At GaraShield, our main aim is to streamline your automotive workshop management; creating a slick operation whereby vehicles come in and out of the workshop with minimal time wasted and maximum satisfaction for you and your customers.

With this in mind, here are our top five recommendations on car workshop management for an efficient garage system.

1. Create a working environment that works

As simple as it seems, the working environment is an aspect of the garage that shouldn’t be overlooked. A modern, well presented garage environment can help to promote positivity and productivity among your technicians, as well as making a professional impression on your customers.

Consider if improvements can be made, such as adequate lighting, ventilation, and heating, keeping bays and ramp areas tidy, and having a comfortable, clean break area for staff.

Also consider the layout of your workshop; time is wasted moving between areas, so arranging your workshop logically and using mobile tools where possible is an easy way to boost efficiency.

2. Elevate efficiency with vehicle lifts

Installing a vehicle lift may seem like a huge investment, but the improvement in vehicle turnaround time makes it well worth the initial outlay.

Time studies carried out by Rotary Lift have shown that using a vehicle lift can result in time savings of up to 40%, making it almost doubly time efficient to have such a lift in place.

3. Stay on top of training

For optimum garage workflow your technicians need to be at the top of their game and up to date with the new advances in vehicle technology.

Re-assessing your technicians to ensure they have the knowledge and expertise appropriate for their classification level can be highly advantageous to workshop workflow.

Identify any gaps in technician knowledge to inform future training and ensure your service is the best that it can be.

4. Keep your standards up

It goes without saying, all garage services should be of a standard to ensure safety for your customers. But the use of Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS codes) can also ensure efficiency in the workshop for you and your technicians.

Not only do VMRS codes eliminate the need to manually write down each step of a process, but they can also be paired with labour time guidels; allowing you to better schedule your work and assess technician productivity to make sure everyone is up to speed.

5. Take advantage of data and documentation

Audited documentation throughout your work not only provides peace of mind for you and your customers, but also enables you to easily keep track of vehicle information for future reference.

In some circumstances, before a vehicle enters the workshop, you can have its information at your fingertips and then allocate; adequate time, a specific technician, and even order parts to ensure the repair is as smooth and time efficient as possible.