RR_v65-3.indd - PPG Industries

Crown Collision Center
processes over 300 vehicles
a month, at an average repair
value of $2,000, working
out of a 45,000 square-foot
facility with 23 technicians
and eight painters.
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That’s something of an
understatement. Crown Collision
is part of the Crown Dealerships Group,
a family of 11 dealerships selling and
servicing 20 car and truck lines,
with most of the dealerships located
on either side of US 19, adjacent to
or near the collision center in St.
Petersburg. Plus, as a DRP manager,
Jackie knew how attractive such a
high-volume facility, accustomed
to working to auto manufacturer
warranty standards, could be. And
with that much of a dealership
presence, insurance carriers could
be highly confident that Crown
would be there for the long run,
ready to back their guarantees.
Another reason for Jackie’s
confidence is PPG Distributor Tim
Morrell, who runs Auto Body Express
in Tampa. Crown was under contract
with another finish supplier when
Tim first called on Jackie, but that
didn’t stop him from pitching in
and helping out.
“Tim and PPG were here, in this
shop, consulting with me and acting
as business partners for two years
before I purchased a single drop of
paint from them,” Jackie says. “I don’t
want to give you the impression
that the product was unimportant
here, because that’s not the case at
all. My painters consistently told me
that, for color match, and for cycle
time, PPG was absolutely the way
to go. And because PPG is a global
company, they met the requirements
of all our OEM warranty work.
So certainly they were attractive,
product-wise. But what truly made
the difference for me was the attitude;
PPG came in here with a partnership
solution. And it was not a cookiecutter
solution. This is a big business,
with unique challenges, so PPG
brought in a variety of people,
including Dave Mitchum, PPG
Business Development Manager,
to look at and analyze the various
aspects of our business. They came
up with not only a plan to help us
attain our specific goals, but the
systems to help us best implement
the plan, such as Throughput
Management and innovative
production models.”
One of PPG’s first suggestions
was that Crown adopt Summit
management software, to streamline
the operation, adopt door-to-door
throughput management techniques,
and identify potential issues before
they can turn into real problems.
Summit’s owner, Frank Terlep, flew
in and provided a customized IT
solution that was specific to the
shop’s needs.
“It’s a night-and-day difference,”
Jackie says. “As a shop manager, I need
to know when a car is tracking behind
the scheduled delivery date. When
a car is late for delivery, you’re past
‘problem’ and well into ‘crisis’—
the customer is unhappy because you
didn’t keep your word, the insurer is
unhappy because there’s an additional
rental expense… as a manager, I want
to know when the car is going to be
late going into paint.”
Having such a system in place
has changed Jackie’s outlook as a
shop manager.
“Some managers don’t really
manage,” she says. “They put out
fires. They spend their time looking
at issues and trying to figure out why
they arose. But with systems in place
to avoid the issues in the first place,
I have the opportunity to network
with insurers and really leverage our
CertifiedFirst ®
Network membership. I
have the opportunity to meet with
and understand the needs of our
customers and how we can serve
them better. And I can turn what
I learn into initiatives that make us
more productive and more attractive
to all our stakeholders.”
One such initiative is Crown
Express, a 12,000-square-foot facility
just a short walk from Crown
Collision, where repairs can be
done while the customer waits.
“On simple repairs, a logical
customer question is, ‘Why do I have
to leave the car?’” Jackie says. “And
we thought about that, and decided,
‘You don’t.’ By implementing timesaving
steps, like pre-painting parts,
we can really expedite things. We have
a comfortable lounge, food and
beverages, and a business center where
a customer can check e-mail while
they wait. Insurers absolutely love
this service because they don’t have
to rent a car. And our dealerships
love it because, often, while a repair
is being done, the customer walks
over to one of our showrooms and
shops for a new car or truck.”
Crown has been working with
PPG to take even further advantage
of certification and training programs
for collision shop personnel at all levels
of the business, and to incorporate
plans that will help make this already
successful business a phenomenal
success. And Jackie Zajac is confident
of that success.
“As far as I’m concerned,” she says
with a nod. “The sky really is the
limit with PPG.”