The challenge for newcomers to the automotive repair industry isn’t always gaining experience—sometimes it’s letting go of the past. When Michael Robinson took over management of E & M Auto Body in Shiloh, N.J., he was conscious of the fact he was the third generation of body shop owners in his family. “That’s all we’ve ever done,” he says. Just a year after graduating from high school, after a brief stint working in the shop full time as a painter, he took over management of the business from his father.
With the shop on steady footing, Robinson must have been tempted to maintain the status quo. What he discovered quickly, however, was that, to help the business grow, he needed to anticipate where the industry was headed. “The biggest thing I had to overcome was the constant changes in the business and try to look forward to what changes were coming—that was the hardest thing to do,” he says.
Early on he saw that computerized estimating was on the horizon and decided to get on board. The salesperson from whom he purchased his first estimating system told him his was the first repair facility in his area to do so. The new technology allowed E & M Auto Body to streamline the estimating process and turnaround vehicles faster and more efficiently. Eventually, when insurers made computerized estimating capabilities part of the requirement for establishing direct repair programs, Robinson was already set. Today E & M has 16 direct repair agreements, and DRP work accounts for nearly 80 percent of the shop’s business.
Robinson’s farsighted approach also put him ahead of his direct competitors, two shops that had been in the business years—even decades—longer than E & M Auto Body, which his father opened in 1981. In this way, Robinson was following in his father’s footsteps. In 1987, his dad invested in a paint-mixing system, another first in the area. He did it to reduce the cost of materials and increase his profit, but it also positioned him as somewhat of a pioneer. That same year, E & M Auto Body added a fresh air system to the paint booth. Today that’s one of the requirements for an auto repair license in the state of New Jersey, and Robinson didn’t have to scramble to stay up to date like other shops that failed to make the early improvement. A few years ago, he further updated the paint department by adding high-volume, low-pressure spray guns.
Robinson says he’s constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency and organization, a philosophy that helped the shop secure I-CAR Gold Professional status. It also helped E & M Auto Body land a deal with General Motors for warranty work as one of the automaker’s certified warranty repair centers.
Following the lead of insurance companies, Robinson has recently set his sights on cycle times and delivery dates. He’s already signed up for classes hosted by his paint vendor that offer tips for reducing cycle times and setting up systems for guaranteed delivery dates.
“We’re a small shop, but we believe we have a tremendous opportunity to excel in that because of the mindset in our area. [The other shop owners] are still way behind in their thinking,” Robinson says. He’s also planning to invest in a computerized measuring system.
In the just over 10 years he’s managed the shop, Robinson has grown comfortable in his position and has developed his own management style. He found that he’s more comfortable being a hands-on manager than someone who stays behind the scenes. “I stay on the floor. I do the painting, and I oversee the quality control,” he says. “I’ve tried to get into the office to do estimating and it didn’t work for me, so I’ve put a person in that position, along with my wife. They handle the front office. I’m the painter and the production manager.”
He’s also developed innovative ways to increase customer satisfaction. In order to give his customers greater peace of mind, Robinson started drawing up warranties on repair work and paint. This move helped his shop build a strong customer base and gain ground against older, more established shops in the area.
“To this day, we’re still one of the only ones in our area to give customers a warranty,” he says. E & M Auto Body also offers a 24-hour towing service on site, as just another way to distinguish itself from competitors. “The customer is more demanding and they expect more, so you have to step up and give them that,” he says.
