PPG Aerospace
Menu
Print |

News

Change for the Better

During the 2019 awards judging tour, Samantha Street was amazed to see the dramatic transformational journey two particular businesses had taken over the past 12 months. It prompted the question, ‘what had made the difference’? It turns out it was simply about taking advantage of a specialised PPG service.


Despite being separated by over 1700 kilometres, Brighton Panel Works in Melbourne and Gold Coast Collision Centre in South East Queensland faced the same challenges felt across the wider collision repair industry – how to make a decent profit for the hard work they put in. Both have managed to find answers by working with PPG’s MVP Business Solutions program which is included as part of the company’s support service for customers. After being a long-term PPG customer, Julie Numanoglu at Brighton Panel Works realised it was time to start taking advantage of what MVP Business Solutions could offer.
 
“I had just taken over the business from my dad, Alan Pettett, and I looked at running a business very differently to him. We really needed to look at the way the shop was presented and work on maximising efficiency. When I watched the workshop, I often saw staff having to walk around looking for things. I felt like we were letting them down by not providing an efficient workshop. Mindy Roberts (MVP Business Solutions Manager VIC / TAS) suggested a whole shop audit to figure out exactly what needed fixing. When she showed me the results, I thought ‘oh my God, is that my shop’? From there it was literally out with the old and in with the new!”
 
It was a similar story at Gold Coast Collision Centre, where a massive growth spurt was the driver behind the move to begin working with MVP Business Solutions, says Megan Leishman, who owns the business with husband, Dan.
 
“We were in need of some help because, in the space of 12 months, we went from a little 240m² factory to a workshop with 1500m²! Our business exploded – our volume tripled but our processes had not changed. Ben Doughty (MVP Business Solutions Manager QLD) explained the different things the program could help us with, if we were interested. We started with a shop audit and he put all the results into a booklet, along with ‘before’ photos. That really put everything into perspective. It highlighted all the things you should know but, until someone points it out, you don’t necessarily see because you are caught up in the day-to-day focus of getting jobs out the door. Ben also gave us an ‘action plan’ that we used to start making improvements. Once we did a little bit and saw the benefits, we wanted more and we have just continued on that way trying to learn and absorb as much as we can.”
 
Both organisations began by implementing 5S methodologies which is basically about cleaning and removing clutter from the workshop and ensuring there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. Afterwards, a set of best practice processes, combined with appropriate product technologies, were implemented to cover every workshop operation. This was backed up with comprehensive PPG training for staff. Interestingly, the biggest challenge for both organisations was in changing the mindset of workshop staff. Specially targeted MVP Business Solutions training sessions have helped staff understand the need for change, Megan Leishman explains.
 
“In the past, everyone had a particular way of wanting to do things but that doesn’t help with efficiency and consistency. It has been great to implement processes for everything but you have to keep everybody on the same page, pulling in the same direction. Ultimately, these improvements are for them, just as much as for the business. The difference in having a place for everything, step-by-step processes for everyone to follow and just being organised, is huge.”
 
Although they have been able to make remarkable progress over the past year or so, these two collision centres see it as just the start of a long-term journey and partnership with MVP Business Solutions. Having expert guidance and support is invaluable, says Julie Numanoglu.
 
“We are very excited to continue with MVP Business Solutions. This industry is so tight now, with so little margin, we can’t afford reworks so we need to make sure we do it right the first time. That is all about having the workshop clean and set up correctly, with the right processes and with people in the right mindset. This has really brought us into line to do things the modern, efficient way. The more we do with MVP Business Solutions, the more opportunities we find to work on specific areas of the business and keep making more improvements.”
 
The MVP Business Solutions program is delivered by a team of seven MVP Business Solutions Managers located across the region and is available as part of PPG’s comprehensive support package. Its focus is on helping customers to improve performance across the full spectrum of business activities, in order to enhance profitability. For more information, contact your PPG Representative or PPG’s Customer Service hotline 13 24 24 (Aust) or 0800 320 320 (NZ).