Page 32 - Australian Paint & Panel March-April 2020

Group Chat • Repairhub
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PAINT&PANEL MARCH / APRIL 2020
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
members can give to their loyal custom- ers which offers up to $500 towards their excess if they have another accident within 12 months. We are also the sole distributors of Octoral paint, a high quality Sherwin Williams product which is very keenly priced and only available to Car Craft members.
“The market is becoming increasingly challenging for standalone operators. There is still plenty of work out there but as consolidation matures it becomes less and less of an even playing field and harder for standalone business owners to be competitive and be profitable enough to invest in the training and equipment needed to repair cars safely.
There will be a natural level reached in the industry as far as the number of shops, the number of businesses availa- ble to be purchased by bigger entities will reduce and therefore that growth avenue will be stymied, and technology will then play its part in seeing that nat- ural level being reached.
TRAINING BULLSEYES
“We do have a target for growth which we are currently exceeding I am pleased to say. We are the second largest group in Australia behind AMA. While we are a large network, Car Craft has a laser fo- cus on training and quality outcomes. All of our members are either AMBRA shop graded or going through the pro- cess of grading. Car Craft members rep- resent 46 percent of all I-CAR Gold ac- credited businesses in Australia. Many of our members have one or more OEM certifications from the uber prestige Bentley, Ferrari and Porsche to Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Subaru, Volk- swagen, Holden, Toyota, Lexus, Suzuki and Peugeot certification is also com- mon. This means that in addition to I- CAR training they also enjoy the bene- fits of manufacturer training.
“With our growth especially on the east coast gaining momentum and with our latest announcement on four new re- pairers in Sydney, we are now seeing an increase in companies reaching out to Car Craft for solutions in the work provi- sion space. Being independently owned and operated means our network has skin in the game and the outcomes for these providers are second to none,” McMahon says.
REPAIRHUB HITS A SIX
THE NEW FLAGSHIP GREENFIELD SITE AT BANYO BRINGS THE NUMBER
OF REPAIRHUBS TO SIX. CEO JAMES KNOX GIVES AN UPDATE
"IN JANUARY WE OPENED OUR NEW
flagship greenfield site in Banyo, Bris- bane. The shop is our first new facility following the formation of the joint ven- ture with IAG, RACV and its repairer shareholders," Knox says.
"This bring our total facilities to six and total employees at just over 150. With just over 3000sqm under cover, the shop com- bines the latest in customer reception and repair and paint technology to deliver a unique experience for IAG Customers. "Repairhub has worked closely with Low- bake Australia to deliver its innovative side loading booths and lighting, and Karcher to deliver the latest in automated car wash technology.
"Axalta has also been a wonderful supporter with the paint set up.The shop is still in ramp up mode with ongoing recruitment and is expected to be capa- ble of performing more than 100 rapid driveable repairs a week. Both staff and customers have given great feedback on the quality of service and repairs deliv- ered by the shop. Customer really enjoy having the visibility on the state of the
art workshop. "Our partners from the industry that have visited us have com- mented on how well the shop flows. Repairhub Banyo has also allowed us to test customer experience, repair pro- cesses and technology that will be ap- plied in all new shops going forward.
"Banyo is also home to Repairhub’s small but growing head office. Going for- ward as we continue to establish produc- tion sites in Sydney and Melbourne we will adopt a lot of the processes and de- sign that have been developed and refined as part of the build of the site. At this stage the business is expecting to rollout two further greenfield sites in Melbourne and a new site in Sydney over the next six months. The focus remains on rapid driveable repairs. We are grateful for the support of our industry partners including IAG/RACV, Bayfords, Axalta, Karcher and Lowbake Australia," Knox said.
ABOVE: Stylishe reception
BELOW: Banyo includes a carwash