THE SHOP:
Champions Collision Center is part of a three-shop MSO that has serviced the northwest Houston area for 20 years. The 20,000-square-foot Cutten Road location sees an average of 200 cars per month with a staff of 18.
The Reviewer:
Brandon Gary, owner of Champions Collision, got into the industry thanks to his wife, Shauna, and her father, whom Gary eventually purchased the business from after first starting out there in 1996.
HOW IT WORKS:
The HP Process Refinish System allows shops to do paint and repairs in 50 minutes or less. The first step in the process is to apply the HP primer, which does not need to be baked. The entire system can be painted wet-on-wet, so as soon as the primer has been applied, the base coat—either waterborne or solvent—can be applied. The last step is the application of the clear coat. Twenty minutes after the clear coat has been applied, the car can be reassembled. The system was designed to be used on 1–3 panel repairs.
THE REVIEW:
Gary has used the system for four years. The HP Process Refinish System appealed to him because of the speed, which would bring down both his length of rental and cycle time. And because the process eliminates the need for baking, Gary says the shop has saved a lot of money on its energy bills.
Gary’s team uses the refinish system whenever it can, particularly with any job that has a 24-hour turnaround. Thanks to the system, Gary says he’s seen three panel jobs come in and out in the same day. He says the painters at Champions Collision like the system because they’re able to get more work done, as the paint dries in 20 minutes and there’s no need to bake.
THE RETURN:
Within the first 60 days of using the system, the shop was able to shave a full day off of its overall cycle time, lowering it from 7.5 to 6.5 days. The shop averages two to three jobs per day that can use the system, which means two to three less heat cycles per day. “Heat is not cheap,” Gary says. “Not running the booth as often has saved us significantly each month.” Gary adds that the system allows 12–15 extra jobs per week thanks to the time savings. Those extra jobs bring in about $2,200 per week in extra revenue.
