Keeping an Eye on Bay Productivity [THA 356]

carmcapriotto · November 30, 2023

Did you know most shops only utilize 20-30% of their bay capacity? Let's explore the concept of effective bay rate and the potential benefits of monitoring and analyzing bay usage. What is the potential revenue that can be realized by addressing these inefficiencies? Our panel highlights the importance of focusing on bay efficiency rather than just technician efficiency and the need for shops to adopt lean six sigma principles to maximize productivity.

Chris Cloutier is co-owner of Golden Rule Auto Care in Dallas Texas and CEO of Autoflow. Chris’s previous episodes HERE Brandon Crusha, Training Manager, AutoFlow. Craig O’Neill, VP of Training, AutoFlow. Listen to Craig’s previous episodes HERE Show Notes:

Effective Bay Rate and Bay Productivity (00:00:22) Discussion on the importance of effective bay rate and the use of cameras and AI to improve bay productivity and efficiency.
Realizing Potential Revenue through Operational Efficiency (00:08:14) The discussion focuses on how the use of cameras and technology can reveal potential revenue that is not being realized and the fear some shop owners have in facing this reality.
The potential of improving bay efficiency (00:10:14) Discussion on the importance of managing bay efficiency and how to become more productive and efficient with limited bays.
The role of technology in tracking vehicles in the bay (00:11:17) Exploration of how a tool can provide visibility into which cars are being worked on in each bay, highlighting wasted time.
Challenges with diagnosing and tracking diagnostic time (00:13:11) Discussion on the inefficiencies and lack of process in diagnosing and tracking diagnostic time, leading to wasted hours and $0 tickets.
The Shop Manager's Data Needs (00:19:40) Discussion on the importance of data for shop managers and foremen, including workflow software, bay capacity, tire sales, and profitability of ADAS services.
The Expensive Alignment Bay (00:20:30) Exploration of the alignment bay as the most expensive bay in the shop and the need for better utilization of alignment racks.
Using Technology Efficiently (00:23:26) Discussion on the benefits of using technology in the shop, including efficiency, identifying supply chain issues, and improving communication between technicians and service writers.
Thirsty for New (00:27:53) The importance of being open-minded and continuously learning in order to improve operations and stay ahead in the industry.
The Trouble with Potential (00:27:27) The concept of potential losses and the need to measure and track them in order to make improvements and increase profitability.
The team's experience in the industry (00:35:15) Discussion about the team's experience as former shop owners and the value it brings to developing software.
The long incubation period (00:37:02) Conversation about the six to seven years it took to develop the software, including false starts and multiple versions.
Challenges in shop efficiency (00:39:33) Exploration of issues such as technician distractions, wasted time on switching bays, and waiting for parts, and the need for improved efficiency.
The importance of building a good relationship with parts suppliers (00:43:11) Shop owners need to stop blaming their suppliers and instead foster a mutually beneficial relationship.
The need for education and training in the industry (00:44:05) Shop owners should invest in educating their service writers and technicians to improve the accuracy of parts ordering.
The benefits of using BayFlow as a management tool (00:46:47) BayFlow provides valuable insights and data that can help shop owners run their businesses more effectively.
The adoption rate of DVI (00:50:49) Discussion on the slow adoption rate and challenges of implementing DVI technology in the automotive industry.