Page 82 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Nov-Dec 2021

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BEST LARGE SHOP NSW
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021
CALLAGHAN COLLISION
CALLAGHAN COLLISION COLLECTED BEST NEW SHOP NSW LAST YEAR AND OWNER JASON HORNBY HAS CONTINUED TO REFINE AND IMPROVE.
have also kindly built a ‘dealership’ less than 200 metres from the workshop.
“I believe that being aligned to OEMs is essential and that possibly even with- in the next five years, if you aren’t in the network you are going to struggle to re- pair the latest models.”
As well as the OEM approvals, Hornby has curated strong relationships with lo- cal dealers, including those who sell LCVs. The marketing material for Calla- ghans in placed inside new van units, but Hornby doesn’t stop there.
“We’ve been in contact with Coles and Woolworths who have increased their deliveries and those conversations have started to bear fruit. We’re aiming other marketing at contractors which most of the big companies use - there’s a hell of a lot of them.”
To service this market Hornby has a huge Spanesi realignment system and extra large spray booths. In the work- shop he has invested in the top quality equipment - Celette benches, IRT arches in the booths, and highly specced weld- ing equipment. Workflow has been care- fully designed for maximum efficiency. It’s not the fanciest workshop, but clean and efficient wins every time.
The shop is averaging between 45 and 50 repairs a week, with a good chunk of those heavy hits. Despite the lockdown Hornby says in the last 18 months the workload hasn’t fluctuated enough to af- fect the business. When we talked to him at the start of lockdown in July he still had three weeks of flat out workload and was taking a positive attitude towards a potential slow down. ‘It’s not a bad thing
SHOP STATS
H ORNBY IS SMART AND driven with a crystal clear vision for his business. He invested in this purpose- built facility in order to court OEM badges and to specialise in the ex- ploding LCV market - the growth of
which COVID has sent into overdrive. The shop’s customer facilities are ex- cellent - a spacious, designer reception area is complemented by a separate room with workstations. At the entrance is a pledge to customers regarding timely,
OEM quality repairers and the business mission statement is on a wall plaque: “It is our mission at Callaghan Collision Centre to delight our customers with ex- ceptional workmanship and service.”
I-CAR Gold status and numerous OEM badges and the training that goes with them ensures that quality. Callaghans has recently added Tesla to its stable which in- cludes Subaru, Lexus and Toyota. There’s at least a couple of others in offing, the pandemic put the brakes on many OEMs being able to expand their networks. Tesla
FOUNDED: 1985
SIZE: 2600m2
STAFF: 24
TYPE OF WORK: All
OTHER SERVICES: N/A
APPROX CARS PER WEEK: 45
OEM BADGES: Toyota, Subaru, Lexus, Tesla
ABOVE: The paintshop has been designed to easily accommodate vans.