Another Spring Conference has officially wound up this past weekend and by all reports it was a resounding success.
 
The event got underway on Friday with several training events including: 

The feedback that we received from all of the training attendees was super positive, especially with the students participating at the Peacock training events. The hotel training events were equally impressive with the quality information and the attendee participation that filled everyone’s buckets.
 

We had over 180 registered guests that participated in the Saturday AGM and Conference. Our keynote speaker, Tom Deans, absolutely knocked it out of the park. He talked for 90 minutes straight without notes or PowerPoint and had everybody absolutely riveted. A couple of key takeaways: if you do not have a will, get it done as soon as possible, don’t let the government be your executor. Secondly, you need to have a family meeting and be very transparent about your financial plans in the event of your death. Tom mentioned that 50% of all people do not have a will and financial arguments are a major cause of family turmoil especially when there is a business involved and the owner dies or decides to sell.
 
You need to check out Tom’s books on his website for more information:
 
https://www.thomaswilliamdeans.com/
 
A panel discussion followed where Darren Ulmer from White Owl Financial was joined by Mike Spicer (Regina Financial planner) Tom Deans and Mackenzie Tulloch from McDougall Gauley Law firm to discuss at length how our attendees can address their estate and financial affairs. As Tom Deans mentioned, talking about money with our families is considered taboo in our society yet it is a tremendous source of discord if we don’t be more transparent about it.
 
We wrapped up the morning with Scott Sinclair from I-CAR Canada who shared the whys and how’s of the need for ongoing training. His comment that he has seen more change in automotive technology in the last 10 years than his entire previous history in the trade. I had this segment recorded and I anticipate being able to share that presentation with you in early April. I highly recommend watching it and sharing it with your staff.
 
After lunch we had a presentation from our industry and education partners that include: Sask Distance Learning, SIEC, RDIEC, Servin Mervin Mini Indy, Skills Saskatchewan, Sask Polytechnic and Peacock High School. Due to a bit of misunderstanding on our part their presentation got cut short, but I have asked them all to supply me with a wish list of their most pressing needs. Finances are always one of them and SAAR has set up a sponsorship page on EventCamp where SAAR members can make monthly donations to allow us to fund as many of these programs as possible. If you can afford as little as $25 a month we could have a tremendous impact on these organizations. To help out you can go to EventCamp.
 
Next up was Koos Reineking sharing his journey the past 50 plus years in the collision industry. From humble beginnings in Holland, learning the auto body trade, meeting a Canadian sweetheart and emigrating to Canada, working in 1970’s body shops (think 60 grit sandpaper) to eventually having his brother Ton join him and start their own body shop and subsequently starting their own SIKKENS paint distribution and training business in Calgary. Ask any shop in the prairie provinces and they will tell you that the Reineking’s transformed the body and paint industry with their European know-how and high quality customer service. His journey wasn’t without its ups and downs but through it all, being a man of faith, he endured and is now in business with his son Mark in the highly successful Lift Auto Group. Koos has been a role model, not only for me, but countless other auto body stakeholders, I certainly am a better person because of him.

Norm Bruneau from St Claude Auto Body in Manitoba was our next guest. He and I had a nice chat about the pending Parts Autonomy program that SGI is rolling out over the next three months. This program has been operational in Manitoba for the past few years and after some initial hiccups has proven to be a catalyst for shops to re-examine their parts procurement procedures. Norm along with ImEX Systems have developed some software that helps a shop keep track of their score on the insurance company’s Realized Parts Savings (RPS) and as long as they hit those targets they can use whatever parts they choose without having to justify that purchase. In addition, Norm is the Canadian manager for Estimate Scrubber which is a web based software program that “scrubs” repair appraisals to make sure they comply with the insurance company guidelines and also addresses any missing line items that the shop is entitled to. We are so fortunate to have connections with our western alliance partners in Manitoba and British Columbia where we can share best practices and information like this. Norm is a brilliant young man that is helping shape the future of the collision industry and we were grateful to have him join us at our event.
 
Our final speaker of the day was Ciaran Downes from SGI. Rather than me trying to explain the details of his talk, you can watch his presentation on our Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/saarsk/videos/852891761098451.
 
The condensed version of his talk is an update on claims activity and how it is affecting SGI finances. In spite of that he announced the results of our most recent rate review discussions where, in the opinion of our board of directors, we got as good a deal as was available based on SGI’s current circumstances. I believe that SGI will be sending out a memo to all shops if you have not already received it.
 
The evening rounded out the day with a wonderful sit down banquet where we recognized Terry Beattie as our past president.  We then had the privilege of enjoying the stand up improv comedy of a duo named Don’t Mind Us. Everyone in attendance had a great time with lots of laughs and simply enjoyed the camaraderie. Once again, BASF supplied the dinner wine that was enjoyed by all.
 
I want to thank Riel Dion from EventCamp for organizing all the ticket sales and the registration desk, Ari Avivi for being our master of ceremonies and all of our suppliers that helped sponsor this event, we simply could not have done it without them.
 
Thanks to APT Auto Parts, Auto Canada, BodyshopConnect, ImEX Systems, Spanesi, Arctic Auto, CARSTAR, Lift Auto Group, CSN, BASF. Progi, Car-Part, Hertz, Global Mechanical, Auto Electric NAPA, PPG, PGW Glass, Color Compass, Enterprise  and Betag.
 
Our next event, and quite possibly my final one, will be a golf tournament on Wednesday June 24th at the Dakota Dunes Resort just south of Saskatoon. Watch for more details  the first week of April.

 

Creativity, innovation and AI are ‘hot topics’ these days…and so they should be. But, in the end, it’s boring, unsexy ‘process’ that actually gets things done efficiently, consistently and effectively. Even ‘creativity’ is often a process. Sometimes it’s just dumb luck or a sudden flash of brilliance …but, often, it’s a process.
 
In fact, most successful companies have developed a disciplined ‘creative process’ that delivers a stream of innovative products, more efficient operations, consistent quality, employee safety, increased sales and an amazing customer experience.
 
‘Process’ is what keeps airplanes from falling out of the sky. It’s what makes a Big Mac exactly the same in Montreal as it is in Frankfurt. Process is what gets cars designed, engineered and produced. Process is what allows a hotel chain to know that you want a non-smoking room on a low floor, near the elevator, with a king size bed, foam pillows and a USA Today at your door.
 
In fact, everything that happens between ‘intent’ and ‘delivery’ is process. As a business, you can have the best intentions in the world for your customers, your staff, for the environment and for your bottom line. But without clear, effective and well-communicated processes, these wonderful intentions will be just that…‘intentions.’

To quote the late W. E. Deming, the internationally renowned authority on quality and efficiency, “If you can’t describe what you’re doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

So, exactly what is a process, anyway? Simply put, a process is…
 
1. An effectively communicated sequence of activities,
2. Supported by the necessary resources and training,
3. Designed to deliver a consistent, efficient and effective result,
4. To a clear and specific standard.
 
OK, so it’s not so simple.  But that’s what a process is…and there are no shortcuts. Re-read the 4-point definition above and, while you’re at it, honestly rate your business’s performance, on a scale of 1 to 10, on each of the four key elements.  Then, using that info, determine what needs to be done to improve the processes in every part of your business.
 
To help you make written process documents you can use this handy Operations Manual and edit it to match your shop’s requirements.