The Details: The Tape Thing Website: collisionedge.com Uses: Storing tape and materials Training: Online videos available Cost: $29.99 for The Tape Thing and The Tape Thing Caddy
The Reviewer:
Chad Clark has been with West Georgia Paint and Body for 18 years, since graduating high school. Clark is a paint technician at the shop.
The Shop:
West Georgia Paint and Body in LaGrange, Ga., has been in business since 1989. The shop employs three body men, two repair planning technicians and three in the paint department, in addition to the office staff. The shop sees an average of 20–22 cars per week.
How it Works:
The Tape Thing is a circular roll on which users can put their tape. The back of the roll has magnets that allow users to attach tape onto the vehicle or any magnetic surface when they’re not using it. This prevents users from misplacing the tape or having it fall off the vehicle, which causes the tape to unroll and get dirty. The Tape Thing Caddy gives users the option to carry the tape around with them on his or her belt loop or pocket. The caddy stores the tape roll, and also has a magnet that you can stick a razor blade on and an attachment for a rag. There’s also a strip of velcro on which to stick sandpaper.
The Review:
Clark says that the convenience of The Tape Thing and The Tape Thing Caddy, which he’s been using for two years, keeps him from having to make constant trips in and out of the booth. Clark says that the fact that he’s able to stick the tape to the car and roll the tape off with one hand has made it easier to get jobs done with one person.
“The thing I like best is the time savings,” Clark says. “It keeps everything I need right at my side, which means I don’t have to waste time looking around.”
Clark says that there isn’t anything that he would change about it and that the creator, Tim Briggs, is always looking for feedback from users, which is something that he really appreciates.
The ROI:
Clark says that the biggest savings that he’s seen is the time that he’s saved by not having to walk in and out of the booth. He estimates that it’s saved him anywhere from 5–10 minutes per vehicle. At roughly $20 per hour base rate, that saves close to $3.50. He adds that it’s also saved on materials cost. Before, it wasn’t uncommon for him to either misplace or ruin two rolls of tape, which can cost up to $4 per roll.
