Page 98 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2019

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NSW – MEDIUM
PAINT&PANEL
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
LEFT: It’s not a large shop but they repair more cars per week than many shops twice the size.
BELOW: Compact paint shop running down one side of the shop maximises space. They repair a lot of cars with just one booth.
G&S PRESTIGE PANELBEATERS
THE KNIGHTS HAVE DISCOVERED THE HOLY GRAIL OF EFFICIENT PRODUCTION, HIGH QUALITY REPAIRS, ENSURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
don't always manage to tick those boxes, so they prefer to come to us. Both Gavin and Dayna inspect each car before it leaves. "If I miss something then she will pick it up."
A relatively new Tru-flow paintshop helps with productivity. There are three prep bays with IRT and an in-booth ramp to maximise floor space. The G&S Pres- tige team of 14 average about 42 cars per week and have hit 50. We're talking a mix of work here, not just bumper bars. Knight is another big IBodyshop fan. 'I've been on it since the start, I won it free for five years at the Collision Repair Expo in a competition. I could never go back. The app that goes with it is priceless."
Knight says: "I like being part of an evolving industry and being proud of eve- ry vehicle that leaves our shop." Such is the shop's reputation that customers come from all over the Shire to have their cars repaired. Now that he has the Kirawee site running like clockwork, he's bought an- other shop at Heathcote so that customers in that area don't have to drive so far. We're sure he'll combine quality and effi- cient production there too.
POWELL’S POINTS
G
AVIN KNIGHT HAS BEEN
working in the trade since he
was 14 years old, starting out in a shop in Caringbah wash- ing cars after school every day. Hesetuponhisowninasmallfac- tory which he outgrew and moved to the current site in 2012 which he runs with
his wife Dayna.
The Knights have been IAG repairers
since the start however the rug was pulled out from under them at the last major RFP. "When they decided they didn't need me any more I pulled my finger out and se- cured some government fleet contracts." Knight has developed good relationships with Kia and Suzuki and is an approved Suzuki repairer. Meanwhile IAG decided that they did need G&S Prestige after all and renewed the contract, although not as an exclusive with guaranteed volumes. The result of the IAG 'hiccup' is a much
better business balance with a wider cus- tomer base where G&S Prestige isn't reli- ant on being fed work from one work pro- vider. G&S is also a QBE approved repairer.
Quality repairs and high levels of cus- tomer service are the pillars on which the business is built, although the team works away at a fair lick. "This is the Shire, we have very fussy customers with high expectations of customer service. They like to chat to the owner and feel comfortable about where their car is be- ing fixed. The larger, volume operations
SHOP STATS
SIZE: 1210m2 total 750m2 internal STAFF: 14
TYPE OF REPAIRS: All types
AVG CARS REPAIRED PW: 42 AVG KEY TO KEY: 3.5 days
A well presented repair
centre with all the right
tools and equipment, plus a
sound business plan that includes strategies to maximise their market share in a very competitive area.