O'Rielly Collision Center, part of O'Rielly Chevrolet, a large dealership in Tucson, Ariz., that's been in business for almost nine decades, is shooting down many of these false notions. Despite the size of O'Rielly, the shop concentrates on doing more with less.
"We think we run the tightest ship in the business," says Brian Guerrero, shop manager. "We have one collision center manager; no assistant manager; no shop manager. We have four estimators who manage six direct repair program accounts and each seeks to write about $100,000 in business a month. We have one booker/clerk and a receptionist. Everyone else works on wrecked cars."
Regardless of where they work, all staff members must be on the same page, which is part of running a tight ship. The entire staff meets at 9:30 every morning to review the work coming in and going out that day. Employees communicate the details and needs of each vehicle to help ensure that every vehicle is on track to hit the shop's production target of 5.5 minimum labor hours per day.
They also fully disassemble each vehicle as soon as it's dropped off to ensure an accurate estimate. This expedites parts ordering and keeps the shop's overall supplement under 5 percent. Technicians, painters and estimators review each estimate to ensure everything needed to repair a vehicle is listed. Each vehicle also goes through a quality control check, starting at drop-off, again before painting and then after, and then once more after the vehicle is reassembled.
During the repair, O'Rielly maximizes efficiency with techs who demonstrate high levels of training. All technicians who have been with the shop for at least a year are I-CAR Gold or I-CAR Platinum certified (with all newer techs working towards these certifications). Experience also plays a role. Eight of the shop's technicians average more than eight years with O'Rielly. The shop's senior painter, Bobby Souders, came on board eight days after his 18th birthday and has remained for 18 years.
Management also takes a lead role in training. O'Rielly's manager participates, along with the other managers of O'Rielly Chevrolet, in GM's Mark of Excellence training program. O'Rielly Chevrolet has been a Mark of Excellence dealer – GM's award for excellence in sales, customer service, and training – for nine consecutive years. In 2008, it ranked first in the Mark of Excellence program among all dealerships in GM's Western Region and was named a GM Dealer of the Year – one of a few dozen among more than 10,000 GM Dealers.
The shop also has invested in special claims management software to organize estimates and repair orders. "It allows us to process our work more efficiently by giving everyone in the office access to the same information, and it allows real-time reporting, both internally and externally," says Guerrero.
