Commitment to excellence, customer service spurs Curry Collision Center's success

Jan. 1, 2020
A customer service-centric production arc that includes a circular workflow helped Curry Collision Center net gross revenues of $4 million.

A customer service-centric production arc that includes a circular workflow pattern and the industry's latest technology are among the elements contributing to the success of the Curry Collision Center, which netted gross revenues of $4 million last year.

As part of the Curry Auto Center dealership complex on Auto Mall Road in Bloomington, Ind., the 20-bay structure covering 16,165 square feet represents a culmination of carefully considered design techniques along with efficient and ecologically friendly repair strategies augmented by solid management and marketing.

Established by W.S. Curry in 1915, the fourth-generation family business moved to its current location in 1969. Body shop manager Ron Mueller was instrumental in laying out the details when construction was initiated on a new collision repair facility that opened in 2008.

"It was a group effort" among the principals, Mueller recounts. "We toured a number of shops in the area, took the best of each of them and came up with the design. We knew going in that we wanted the flow to go in a circle. With a circular design, the cars are always in front of you. We have no workbenches; the technicians have all of the materials on carts that can be rolled next to the car they are working on."

AT A GLANCE

It's engineered to be "the most environmentally advanced" body shop throughout southern Indiana, aiming to render "the smallest possible carbon footprint." Among the green concepts are waterborne basecoat paint, a double post filtration system that reduces volatile organic compound emissions and vacuum sanders to capture particle pollutants.

An enclosed and computerized paint mixing area serves two booths in a setting illuminated by "pristine lighting to enhance the optical environment" for the painters.

With 11 body bays and six refinish bays, the 21 staffers include seven body repair technicians, two painters, two paint preppers and three estimators.

Two production managers oversee an average cycle time of 5.7 days. "We use Profit Net to move the vehicles through the shop in a timely manner and up our productivity. With 40 vehicles coming through the shop in a week you can easily lose a vehicle," Mueller says.

If anything is amiss during a job, "we have a special request form that is filled out so we can take care of everything," he adds, noting the value of having just one person dedicated to procuring the components.

"I have a very talented parts man," Mueller says. "I work on all makes and models, and he'll track down the parts – he works with the jobber and the technician to get the right parts here as soon as we start the repairs, and he understands cycle time."

Ongoing cycle time improvements that speed along the repairs while emphasizing top-quality workmanship are embraced throughout the entire shop. "We have bonuses based on production and CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index scores). You have to raise your production and make sure the customer is happy," Mueller says. "Fix it right the first time and we will give you a bonus. If a technician hits 100 percent CSI, he gets a bonus."

A 50/50 bonus plan is in play that includes directing half of the extra money earned toward a tool account earmarked for equipment purchases. "We implemented this to make sure the technicians stay updated on their tools," he says. "We had a couple of old-timers who didn't want to update their tools, but now they're spending more on their tools – so it has worked out really well."

Ongoing training with in-house Gold Class I-CAR instruction, retirement benefits and covering half of an employee's health care insurance costs are some of the factors that encourage longevity among the staff. "The overall package is good," Mueller says. "Once I have somebody in here, they typically stay. I have a guy who's 62, and he's still working."

IMAGE / CURRY COLLISION CENTER

With average tenures ranging from 15 to 27 years, when a position does become open, recruitment is mostly conducted via word of mouth. Workers are typically brought on board in entry-level positions and subsequently steered up the ranks due to a paucity of qualified applicants – a situation that Mueller views as an industry-wide concern.

"You have an aging population in the body shop business; it's a dying trade, and it's difficult to get skilled technicians: That's a struggle."

Candidates are carefully screened to ensure a good fit with the shop's culture of being highly organized with a spirit of cooperation. "Having somebody skilled and having somebody 'corporate' is key," Mueller says. "You need someone who understands the repair process, yet if you have someone who's 'my way or the highway' it makes it very difficult." Thus hiring people just starting out in the work world and training them for further advancement has been a more effective strategy.

Not only does an overriding commitment to excellence bring in consistent repeat business and referrals, but the Curry operation even gets business from a competing dealership that carries a half-dozen vehicle lines. "He will send his cars to us over their own body shop because we do a better job," Mueller says.

Guaranteed results

With the presence of Indiana University in Bloomington, the shop's serve-the-customer aspect is especially important when reaching out to patrons who have immigrated into the campus environment from overseas.

"The Asian market is growing, and when they come to town they buy a new car – they buy Cadillacs, BMWs and other high-end vehicles for the resale value. A lot of them don't carry full coverage so they pay for their own repairs," he says.

Having a strong warranty is another selling point for a transient population. "With the university, a lot of kids come and then they go back home, and Mom and Dad like the idea that the repair comes with a guarantee that comes back home with them."

IMAGE / CURRY COLLISION CENTER

Students, women, and customers who don't speak English very well, or anyone else unfamiliar with the repair process, require competent communication from everyone at the shop, according to Mueller.

"You have to be patient with them and put things in terms they understand," he says. "Be warm and heartfelt with them – don't try to overwhelm them with words – take them out (to the shop floor) and show them what's going on."

IMAGE / CURRY COLLISION CENTER

A well-appointed waiting room with amenities such as a flat screen television, his and her restrooms, beverages and entertaining reading material produces a pleasant atmosphere. An on-site Enterprise car rental office and a work/home shuttle service further enhance customer convenience.

Another feature is a large indoor drive-through estimating lane that includes direct access to the reception area and offices housing insurance company personnel.

The shop's 16-plus direct repair program (DRP) affiliations account for 95 percent of its business. "I go out and meet with the agencies" to foster positive relationships with the insurers, says Mueller, who adds that obtaining steady and appropriate labor rate payments remains an issue.

"There's no consistency among the insurance companies," he says. "It's just crazy. The cost of living is higher in my area."

Calling for "a level playing field for everybody," Mueller says that "the insurance companies keep changing, and it puts a squeeze on the shops. I wish there was some kind of standardization – it's getting cumbersome."

Coming to Curry

Having logged more than 30 years in the industry, Mueller recalls painting his first car when he was 13 and owning his first body shop at 16. "I got sucked into it by my older brother." When Roger Mueller was blinded in a tragic car crash caused by a drunken driver, young Ron Mueller dropped out of school (he later earned a general equivalency diploma) to assist in running Blinky's Auto Body – named for Roger's vision problems.

Ron went on to work for several body shops, both at dealerships and stand-alone operations. "When you are with dealer shops and independents you see both worlds," he says.

As time went on and with increasing levels of experience under his belt, "a few of the vendors knew I was looking for a painting job, and they said, 'You need to work at Curry.'"

He was most impressed when both owners – Cary Curry and Craig Richards – conducted the interview. Upon moving into the senior shop spot when manager Mel Riggs retired, Mueller was asked by Curry and Richardson to help design the new facility.

Mueller anticipates participating in further Curry enhancements: "They have purchased the building next door, and if the economy improves we can possibly expand into that."

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