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COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
After missing out by a whisker in 2005, CV body repairer Perry's of Gobowen successfully clinched joint top spot in last year's CV Bodyshop of the Year Award. The industry heavyweight wowed the judges with its ability to tackle complex commercial vehicle repairs. James Simons reports.
At first glance Gobowen, a small town on the England-Wales border, may not appear to be that remarkable. Noted for its open cast mines or ?gobs', one of which may have been owned by a man called Owen (hence the name), it doesn't top the list of UK tourist destinations. But dig a little deeper and the town has one major claim to fame.
?We've got the biggest commercial Josam jig in the country,' declared Mike Wilson, Bodyshop Manager at CV repairer Perry's of Gobowen. ?It enables us to carry out specialist repairs that others simply can't manage.'
The jig, which measures 24m x 18m, is impressive in size but forms only a fraction of the bodyshop's total equipment assembly. Other items include two Josam chassis 20t/40t straightening kits, two Josam cab jigs, a Josam laser wheel/axle aligner, LGV and 4x4 jigs, two Alesco 3000 20kw induction heaters, aluminium Mig welders, one computer Truck Cam chassis and wheel alignment system - all housed under one 40,000 sq ft workshop roof.
The decision to focus on repair rather than refurbishment, therefore, made perfect sense. ?Too many firms in the refurb market tend to buy spraybooths and worry about getting work later,' said Mike. ?We're the sort of company who get the work then heavily invest in equipment such as jig brackets costing £22,000 to do the job.'
A typical example, says Mike, would involve a heavy frontal impact, which under normal circumstances would require a new cab to be fitted. ?Repairers who haven't got the right equipment would automatically look to replace rather than repair,' he said. ?But we've got the kit to save the cab, save the operator and insurer money and sell what we're good at: labour.'
Founded by Company Director Glyn Heathcock's father (Clive Heathcock, who is still active in the business), Perry's has spent the past 45 years building its reputation on quality workmanship. From small garage to vehicle recovery and accident repair, the business has grown steadily and now operates from a purpose-built, two acre service and CV accident repair centre. ?We found we were recovering HGVs only to send them away to get straightened,' said Glyn. ?We took the view that there was a market for it locally and turned our attention to major repairs, including chassis and cab straightening, rather than minor repairs.'
Approvals
Nowadays, all the major players - Scania, Mercedes, Leyland Daf, MAN, Iveco and Renault - are on board, impressed, it seems, with the level of expertise on show. ?Our standards are as good as a quality car repairer,' said Mike, ?and there's no reason why they wouldn't be, after all a commercial truck is worth 10 times more than a car.' On top of this, the manufacturer also benefits from extra parts sales - something a franchised dealer without a dedicated bodyshop is unable to provide. ?It's a win-win situation,' added Mike. ?We've got the facilities and know-how, the manufacturer provides us with the work and on the back of it they get the parts sales.'
In terms of work mix, vehicle manufacturer approvals make up around 20%, with insurance referrals accounting for 40% and fleet/individual customers the rest. The type of work is equally varied, ranging from Mercedes Sprinter vans at the bottom end of the scale to a 200 tonne gross weight heavy-duty tractor unit at the top end. In fact, according to Mike, no job is too big or complex because the company has the skills set to deal with whatever comes its way.
One look at the type of work passing through the workshop confirms this. Repairs to trailers and coaches are commonplace, while MoD Foden chassis with massive off-road distortion are straightened using the latest techniques. Where it is not possible to find a replacement part, facilities exist to fashion a replica using on-site fabrication equipment. This is particularly useful for jobs involving coaches, which tend to date quickly making it difficult to locate suitable spares.
Knowledge
Equally impressive is the ability to turnaround damaged vehicles in a short space of time. Knowledge of repair methods, which might involve taking out the dash and stripping the frontal area to put a new front panel in, can prove invaluable for an operator faced with a lengthy downtime of eight weeks or more to order in a new cab. Elsewhere, a front axle, which can cost £3,000-4,000 to replace, can be straightened at a fraction of the price.
But with repairs becoming more specialised, the onus on repairers to offer a greater level of expertise has never been greater. ?The quality in the CV repair market has improved immensely over the last few years,' said Mike. ?Gone are the days when someone could just paint a cab in cheap 2-pack and throw it back half matched to the customer. Expectations are high and you need to offer a complete customer package and return a first class job.'
Included in this ?customer package' is the ability to communicate effectively and explain to the customer what needs to be done and why. This not only breeds confidence, but also goes a long way to prevent any misunderstanding further down the line. ?If you start off with a good attitude, then you set the tone for the rest of the relationship,' said Mike. ?There's been occasions where we've picked up work from competitors purely because they couldn't speak to the customer properly.'
The same applies to insurance engineers. Glyn explains that a good working relationship is crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy workflow. ?It's easy for a work provider to write-off a vehicle and say that it's uneconomical to repair,' he said. ?But if you've got the knowledge to carry out a proper estimate and present a viable repair alternative, then everybody can benefit.' To illustrate the point he recalls a recent job where it would have cost £26,000 to write the vehicle off and £12,000-13,000 to repair it.
The emphasis on repair also means it is far more likely that fleet customers are willing to accept recycled parts - something that Perry's has been promoting for the past five years. With new vehicle costs stagnating and parts prices rising year-on-year, the move towards quality second-hand parts is becoming increasingly popular. ?If the vehicle side is quite heavily damaged, a VM offering a buy back scheme will look to salvage the vehicle rather than put it for resale,' said Glyn. ?That's where we would come in and offer to buy the cab and recycle the door that was left undamaged.'
Specialised market
By offering ?quality' parts from nearly new vehicles alongside quality repairs processes, Perry's has cemented its place in an increasingly specialised market. As a result, both Glyn and Mike believe the future looks bright for the business and the industry as a whole. ?The CV market only needs a handful of good repairers because there's not enough volume any more,' said Mike. ?It's not like the car market, it's more specialised and only those who have invested in quality workmanship will prosper.'
Recognition of this fact came in last year's Bodyshop awards when the judges singled Perry's out as a ?very, very good' accident repairer. ?That's what pleased us most,' said Mike. ?Some people judge success by the number of spraybooths, size of car park etc but big isn't always beautiful and sometimes it comes down to quality of service.'
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Perrys of Gobowen Ltd
IFTON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
ST MARTINS OSWESTRY, SHROPSHIRE SY11 3DA
Phone: 01691 770301 Fax 01691 770399
Email: perrys@perrysofgobowen.demon.co.uk
Company No 4236253
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