Page 31 - Australasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2023

WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
IQ Body Group
Sites: 8 / Mobile vans: 17
Employees:126
Type of work: Cosmetic, drive & non-drive, wheel repairs, PDR
Established: 2010
No of apprentices: 6
Funding: Privately owned
Sites in: QLD, NSW, VIC, WA, SA
IQBODYGROUP HAS MOVED INTO INSUR-
ance work since we talked last year, both drive and non-drive, adding anoth- er string to their bow. The iQBodygroup consists of iQAutoBody and Extreme Dents, which are the fixed sites and Au- toXCarCare, where mobile vans mainly undertake the repairs. The latter is a dealer-only cosmetic repair membership program offering ‘free’ repairs, and al- loy wheel repairs to genuine OEM Stand- ard with various options for repair loca- tions – for example, at your home or one of their fixed sites.
Husband and wife team Jason and Sandra Noach own and run the busi- ness. Sandra described the last 12 months as a huge challenge. “The year before was not enough volume because of COVID and being shut down. This year there is a lot of volume in the mar- ket and not enough humans. So staffing – we’re all feeling the pain and taking from the same bowl.”
Talking about the unsustainability of the continual rise of technician wages,
she said: “With MSOs, our profits get made in the last 10%, and if you can’t get that 10% out the door, making a profit becomes challenging. So that’s the reality and why people are paying more, but it’s not a long-term solution. Wages don’t go down, so looking overseas is becoming a requirement for all of us again. As much as we try and support local, local wages are adding increased pressure on MSOs.
Sandra says one of the advantages of overseas workers is that they often come multi-skilled, which means you can choose which discipline you want to hone their skills in.
“It’s all about setting your expecta- tions appropriately. If you’re expecting a highly skilled technician who knows how to do everything Australian-style,
don’t go overseas. But if you’re expect- ing some hands that are going to help you out, that are going to be loyal and are going to come and appreciate their job every single day of the week, then definitely go overseas. Not only do you get that extra pair of hands, but the dif- ference it makes to their family is huge. So as repairers, not only do we get to fix cars and get numbers out, but we get to change people’s lives. So I think it’s pret- ty special.
On the move into insurance work, Sandra says: “There was a lot of opportunity in the market, I think if you have a great partnership with the insurers and you make them understand that it’s about customer service and the value that you bring and the quality that you bring, that they listen. So you’re able to negotiate fairness in what you do. And then, of course, it’s up to you to prove that you can get those numbers out and perform quality repairs.”
The focus for the next 12 months is honing processes. “Going from not do- ing insurance to doing insurance work is a very different kettle of fish. Insurance is highly admin-driven, so we are ensur- ing that we have the processes right and trying to automate as much as possible. We have the blueprint now, so we need to roll it through the four sites where we are doing that work.
“There could be potential for expan- sion; we’ll look at that at the start of the next financial year.”
ABOVE:
IQ Autobody’s latest site in Osborne Park, WA.
LEFT: Sandra and Jason Noach in centre of photo with AutoXCarCare team.
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