The latest Pulse of the Industry report for March 2026 is now available.
Drawing from more than 60,000 monthly repair orders, the report -- produced through an exclusive collaboration between Collision Repair Magazine and AutoHouse Technologies -- provides a Canada-wide snapshot of key performance indicators across the collision repair sector. All financial figures are presented on a pre-tax basis.
The May report shows lower repair order values, lower work-in-progress levels and improved production efficiency across the industry.
Average insurer-paid repair orders declined by $96 compared to the prior six-month average and fell $50 month-over-month. Customer-paid repair orders declined by $93 compared to the prior six-month average and fell $25 from the previous month.
The industry’s average cycle time reached 13.2 days, down 4.5% compared to the prior three-month average. Top-performing facilities reported a 5.7-day cycle time, down 5.8% over the same period.
Touch time improved across the broader industry and among top performers. Repairers averaged 2.6 hours produced per repair order per day, up 5.1% compared to the prior three-month average. Among top 10% performers, touch time reached 4.7 hours, up 3.5%.
The industry’s work-in-progress ratio declined to 10.6:1, down 14.8% compared to the prior three-month average. According to the report, WIP ratio remains a leading indicator of shop efficiency and profitability, with top-performing repairers typically maintaining between 7.5 and 11.0 days of repair inventory.
Mike Gilliland, of AutoHouse Technologies, said the May results point to both lower repair inventory and improved operational performance.
“May’s data tells two stories,” Gilliland said. “First, the challenge. Industry WIP Ratio declined to 10.6:1, the lowest inventory level we’ve seen in the past 13 months. Lower WIP indicates reduced repair opportunities, creating increased competition for work and greater pressure on shop performance.”
Gilliland also said lower WIP levels also appeared alongside stronger production metrics.
“Now the good news. As WIP Ratios have fallen, operational performance has improved. Cycle time continues to trend down and touch time continues to improve. With less repairs clogging the system, vehicles are moving through production more efficiently.”
Darryl Simmons, publisher of Collision Repair magazine, said the May report shows why repairers should look at volume and throughput together.
“The headline is not just that work-in-progress fell,” he said. “It is that cycle time and touch time improved at the same time. That gives shop owners a clearer picture of what is happening on the floor.”
He added that the report should be read as a capacity and performance snapshot, not just as a measure of repair volume.
“Repairers are not looking at one number in isolation,” Simmons said. “The useful part of this report is the way it connects repair values, cycle time, touch time and WIP in one monthly snapshot.”
Gilliland said operational discipline becomes more important when repair volume tightens.
“Operational discipline has always been a competitive advantage, even more so when repair volume tightens,” Gilliland said. “Repairers that focus on throughput are better positioned to sustain profitability and will be less affected by a market slowdown than those relying on volume alone.”
