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Here We Grow ! Ideas for shop layouts


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well i guess this is a good problem to have we have outgrown our current facility, we have been at this location goin on 20 years and we just need more room , and would like the asset of owning our own facility. currently we are running out of a 2300 square foot facility 3 bays. we are putting to gather a deal to purchase a property close by but we would have to bulid a shop on the site . the issues i have are they layout i know what i dont want. just want to bounce some ideas from guys that are in the trenches the architects cant relate to all the circumstances. that we encounter on a daily. what i a leaning on is not your "midas" style layout with six drive in bays i would like to use a more open layout about 4000 square feet . drive in from the side and have stalls on left and right and a drive threw door on the other side. my questions are if any of you are utilizing this type of setup any pros and cons to it . we hope the town will approve a footprint of 70x60 or 60X50 if the make us scale it back. my question are if any of your shops are similar to this do u have any issues with fitting larger vehicles ie trucks and vans, or work flow . also if you have recommendations of sources that may have designs that may be viewed or purchased . we are in the north east so winters are a factor right now we are entertaining block and or metal construction.

thank you guys for taking the time to view this post , Happy Wrenching!

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Interesting question on an open, barn-style layout vs. a midas-style multiple bay layout. I see pros and cons on both sides here:

 

Open style pros:

- Cheaper to build

- Cheaper to heat with one door (important for you up in Mass)

- Able to centralize and move about the shop easier

 

Midas style pros:

- Looks better from the street (subject to opinion, but most would agree that this appeals more than this)

- Vehicle are in and out much quicker, no traffic jam at the door (the shops in our city do 50-60 cars a day)

 

Personally, I'm a fan of the Midas style, and we are actually in the middle of renovating our building as such. However, we are in Atlanta. In Mass, weather becomes a concern, which makes me understand the open style.

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There has been discussion about renovating our current site for the past 15 years! I hope that 2014 is when it comes to fruition. My biggest goal would be workflow. So this is something I am always talking and thinking about..

 

I know of a shop with the exact setup you're talking about, although I haven't spoken to him about workflow...it seems to be working. Do you have a lot of separate parking? I could see it being an issue if you don't since the midas setup may have less of a foot print, but I assume you'd put the "Next cars" in the middle section, or constantly keep it clear?

 

 

I would consider a similar style. We are always wasting time with backing cars out, while new customers are coming in...and then I get to run traffic control.

 

I wanted to build a hybrid of your idea... basically an L shape. 4 bays midas style. and 2 bays that are purely drive-through for quick jobs.They would essentially be leaving through the alleyway.

Edited by Big_K
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I'll soon be having meetings with a general contractor about plans for my new shop. I'm trying to avoid the Midas design, but that is more so because of my business model. I wan't a more upscale business front, with a shop in the back. 1 enter door, 1 exit door. I also like this for a heated/cooled shop. Also less door maintenance (not sure how much this equates to in dollars per year). Parking would still be outside, probably behind the shop.

 

"more so because of my business model"... For some reason, after I read that I felt like that may come across as 'snoby' or that I feel Midas design is ugly. Not so. Midas design is quick/fast/efficient and profitable. My business model and clientele simply prefer a 'clean' business front.

 

I think it really comes down to personal preference and what type of business you operate. Quick lube lanes will probably call for a 'drive thru' stall. Custom audio/performance shop probably would do better with big wide open work space with fewer entrances and exits...

Edited by mmotley
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      Auto shop owners are always looking for ways to improve production levels. They focus their attention on their technicians and require certain expectations of performance in billable labor hours. While technicians must know what is expected of them, they have a limited amount of control over production levels. When all factors are considered, the only thing a well-trained technician has control over is his or her actual efficiency.
      As a review, technician efficiency is the amount of labor time it takes a technician to complete a job compared to the labor time being billed to the customer. Productivity is the time the technician is billing labor hours compared to the time the technician is physically at the shop. The reality is that a technician can be very efficient, but not productive if the technician has a lot of downtime waiting for parts, waiting too long between jobs, or poor workflow systems.
      But let’s go deeper into what affects production in the typical auto repair shop. As a business coach, one of the biggest reasons for low shop production is not charging the correct labor time. Labor for extensive jobs is often not being billed accurately. Rust, seized bolts, and wrong published labor times are just a few reasons for lost labor dollars.
      Another common problem is not understanding how to bill for jobs that require extensive diagnostic testing, and complicated procedures to arrive at the root cause for an onboard computer problem, electrical issue, or drivability issue. These jobs usually take time to analyze, using sophisticated tools, and by the shop’s top technician. Typically, these jobs are billed at a standard menu labor charge, instead of at a higher labor rate. This results in less billed labor hours than the actual labor time spent. The amount of lost labor hours here can cripple a shop’s overall profit.
      Many shop owners do a great job at calculating their labor rate but may not understand what their true effective labor is, which is their labor sales divided by the total labor hours sold. In many cases, I have seen a shop that has a shop labor rate of over $150.00 per hour, but the actual effective labor rate is around $100. Not good.
      Lastly, technician production can suffer when the service advisors are too busy or not motivated to build relationships with customers, which results in a low sales closing ratio. And let’s not forget that to be productive, a shop needs to have the right systems, the right tools and equipment, an extensive information system, and of course, great leadership.
      The bottom line is this; many factors need to be considered when looking to increase production levels. While it does start with the technician, it doesn’t end there. Consider all the factors above when looking for ways to improve your shop’s labor production.
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