One of the more popular terms tossed around anytime when shops talk business is stakeholders. A stakeholder is anyone who is affected by your business (its objectives, policies and actions) and therefore has an interest in it. Stakeholders can include a shop's owners, employees, creditors, customers, its community and its suppliers.
As stakeholders, these folks have an invested interest in the business's survival.
Some stakeholders also are resources who possess the means to help a shop as it searches for ways to improve its operation This is particularly true with some of your suppliers. Paint vendors, in particular, offer a host of resources to help shops both get the most out of their products and aid them as they build other parts of their business. Notable here, paint companies want shops to come to them for this help since taking advantage of their programs benefits both the paint vendor and the repairer.
What help can you expect from your paint vendor? Let's look at some of the offerings and recommendations from each paint company - help that, undoubtedly, many of your competitors already are taking advantage of.
Axalta
Like other companies, Axalta provides technical data sheets with information on preparing, mixing and apply their products. They bolster this information with an online product catalog accessible from a variety of Web-based platforms including tablets, iPads and smartphones. Axalta says the catalog is user-friendly and intuitive, helping make information as easy as possible to locate.
The company also is including Quick Response (QR) codes on its labels. Customers utilize a QR reading application (available on most mobile technology) to go directly to the applicable product information in the online catalog.
Axalta customers may additionally utilize the company's Acquire Plus EFX spectrophotometer, which reads effect colors to quickly and accurately match colors. Customers seeking more help can turn to the company's website (www. axaltacs.com/us), which provides access to Axalta Learning Campus courses, training videos, visual aids and other training collateral.
AkzoNobel
Technical Services Specialist Cindy Greenfield reports that one of the most common requests her company receives involves competitive codes. She explains, "I've worked with a number of shops that are converting to our products, and sometimes they request a product from our system they can cross with what they have from another company."
To handle these situations, AkzoNobel utilizes a tech help line run in-house by a five-member staff. Greenfield says the staff has been successful nearly 86 percent of the time locating an applicable code.
The company also runs automotive training centers that offer classes (held over the course of 2-3 days) featuring a mix of classroom theory and hands-on application of AkzoNobel products. Greenfield recommends shops take advantage of the classes on a yearly basis.
"It's the best way they can keep up to date on the newest products and changes to ones they're already using," she notes. "It's also a good way to brush up on their skills, talk to their colleagues and ask questions."
AkzoNobel also engages in in-house training at shops and provides training videos on its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/AkzoNobelAAC) customers can view at their leisure.
Shops who use the company's Sikkens brand products have access to Acoat Select business development program. The program features 25 courses, including: Implementing Repair Planning, Preparing for a Process Centered Environment, Estimating Consistency and Financial Analysis.
Technical Manager Fitz Moles recommends says the courses have a proven track record of helping shops build profits as they seek to expand their own operations or make their businesses attractive to consolidators.
BASF
Joe Skurka, Manager of OEM and Industry Relations for BASF, notes the business tools his company provides shops - particularly its assistance in helping shops identify coming trends and preparing customers for them.
"The big question we get all the time is 'What's the next big thing?'" he says. Among the most significant trends, Skurka notes, is continuing governmental pressure for shops to employ low VOC products, which his company offers.
"The other trend we see is the need for shops to gain manufacturer certifications," he says, "Whether it's becoming certified to paint aluminum on Ford vehicles or products from other auto manufacturers, this is going to be something nearly every shop is going to have to adopt."
BASF offers assistance in earning these certifications, specifically helping guide shops to the proper OEM resources.
BASF also offers a number of training courses to keep shops updated on its products. Skurka says shops should plan to attend the training at least every two years to keep up with continual changes. He also suggests customers speak with BASF jobbers who receive training and are available for questions.
Training schedules are available on the BASF website (www.refinish.basf.us), along with data and safety sheets and a number of business seminars customers can view anytime.
ChemSpec
ChemSpec customers utilize the company's Easimix Professional Software System, featuring a comprehensive stock control system and job costing reports. The system can recalculate formulas if any over/under mixing occurs to help shops prevent waste. The system is fully integratable with ChemSpec's Metalux 2 color Swatch unit, featuring 13,000 actual paint swatch spray-outs, which the company reports is the world’s largest swatch collection.
Both the software and swatch systems may be integrated with ChemSpec's Easimeasure spectrophotometer, which reads the color of the panel for color matching. The Easimeasure can store 65,000 international colors and provide direct reference to corresponding Easimix and swatch codes for each color.
PPG
PPG provides a host of online resources. Randy Cremeans, Collision Segment Marketing Director for North America, notes their value but says hands-on training and experience offer additional benefits that shops shouldn't ignore.
For this reason, PPG offers training both in-house and at its training centers. "Our reps will stay at a shop we're converting until the employees feel as comfortable as possible with the new product," Cremeans says. He notes that PPG will take the same steps with an existing customer if the shop believes sending its workers to training will be too expensive or could negatively affect its operations.
Still, he recommends that shops take advantage of off-site training. "Typically, there are too many distractions at a shop for employees to get the most from training classes conducted there," he explains. "The benefit of training at one of our centers is that we get the full attention of those attending."
Owners and managers can similarly benefit from PPG's range of business improvement courses. Cremeans says PPG recommends the classes to help its shop customers better maintain their entire operations. "Where else can shops turn but to their paint suppliers who know the industry and can offer the help they need?" notes Cremeans, who notes that the only other alternative for shops looking to acquire business training is sending employees to business school. That's simply not realistic for most shops, he says, since it involves an investment of time and resources most don't have.
The training provided by paint companies is superior since it's industry specific and proven. "It's our job to give shops the things they need to make money," adds Cremeans.
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes employs a business policy that views customers as "business partners," according to Business Consulting Manager David Dewalt. The company offers a number of programs designed to help these partners upgrade multiple areas of their operations - everything from painting to estimating and overall business planning and strategy.
"Having great paint products just gets you in the game," he adds. "Our goal is to offer shops a total solution to improve their improve their performance and get the attention of customers and insurers to gain more market share."
Along with paint training (which currently is being regionalized - extended into more local areas), Sherwin-Williams offers training in areas such as express scratch repair, lean stock setups and collision design.
To help ensure lessons are carried back to a shop, Sherwin-Williams classroom training is conducted electronically with iPads. When the course has ended, students are given a flashdrive with all course information. They need only plug the drive into their own computers to access both the information and the Sherwin-Williams website, which contains a number of other training resources, including videos.
Sherwin-Williams also offers in-house help from its area service reps who can perform individual shop evaluations known as shop impact assessments. These assessments determine what programs and changes would best benefit a business.
Dewalt says Sherwin-Williams' programs aren't designed to be a one size fits all solutions. Service reps help shops institute changes - such as lean processing - designed uniquely for each shop.
The ultimate goal of the company's programs, says Dewalt, is helping ensure shops repair as many cars as possible. "That process starts the minute a vehicle enters a shop, and that's what today really determines a shop's success," he says.
Paint vendors offer more help than just that mentioned here. Contact yours to make sure you're getting all the help you need to make your business the best it can be for all its stakeholders.
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