Page 71 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Nov-Dec 2021

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JUDGE POWELL
Glenn has maintained this well
presented and highly productive repair business since my last visit. It’s good to
see the addition of a dedicated mix materials section amongst other improvements, plus achieving those badges. Congratulations! (I still think relocated drive through booth could help the flow, but that’s just my opinion).
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Outside has also been treated to some new signage and the livery is modern, sharp and cheerful. The reception area is a non-traditional layout, it’s very bright and airy and we love the glass di- vider panel that separates the customer area from the office. It’s modern and welcoming and for such a small shop seems very spacious. We like the wel- come sign on the front desk too.
At the entrance to the workshop, visible to customers, is a large poster with the Gra- ham bodyworks quality policy. The shop really is small but yet doesn’t seem cramped and is spotlessly clean and well lit. Parts storage is at the front and parts are put straight onto trollies relating to their jobs.
Owner Glenn Chesser who has now tak- en over his father’s shop bringing his net- work to three, developed his own comput- erised workshop management system.
SOPs are king at Graham Bodyworks and are posted on the walls so that eve- ryone performs tasks in the most effi- cient way. Everything on the shadow boards is marked with a picture of what goes there behind it - the same for each piece of equipment like welders which all have a designated home.
The curtained off mixed material bay is situated next to three pre bays. The paint booth has a slick Sikkens Ecological logo painted on the outside and is visible from the street. It’s a 1.5 size booth so it can fit mini-vans in comfortably. The paint mix-
ing room is clean and tidy as per the plaque on the wall which says in upper case ‘KEEP CLEAN AT ALL TIMES.’
Outside the booth is the quality control check point with more SOPs and a light wall. They must be working because just two paint paint techs and two panel techs plus a detailer and assembler man- age to put out 20-25 cars per week. That’s a very healthy output for such a small team when there’s structural work in the mix too. The shop has an amazing 5.0 Google rating off 40 reviews.
Out in the back yard under cover is the wash bay and next to it the recently built light tunnel. They’ve built another undercover area for estimating and pur- chased a hoist for it. With space at such a premium inside and the walls already utilised for storage, bumpers are mount- ed on the wall of a storage unit outside that houses interior parts.
Vito is justifiably proud of what they have achieved in the last three years and grateful that Chesser has let him get on with the improvement. Chesser is grate- ful that he has such an excellent and invested manager.
Chesser is a perfectionist - he’s undertaken significant renovations
at his original shop in Greensbor ough and will be starting on the shop he’s taken over from his father once these are finished. Even the website is engaging and professional.
The new equipment, apart from im- proving efficiency, is all about having a pleasant and safe working environ- ment. He must be doing something right as he has retained the same staff at Eltham since it opened. “We just don’t have staff turnover, which is great.
“We have really good key to key times and our customer satisfaction rating is off the scale at both sites with the insur- ance companies we work for.”
They also undertake their own cus- tomer satisfaction surveys: “We get in- credible feedback on those which is great - I know the boys are doing a good job.”
The biggest issue he sees looking for- ward is getting staff. Chesser is being proactive and has gone along to local high schools promoting careers in colli- sion repair in the hope of attracting more apprentices and raising awareness with both kids and careers advisors.
JUDGES’ COMMENTS