7-Shop KS MSO Benefits From Better Material Planning With 3M CRiMP Tool
Carlsbad, CA, December 25, 2018 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This October SPS was originally published online in October 2018.
For a seven-shop MSO like Auto Craft Collision Repair, efficient products that improve profitability are vital to its success.
3M and their people provide impeccable service and support. They came in, installed the 3M CRiMP tool and spent time with each person on training until we were comfortable on our own. They have provided ongoing support with a call or email. 3M backs their products, and we see a rep weekly to ensure all our needs are met.
J.R. Sartain, President of Auto Craft Collision Repair
A shop without accurate invoicing risks losing a lot of money, especially when it has 125 employees repairing an average of 750 vehicles each month.
Fortunately, Auto Craft Collision enjoys easy invoicing thanks to 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division’s proprietary Collision Repair Materials Planner (CRiMP) tool, which helps during the repair planning process to document the materials that will be needed for seam sealing, bonding, corrosion protection and more.
According to J.R. Sartain, president of Auto Craft Collision Repair, “The 3M CRiMP tool is a program on each repair planner and estimator’s computer that provides an easy-to-use invoicing tool to charge for all items that are required on the repaired vehicle with current pricing and quantity needed for each operation. We have tried multiple ways to account for these items, but the 3M CRiMP tool puts everything in one convenient place and provides easy invoicing and trackability. We are increasing positive profit centers that were not paid for in years past. Since utilizing the 3M CRiMP tool, we have been able to increase our ability to recoup ‘forgettables’ from $8 per repair order to over $45.”
Invoicing an additional $37 on 750 vehicles each month means an average of more than $27,000 that could have been left on the table—a significant increase in profitability, thanks to the 3M CRiMP tool. The product is also extremely user-friendly and boasts the quality of customer service for which 3M is known.
Sartain stated, “3M and their people provide impeccable service and support. They came in, installed the 3M CRiMP tool and spent time with each person on training until we were comfortable on our own. They have provided ongoing support with a call or email. 3M backs their products, and we see a rep weekly to ensure all our needs are met.
“Our facilities also utilize all 3M adhesives, abrasives and a majority of the collision repair products that 3M offers. Our employees like how easy it is to use 3M products, especially the 3M CRiMP tool, and the supporting documents provided for insurance, when needed, guarantee that we have all our bases covered. Overall, using the 3M CRiMP tool has been really easy and has shown amazing results that can be tracked to demonstrate how beneficial this product has been for our organization.”
Auto Craft Collision Repair was founded in 1976 by Phil Turner with one 4,500-square-foot facility in downtown Wichita, which opened as an upper-end sports car and luxury vehicle independent body shop with two technicians, a painter and a receptionist. The company grew to include several more locations until Turner’s death in 2012, and it has continued to flourish under the leadership of co-owners President J.R. Sartain, Director of Marketing and Sales Jaden Randle and CFO Tom Patten.
According to Randle, “Phil was truly a father figure to all of his staff. His large portrait is displayed on walls in each store. He was ahead of his time in innovation and implementing new business concepts. His mission was to create a company solely dedicated to treating customers well and working hard for top quality results.”
The shops are composed of a total of 92,000 square feet of production space and utilize a variety of top-notch equipment to ensure a high-quality repair on each vehicle. They offer storage to several of their nine DRPs as well as to all non-DRP jobs. Auto Craft Collision provides paintless dent repair and glass repair services, and they sublet around 50 percent of their mechanical work to their mechanical shop. The shops are I-CAR Gold-certified, and most of their individual facilities have acquired several OEM certifications, with their Ridge store obtaining aluminum certification. Auto Craft Collision converted to waterborne Sikkens paints in 2007, and they recycle and participate in a bumper and headlight recycling program.
Randle shared, “We are unique due to our long-lasting relationship with the community. We are truly your closest neighborhood shop, and we have relationships with many repeat customers who refer family and friends for years. We do many community and social events, such as AkzoNobel and Farmers car giveaways each Christmas and Mother’s Day. We celebrate Administrative Assistant’s Day for our referral sources with a chocolate ladies night celebration, and we also host an annual charity fundraiser golf outing called the Phil Turner Memorial Golf Classic, which attracts a full roster of golfers each year and benefits local charities.”
Despite continuous changes in the collision repair industries, Auto Craft Collision forges ahead, finding value in social media marketing campaigns as well as agency referrals.
“Word-of-mouth, convenient locations and repeat business continue to be our main stay,” Randle said. “Our 30-year-old slogan is ‘Where the mark of a good body shop is no mark at all.’”
Auto Craft Collision Repair
Location: Wichita, KS
www.autocraftinc.com
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 125
In Business Since: 1976
Number of Locations: Seven
DRP Programs: Nine
Combined Production Space: 92,000 square feet
3M
3M Automotive Aftermarket Division
St. Paul, MN 55144
(877) 666-2277
3mcollision.com
Dale Ross
Daross1@mmm.com
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Source: Autobody News
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