Page 100 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Nov-Dec 2021

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2021 NATIONAL WINNERS
them to the post. Owner Scott Stahlhult just seems to have been born to be a col- lision repairer. He started his business young and has just gone from strength to strength and makes it all look effortless.
Despite being incredibly busy the work- shop is always immaculate and uncluttered – and that’s despite a change in work direc- tion with increased heavy structural re- pairs. All the equipment is top of the line and his constant reinvestment in the busi- ness has seen it grow from a boutique to medium business. All of our award win- ners are constantly seeking better, more ef- ficient ways to run the business which leads to growth and better profits. Taking on the new lease to expand and have a seri- ous triage/blueprinting area will take Ea- gle Smash Repairs to the next level again. Stahlhut is constantly crunching the num- bers to ensure return on investment on equipment and ensures each metre of workshop space is being utilised profitably. We think he is just a natural talent.
BEST NATIONAL LARGE SHOP
HOLMES SMASH REPAIRS
This was by far an away the most diffi- cult category for us to pick a national winner. Walker Crash Repairs in South Australia has implemented so many im- provements and may be a national con- tender when they have completed their office and customer reception renova- tions. Callaghan Collision in New South Wales is super impressive and still has its shiny new looks. Bert Bennet Panels in WA, we really thought it was going to be his year. Bennett has improved the work- flow so significantly, the business really clicks now. It’s enormous and likely to get bigger and we’re sure he will win a national crown in the next few years.
In the end though we were most im- pressed by what Darren Holmes had achieved at Holmes Smash Repairs (HSR) in Toowoomba. This business is so big it virtually has its own postcode and grown impressively since I visited 10 years ago.
Holmes hasn’t been afraid to just go bigger. He has a longstanding relation- ship with Suncorp but is approved for many other insurers. He took over the shop from his father at a time when he felt that smaller businesses might just get swallowed up – no chance of that now.
Building a separate shop just for rapid re- pairs has enabled him fine tune the orig- inal workshops to repair a significant number of heavy hit vehicles each week.
While margins are always slender on insurance work Holmes has looked at every aspect of maximising revenue. From the scores of profitable UTE trays, the recycling of parts and the bringing virtually every service in house he is able to boost that all important bottom
line. He has put in place good manage- ment to allow him to work on the busi- ness and to keep fine tuning processes. The reorganisation of the panel and refit areas has really brought a logical and ef- ficient workflow to a business that is spread out across so many sheds. It has taken years but we think Holmes has reached a sweet spot and with nearly 50 staff and so many cars on site it’s bor- dering on organisational genius.
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
Windscreens are just one of the many services performed in house at Holmes Smash Repair, QLD.
BELOW: Panel shop at Eagle Smash Repairs QLD.