Paint and Panel: The Edge

This week's key takeaway: Ben's top 10 tips to stay productive and focused   Episode intro:   Presenter Ben puts his business-coaching hat on this week to give you a free session. People are always telling him they're too busy, but why are they too busy? Could it be that they haven't planned their work properly?   In 20 years of coaching, Ben has seen it all. He makes it his business to know how y...

This week's key takeaway: A deeper look into the towing industry with Sheen Towing   Episode intro:   We thought it was about time we tackled the important matter of towing: a fundamental pillar of the collision-repair service.   We speak to Scott Douglas, GM of Sheen Towing, who have a whopping 25 tilt trays (soon to become 33!) and 26 body shops across Victoria. Scott has a unique insight becaus...

This week's key takeaway: Rising to the apprentice challenge with AMA & Adina Nijemcevic   Episode intro: Editor Sam takes the reins again to speak to Adina Nijemcevic about all-things apprenticeships.   It's hardly controversial to say we are an ageing industry that struggles to attract young talent. There is a serious skills shortage, but if you listen to our guest Adina Nijemcevic, you can cert...

This week's key takeaway: The challenges and benefits of being an MSO   Episode intro:   We've got something a bit different for you this week: two site visits from editor-Sam, where she discusses the pros and cons of MSOs (Multiple Site Operators).   Part one:   Sam talks to Fred Sleman, MD of 5 Star Panels, who process 5,000 cars per year. Have they become more attractive to insurance companies...

This week's key takeaway: 5 tips to set and use KPIs in your business with David Carlin   Episode intro:   Do you really know what's going on in your business? This week we're going to show you how KPIs are just like driving a car.   Our guest is the esteemed David Carlin, co-owner at MaxMyProfit, and the man who makes sure presenter-Ben's KPIs are in order in his business. By the end of this epis...

This week's key takeaway: Overcoming the challenge of being regional with Margaret Bauer   Episode intro:   It's always great to speak to an award winner on the show. This week it's Margaret Bauer from Cooma Crash Repairs, winner of the Women in Collision administration award and thoroughly dedicated to improving the industry.   Cooma Crash Repairs is in deepest New South Wales; one of the most re...

This week's key takeaway: Levelling the playing field with James Knox from APG   Episode intro: It's not often we get to speak to someone who has such a range of experience in the industry. James Knox is currently the CEO of APG, the largest independent part supplier in Australia, but he's also been CEO of Repairhub (a network of repair centres) and two of the country's largest insurance companies...

This week's key takeaway:   iBodyshop features you should be using with Steve O'Brien   Episode intro:   We've got an old friend back on the show this week to run you through some of the most important but lesser-known features of iBodyshop. And even if you don't have iBodyshop, we thoroughly recommend you listen to Managing Director Steve explain the massive impact that certain features can have...

  This week's key takeaway: The risks of EV and why proper training is so important Episode intro: it doesn't take a genius to work out that EVs are going to become increasingly important to collision repairers, but are you ready for it? EV training will become fundamental to the success/failure of body shops, so we sent editor Sam to the MTA NSW training facility to have a look around and give yo...

This week's key takeaway: What you need to know about the 2023 Bodyshop Awards   Episode intro: It's the 28th year of the night of nights in the collision repair industry: the Paint & Panel Bodyshop Awards. This week we're going to give you the inside track on this year's event. Are you eligible for nomination? Can you nominate yourself? Who else can you nominate? By the end of this episode, you'l...

This week's key takeaway: How MTA NSW is helping you get the edge with Stavros Yallouridis Episode intro:   Editor Sam is on interview duty this week, with Stavros Yallouridis: CEO of the Motor Traders' Association of New South Wales. Stavros will give you the headsup on the all-important Body Repair code of conduct, and how NSW MTA is pioneering training in the industry. Make no bones about it: a...

This week's key takeaway: Switching to a 4-day work week, with Iain Kippen   Episode intro:  Our guest this week is a real innovator, and his shop (Bissell's Paint & Panel in Queensland) is a multiple winner at our very own Paint & Panel Body Shop Awards.   Iain Kippen worked in a number of different industries before he ended up in collision repair. This helped him to see the wood from the trees...

This week's key takeaway: The Benefit of Belonging, with Peter McMahon   Episode intro:  Most of us want to be part of something bigger, and repairers are no different. We speak to Peter McMahon, CEO of the Car Craft Group: a body who represent 135 independent repair businesses up and down the country.   Car Craft has experienced a rapid growth in membership in recent times, but why is this the ca...

This week's key takeaway: Benefits of the Women & Leadership Australia Programs   Episode intro:  It's no secret we're in a male-dominated industry, so it's vitally important we do what we can to empower female leaders. On the show this week, we speak to two women who are doing exactly that.   Andrea McCarthy: A previous guest on the show, the owner of McCarthy Panel Works in Queensland tells us h...

This week's key takeaway: Irrational Pricing Wins with Sonia Friedrich   Episode intro:  Do you really know how your customers think? If the answer is 'no' then you're probably not selling to them as much as you should. Our guest this week, Sonia Friedrich, will give you the inside track on the behaviour behind decision making, and how you can use this to your advantage.   Sonia is an internationa...

This week's key takeaway: Welcome to 2023! With our very own Sam Street...   Episode intro:  We're back for the New Year… hope you all had a good one! And who better to kick things off in 2023 than Paint & Panel editor, Sam Street?   It looks like 2023 will be a bumper year for collision repair, but will the demand last? Sam gives us her thoughts. She's also been busy with the first ever industry...

This week's key takeaway: Chatting about the year that was and predictions for 2023   Episode intro:  It's the final episode of the year, and what a busy year it has been. The combination of crazy demand and major shortages has made 2022 a year that no one is going to forget in a hurry!   Paint & Panel's dynamic duo of Ben Fewtrell and Sam Street sit down and chew the fat about the highs and lows...

This week's key takeaway: The Next Gen Round Table   Episode intro:  We're doing something a little different with this week's episode. Editor Sam sat down with a handpicked selection of the youngest and most innovative managers in the business to discuss how we can attract the next generation. Sitting around the table were: As we all know, it's becoming harder and harder to find new talent, but t...

This week's key takeaway: Introducing the new PPG LINQ digital ecosystem   Episode intro:  Automating your colour-matching process can be an absolute gamechanger. As well as improving your productivity, the new technology makes your workshop more appealing to the younger generation. We all know how tough it is to find new talent these days, so you should be doing all you can to make your workshop...

This week's key takeaway: Building the workshop of the future, with Aaron Scagliotta   Episode intro:  Building a new workshop is a very daunting task, but if you get it right, it can be an absolute game changer for your business. On the show this week we speak to someone who absolutely nailed it.   Aaron Scagliotta (Director of Gino's Panel & Paint in Fremantle) tells us how he future-proofed his...

This week's key takeaway: In what seems to be the perfect storm of a skills shortage, Ash Jardine is throwing a lifeline to Australian repairers by sourcing talent from overseas.    Episode intro:  How many times have you heard yourself say 'I just can't find the right people'? Well maybe it's time to look a bit harder.   Our esteemed guest this week will be able to help you do just that. Ash Jard...

This week's key takeaway: The EV is coming… Are you prepared? With Geoff Gwilym of VACC   Episode intro:  In this episode we'll give you the latest on all-things electric vehicles. Our guest Geoff Gwilym (CEO of the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce) recently went on a field trip to Europe to get the headsup on EV marketplaces that are more developed than ours. Did you know that over 70% of...

Steve Lozenkovski Bear Auto Group Sandra Noach IQBodyGroup Brenda Iverson Former awards winner   This week's key takeaway: Insights from the Body Shop Awards judges   Episode intro:  With the Body Shop Awards fast approaching, we thought we'd give you a behind-the-scenes look at the judging process. Maybe you think you could be a winner next year? Or maybe you want to nominate somebody else? We'll...

This week's key takeaway: Colin Edwards' 3 rules for business success   Episode intro:  What a fascinating guest we have on the show this week. At the age of 82, Colin Edwards has to be the oldest guest we have interviewed. The main man at GPI is one of the biggest entrepreneurs in the industry, having built up the firm for 45 whole years!   As Colin says, "I still don't feel any differently about...

  This week's key takeaway: Bella Turrise is blasting her way to the top of her game   Episode intro:  Bella Turrise has taken the industry by storm. In just a couple of years she has become a bit of a legend in the business, having won the gold medal for spray painting at the World Skills international competition.   Bella is a shining example of what is possible for new apprentices in the collis...