By Andrew Shepherd
Ottawa, Ontario — September 29, 2016 — I-CAR US Director of Curriculum and Product Development, Josh McFarlin, recently announced the release of new curriculum in the Production Management role, noting that it is geared toward new production systems found in modern collision repair facilities.
McFarlin noted that “There’s not only a “Technical Tsunami” hitting the collision repair industry—vehicles built with non-traditional metals and composites which require new tools, techniques and processes—but it’s also evolving business as we know it. Whether you’re a shop owner or part of the management team that keeps business running smoothly, there are a certain set of skills required to run a successful business today that weren’t as critical in the past.”
These business conditions increasingly include a more “industrial” approach to repair, fostered by larger MSOs and networks that deal with more than one shop. In addition most of the sector is grappling with an unending need and desire to achieve key performance indicator levels set by business partners—as well as profitability targets. Shops of all sizes have to become more operationally efficient and smarter with the resources they do have, all the while breaking down silos, tracking key performance indicators and aggressively looking for ways to grow and maintain business.
The answer, according to I-CAR, is a focus on the knowledge and skills resources of the company. In 2010, I-CAR began working with the industry to develop educational resources to build management acumen with the rollout of the Professional Development Program.
As that program was being developed with a focus on technical knowledge and skills, I-CAR recognized the future need for another element: the production management curriculum, which focuses on the repair or production process. When the curriculum was introduced in 2015, it helped provide the end-to-end production-management knowledge needed to drive process improvements and maximize shop performance. This draws upon a diverse skill set which can range from finding the right talent to blueprinting processes.
The Production Management role covers topics such as understand the learning culture; the blueprinting process; workflow design and management; quality control; personnel and business management; cycle time analysis; building vendor and network relationships; company financials and meeting KPIs.
Training paths can now be tailored to the role-specific knowledge needs of collision repair professionals involved in shop-wide production processes, as well as for those responsible only for sub-elements of the process. This makes the curriculum more relevant to all repair organizations, regardless of how the production management process is executed.
McFarlin concluded that “Business is changing fast for collision repair professionals, with no signs of slowing. In line with this shift, the skills required to be successful are changing. While individual efficiencies and expertise will continue to remain key to quality of work, enhanced production process acumen will also help today’s shops build a better business.”
Registration for Production Management courses is available at i-car.ca.
