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I am currently producing $800.00 per lift per day in labor dollars. This does not include parts sold, and for the purpose of this question I do not want to include any parts revenue nor profits of parts per lift. I am talking about labor dollars produced per lift only. There is one man per 2 lifts side by side. So in this scenario we have 4 lifts 2 techs.

 

Is there anyone out there that is producing more than this and how?

 

The base hourly rate is $125.00 per hour.

The hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. No overtime worked or calculated in this equation.

 

I am trying to refine my system and I'm wondering if there is something I'm missing or not seeing. I do not want to add a tech necessarily because there is a point of deminishing returns I feel. I like the 1 tech per 2 lifts system because I find it extremely workable and efficient when it comes to payroll.

 

One tech costs $520.00 per day all in after all costs and produces $1600.00 per typical day. I consider it ok but not terrific. How can I improve this scenario?

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Hahaha agreed. Send them my way.

 

I'm confused as to your problem...

What I'm trying to work out is the lapse of lift productivity. IF the lifts are at 100 percent productivity they should be producing $1125.00 per day per base hourly rate, right now they are $800. per day. Which means there is an innefficiency. I need to bridge the gap. If I add another technician to another 2 lifts I still have the same problem multiplied x 3 employees and so on and so forth. So the purpose of the question is a matter of improvement not complaints.

 

And the question is, can this inefficiency be solved and how? The question is not "What is your problem if you are making money?" but rather, "How can I maximize the shops time and space?"

 

Can it be done and if so how? So with 8 lifts I have a deficit. 3 dead hours per lift per day. Which means I have the capacity to deliver 120 more hours per week which would equal $13000.00 more weekly.

Forgetting the extra income or the production value, I am certain no shop owner wants a piece of equipment or employee in there shop that is 2/3 efficient. This is in no way and absolutely NOT a complaint against the employees. They are second to none. This is a matter of equipment potential and possibilities. This is a matter of intelligence and "problem" solving of shop inefficiencies. How do we make things better?

 

Of course one can say raise the price or charge more if you want to make more money but that still doesn't solve the 2/3 efficiency issue. The purpose is to maximize what already exists, not look for excuses or settle for the status quo. It's time to raise the bar.

 

Problem : 2/3 efficient

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I understand your thinking, $/bay or $/lift is a standard used by many, and I see you are not satisfied with $/tech accounting, so adjust your definition of bay. One bay in your situation is 40' wide containing 2 lifts. Its a very efficient system, we run 3 bays/lifts per tech. Cars go in/up/down/out if there's a holdup we move to the next lift. Unless a guy is doing tires he can't get much over 70% per lift. Waiting for parts, waiting for approval, swing and miss takes up time. You've come full circle, guys are doing 140% with 2 lifts. Try giving your best guy 3 lifts you might be getting 210% out of him even though you are "losing" 90% on lift productivity.

 

You might find the less efficient the lift becomes the more efficient the man becomes.

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  • 1 month later...

What I'm trying to work out is the lapse of lift productivity. IF the lifts are at 100 percent productivity they should be producing $1125.00 per day per base hourly rate, right now they are $800. per day. Which means there is an innefficiency. I need to bridge the gap. If I add another technician to another 2 lifts I still have the same problem multiplied x 3 employees and so on and so forth. So the purpose of the question is a matter of improvement not complaints.

 

And the question is, can this inefficiency be solved and how? The question is not "What is your problem if you are making money?" but rather, "How can I maximize the shops time and space?"

 

Can it be done and if so how? So with 8 lifts I have a deficit. 3 dead hours per lift per day. Which means I have the capacity to deliver 120 more hours per week which would equal $13000.00 more weekly.

Forgetting the extra income or the production value, I am certain no shop owner wants a piece of equipment or employee in there shop that is 2/3 efficient. This is in no way and absolutely NOT a complaint against the employees. They are second to none. This is a matter of equipment potential and possibilities. This is a matter of intelligence and "problem" solving of shop inefficiencies. How do we make things better?

 

Of course one can say raise the price or charge more if you want to make more money but that still doesn't solve the 2/3 efficiency issue. The purpose is to maximize what already exists, not look for excuses or settle for the status quo. It's time to raise the bar.

 

Problem : 2/3 efficient

I appreciate your mindset of "how good can it be" as apposed to "good enough".

 

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

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I would agree that you might be measuring incorrectly. If you are measuring bay productivity you should be measuring per bay/per tech. You would be asking your techs to be minimally be 200% efficient it seems. Your cost average however leaves you below the desired 70% Gross Profit on Labor. You would have to be at around $480 for a loaded cost of tech to meet that benchmark.

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What I'm trying to work out is the lapse of lift productivity. IF the lifts are at 100 percent productivity they should be producing $1125.00 per day per base hourly rate, right now they are $800. per day. Which means there is an innefficiency. I need to bridge the gap. If I add another technician to another 2 lifts I still have the same problem multiplied x 3 employees and so on and so forth. So the purpose of the question is a matter of improvement not complaints.

 

And the question is, can this inefficiency be solved and how? The question is not "What is your problem if you are making money?" but rather, "How can I maximize the shops time and space?"

 

Can it be done and if so how? So with 8 lifts I have a deficit. 3 dead hours per lift per day. Which means I have the capacity to deliver 120 more hours per week which would equal $13000.00 more weekly.

Forgetting the extra income or the production value, I am certain no shop owner wants a piece of equipment or employee in there shop that is 2/3 efficient. This is in no way and absolutely NOT a complaint against the employees. They are second to none. This is a matter of equipment potential and possibilities. This is a matter of intelligence and "problem" solving of shop inefficiencies. How do we make things better?

 

Of course one can say raise the price or charge more if you want to make more money but that still doesn't solve the 2/3 efficiency issue. The purpose is to maximize what already exists, not look for excuses or settle for the status quo. It's time to raise the bar.

 

Problem : 2/3 efficient

 

You become a banker, change your business model. Put your money out on interest to accrue 24 hours a day, and let someone else worry about efficiency use. :)

Edited by HarrytheCarGeek
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So your trying to get your guys to flag 200% of book time is what it sounds like. Is there always a car on every lift? Maybe you need 3 techs to 5 bays to hit 100% on every lift. Your guys are getting it done maybe you just need more.

 

This was my first thought as well. If you want to increase lift productivity try 3 tech to 5 lifts.

However, if you track tech efficiency you might see a slight drop in their overall numbers, but a corresponding increase in lift productivity.

It's a trade off, and you'll have to run your own numbers to see if your business would be better off with:

- 5 lifts at 90+% productivity and 3 techs at 120% efficiency OR

- 4 lifts at 70% productivity and 2 techs at 140% efficiency

Obviously with a 3rd tech you'd make more money, but would the productivity gains outweigh the loss in tech efficiency or not?

 

Second, you sound like you've probably got this covered already, but make sure that your shop is 100% laid out to not reduce tech efficiency at all.

Lastly, make sure that you invest in the best shop tools you can afford to enhance tech efficiency.

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I am currently producing $800.00 per lift per day in labor dollars. This does not include parts sold, and for the purpose of this question I do not want to include any parts revenue nor profits of parts per lift. I am talking about labor dollars produced per lift only. There is one man per 2 lifts side by side. So in this scenario we have 4 lifts 2 techs.

 

Is there anyone out there that is producing more than this and how?

 

The base hourly rate is $125.00 per hour.

The hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. No overtime worked or calculated in this equation.

 

I am trying to refine my system and I'm wondering if there is something I'm missing or not seeing. I do not want to add a tech necessarily because there is a point of deminishing returns I feel. I like the 1 tech per 2 lifts system because I find it extremely workable and efficient when it comes to payroll.

 

One tech costs $520.00 per day all in after all costs and produces $1600.00 per typical day. I consider it ok but not terrific. How can I improve this scenario?

$520 per day, I'm assuming that's after tax, insurance, benefits.. Breaking things? Can I ask, how does it add up to that? I'm trying to really organize our p&l.

 

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         3 comments
      Got your attention? Good. The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect technician pay plan. There are countless ways to create any pay plan. I’ve heard all the claims and opinions, and to be honest, it’s getting a little frustrating. Claims that an hourly paid pay plan cannot motivate. That flat rate is the only way to truly get the most production from your technicians. And then there’s the hybrid performance-based pay plan that many claim is the best.
      At a recent industry event, a shop owner from the Midwest boasted about his flat-rate techs and insisted that this pay plan should be adopted by all shops across the country. When I informed him that in states like New York, you cannot pay flat-rate, he was shocked. “Then how do you motivate your techs” he asked me.
      I remember the day in 1986 when I hired the best technician who ever worked for me in my 41 years as an automotive shop owner. We’ll call him Hal. When Hal reviewed my pay plan for him, and the incentive bonus document, he stared at it for a minute, looked up, and said, “Joe, this looks good, but here’s what I want.” He then wrote on top of the document the weekly salary he wanted. It was a BIG number. He went on to say, “Joe, I need to take home a certain amount of money. I have a home, a wife, two kids, and my Harly Davidson. I will work hard and produce for you. I don’t need an incentive bonus to do my work.” And he did, for the next 30 years, until the day he retired.
      Everyone is entitled to their opinion. So, here’s mine. Money is a motivator, but not the only motivator, and not the best motivator either. We have all heard this scenario, “She quit ABC Auto Center, to get a job at XYZ Auto Repair, and she’s making less money now at XYZ!” We all know that people don’t leave companies, they leave the people they work for or work with.
      With all this said, I do believe that an incentive-based pay plan can work. However, I also believe that a technician must be paid a very good base wage that is commensurate with their ability, experience, and certifications. I also believe that in addition to money, there needs to be a great benefits package. But the icing on the cake in any pay plan is the culture, mission, and vision of the company, which takes strong leadership. And let’s not forget that motivation also comes from praise, recognition, respect, and when technicians know that their work matters.
      Rather than looking for that elusive perfect pay plan, sit down with your technician. Find out what motivates them. What their goals are. Why do they get out of bed in the morning? When you tie their goals with your goals, you will have one powerful pay plan.
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