Reduce friction, boost efficiency in preproduction

Over the next several months, I will detail the process of building a production compliance model for collision repair facilities. I will focus on the steps necessary to identify who, what, where, when and how things need to be accomplished within the repair facility to maximize customer service and production efficiency. There is a process that, if followed, improves performance across the board. It builds accountability through clearly defining expectations and performance requirements.

Last month, in “Building a production compliance model,” we began our discussion on how to create a step-by-step process in your preproduction area. So what steps are required to take place to get the vehicle into production?

1. The vehicle has to be scheduled in for the estimate or if not mobile, brought into the bay for disassembly.
2. Repair authorizations and data acquisition authorizations need to be signed by the vehicle owner and in the hard file.
3. All the options must be properly identified to establish the “estimating” requirements by vehicle construction and design, including the testing protocols necessary to establish pre- and post-accident safety system readiness.
4. A data search must be conducted to identify any particular repair scenarios that must be followed specific to the platform requirements, e.g., steels, plastics, other build data.
5. The condition of the vehicle has to be established to ensure that proper measures are taken to restore it to or make it better than its prior condition in accordance with the payer’s obligation to the vehicle owner.
6. All electronic pre-sets must be saved either electronically or manually to ensure that the owner retains their pre-sets.
7. Parts requirements agreed to by the vehicle owner must be initialed and in the hard file relative to aftermarket or other non-OEM parts.
8. The estimator/blue-printer has to cycle the ignition whenever possible to conduct the “seven-second burn” to check for dashboard-indicated fault codes for vehicle safety systems. This is in addition to the diagnostic link tests which check for system continuity.
9. Begin disassembly processes.
10. Identify parts that are to be saved and those that will be replaced.
11. Establish repair times for the damaged repairable nonstructural areas of the vehicle.
12. Establish repair times for repairable structural areas of the vehicle.
13. Determine removal and replacement requirements for glass including adequate dry/cure times for adhesives used in replacement required by FMVSS.
14. Identify refinish requirements for undamaged adjacent panels where applicable.
15. Identify undamaged part removal and replacement requirements to accommodate blending procedures as necessary.
16. Determine the length of time necessary to obtain parts.
17. Determine the length of time necessary for repairs (this is start of repair to conclusion of repair).
18. Contact vendor(s) to place parts order(s).
19. Receive parts; validate part order list against parts received to verify part numbers and part types.
20. Mirror match parts against parts that have been identified for replacement.
21. Create second parts order for corrections when necessary including accounting requirements.
22. Identify billable hours for vehicle and day/date for production processing.
23. Place vehicle into production rotation.
24. During production create supplemental billing when needed and accompanying parts orders or labor add orders.
25. Contact customer and insurer, as needed, to validate supplemental billing for review, verification or approval.
26. Update file documentation.

All the individual tasks associated with getting the car into production may or may not have been listed. There may be subset tasks that will be identified as well. This will depend on the level of detail that each individual store owner might place on particular tasks associated with a process. But as can be seen in this example, the level of detail is important in that the store owner will be requiring someone to complete these tasks and holding them accountable for doing so. Going back to the earlier point about potential “friction” caused within a particular job assignment, estimating and blue-printing have the most areas where the decisions can be subjective in some cases. However, subjectivity can be reduced significantly with documentation. Some in the industry say that the strategy should be that we need to negotiate in every case. That is not a strategy; that would be a task. The strategy would be to build consensus through properly preparing, presenting and discussing the necessary documentation each time an estimate or blueprint is created. The more thorough and complete the documentation, the narrower the focus of the discussion becomes. This process significantly reduces that element of friction through information.

Get Free OEM Training
	Now is your chance to register for an expo pass to NACE Automechanika Chicago, where you'll have a chance to walk the show floor and take part in free OEM trainings.

As we develop the processes and procedures for the store, the long-term strategy should always be the focus of the tasks associated with the planning and execution for all activities necessary for repairing the vehicle. This allows the store owner to build a more predictive production model, which helps them be able to forecast what their daily, weekly and monthly performance metrics should be. This is where we begin to take the requirements and form them into our standard operating procedures (SOP) that support the performance metrics.

The task lists are the starting point. Job descriptions are then created that tell the employees exactly what their roles are in the execution of the tasks and they begin to get an indication of timeframes and performance requirements which are more clearly defined in the SOP and accountability measurements. The SOP then provides the detailed, step-by-step instructions in the execution of the tasks.

Some key takeaways would be:

1. Have all the required steps, tasks been identified for the process that is being built?
2. Does the job description being created for this process provide the detail necessary for the employee to be able to complete the process as expected?
3. If not, what training will be required to expand the employee’s skill set so that their competency is improved to the necessary level of performance?
4. Should that additional training be internal or external and what is the cost and potential return on investment (ROI) for the training activity?
5. Do the Standard Operating Procedures clearly define all steps, performance requirements and timeframes necessary to meet production requirements?
6. If followed, will the task lists, job descriptions and SOPs provide a more efficient production flow resulting in improved production efficiency and profitability?
7. If not, what additional steps need to be considered to make the SOP adequate for the production needs?
8. Are the steps, if followed, adequate for the staff to perform to their individual performance expectations?
9. What review process has been established so that the process can be audited for compliance and corrective action as needed?

As we move to the next segment of this article, the nine takeaways will be looked at individually. Pro and Con lists can be developed which will help in identifying if the takeaway requirements have been met and if not what the next steps should be. There will also be additional opportunities to look at other processes within the store to help identify the steps necessary for building a production compliance model for them individually using the same steps illustrated in this first installment. Upcoming installments will include Front Office, Preproduction, Production and Final Billing.