Page 92 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Nov-Dec 2021

BEST COUNTRY REPAIRER WA
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021
92
IAN GUPPY & CO
IAN GUPPY & CO IN COLLIE KEEP WELL AHEAD OF THE CURVE. THEY ALSO HAVE FANTASTIC WORK FLOW AND SOUND BUSINESS PLANNING.
repairs have been checked and signed off they go to this bay for collection by the painters. Once they’ve finished there’s another flow bay with powerful inspection lights above it. When the car gets the ok it goes around the cor- ner back into the panel shop for refit and then onto detailing.
Harms and his business partner Doug Chapman, both panelbeaters and both started work here when they were 15 and came up the ranks together. They seem quite laid back but are clearly early adopters of just about everything that matters. They were the first regional shop to go waterborne, they were early adopters of iBodyshop and I-CAR train- ing and are now looking into recalibra- tion. They were also early adopters of ‘lean’ and are constantly refining their processes and workshop organisation.
They’ve recently bought into a me- chanical business which they have used but was in danger of closing. They are the first shop we’ve seen with the Celette Trioxyclean which uses ozone to kill vi- ruses and remove workshop smells from the car. It’s used at the start and finish of the process and was primarily bought to ensure their staff stay safe.
Talking of staff, they can always do with more, but provide a great working environment and facilities as well as training. They have multiple sources of work including plenty of fleets.
A really great business, Collie is lucky to have them.
I
area.
Reception maybe looks a little dated
but is a welcoming space and is deco- rated with Car Craft awards and I-Car Platinum certifications. This year the business took out the outstanding achievement award in the Collie Small Business Awards and won the category with 11-20 employees.
There’s an admin office behind recep- tion with more I-CAR certificates. Man- ager Peter Harms has his office at the
AN GUPPY SMASH REPAIRS IS
nestled in a nicely land-
pointy end of the business in the work- shop which he shares with the four leg- ged workshop manager Tide.
The workshop is an altar at which to worship cleanliness and process. All ve- hicle are washed before they come inside. Opposite where the cars come into the workshop is a heavy repair bay out of the way so it doesn’t block up the workflow. There’s a very new looking Spanesi bench there. Next to it is a hoist for cars to be measured when they come in.
They fit all their own windscreens and these are stored here too. The white corrugated wall and good lighting make it bright and cheery inside. It’s a long narrow shed which has a u-shaped flow with two lanes of traffic.
Heavier work that doesn’t require re- alignment goes off to one side while the middle lane is utilised for quicker jobs. There are repair stations close to the cars with consumables and equip- ment and dust extraction. In between the panel and paintshop is what they call a flow bay. When the car’s panel
scaped industrial cul de sac. As you enter the gated com- plex there are two bays for tow-ins. The first shed is for truck repairs with a monster Monarch booth and parts receiving. There’s plenty of customer parking, work in progress also has a section of the massive car park the sight of which would make many a metro repairer green with envy. The delivery bays are outside of the of- fice along with a covered estimating