Page 86 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Nov-Dec 2021

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BEST LARGE SHOP SA
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021
WALKER CRASH REPAIRS
LITTLE CHANGES CAN LEAD TO HUGE IMPROVEMENTS AS HAS BEEN CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED AT THIS SA REPAIRER WHICH ALSO SPECIALISES IN CARAVANS AND 4X4S.
the summer. What has made even more of a big difference is the investment in some serious, do-I-need-sunglasses-in- side? LED lights - which cost virtually bupkis to run thanks to the massive solar system that sits atop the roof.
Mark’s Dad and company founder John was way ahead of the game in di- versification tactics and around five years ago decided to specialise in cara- van repairs alongside the car repairs. It is fair to say that Mark and his brother Sean who also works in the business were not super happy campers about this decision. The caravans are bulky, need fabrication and other equipment and take up a chunk of the workshop.
Dad however was right on the money as there weren’t many people who under- took caravan repairs with a collision re- pair background. Very quickly word spread throughout the caravan and in- surance communities and Walker’s repu- tation for quality means that the caravan section is always booked up - currently 10-12 weeks in advance. Walkers were the first shop in Adelaide to be part of the RAA approved repairer network and have also recently become the first to be ap- proved by RAA for caravan repairs.
One of the ‘small changes’ is better or- ganisation so that the large caravans don’t impinge or impact the car repairs. Using a combination of iBodyshop and Planning Plus, everything is carefully scheduled. If a car needs a wheel align- ment - the machine is kept in the cara- van section, then there won’t be a cara- van in the way. The roller doors have
SHOP STATS
L
ITTLE IS NOT AN ADJECTIVE
that immediately springs to mind when you meet Mark Walker of Walker Crash re- pairs. He measures in at a shade over 6ft 5 but he has been effecting, what he de- scribes as, little changes over the busi- ness and those little changes have added
up to a huge overall improvement.
The first change that is quite striking and cannot be considered little is to the outside of the building. Firstly the re- branding. The cheerful blue branding with its striking imagery stands out beautifully against the grey exterior.
The wall that runs along the street front has also been adorned with the logo - which is a little less than’ eight feet high. Apart from being a great adver- tisement to passing traffic, Walkers has a Bunnings branch right opposite and gets a lot of business from car park bin- gles. Walker has also installed some roller doors to the front of the shop.
One of the things we’ve noticed about the workshop over the years is that is was dark - we always visit in winter but even on a sunny day, it is dark. Having the roller doors open really helps with this and it’s also great to get some airflow in
FOUNDED: 1976
SIZE: 1870m2
STAFF: 11
TYPE OF WORK: All types
OTHER SERVICES: Caravan repair, wheel alignment, suspension work
APPROX CARS PER WEEK: 25 OEM BADGES: N/A
ABOVE: We love the rebrand, the exterior is looking fabulous and the extra roller doors let in light and aid production.