After using DuPont’s solvent products for many years, Roe switched over to Spies Hecker® Permahyd® Hi-TEC, a premium waterborne paint system in DuPont’s portfolio of brands more than six months ago.
“The cars we’re working on are painted with waterborne coming out of the factory, so we want to paint them the same way here. We’ve been able to cut our time in the booth, because we don’t need to flash between each coat, the way we did with the solvent. The quality is exceptional across the board.”
By sending his two painters to Spies Hecker® training, Roe was able to hit the ground running with Permahyd® Hi-TEC. “They completed the company’s three-day training and got certified before we put the waterborne in here. With support from FinishMaster, our supplier, and the technical folks at Spies Hecker®, it was problem-free. Sure, my painters are still improving on the system, but as they get even more comfortable with it, we will save still more time and hit better color matches faster.”
The changeover to Spies Hecker® Permahyd® Hi-TEC waterborne was painless and one of the smartest moves he made, Roe believes. “It was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done in our 30 years in this business,” he said. “We felt confident and prepared
going into it, thanks to Spies Hecker® and FinishMaster. We’re painting roughly 80 cars here every month, so we need to get them in and out without delays or having to re-do work. Everyone knows cycle times are huge in this industry and the insurance companies are always looking at them.”
Another benefit is access to ProfitNet™ Collision Shop Management System. “We use it primarily for billing and costing. ProfitNet™ is able to measure and manage every aspect of our business,” says Roe. “As the job goes through the shop, the system is costing it from beginning to completion and flagging all our employees on their hours. We cost all the parts, the materials and the sublet items to make sure the markups are correct. We’ve been using it for at least 12 years and it’s great because it tell us where we stand. We can clearly see how much we’re making on each job, which is essential.” In addition to coordinating and tracking scheduling, costing, parts and labor by using the system, Roe utilizes ProfitNet™ to interface with his accounting systems, dealer systems, CSI companies and rental car companies, as well as communicate with his customers, insurance companies and parts vendors, he said. Another valuable tool provided by the paint manufacturer and coveted by 1st Class is the DuPont Performance Services (DPS) management
learning program, Roe said.
“By taking DPS classes and getting DuPont-certified, we’re able to know where we can make money and how to find additional revenues. We’ve learned how to control costs better and communicate more effectively with the insurance companies, which is very important. We didn’t just sit through the courses and forget about them.We use these strategies every day and they’ve helped us
in almost every aspect of our operation.”
Do Roe’s customers know and/or care about the fact that his shop paints their high-end vehicles with waterborne product? His emphatic response is an enthusiastic ‘yes’!
“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback, because our clients are concerned about the environment, just like the rest of us. We highlight that fact in our literature and tell our customers about it whenever we can. We’re proud to be using Spies Hecker® Permahyd® Hi-TEC for a lot of reasons and that’s definitely one of them.”
