Page 92 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2019

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VIC – BOUTIQUE
PAINT&PANEL SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
FIX AUTO MULGRAVE
FROM BOOK KEEPER TO AUTOBODY REPAIR SHOP OWNER, LANA PAGIAMTZIS IS JUST GETTING INTO HER STRIDE.
L ANAPAGIAMTZISSTARTEDOUT in partnership with four oth- ers and worked only on the administration side of the busi- ness, while still working as a per-
sonal trainer.
In a huge leap of faith she took on
the whole business, solo, in 2015 de- spite the fact it wasn’t exactly thriv- ing. Scroll forward to today and she can confidently run every aspect of the business. She also took another leap of faith by becoming the first Fix Auto franchisee in Australia. She didn’t undertake the decision lightly, heading to Canada to attend the Fix Auto global conference and visiting some of the network's shops and talk- ing to Canadian franchisees.
Pagiamtzis has benefited greatly from Fix Auto's support. “It has helped raise the profile of the business, the branding is very professional and the customers comment on this. Fix Auto can have important conversations with insurance companies on your behalf. They have a raft of systems and proce- dures that have been very beneficial to how we run the business and allow us to interact with insurers in a more pro- fessional manner.”
ABOVE: One new booth in, another to go, wheel balancer in top right of picture.
BELOW LEFT: Pagiamtzis’ customers have responded positively to the Fix Auto livery
A turning point for the business was being appointed as a conventional re- pairer for United Hail. So positive was the customer feedback that more insur- ance work was sent to the shop. Turno- ver has grown and the workforce has grown from 5 to13.
The shop itself is small, but well laid out and has one new M&N spray booth with another one planned. Discussions for prep bays which it could really do with are also under way. Focusing on key to key times, Pagiamtzis invested in a wheel alignment system that can also be used as a hoist. It has more than paid itself off.
In just four years Pagiamtzis has taken an underperforming business which didn't have a steady workflow and transformed it into a thriving boutique shop. "There were a lot of quiet times at first, now I love hear- ing the constant noise of equipment and work going on in the workshop." She has been intelligent and reached out for as much help and support as she could find in the industry and
made the most of what she has learned. The shop also does its own mechanical work and one of the staff benefits is to al- low them and their immediate families to service their cars there and buy parts at cost. That's on top of flexible working hours, bonuses and free lunches as bond- ing for team building.
As soon as Pagiamtzis has perfected her first shop, we won't be surprised if there is a second or third in the near fu- ture. She's one to watch out for.
SHOP STATS
POWELL’S POINTS
SIZE: 1200m2 total
STAFF: 12
TYPE OF REPAIRS: All types
AVG CARS REPAIRED PW: 35-40
AVG KEY TO KEY: Drive 2-3 Non-drive 5-10
Pagiamtzis took on an aging
business and with research
and good advice made
considerable changes. Changes
can be the hardest thing to implement and initially can take their toll on production but will be beneficial in the long term. Congratulations on a big, gutsy effort.