collisionrepairmag.com



 

June 10, 2008
           

In This Issue
Headline News
Big Changes at IBIS
Buy or Lease?
Collision Repair Wants
to Hear from YOU
in the FORUM

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Will we see a significant increase in labour rates in the next two years?

 
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Is This For Real?
By Kaveh Khazra

More the Merrier: The photo above was taken recently in Ireland. As it so graphically demonstrate, recovering a submerged car can sometimes be difficult. The crane did in fact end up in the water as well. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Did you Know...?
By Kaveh Khazra
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Stay Off the Road: The time with the most fatal accidents is weekend nights between midnight and 3am.

What, No Power Locks?: In 1924, a Model T Ford cost just $265.

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Greetings!

It's finally time for me to put my money where my mouth is. Or if not money, then at least some of my time.

It occurred to me recently that there is more that I, personally, could be doing to raise the profile of the industry. To that end, over the summer months, I'll be putting together a special package. 

The package will consist of a prepared speech, a PowerPoint presentation, and a list of commonly asked questions. The idea will be to then release this package to anyone who wants to give a talk at a local school's career day.

If you're interested in either helping me put it together (or you just want to make sure you get a copy) please email me at the link below.

Mike Davey,
Editor
 
Headline News

Below are just a few of the great stories running live on collisionrepairmag.com.
 
- PPG Launches Webinar Series
IBIS Speakers Discuss Radical Change

By Darryl Simmons

Core changes are radically realigning the automotive industry, and the implications could be huge for the collision repair sector. That's the message expected from Dr. Peter Wells of the Centre for Automotive Research, Cardiff Business School. Dr. Wells will speak this morning as part of the opening session of the 2008 International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS). Collision Repair magazine is the Canadian Publisher Partner for IBIS.

Chris Mann, chairman of IBIS, will discuss whether collision repairers and vehicles manufacturers are on a collision course. For more coverage of IBIS 2009, please continue to visit collisionrepairmag.com.

Is It Better to Buy or Lease?

By Lloyd Manning

Although not unique to this industry, across the board, as collision repair shops are caught in the cost squeeze they constantly seek additional profit generating techniques. Among others, this raises the question of whether it is better to own or lease one's shop space. 

Jerry Gagnon of Lloydminster's City Center Auto Body is adamant that owning is the only way to go. On the other hand, the big-box stores and industrial warehouses lease. They say this provides greater flexibility and makes them more money by investing in salable merchandise rather than bricks and mortar. Maybe they are telling us something.

Still, a collision repair facility is not a  Wal-Mart or a Home Depot. Your profit is increased by repairing more vehicles at a lower per unit cost, not by stocking more parts and supplies than you need, or by having a bunch of hulks in the back to cannibalize for spare parts.

The buying vs. leasing equation can only be resolved when weighing the optimum use of available capital. Money is not made by owning an asset, but by the use made of it. Gagnon says that the average collision repair shop is in the range of 10,000 sq. ft. and requires about one acre of land. This suggests an investment in the $1 million range.

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 That's all for another week. Make sure to visit collisionrepairmagazine.com every day for the latest news.
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WISE WORDS

"I'm a painter myself, so I can say that adapting to waterborne is more changing your thinking than anything else."  - Robert Wilson of R/T Autobody in Elmsdale, NS.