Search Results

Who will repair the cars of the future? By the year 2001 there will be over 200 million vehicles registered in the United States. The closing of many new car dealerships and the reduction of service bays at oil companies are contributing to the decline of traditional service outlets to repair vehicles. Certain trends, however, are emerging that indicate that a shortage of auto repair technicians will not exist. Vehicles have been improved and maintenance schedules and warranties have been extended. The quality of the modern vehicle has impacted some traditional types of auto repair that used to be done. Rustproofing and engine tune-ups are just two such businesses. Factory rustproofing and the use of rust resistant materials have forced muffler shops and rustproofing businesses to change their repair focus. Tune-up services have changed to engine performance services because of the change in vehicle technology.

The challenge for the future of automotive repair lies in the industry's ability to improve its productivity. The auto repair industry has not made the quality improvements that the automotive manufacturing industry has made in the past years. The first step to improve productivity is to identify the areas that have the most impact on productivity. This is the value of a performance audit. A performance audit identifies the processes that improve productivity. You cannot perform better than the process allows. If the process has problems, it will impair performance despite training efforts or motivation to improve. In the automotive repair business there are seven key areas that will benefit from a performance audit. They are: technical competence/training, administrative, sales and marketing, customer satisfaction, housekeeping, financial, and environmental and safety. To be more productive requires a knowledge of those items and a follow-up plan for improvement.