Process optimization for big trucks and Co.

Optimized processes help bodyshops save time and money. In lots of cases, they also help achieve better application results while using less material. A Glasurit Bodyshop Audit demonstrates how basic methods can often be used to optimize processes in the bodyshop. This module from the RATIO-CONCEPT-plus programme for business support has already been used in the passenger car sector by a number of bodyshops all over the world. Now Glasurit is expanding this offer to bodyshops working in the commercial vehicle sector.

With the oversized dimensions of commercial vehicles, errors, superfluous steps and unnecessary material consumption are twice as annoying and costly. That’s why it’s even more important to take the time to scrutinize the workflows and technical equipment.

“In every bodyshop, there are ingrained workflows and technical set-ups that people make do with in their everyday routine, even though they aren’t ideal,” said Jürgen Moritz, Glasurit Global Trainer for the commercial vehicle sector. “The most important thing is to check everything at regular intervals and take the appropriate steps.”

The Truck Service Audit can reveal exactly where the potential savings of one’s own bodyshop are hidden. For the audit, a Glasurit consultant goes through the bodyshop with a camera and a set of checklists and thoroughly analyses the status quo. A few days later, he or she gives the bodyshop an action plan with very specific suggestions for improvement that are often very easy to implement.

In the case of one bodyshop, for instance, a missing pressure gauge in the spraybooth was responsible for excess material consumption. Another bodyshop boosted its throughput once it followed the consultant’s recommendation to use a roof extension to create an extra area for air-drying the commercial vehicles, thus freeing up the space in the workshop. 

After the positive experience gained in Germany, Glasurit is gradually expanding the Truck Service Audit throughout the world.