The Ultimate Workout for Your Body Shop
䡲 Greetings from BASF Marketing Director Vitor Margaronis 䡲 Scott Robinson Honda: Compliant Solvent Saves the Day 䡲 Provincial Chrysler: Speed Meets Green 䡲 Dunshee Body and Frame: Tearing the Old Way Down 䡲 The Ultimate Workout for Your Body Shop
Insist on a Total Solution
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ASF offers the products and services you need to meet the challenges of an ever-changing and competitive collision repair industry.
The new BASF OnyxHD™ Low VOC Productive System offers customers a unique new way to comply with regulations without compromising productivity or quality. This low VOC solventborne basecoat alternative dries quickly in most shop environments and meets all current regulations with no special equipment required. VisionPLUS® Online Dashboard is a powerful, interactive online toolset that gives you the ability to track, analyze and improve your business. With the Dashboard, you can see your Key Performance Indicators at a glance to quickly identify opportunities to improve performance and develop strategies to implement corrective action plans. We’re currently offering a 9-Month Free Trial of the Dashboard, so be sure to ask your BASF sales representative about it today. In addition, BASF Advanced Process Solutions™ (APS) is designed to help collision repair facilities improve performance and increase insurance appeal. APS is a customizable repair process built on lean manufacturing principles that helps eliminate supplements, increase touchtimes, improve profits and lower chaos in a collision repair facility. All of these, together with the expertise of your BASF team, will help you pump up your efficiency and profitability. Our fully integrated products and services provide a Total Solution for your shop to deliver superior finishes and the comprehensive productivity you need to increase profits and customer satisfaction.
Vitor Margaronis Marketing Director BASF Automotive Refinish
Table of Contents
2 Compliant Solvent Saves the Day
Scott Robinson Honda has achieved low VOCs and better productivity through BASF’s OnyxHD™ Low VOC Productive System.
3 Speed Meets Green
Provincial Chrysler took advantage of R-M’s new low VOC basecoat system – OnyxHD Low VOC Productive System, and with the proper training, they were off and running.
4 Tearing the Old Way Down Teardowns were giving Dunshee Body and Frame fits and negatively impacting productivity. Then, BASF’s Advanced Process Solutions program came in and showed them a new way.
5 The Ultimate Workout for Your Body Shop
Compliant Solvent Saves the Day Scott Robinson Honda has achieved low VOCs and better productivity by using a compliant low VOC solventborne basecoat.
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cott Robinson Honda is using a solventborne low VOC basecoat system at their facility in Torrance, California. How on Earth is that possible, you ask, with all of today’s environmental rules and regulations, especially in California? Thanks to BASF’s OnyxHD™ system, shops are now able to use a low-VOC solventborne paint. The product offers the best of both worlds: faster dry times of traditional solvent paint and a low impact on the environment. “There are so many situations where the drying times for water limits what you can do,” said Henry Martinez, paint shop manager for Scott Robinson Honda. “Everybody is retrofitting booths to dry water, and the solvent doesn’t need any help. It’s just designed to evaporate.” Scott Robinson Honda had been using BASF’s R-M® Diamont™ basecoat since 2007, and the brand eventually garnered the Onyx name. Because of their loyalty to the brand, the shop was granted the opportunity to test out the new product in February 2013, and Martinez jumped at the chance. Rather than doing a complete 180-degree switch from waterborne to solvent, Martinez ensured the transition was a gradual one. “We started using it side by side with the waterborne
system,” he said. “It was a test product, so we would shoot it for a little while and then we would be off for a week.” Switching to the solvent-based system ultimately improved the shop’s drying time by at least 50 percent, according to Martinez. “For some of the guys, all they know is the waterborne system. They were cautious,” said Martinez. “But after the first initial shock of it, they fell right in line and loved it.” Until its July 2013 release to the general public, the new low-VOC Onyx system was a test product. Scott Robinson Honda’s high standards offered great feedback during the test period. “[BASF was] still tweaking it for a couple months, but with their final product, which they just introduced to the public, there were no big hurdles,” said Martinez. “It shoots the way it’s supposed to, it’s drying the way it’s supposed to, and if we run into a problem inside the booth, it’s an easy repair. It doesn’t hold you up that much…minutes, if anything.”
Reduced Cycle Time Getting things done quickly and efficiently is a huge priority for many shops, and Scott Robinson Honda is no different. By switching to the Onyx system, Martinez says his shop has been able to greatly reduce its cycle time. “There’s less pressure because we’re always fighting against the clock. There’s a focus on getting the cars out of the shop as fast as possible, so it helps to be more productive and get your scores down. I can’t stress enough how much faster things get.” Overall, Martinez is satisfied with the product, which has resulted in the use of less equipment and faster flash times. “The colors blend well,” he said. “Even with transparent color, it works great. [I don’t] need to worry about getting air blowers or fans to move the air. I really love this new paint line; it has changed my work life for the better.” ●
Speed Meets Green Provincial Chrysler took advantage of R-M’s new low VOC Basecoat System — OnyxHD™ Low VOC Productive System, and with the proper training, they were off and running.
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hen Gregg Nantais was offered a chance to test out a new, lowVOC paint system that promised results similar to solvent, he jumped at the opportunity. The product is BASF’s Low VOC Productive System, which produces low-VOC solventborne basecoats. R-M has the ability to be either water or solvent, which makes it a game changer in the world of environmentally friendly automotive refinishes that, up until now, have solely been waterborne. Despite containing solvent, the Low VOC Productive System meets all VOC regulations in North America.
Hands-on training assisted Provincial Chrysler’s changover from waterborne to low-VOC solvent.
Training When Nantais’s employees made the switch to the Low VOC Productive System, he says that BASF once again made sure to supply a thorough training program so the painters could comfortably learn the new product in-house.
Provincial’s employees transitioned quickly and easily through comprehensive in-shop training.
A Pioneer While BASF is revolutionary in the automotive refinish world, Provincial Chrysler also boasts a similar
Lots of training made work flow more smoothly through the paint booth.
stature now, as it’s the first Canadian shop to feature the Low VOC Productive System. “We were chosen as a test shop, and we’ve been experimenting with this paint for three months now,” said Nantais in a summer interview. Although Provincial Chrysler had been using the product since April 2013, the Low VOC Productive System just officially became available to the public in July. Nantais speculates that the product will be quite popular. “[BASF] is the only paint company that’s launched something like this, so this is a very huge announcement,” he said. Switching from product to product isn’t necessarily easy, but Provincial Chrysler proved that it can be done relatively quickly and efficiently. For shops considering making any sort of switch, whether it be to the Low VOC Productive System or to waterborne in general, Nantais offers one solid piece of advice: “Make sure the employees get the proper training for the product they’re using, and go with the flow.” ●
Tearing the Old Way Down Teardowns were giving Dunshee Body and Frame fits and negatively impacting productivity. Then BASF’s Advanced Process Solutions™ Program came in and showed them a new way.
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ou could say Joe Townsend is a seasoned collision repairer. He has worked at Dunshee Body and Frame in Kalamazoo, Mich., for 15 years, the last eight as the general manager, and in his opinion, he has implemented a pretty good business model thus far. However, like any business, his shop faces the occasional problem. One frequent issue is vehicle damage going unnoticed during the initial disassembly by his employees. They then discover the damage later in the repair process, which consequently results in setbacks. “When each individual is disassembling their own vehicles for repair, they may not do a thorough job,” said Townsend. “We’re battling ourselves trying to get these cars out of here.” Enter BASF’s Advanced Dunshee Body Process Solutions™ (APS), and Frame in a new program for shops Kalamazoo, Mich. looking to maximize efficiency and productivity through lean principles. BASF’s program has been in the works for about two years now, and Dunshee was the first pilot shop. “The APS process is all about identifying all items needed for the repair up front at the disassembly for repair stage instead of at the later stages of the repair, which causes untimely delays to delivering the vehicle,” said Townsend, explaining that the ultimate goal of the program is to help shops develop a more efficient standard operating procedure.
Plan for Success Beginning the APS program required Townsend and his production manager to attend a three-day planning session at BASF headquarters. This is where APS was tailored to Dunshee’s facility and a deployment plan was created. Then, a team of BASF Business Coaches spent a full week transforming Dunshee with the new APS processes and procedures. “They’re helping change the culture of the shop, which is one of the hardest things to do,” said Townsend. “We’ve got so many people who have been doing the same thing for so many years.” APS is an ongoing program, so BASF is constantly supplying input on how to improve Dunshee’s standard operating procedures. The shop now holds a weekly
all-staff meeting to discuss any improvements, concerns or new business ideas. “We’re looking at putting a team in place so that the whole shop can work together with a common goal of getting the cars completed as quickly as possible, which would benefit everybody,” said Townsend.
Standing Out An added benefit to the APS program is its ability to make shops stand out from their competition. “We’ve been doing the same thing for so long and we’ve just been trying to stay ahead of the curve and differentiate ourselves,” said Townsend. “We’re an independent facility, and we’ve got all these consolidators out there who are looking to gobble up the marketplace. We needed to do something to make ourselves not only stand out to our customers but also to our insurance partners.”
Disassembly Team The days of cumbersome individual disassembly are long gone, as Dunshee now has its own dedicated disassembly team comprised of one estimator and two techs. With a more efficient procedure in place, Townsend says the business will get to expand its operating hours. “We’ll try to go to four 10-hour days for our technicians,” he said. “We can have people who will be touching the vehicle from 6 in the morning to 6 at night, which will greatly reduce our cycle times for our insurance companies and our customers.” So far, Townsend seems pleased with the program’s results. Although implementing an entirely new process is a somewhat daunting task, he’s optimistic about the payoff. “There have been other programs by other paint companies that I’ve seen and been a part of,” he said. “They’ve taken the lean aspect from manufacturing and those types of places, but they’ve never really geared it [toward collision]. [BASF] has really given us a blueprint. They’ve given us the core basic items needed to really be able to do this program. “I’ve made it clear to our staff that in order to be successful and remain a company in the age of consolidators, we’ve got to take it upon ourselves to stay profitable and continue to thrive.” ●
The Ultimate Workout for Your Body Shop BASF Provides the Total Solution
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ASF offers the products and services you need to meet the challenges of an ever-changing, increasingly competitive collision repair industry. Our fully integrated products and services provide a total solution for your shop to deliver superior finishes with the comprehensive productivity you need to increase profits and customer satisfaction.
Begin With BASF’s New Quick-Dry, VOC-Compliant System BASF OnyxHD™ Low VOC Productive System offers customers a unique new way to comply with regulation without compromising productivity or quality. This low-VOC solventborne basecoat alternative dries quickly in most shop environments, and meets all current and future regulations with no special equipment required. And OnyxHD provides similar benefits of conventional solventbornes — using COLORMAX®, one of the fastest, most accurate color tools in the industry. The product is easy to spray, offers enhanced de-nibbing, and dries quickly under common humidity and temperature conditions compared to other systems. This lowVOC solution also has excellent hiding capabilities and offers superior color matching, making it beneficial and groundbreaking in the refinish market.
Take It To The Next Level With Advanced Process Solutions BASF Advanced Process Solutions™ (APS) is designed to help collision repair facilities improve performance and increase insurance appeal. APS is a customizable repair process built upon lean manufacturing principles that eliminates supplements, increases touch-times, improves profits and lowers chaos in a collision repair facility — a must for businesses looking to gain market share.
Measure The Challenge, Measure Your Success! APS ties into the state-of-the-art VisionPLUS® Online Dashboard — a powerful, interactive, online toolset that gives you the ability to track, analyze and improve your business. Use the Dashboard to quickly identify opportunities to improve performance, and then develop strategies to implement corrective action plans. In addition, learn about our latest business tools. Our Benchmark Analyzer compares your KPIs to other shops your size, using sales, production square footage, number of techs or number of production stalls. And, our Touch Time Calculator helps you identify areas within your business that impact your touch time and cycle time to determine where improvements are needed.
Creating Opportunities Through Change Want to pump up efficiency and profitability for your business? Be sure to look into BASF’s fully integrated package of products and services as your own “personal trainer” to fine tune your collision center’s productivity, create preferred status among insurers and maximize your bottom line.
To learn more, please call 800-758-BASF (2273) or visit www.basfrefinish.com.