Collision centres speak on the dance of parts organization— and inevitable disruption
Story by ALLISON ROGERS
Some shops have parts rooms that are set up like luxury grocery stores. Everything is in its place, polished to perfection, waiting to be picked off the shelves and thrust to their destiny. Other sites might refer to their parts storage areas as “the backrooms” or “the dungeon’; some might keep it out of mind entirely, opting for just-in-time strategies—or taking things in stride, if you will. Each shop has its quirks. Regardless of how parts are kept, some things remain the same across the board: struggles with availability and, in many cases, incorrect or damaged shipments.
There are countless different parts ordering strategies adopted by collision centres across Canada. Deciding factors can depend on shop size, volumes, repair versus replacement preferences and much more. Everyone has their way of doing things—so we at Collision Repair asked shops to submit some basic facts on their strategies to better understand how different sizes of collision centres across Canada grapple with the ups and downs of parts supply and, inevitably, disruption.
Check out our survey stats below.
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT, DEFINED:
BARCODE/RFID TECHNOLOGY — Using both barcodes and RFID tech to track and manage inventory more efficiently and accurately. Inventory information is stored in computer software.
JUST-IN-TIME (JIT) INVENTORY — Ordering and using parts precisely when they are needed.
VENDOR-MANAGED INVENTORY — Supplier-controlled inventory levels, where suppliers monitor and replenish parts based on autobody shop demand, reducing inventory management responsibilities.
CONSIGNMENT INVENTORY — Parts owned by suppliers but stored and used by the autobody shop, with payment made only when the parts are used in repairs.
