ST. PAUL, MINN., Jan. 13, 2015—Theory of Constraints expert Jon Parker, managing director and CEO of Bodyshop Revolution North America and a past FenderBender columnist, will lead a session to help shops improve throughput at the FenderBender Management Conference in May.

Parker’s session, Breaking Bottlenecks, will show attendees how to get the most from their shops by using the five focusing steps of the Theory of Constraints to identify and address areas that impede workflow. Parker has combined Theory of Constraints-based processes with advanced robotic drying technology to drive improvements at shops around the globe through U.K.-based Bodyshop Revolution, which entered the U.S. market last year.  

In a FenderBender column on this subject, Parker compares workflow to an hourglass.

“What you notice is that the sand doesn’t flow any faster once through the narrowest part,” he wrote. “This simulates what happens in business—flow, or output (invoicing) is determined by the slowest part of the operation (the sand landing on the bottom is at the rate the narrowest part allows).

“This is an important concept to get your head around, because in other parts of the business there is obviously more flow, which seemingly is adding to output, but strangely, actually costs you a fortune.”

Parker will dig deeper into this subject, sharing with shops how they can begin making throughput improvements in their facilities today.

The FenderBender Management Conference, scheduled from May 18–20 in Philadelphia, will include educational sessions, engaging workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities all aimed at helping shop owners and managers make money, save money and work smarter.