said I was like a dentist – you don’t want to go there but when you do you feel better.”
Paint & Panel spoke to a number of previous ‘clients’ and here are some of the things they had to say about Robin,.
Stuart McDonald, formerly Silverwa- ter Smash in Sydney, NSW
“He has a way of making complex things simple so that you can under- stand them. He can identify problems in your business and then give you the tools to fix them. He is across every new development in the industry and can al-
ABOVE: Robin Taylor receives his trophy from editor Sam Street.
ways keep you up to date.” He doesn’t preach, he’s a really good listener and incredibly patient.”
Ray Iversen, formerly of Highland Smash Repairs and Trend Smash Repairs on the Gold Coast
“He took me to America and showed me another way of doing business. My shop productivity went up 20% with the same staff so you can imagine what that did for my profitability. He simplified everything and took the stress out of the business.”
Carl Francesca West Perth Panel & Paint WA
“He has helped my business no end, especially in the beginning. I’ve known him for 30 years and we still use the pro- cesses he taught us early on.
"He taught me how to understand my numbers and supported me in negotia- tions with insurers showing me profes- sional ways to demonstrate my costs.”
Congratulations to Robin from every- one at the Paint & Panel team. He is a very worthy winner of this inaugural award who has set the bar high.