In November we wrote about IAG setting up their wholly owned Repairhub in East Tamaki. We thought it worthwhile to follow up with a visit to have a look on behalf of our readers.
Repairhub works on the RAPID or SMART model and aims to turn around non-structural repairs within three days. In the bulk of cases the car stays at the Repairhub when bought in for assessing and assuming damage is non-structural repairs commence then, saving the owner additional trips and long waits for a repair (often due to needing to wait until a loan car is available from other repairers). The exception is when there will be a delay in parts availability. Enough loan cars are available – aided by the short turnarounds for clients to immediately take a loan car.
Stage one is ordering the parts which is done by the estimator, the car then goes to one of the pre-strip bays to remove any parts (typically bumpers, trim etc). Repairhub uses slightly modified mobile benches and some clever parts storage ideas to keep track of all the parts and fixings. At this stage any additional damage can be assessed and a scan of the ADAS systems completed to highlight any issues. The paint matcher also does the paint matching now to avoid delays down the track.
The vehicle is then generally stored outside awaiting parts delivery, which in most cases will be next day although sometimes even the same day if ordered in the morning. Repairs are then done, this can include panel replacement (guards etc). After this the vehicle moves to a dedicated paint prep area where primer can be applied and given a two-minute UV cure.
Next up is the painting. The site has two USI Italia spray booths and utilises a Chromax paint system (water base coat system and solvent clear coat). This system allows 1.5 coats to be applied before curing and then 10-minute bakes at a low 45 degrees, giving impressive through put for the paint process – often a bottleneck in car refinishing.
After painting the vehicle goes to a reassembly bay and then for cleaning and final inspection.
The production process is pretty slick – needed with the tight turnaround times, there is a computer generated screen in the workshop tracking all jobs through the system to pick up any production issues quickly and a QA check is done after each stage plus a more detailed final inspection. The aim is to have the job complete several hours before the promised client pick up time to avoid late delivery.
In our discussions with the Repairhub Operations Manager, Gary Geeves, who has extensive industry experience, it was obvious there is a lot of pride in the set-up and staff of the facility. For instance, they have deliberately chosen premium products throughout the process.
One comment from Gary was that they have to de-train new staff to get out of some old work habits, as the process is quite different, and then re-train them to the systems they use. They have been pleasantly surprised by the team’s willingness to learn and change. They look to develop task champions who can help train or assist new staff. Health & Safety is a huge priority and starts at the employment stage where attitude towards Health & Safety is a key aptitude looked for. They specify rubber half masks for all filler/sanding/priming rather than paper masks.
The site opened mid-November and is still in a ramp up phase, currently there are 16 production staff and three in customer care which will grow as they fully ramp up production, with a target of 80 repairs a week. To date the rework rate has been pleasingly low and customer feedback has been positive, especially around the immediate repair and lack of delays in repairs and deliveries. (To date they have only had to reschedule two customers by a day for delivery.)
Gary is proud to be involved with the exciting project and to deliver it with no quality compromises and a strong focus on the people side of the equation.
