AutoHouse Technologies delivers the details
Collision Repair magazine is thrilled to yet again share AutoHouse Technologies annual Benchmark Report. Compiled by the Vancouver, B.C.-based company, the annual report takes a comprehensive look at key performance indicators (KPIs) across Canada’s collision repir facilities, including insights on average cycle times, touch time and gross profits for facilities last year.
The full version of the AutoHouse Technologies 2021 Canadian Benchmark Report is available at autohousetechnologies.com/resources.
Sales
While not typically considered KPIs, sales revenues provide some context to the data AutoHouse Technologies uses to compile its report. The number of and size of locations participating in the Canadian Benchmark Report vary from year to year. The previous 12-month comparisons are based on locations participating in the report and their previous year’s results.
Gross Profit
Profitability is a much discussed—and passionately debated—topic. The continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has depressed industry net profits, says AutoHouse. However, overall gross profit percentage remains in line with the prior year results, with a negligible decrease of 0.03 percent versus 2020 gross profit percentage. Compared to gross profit percentage in 2020, western Canada’s gross profit percentage trended downward in 2021. The western provinces gave back the gains they had made in 2020, in which they had moved closer to the eastern historical average. Eastern Canada trended upward in 2021 gross profit percentage compared to 2020 and appears to have broken out of the historical normal range.
Cycle Time
As a commonly used KPI, cycle time remains top of mind. However, the metric’s effectiveness in measuring true comparative performance between repairers is worth questioning. Only when work mix—i.e., OE brand and repair size—and geographic locations are similar does the cycle time metric provide relevant insight to performance.
Touch Time
While not a perfect metric, touch time offers an appropriate measure when comparing overall repairer performance, measuring how efficiently repairers process available work regardless of repair size. Touch time also reduces the variables that influence cycle time variations and can easily be refined by applying addition parameters.
