In last month’s column, I shared some KPIs you should be hitting in your paint shop in terms of productivity and profitability. Whether you’re working to reach those numbers — or you’re already there but still see room for improvement — over the next several columns I’m going to offer a deeper dive into some of the factors you should be considering in terms of maximizing your paint shop performance.
Make the right product selection
Have you assessed what’s available in the marketplace in terms of alternatives to the paint and related products you’re using now that could improve your production speed?
I’m not talking here about choosing one manufacturer’s basecoats while using another company’s clears. The best way to increase productivity and have a durable, long-lasting finish is to stick to one manufacturer’s complete system. Don’t deviate from the system or play amateur chemist because the products are not all compatible. If you don’t like some components of the system you’re using, then look for a complete system that makes sense for your shop’s environment and your painters. If you’re starting to “cocktail” and buy other products outside your system, then it’s time to look for a complete other system that better satisfies your needs.
I’m also not talking about switching paint lines or product solely to reduce costs. That’s usually not the best route to increased profitability, given that your customers’ vehicles are at risk. In my experience, shops can usually find more than the few dollars they save by using a cheaper product by instead eliminating waste or making other changes. Thinking you can solve a problem simply by spending less (or spending more) isn’t usually the best approach.
Instead, what I’m suggesting is working with your jobber or tech-rep to ensure the products you’re using are the best for your shop environment. Every shop is different. Climates and humidity vary by region. Your booth likely differs from the one at the shop down the road. The quality of air make-up varies shop-to-shop.
All of this is why paint manufacturers have so many different clearcoats, reducers and hardeners. So work with the experts to make sure you have the particular mix of the products currently available to maximize speed and quality in your paint shop. In some cases, they may tell you that getting faster products may require you to make some modifications to your air supply or booth. But that can be a worthwhile investment in order to utilize the higher-performing products.
Challenge paint caps when appropriate
Many states have ruled that insurers cannot establish arbitrary paint caps. But many companies do set “thresholds” on paint materials charges. Those thresholds can be challenged – and shops need to do so, in many cases, if they don’t want to lose money on the paint and materials used on a given job.
That’s where the documentation provided by usage reports from your formula retrieval system or paint scale can be critical for an appropriate supplement for the specific materials used.
Update your color tools
I think the ongoing challenge that all painters face is getting to a blendable color as quickly as possible. A lot of shops I go into don’t have the latest color tools that are available from the paint manufacturer. Often, they’re just using what was available two or three years ago when they signed up with that paint company. But color tools continue to evolve and improve.
The spectrometer cameras today, for example, are really superior to even those that are 1- or 2-years-old. They have really dialed in the process of color identification much better. They have a much more robust color eye, and I think all the manufacturers have worked on the database that drives these cameras in order to better ensure an accurate color match.
So, again, talk with your jobber or tech-rep to see if there are better color tools you could be using.
In a future column, I’ll discuss more factors that can improve your paint shop performance, including some key processes, and improving compressed air quality.
