Page 72 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2019

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PAINT&PANEL SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
THE BODY REPAIR SHOP
WHEN MICK CARUSO DECIDED TO DESIGN HIS IDEAL RAPID WORKSHOP HE HAD NO IDEA JUST HOW MUCH IT WOULD BENEFIT BOTH THE BUSINESS AND HIS WORK LIFE BALANCE.
C ARUSO STARTED THE BODY Repair Shop back in 2000 with his wife Sandy. The original shop was only 360m2 but expanded to 1300m2. As the industry rapidly changed, Caruso could see the need for a purpose-built rapid repair shop. He knocked down the old buildings on the property and started building in Decem- ber 2018. The new facility is 2200m2, so
a pretty big step up.
The Body Repair Shop now has a sharp
bold design, the exterior is black with a stylish red portico going around the build- ing which lifts its kerb appeal even further further. The customer service area is stun- ning, black and white, very open and light with marble floors and a pleasant seating area if anyone has to wait. Behind recep- tion is the nerve centre for the estimators and managers and there’s a boardroom upstairs. The paintshop, by Lowbake, has four prep bays along one side of the build- ing and two extra large booths.
Caruso buys carpet squares for the paint mixing room to make sure the paint- ers don’t traipse paint on the nice new workshop floor.
While the number of cars out the door has climbed by close to 20%, it’s the key to key times where the biggest improve- ment has taken place. Repairs are taking place approximately 30% faster, with
way less stress and management. Caruso was working 80 hour weeks in the old shop, now he’s down to 40 hours per week and can manage the odd day off.
There have been other beneficial knock on effects with the new building, the staff culture has been lifted further and the team take more pride in their work and workplace. The original shop is now spe- cialising in structural repairs. Caruso will renovate this area sometime in the near future, too.
It proves that having a custom-built, modern repair facility versus an old school set up really pays dividends. Caruso is no slouch in the business department, he is all over his numbers, was one of the early
ABOVE: Bold, modern exterior design.
LEFT: Rectangular shop is set out in a U, having space and better workflow has led to a 30% improvement in key to key times.
adopters of digital workshop management programs and an early Parts Check cus- tomer. An intelligent business owner open to adopting the latest technology or pro- cesses he was still hampered by not hav- ing the right space and flow. Now he’s happier, his team is happier, his customers are happier and his work providers which include RAA, Allainz and Youi, are hap- pier. It’s a win, win, win.
SHOP STATS
POWELL’S POINTS
SIZE: 3500m2
STAFF: 25
TYPE OF REPAIRS: All types
AVG CARS REPAIRED PW: 50 plus AVG KEY TO KEY: 3 Drive 7 Non Drive
This is an extremely large
purpose-built efficient repair
facility capable of turning over a
large volume of work while still
maintaining the quality necessary to meet industry standards. This is a credit to Mick Caruso who has obviously crunched a large amount of numbers to achieve this outcome. Good luck for the future.