TECH SHARES HIS VIEW ON 20 GROUPS

• Published in: Automotive Body Repair News 2011-11, Vol.50 (11), p.10
• Main Author: Eber, Camille
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Automotive repair services; Best practice; Costs; Criticism
• ISSN: 2166-0751; 2166-2533

"Shop owners say they want to do good work and get paid for it, but at the end of the day, they don't want to pay their employees to do good work," [Tom] wrote. "I'm not saying that 20 groups are completely bad, but they should help open owners' eyes to the bigger picture. It should help them be successful, not help them lie, cheat and steal." I told him that our mantra - and I think that of the others in our 20 group - is to work smarter, not harder. That certainly includes recognizing that training, equipment maintenance, access to repair information, and high-quality supplies and products are anything but "unnecessary expenses." I've never heard anyone in any 20 group suggest saving money by skimping on those things, and I cringed at the thought of anyone having to work in a shop that considers these things "unnecessary." Similarly, in the shop, we're not skimping on equipment but instead are making sure there's "a place for everything and everything in its place," so that technicians don't waste time looking for what they need. Cutting the clutter is much smarter than cutting the quality of the body filler. When we've occasionally changed a product line we use, we've done so only with the input of technicians, never ignoring the hidden costs a change could have in quality or productivity.