ADAPT

Next Article

LEADING EDGE

UNIFIED INDUSTRY CRITICAL TO FUTURE SUCCESS

BY ANNA ZECK

As the complexity of vehicles continues to advance, it will become critical for all segments of the industries—collision, mechanical repair, tire and quick lube—to come together and both learn from each other and work together.

That was the message from the panelists during the “TECH Talk: The Changing Landscape” panel at the ADAPT: Automotive Technology Summit in Nashville.

“We have to come together on a standard and say this is what we’re going to teach and this is how we’re going to repair cars,” said Donny Seyfer, owner of DLS Consulting and former shop owner. “If we don’t do that, people will lose businesses over liability cases.”

Former Advance Auto Parts veteran and newly appointed Repairify vice president of training Chris Chesney kicked off the discussion by asking the panelists the biggest friction points they’ve dealt with in their respective roles. Those friction points and challenges included the following:

The need for technician protection. Seyfer noted that when it comes to insurance protection, there’s very little available for technicians, which could pose major problems when it comes to liability.

“Our guys really aren’t covered if something happens,” he said. “[The insurance companies] still think mechanics turn wrenches. That’s still their mentality.” Today’s technicians do not have the same knowledge base. The fact is, Seyfer said, new technicians simply do not have the same “institutional knowledge” that veteran technicians do. That makes it vital that they have knowledge available to them at their fingertips that is easily available, user-friendly and easy to locate.

“People aren’t taking jobs for life anymore,” he said. “So, how do you take someone who isn’t here for life and make them profitable for themselves and the business?”

For optimal workflow, processes must change. All panelists agreed that the processes of yesterday will no longer serve the workflow of today. That includes how the front and back of the shop work together, the way team members are paid, and how the shop floor is structured.

“These very smart people who repair cars are much better when you allow them to stay focused and don’t break that focus. When you do that, you lose productivity,” Seyfer said. “The front end has to think about how we’re going to handle that, too. If you want [technicians] to handle procedures correctly, you can’t take them off the procedures.”

As the discussion wrapped up, all the panelists passionately emphasized the need to perform repairs correctly, regardless of industry segment.

“We have to serve the technician,” Chesney said. “The collision side of the business has had to do things right to be viable. They can’t afford a miss because it erodes their margin. On the mechanical side, we have to pay attention to what they can teach us.”

Fincher added that it will become increasingly critical to not only utilize emerging technology, but to embrace it as well.

“I know you’ll continue to see more AI injected into your workflow, the technology you use, the front office side. It’s important to understand it and not be afraid of it to differentiate your business,” he said.

Of course, being able to do all of that boils down to having the right team, a struggle between the technician shortage and the current Great Resignation. But as the stakes become even higher for shops to repair vehicles correctly, being picky just might be necessary.

“We have radically failed our techs because they’re not up to speed. We all have a great technician in the shop, but we also have another one that might not pass if they had to take those tests,” Seyfer said. “There’s no possible way that the government can do this for us. They’re not smart enough. The cars are that complex.”

GETTY SEPT. 24-25 • DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

The ADAPT: Automotive Technology Summit is a three-day event covering the most progressive and pressing trends disrupting the industry. Learn more at adaptsummit.com.