PPG

by Autobody News Staff

Frank Wilcox, owner of Frank’s Collision Center with four locations in Georgia and Alabama, doesn’t cut corners when it comes to having the newest, cutting-edge tools and equipment coupled with industry-leading training and processes.

As a lifelong combination technician who entered the collision industry 30-plus years ago, Frank knows his business is only as good as the tools he uses and the people he hires to use them.

Three years ago, Frank witnessed a bad situation in which he was losing money on his paint department, with a plethora of products, materials and time being wasted. So, he asked himself how he could take control of the numbers, and luckily PPG changed his world in 2019.

When Frank began his body shop in the early ‘90s, his paint booth consisted of a “wall, a sheet of plastic, an exhaust fan and four fluorescent lights.” One of the very first vehicles he ever worked on was a 1937 Plymouth he painted burgundy.

Pretty soon, people saw Frank’s work and brought their cars to him for repairs and restorations. To accommodate his company’s growth, he got a small loan and hired his cousin Gerald Wilcox, from Northern California, to help.

Frank was strapped for cash like anyone who starts a shop, and it got a little scary at the beginning, he said.

“I remember one day I needed some money to pay for parts, so that I could finish a job and return the car to the customer. So, I went down to one of those check cashing places and got the money,” he said. “I got the parts, did the repair, got paid and then went back to the quick loan place and paid them off. Luckily, I didn’t have to do that ever again.”

Today, Frank does not have cash flow issues because he has been doing things right since opening his doors three decades ago. When he learned a few years ago he wasn’t hitting his numbers when it came to his paint department, it surely got his attention. It was one of those scenarios where what you don’t know can hurt you and, in this case, it was also crippling.

“PPG put a software program together for us that enables us to track everything we do that is paint-related, and it’s now a huge part of our production and how to manage it,” he said. “Now I always know exactly what my painters are doing all the time—how much product they’re using and how much are we making. Before we had this system, we were guessing, and now we know precisely where we stand every day.”

The reports generated by PPG’s PAINTMANAGER® XI system are gold for Frank and his crew. Every day, his front office people print out a report that tells every manager and painter where they stand.

“It’s become a great tool and is now a permanent part of our production,” he said. “We meet every quarter with all of our painters, estimators and managers and drill down on the numbers. If our guys hit or exceed their production goals, they get a nice bonus, which motivates them to do even better.”

Frank could see by tracking all his paint numbers, he was starting to be more profitable. But when he saw the actual figure, he almost dropped his coffee.

“In the first year, we saved approximately $200,000; it’s amazing,” he said. “I thought we were running efficiently and in many ways, we were, but by staying on top of it and watching it every day, we’ve been able to turn our paint department into a money-making department!”

With a great product backed by a money-saving solution, if Frank decides to expand further, he’s in a prime position to take on the post-pandemic world. The fact his company receives full support from his jobber, Painters Supply in Columbus, GA, provides him with that much-needed peace of mind.

“You can have a great product that works well like the PPG ENVIROBASE® system, but if you run into issues and you can’t get anyone on the phone, it doesn’t matter how good it works,” he said. “The people at Painters Supply know everything they need to know, and if we have any more specific questions, our PPG guy is always available. Our contact is Sam Thompson, and we have known him for a long time. In fact, he was our first PPG instructor and now he’s our area manager.”

Frank is 53, but he has no plans to retire. In fact, he still yearns for the early years when he would sometimes work until 6 a.m., take a nap and get back to work in order to meet deadlines.

“There are a lot of companies out there who want to buy us, but that’s not going to happen,” he said. “I still really like running a shop as a production manager because producing a good product is really satisfying.”

The people at Frank’s Collision Center receive great support from PPG and their jobber Painters Supply in Columbus, GA.

Location: Columbus, GA

Type: Collision Repair Facility Employees: 50 In Business Since: 1992 Number of Locations: Four

50,000 square feet

Owner Frank Wilcox was losing major money until PPG stepped up and showed him how to save $200,000 on paint and materials.

Frank’s Collision Center can now track everything that’s paint-related, thanks to PPG.

Company Contact: Cathy Rusnak (440) 572-6916