Page 62 - Australasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2020

Sanding and dust extraction
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PAINT&PANEL JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
PREMIUM PRODUCTS SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY. MANY OWNERS AND MANAGERS DON'T BELIEVE THESE CLAIMS, SO WE ASKED STEVE O’BRIAN OF I-BODYSHOP TO SUGGEST A WAY OF MEASURING THIS.
AS THE OLD SAYINGS GO “YOU GET WHAT
you pay for” or “buy cheap, buy twice” or “the best tools deliver the best re- sults” apply to a vast array of products and services used in the process of re- pairing vehicles.
Panel shops can be compared to a light manufacturer except a beat-up car is the “raw material” where once over- heads, labour, just in time materials and process management are applied, a shiny, fully restored vehicle is the result.
Panel shops need to behave like any other manufacturer where they seek to minimise cost and maximise product quality and/or reliability. But how? It’s no good relying on “gut feeling”, it’s too risky as these days profit margins are so low it can be a fine line between profit and loss.
Which brings us to another saying we often (but do little about) “if you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it”. In the
panel industry eventual net profit is de- termined by gross profit performance as expenses are usually pretty static eg rent, telephone, insurance, etc.
Key gross profit items include; panel shop wages, paint shop wages, parts, paint liquid, panel consumables and paint consumables. You can’t “budget” in the panel industry – setting a budg- et to spend $20k per month in paint liquid and measuring against this fig- ure is meaningless.
Now assume 3% is your benchmark where variations above or below repre- sent key indicators of performance, wastage and “cost vs quality”. If the ratio is “up” in any one month the first reports to look at are Work in Progress (might be some big jobs in progress) and Jobs Complete but not Invoiced (invoicing jobs will fix the ratio). If the reports are fine there may be a loom-
ing issue that can be quickly addressed before it becomes terminal.
Changing to quality products can be quickly measured by using this kind of tool (built into iBodyshop) enabling body shops to maximise quality while ensuring costs remain within an acceptable range and quickly stamp out wastage.
Using “ratios” to constantly monitor your business through highlighting “trends” is a straightforward, visual management tool vital in today’s dif- ficult conditions.
ing cloth, such as the ones from Sontara, can be used. It is important to renew the cloth frequently, so contaminants are not wiped back into the substrate.
CAUSE: CONTAMINATION VIA WATER AND/OR OIL IN AIRLINES.
Preventative Measure: Ensure the com- pressor is serviced regularly and the air regulator is drained and cleaned daily.
CAUSE: USE OF SILICONE BASED TYRE SHINES OR INTERIOR CLEANERS. Preventative Measure: Only use sili- cone free tyre shines and interior clean- ers. If this is not possible, apply the sili- cone based products well away from the preparation area and paint shop.
Prevention is better than cure, only use anti-silicone additives as a last resort.
PREVENTING FISH EYES
SMALL CRATER LIKE OPENINGS IN THE
paint finish, otherwise known as "Fish Eyes" become noticeable either when the paint is being applied or when dried. Causes usually relate to mistakes made during the preparation process or with the type of products used in preparation
or conditions in the workshop.
There are some simple preventative
measures which can be taken to help avoid this defect.
CAUSE: IMPROPER SURFACE CLEANING OR PREPARATION
Preventative Measure: Precautions should be taken to remove all traces of silicone by thoroughly cleaning the sub- strate before any work commences. This prevents spreading and rubbing the con- taminants into the repair area.
CAUSE: IMPROPER OR CONTAMINATED CLEANING CLOTHS
Preventative Measure: A lint free clean-