Whip your shop into better financial shape with lean processes
The lean story
Michael Giarrizzo Jr is widely viewed as the guru of lean production, an efficient method of collision repair utilizing teams of workers concentrating on a vehicle as it moves through the process. With ceiling- and floor-mounted rails moving the cars, parts and tools, these highly effective techniques from his DCR Systems may seem overly elaborate – yet shop owners can implement at least some of these strategies by making design improvements within their existing operations.
A pure DCR conversion in an existing building involves gutting the structure and making alterations exceeding the $1 million mark, according to Giarrizzo. There are electrical requirements and ceiling weight-bearing standards that need to be met. "Typically the floor comes out because you're putting 100 feet of rail system into the building," he says."It's a major renovation, but you don't have to do all that for a lean approach," which Giarrizzo calls a "radically different" thought process than what the overall collision repair industry is accustomed to. "It's a huge change in our thinking; everybody is aligned around the customer," he points out. "This is all about a cultural change, and it starts – if you'll pardon the pun – from the ground up," says Giarrizzo, but he does go on to note how "there are different phases of renovation" that can be applied throughout the collision repair segment.
"The more flexible you can make your shop, the better," says planner Ann Salazar at BASF's VisionPLUS Facility Services. "Layout is really important," she stresses, but first you need to "clean house so you can see what you have to work with; you're in there day-in and day-out, so you may not see everything."
Remove from the premises any equipment that you're not really using, suggests Salazar, and then you survey what adjustments are practical within your space.
BASF design client Armen Besnelian, with expert assistance from Salazar, cast his eyes upward for possible solutions as he contemplated the renovation of his Oxnard Collision Center in Van Nuys, Calif. The air lines and electrical fixtures are now affixed to the ceiling.
"There are no air hoses on the floor anymore," says Besnelian. "We had two compressors running (inside) and there was a lot of noise" and consequently the air source units were shifted to a shed in the parking lot.
"It's quieter to work and more comfortable for the technicians," he reports. "We don't want any clutter on the floor," Besnelian adds, which was facilitated by moving tables and tool cupboards to the sides of the shop.
"I've changed the way the cars are parked in the building," he notes. "We have a dedicated area for slower-moving cars" and another avenue for situating vehicles destined for a quicker repair process. "We can pull out at any time to move to the next department, and I moved the lift from the middle and put it on the side."
"There are a lot of small changes you can make," agrees Judy Lynch, manager of the Collision Repair Design Service at Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes Corp. Analyze what you have and what practices need to be re-thought, she says, recounting the design discussions she has with her body shop clients.
"Once they start making small changes they can see how it can impact their business. It's like a light bulb that goes off over their heads."
How are you ordering your parts? Is it just-in-time delivery or do they need to be set aside and stored? In some shops the various repair specialists are each using different tools and materials to pursue their tasks; they should all be on the same page in this regard because "obviously the outcome would be different and that shouldn't be," Lynch points out. "When does the frame guy stop work and the painter take over?"
By addressing a series of seemingly small factors you can achieve better cycle times, improve customer service and create a better work environment, she says. You really boost their confidence because there's less chaos."
Seeking a more ambitious path regarding a production-based renovation obviously requires a more aggressive examination of the building's structural properties. Moving overhead doors and man-doors are options, as is reconfiguring other components. "When we first talk to a customer we find out what's there structurally so we know what we're working with," Lynch explains. "When we're thinking of moving a column we figure out the cost of versus product increase," she adds. "We really try to educate the owner."
Making changes to address lean production concepts is a little more challenging than a doing a typical shop renovation, according to business consultant Bill Krause at DuPont Performance Coatings. "I say this because lean production has much more to do with the shop culture than shop design," he contends.
"There are basics that can be addressed: Flow is obvious, if you have a situation that requires excess movement of vehicles due to walls in the way, that's a challenge. When working with shop owners trying to address lean production design, I typically focus on just a couple of areas."
First, can the paint booth be retrofitted into a drive-through design? Second, is there a dedicated place to do parts cut-in? Third, can the parts department and parts storage be enhanced?
"There are hundreds of ways to address these areas, but these areas are a focus of mine and typically do not require major re-construction of the facility," says Krause."The biggest hurdle to overcome in a shop is a culture of 'that's not my job' mentality," he reports. "Remodeling and buying sophisticated equipment will not create a lean production environment."
Krause encourages adopting the "5S" approach to lean production, although he laments that "most people want to skip the hard work and just buy something."
The elements of 5S are:
- SORT what's needed, what's not;
- SET in order – a place for everything and everything in its place;
- SHINE – clean everything inside and out;
- STANDARDIZE visual workplace controls;
- SUSTAIN and constantly improve the system.
