Shop Profile: Orlando's Super Center Auto Body Repair; All Tampa Autobody Repair

Jan. 1, 2020
Along with embracing lean production at the body shops they operate in Florida, brothers Frank and John Campopiano are equally sold on the value of offering pickup and delivery services.
Along with eagerly embracing lean production techniques at the two high-volume body shops they operate in Florida, brothers Frank and John Campopiano are equally sold on the value of offering pickup and delivery services from satellite sites that boost the respective marketing spheres.

“It gives us a link to a 30-mile radius,” says John Campopiano. “People don’t want to ‘cross the bridge,’ so we do the transportation for them. The satellite locations are a huge plus for us.”

Supporting Orlando’s Super Center Auto Body Repair shop is a satellite in Altamonte Springs that includes an Enterprise rental facility. The Clearwater satellite in the Tampa area hosts a larger Enterprise rental and retired-vehicle sales outlet. “We have a multicar transport, and we move several loads a day” to the main repair centers. Upon completion the vehicles are delivered back to the satellites for convenient customer pickup.

Crashes are quite common within the Orlando region as “Interstate 4 is practically a disaster every day,” according to John, who attributes the highway mayhem to “all the tourists – they don’t know where they are going, and they are always just looking around.”

Referrals from previous customers bring a solid flow of vehicles coming
through the bay doors. “A key reason word-of-mouth is so strong is that we educate our customers when they come in here we take them through a checklist so they understand the extent of repair, what potential delays there may be,” he says, “and then we give them a copy so they understand.

The client-centric service aspect is further enhanced by the in-house presence of concierge offices representing several insurance carriers, “which makes it easier for them to see what’s going on,” John points out. “When they’re in the building, we help educate adjustors on repairs and they get to see the repairs in process.” About 80 percent of the shop’s business comes through DRPs. “We get along well with all the insurers,” he says, “we give them a quality product.”

Business relations manager Terry Daughtry oversees the 27 direct repair programs (DRPs) to help ensure a seamless repair experience. “Terry and I monitor customer service scoring on a daily basis,” John says, citing a 95.9 Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) score.

“We work directly with estimators and help customers understand what delays there could be. We educate customers with a checklist for about 10 minutes at a time,” he explains. “Customers will have insurance adjustors tell them what they are looking at time-wise, but it usually takes longer than that to get the best quality repair possible, so we are constantly telling customers to forget what the adjustors told them and what the process will really look like.”

And the processes – especially at the Orlando shop – are sharply focused
on implementing lean production strategies with the assistance of consultant Lee V. Rush, manager of business development for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes.

“We’ve been working for a couple of years on it,” Rush reports. “In the past year we’ve refined it, so they’re well on their way on the lean journey. Initially they were like most people in the industry; they were a little reluctant, but they knew change was necessary.”

“I remember the day I drank the lean Kool-Aid,” says Frank Campopiano, recounting how he was able to “connect the dots between the concepts presented to us by the consultants in our industry and the managers and technicians at the shop level.” Although Frank readily grasps the concept of lean, he also understands that “many frontline employees, managers, estimators and technicians do not. Sure, they know increasing efficiencies will undoubtedly boost shop revenue, customer satisfaction and quality – however, they are missing real-world implementation.”

Frank goes on to observe that “when it comes to the lean challenges facing our industry, there is too much talk and far too little action. The grand concepts and theoretical exercises don’t immediately translate to the real world, and there can often be a disconnect between the architects of lean programs and the shop floor. What did work (for us) was a custom-fit, operational approach to improving certain processes in our collision repair center.”

The Campopiano brothers realized that lean systems were obtainable goals when they were introduced to the Sherwin-Williams Managed Collision Repair (MCR) program. Described by Rush as “a tactical, shop-level approach to lean implementation designed by collision operators for collision operators, MCR uses a series of workshops to help operators clearly understand each lean tool and develop a custom strategy to implement the tools in their own shops.”

The company “teamed up with them for shop implementation – not theory,” Rush continues. “The net effect is that we move more units through the facility.”

“To do that, we needed the understanding of lean tools and a strategy to implement the basic ones,” says Frank. “Once we got the process in place, and we were consistently following the process and our performance meets or exceeds expectations with predictability, then we can take it to the next level.”

Preventing surprises Deciding that “a complete overnight lean overhaul was unrealistic,” Frank and John began to concentrate their efforts on Damage Analysis/Blueprinting, Parts Correctness (“mirror matching”), and Express Repair. “It’s not that we did not know about Damage Analysis/Blueprinting, it’s just that we struggled to execute it,” Frank says. “There was a natural tendency to go back to the way we knew. The most difficult part of change is leaving what you are familiar with and comfortable with,” he adds, noting that the company had achieved considerable success prior to leaning towards lean.

Damage Analysis/Blueprinting involves a complete disassembly before being dispatched to production for identifying all the necessary procedures, parts and operations. This reveals oversights on the original estimate, improves cycle time and through-put, increases technician and production efficiencies, reduces parts orders and delays and decreases quality defects while heightening customer and employee satisfaction levels.

A disassembly technician uses a mobile cart with a wireless laptop, printer and camera to ensure a thorough inspection.

The repair does not begin until all the critical parts have been received and inspected. Mirror matching is “visual verification that a part is correct by visually comparing it to the damaged part,” says Rush. “They take it out of the box,” he elaborates. “That prevents a lot of surprises, and with the challenges in today’s parts world that’s a key component.”

Fender-benders amounting to light hits are eligible for the shop’s Express Repair option in which the repair is completed within a maximum of two days. Same-day service is even better.

“That’s very popular,” according to Rush. “You can have a customer drop it off at 8 in the morning and pick it up at 5 in the afternoon. That’s fantastic and long overdue in this industry.”

Open-door policy “We know that our customers want their vehicles repaired right and right away,” Frank says, adding that the shop “delivers on both points. Our facilities are four times larger than the average shop, and we have more repair technicians on hand. Our custom-designed paint tunnels handle up to four cars at a time, while the average shop handles just one.”

“All the prepping is based on loads,” says Rush, referring to the sophisticated painting setup in Orlando that simultaneously handles various hues. “With these downdraft booths it’s not an issue. You can do multiple colors in there.”

The Orlando location encompasses 58,000 square feet; Tampa measures 38,000 sq. ft., and the company employs 42 people.

“We take care of our employees,” says John. “We have our gives and takes, but overall we have a good relationship. I come in and say hello to everyone every morning. These guys are thinkers, too. We are open-minded to their ideas and we listen to our employees: They make our business better,” he declares.

“We have an open-door policy,” John continues. “We have a monthly lunch with all of the employees and we have a piece of paper they write on and tell us where they all want to eat and then we have lunch together.”

A good health care package is another benefit. “We yield to employees’ families – we want them to have healthy, strong families,” he asserts. “It’s a major expenditure and it will be a challenge to continue to offer. But we have a very minute turnover.”

John alternates his work hours between Orlando and Tampa, where a trusted manager is in place. The two talk over the phone daily, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays John makes the hour-and-15-minute commute to get a first-hand look at Tampa’s operations.

After starting out as youngsters working at body shops, Frank and John embarked upon a career with the Manheim auto auction house, evolving into positions of greater responsibility that culminated in handling the firm’s overall collision repair duties, ultimately forming their own body shop operation.

“Frank is my best friend,” says John. “We’ve worked together since we were kids. We’re an Italian family, and we agreed years ago that work is work and family is family. Something can happen at work, and we’ll just say, ‘See you at dinner tonight.’”

Sponsored Recommendations

Best Body Shop and the 360-Degree-Concept

Spanesi ‘360-Degree-Concept’ Enables Kansas Body Shop to Complete High-Quality Repairs

ADAS Applications: What They Are & What They Do

Learn how ADAS utilizes sensors such as radar, sonar, lidar and cameras to perceive the world around the vehicle, and either provide critical information to the driver or take...

Banking on Bigger Profits with a Heavy-Duty Truck Paint Booth

The addition of a heavy-duty paint booth for oversized trucks & vehicles can open the door to new or expanded service opportunities.

Boosting Your Shop's Bottom Line with an Extended Height Paint Booths

Discover how the investment in an extended-height paint booth is a game-changer for most collision shops with this Free Guide.