Blowtherm USA

by Autobody News Staff

Whether you’re certified to work on standard vehicles, exceptionally tall vehicles or higher-end luxury vehicles, that means you have the right tools, equipment, training and experience to do the job correctly every time. In this case, a shop owner with an eye on expansion credits a good portion of his success to his Blowtherm spray booths and the customer service and product support that he receives from his Blowtherm USA distributor, Eurotech (CA).

Jeff Atkins, owner of ROEM Certified Collision Centers, was already enamored with Blowtherm USA after he purchased a spray booth for his initial location in Santa Monica, because it enabled him to eliminate one position in his paint department while saving tons of money on unneeded labor.

“We are able to increase production times and save big on labor costs as we no longer need a full-time finisher to handle paint corrections, as well as buffing and polishing every vehicle,” he said. “By just eliminating that step, we are saving $3,000 per month because we no longer need a finisher and we’re cutting approximately two full hours per car every day. That becomes significant when you consider the fact that we paint at least 100 vehicles every month.”

A seamless installation with the help of Eurotech ensured Atkins could be up and running quickly.

“All in all, everything went smoothly and the new shop is complete with the Blowtherm booth as the finishing touch,” he said. “Our new location already had high ceilings and a really nice layout. It was a really easy decision to put in a sprinter drive-through booth. Having the ability to repair and paint sprinter vans in Newport Beach really gave us the opportunity to capture business other competitors could not. Thanks to Eurotech and Blowtherm USA, we are now open at our new facility.” With discerning customers, many who drive some of the most expensive cars on the planet, Atkins has to make quality paramount in order to succeed in a competitive market. “The Blowtherm is amazing at how it keeps all of the dirt out of the air,” he said. “We never have to worry about that aspect of the process because we have seen these booths come through for us time and time again. Working cleaner means working faster and we get zero repaints, which saves us a ton. Plus, shorter flash-off times between coats is also a huge plus for us and our paint crew.”

Atkins continued, “Essentially putting in the right equipment saves money and increases production and that translates into profits. We have bought Blowtherm in the past and we saw the immediate effects on paint quality and production improvements.”

A great product backed by a hands-on, detail-oriented California distributor such as Eurotech is a win-win proposition for Atkins and his pair of Blowtherm booths. “(Eurotech’s) Rob Summers comes here all the time and supports us in any way he can,” Atkins said. “We never have to worry about filters or booth maintenance and that makes it great. We’ve been working with Eurotech for seven years now and it’s been a wonderful relationship. He is all about customer service and the people at Blowtherm USA are the same way. The Eurotech people come here to service the booth and we rarely even notice them, which is exactly what we need, especially when we’re super busy.”

Blowtherm USA’s network of authorized distributors can provide this same customer service nationwide.

Atkins is known for shops that resemble high-end hotels or fancy commercial buildings. Much of his business comes from local southern California car dealerships that sell nameplates such as Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Tesla, just to name a few. His shops aren’t huge, but he also maintains another 50 employees that work on-site at dealerships, Atkins explained.

The pandemic was a scary time for body shop owners everywhere, including ROEM’s two locations. Right after breaking ground on his second shop in Costa Mesa, CA, last spring, the world went on hold and Atkins was forced to furlough most of his employees.

“We went from 67 employees down to three literally overnight,” he said. “I started building my new shop right before the pandemic. I was a little nervous on getting our equipment as Italy was being hit hard by the virus. Rob Summers from Eurotech was in constant communication with me and Mark Miller, Blowtherm USA. We received the equipment on time and never had any issues.”

Now back at full force, Atkins and his crew are poised and prepared to rebuild the business one amazing paint job at a time.

“The pandemic showed me that I have control of my business and I can pivot if needed,” he said. “I learned long ago that some doors close and others open. I have found some new business I wasn’t even looking for during the pandemic, and having these Blowtherm booths is a big part of that. We made it through a tough time, but now we’re in a good place and ready for the rest of 2021.”

Owner Jeff Atkins at ROEM Certified Collision Centers relies on two Blowtherm paint booths at both of his Southern California locations.

ROEM Certified Collision Centers

Location: Santa Monica and Costa Mesa, CA

(949) 566-3004

Company At A Glance...

Type: Collision Repair Facility Employees: 70 In Business Since: 2012 Number of Locations: Two

Production Space:

20,000 square feet

By using Blowtherm paint booths, Atkins was able to avoid paint corrections, as well as buffing and polishing every vehicle.

With his amazing equipment from Blowtherm coupled with great support from Eurotech, Atkins is ready to take on a post-pandemic world.

Blowtherm USA & Training Center

810 No. Grove Road Richardson, TX 75081 (855) 463-9872 or (262) 269-6265 sales@blowtherm-usa.com www.blowtherm-usa.com