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| With no screaming signs, passers-by often mistake the clean lines of the new Autocrafters building for an office or a restaurant. |
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| Is this a Denny's diner? No, it's the ultra modern reception area at Autocrafters Painting and Bodyworks. |
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| Vehicles ready to enter the "clean" paint shop, where painting is the only function that takes place, thereby reducing contamination. |
After a four-year hiatus selling Yellow Page advertising, he worked at MAACO, painting 40 to 50 vehicles a week and using his sales skills to upsell. It was there that he met his wife, Rachel, who worked in the finance department.
Rachel's father owned an automotive upholstery shop, so she was raised in a related business environment. She learned how to write estimates and handled commercial and fleet accounts at MAACO. She actually got the ball rolling on the body shop, where she is in charge of the finance department. She has been an integral part of the team that has helped get Autocrafters through thick and thin over 18 years.
In 1986, having seen the value of working in the collision industry, Booker leased the MAACO building when the franchise folded and began his own business - which he named Autocrafters - a name he felt described the "craftsmanship" involved in collision repair.
The journey to his ideal shop began in earnest when he moved his business to a former dealership building on Pat Booker Road (no relation, I asked!). He created a friendly ambiance by fixing up the showroom with plants and photos to present a welcoming atmosphere - uncommon at that time in the auto body industry.
At A GlanceAutocrafters Painting & Bodyworks 2317 Pat Booker Road Universal City, Texas 78148 (210) 658-7465 (210) 659-1501 fax
Owners: John and Rachel Booker Established: October 1, 1987 Annual Sales: $2-2.5 million Employees: 2 estimators, 2 painters, 2 prep techs, 2 detailers, 2 frame techs, 4 body techs, office manager, production manager, parts person Paint Department: 2 paint booths, 2 prep stations, mixing station, mixing room Paint: DuPont Frame Racks: Car-O-Liner Mark V, Car-O-Liner bench rack and Car-O-Tronics Alignment Racks: Hunter with 4-post lift |
He also exploited the highly visible location by displaying his work. There were two entry lines where damaged vehicles waited to enter the shop. The delivery line, with completed repairs, allowed customers to see the finished product. People who regularly passed by the facility could see the transition from before to after and the quality of work produced by Autocrafters.
When capacity at the shop maxed out in the 90s, Booker consulted an architect about redoing the site. He suggested that the building be torn down and the land become a parking lot! This impelled Booker to purchase a 2-1/2 acre piece of land to develop a facility from scratch.
In 1988, Booker had scribbled the design for his ideal body shop on a scrap of paper. Optimistically, he had the plan drawn up by a draftsman. Though times changed, this was essentially the layout that became the modern new home of Autocrafters.
Stumbling blocks
Buying the land and designing the facility may have been the easiest part of the project. Unbeknownst to Booker until the papers had been signed, zoning regulations allowed only one driveway to the location, thereby setting up many years of delay. The state would simply not relent on its one-way in and out stance. It was suggested that if the property were to be subdivided, each section would be entitled to its own entrance, but the state did not buy that argument either.
Finally, on December 23, 2004, Booker was at last granted the permit to put in a second driveway in the very front and construction began immediately in January 2005. In spite of wet weather, the buildings went up fairly quickly. Having learned a costly lesson, Booker made sure to research the codes of Universal City and incorporate those rules into the building plans, assuring a smooth transition into the new facility.
Ideal layout
Each department of the new Autocrafters occupies its own building. The 5,000 sq. ft. frame and mechanical shop sits at the back of the property. In front of that building is the 6,000 sq. ft. paint shop, with the 7,200 sq. ft. body shop next to it. Front line buildings include the 4,500 sq. ft. office, with 1,000 sq. ft. for the detail shop. A separate 1,200 sq. ft. office was built for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, with a wash bay of its own. A second 6,500 sq. ft. body shop building is scheduled to open in February.
The office is the first thing visible as one approaches Autocrafters. It looks more like a restaurant or professional office building than a body shop. Curious onlookers may have been a bit disappointed to find it was not the new hot club in town. Booker says that he has received rave reviews for the stucco and slate edifice. The interior is industrial modern, with high ceilings and exposed beams and ducting, and polished concrete floors.
The paint shop is a "clean" room. Every precaution is taken to keep the building contaminant-free. There is no sanding in the building and the only tasks that take place are the taping and painting of vehicles. The shop is equipped with three drive-through Kayco booths and sprays DuPont paint.
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Top equipment from Car-O-Liner
The frame and mechanical shop handles the non-body work aspects of heavy hits. By having a mechanical shop on site, vehicles remain a part of the production cycle. Two employees, who are mechanically and structurally inclined, run the mechanical shop, keeping vehicles in motion through the repair process.
The shop is equipped with a Car-O-Liner Mark V, a Car-O-Liner bench rack and Car-O-Tronic measuring system, all of which were acquired from Tim Curran, Car-O-Liner southwest distributor.
Describing Curran, Booker says: "Whenever I see Tim, at NACE or in San Antonio, he always makes me feel important. Purchasing our first Car-O-Liner bench rack was a major step and Tim was so patient. He would call and visit to check on how things were going. A half a dozen times, he sent a trainer to the shop for a couple of days to demonstrate the machines.
"Tim is a rare breed. He has boundless energy, is excited about frame work, and provides a good learning environment. With as much knowledge and experience as he has, he never looked or talked down to anyone; has never been less than professional.
"I actually went to school along with Kirk Morales, one of our technicians, to learn how to use the Car-O-Liner equipment. Tim was awesome in what he taught. He exposed us to a ton of information that you don't see everyday in a body shop. He has continued to support Autocrafters and our technicians every step of the way."
Good atmosphere
The buildings are comfortable to work in; there is plenty of room for each operation. It is clean and technicians are proud to work here. The little details that are important to the work environment help employees understand that Autocrafters is an extension of their home, not just a place to put up with every day.
The body shop, housing five body men, is where the work is done on medium to light hits. Preparation is done here using dry sanding techniques from 3M.
A unique feature of Booker's ideal design is that the paint mixing room is located in the body shop rather than the paint shop. The painter evaluates each vehicle, then proceeds to mix colors and spray test panels right there in the body shop. Once the paint is matched and mixed, it is placed inside the vehicle in a plastic container that holds the actual paint. The paint stays with the vehicle throughout the repair process. By the time the vehicle reaches the paint booth, the painter simply reaches inside, gets the paint and the job is ready to roll.
Cleanliness is next to godliness
Another important aspect of the Autocrafter's philosophy again has to do with cleanliness. A vehicle is thoroughly washed and vacuumed before it even enters the body shop. When the prepper is done working on it, the vehicle is washed again. Once the car is either blown dry or dripped dry, it goes into the paint shop, where each paint both has its own compressor to keep the air contaminant free. By the time the detailing process comes into play, there is very little cleaning to be done.
Booker relates, "I was taught a long time ago that cleanliness is imperative in performing surgery and working on cars. Our water bills are high, but a thorough cleaning at the beginning of the process assures the integrity of the paint shop and avoids repetitive cleaning. Most of the dirt comes from the vehicle in the first place."
Clean air is important in the body shop as well, where there are two main compressors and a small compressor for each prepper. "Working is more pleasant in cool, clean air and we are trying to remove as many hang ups as possible. Our goal is to be as streamlined as we can.
The innovation of trust
The acquisition and dispersal of parts is a critical aspect of the repair process. Booker has set up a system whereby vendors drop off parts in the late evening or early morning, so they are in-place when the technicians begin their work each day. "I have a great relationship with our vendors. In fact, they have keys to the parts department so they can enter and drop off parts into designated bins at their convenience," Booker explains. "This makes it very easy to check out parts at the start of the day."
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Ideal staff
Booker cannot say enough positive things about the staff he has assembled.
Gerardo Guzman, quality control, has been with him for 12 years. Guzman started off doing basic helper tasks and has evolved over the years to doing all knds of jobs from pin striping to maintenance of compressors. He is the master taper and also trains new techs. He has instituted one innovation after another, helping with the design of the new shop, including its color scheme.
"Guzman understood my dream and took an active part in making it come true. He is my right hand man," offered Booker.
Estimator Chris Saenz brought dealership and insurance company experience to the table. Saenz had a thirst for responsibility, but until he came to Autocrafters never felt he had been given the opportunity to show what he could do. Booker gave him that chance. Now he handles one of the company's biggest accounts.
"He is very professional. He has a good relationship with production manager, which facilitates problem solving in the repair process. Chris is also good at keeping customers informed on the progress of repairs. He treats every customer as an individual, greeting each one by name with a smile and a handshake. He carries forth our commitment to excellent customer service," Booker explains proudly.
A transplant from Illinois, Ronald Clooney has made an enterprise out of repairing vehicles that others won't touch. He has excellent fabricating skills and works very deliberately, attending to many small details other shops' technicians don't take the time to do. He is an I-CAR certified welder and shares his expertise with others. Clooney helps put the "craft" in Autocrafters.
First hired six years ago as a mechanic, Kirk Morales has continuously wanted to learn new things. With a varied background gleaned from dealership experience, he now runs the Car-O-Liner Mark V and bench rack, and has turned out to be a remarkably good welder. He always takes the time to do a good job, and is about to have a second helper working for him.
Each employee at Autocrafters seems to have his own little niche of expertise. Robert Villasenor worked as a prepper when he first joined the company. As it turned out, he has a knack for spotting vehicles. After he touched up a vehicle, the repair was not even visible. His ability to match colors so expertly drew Booker's attention and he was offered the position of painter. Now he runs the three paint booths and, as a matter of fact, it was his idea to pre-mix the paints while vehicles were still in the body shop.
For a young guy, body tech Mario Ruiz came with a lot of experience in straightening. He also had a strong work ethic - offering to do whatever he could to help get the job done. He stays late, repairs parts for which replacement is not tenable, and has a can-do attitude that can hardly be believed - and can't be beat. He is always looking for a technician who is better than he is to raise his own game.
"I'm dependent on these guys, more so than they are on me," states Booker. "They are talented in so many parts of the repair process and I am so proud of my guys.
"We have implemented the employee reward program to keep up the good morale. We throw barbecues for the staff on a regular basis. The employee of the month receives a gift certificate to a nice restaurant as a thank you. We have plans for even more elaborate rewards this year to acknowledge the incomparable job these guys do." explains Booker.
Community activities
Over the course of the years, Booker has been involved in Universal City politics. He has been active with city council and council elections. He participates in industrial development and works to bring new businesses to the city. He is one of the three founders of the Universal City business alliance.
Booker taught estimating at his alma mater, St. Philips College, for four semesters. He saw this as a way to give back to the industry that has given him so much.
"I am thankful for the opportunities a guy like me without a lot of education has been given. My family and I are comfortable, but I still have to work. My whole life revolves around Autocrafters. It is the people who are important. Individuals that have a talent can move up to the next step by showing they are an important part of the industry. Admittedly, the image of industry needs to have a shine on it. But, believe it or not, it is a needed industry. As owners, we need to say thank you and good job to the guys who do such an amazing job repairing stuff," concludes Booker.
