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Incorrect times? Please report!
Incorrect time entries in the calculation systems are a nuisance that doesn't have to be the case. The interest group for vehicle technology and painting (IFL) offers a platform where every company can report potential errors. It is all the more important that many people take part. Body and paint expert Franz Ofner explains what is important.
Incorrect times? Please report!
Time is money. This is precisely why it is so important that the time required for certain repairs is correctly estimated in the common computer-based calculation systems (Eurotax, Schwacke, DAT, Audatex). And this is exactly where things go wrong all too often. “The companies are often overwhelmed and the OEMs sometimes enter incorrect times into the system,” reports Franz Ofner, body and paint expert from Carinthia. The reason: Working times from previous models are sometimes broken down to the next model generation of vehicles, which can lead to problems in practice. In Ofer's company, around one to five percent of all cases are “worthy of questioning”.
“Developments are partly outpacing us,” says Ofer with regard to the electronics in the vehicles, but he also reports difficulties with the sheet metal: “The manufacturers build the parts from the inside out, but the repairs have to be done from the outside in.” The panels overlap, so you have to “go into the structure”, but in some cases there are no precise instructions. The replacement time for a rear panel from a “German manufacturer”, for example, is so “challenging” that “improvisation” on the part of the specialist workshop is necessary. In general, working hours are tight, especially for Asian manufacturers, says Ofer from his company's practice.
The collaboration has potential
This is precisely why the Interest Group for Vehicle Technology and Painting (IFL) exists, which represents the interests of the bodywork and painting industry as well as those of automotive experts. It not only gives practical tips on different work materials and techniques, but also offers a platform in which every company can report potential errors in the calculation of working hours.
“Unfortunately, too few companies still use this,” says Ofer. The managing director of Ofer GmbH is also chairman of the paint and body advisory board. In this role, he leads the twice-yearly negotiations between the automotive repair industry and the insurance industry. According to Ofer, the percentage of “cooperating” companies is in the single-digit percentage range, although the trend is slowly increasing.
It would be incredibly easy, as Ofer explains from his own practice: “Everyone should be able to do this without any problems these days, there is already an input mask,” says the expert. Everything would be done in about ten minutes. A manageable amount of effort when you consider that if the working hours are actually corrected, this can save three hours of time in the long term. Ofer emphasizes: “It is really important that IFL is used by all sides.”