Turbo for the paint shop

Turbo for the paint shop

How efficient is my paint shop and can I improve its performance even further? This question probably concerns most operators of a paint and body shop, and so does Josef Kamper, managing director of the car dealership of the same name in Neusiedl am See. As a customer of BASF Coatings Services, he has been loyal to the Glasurit paint brand for many years. In the paint shop attached to the car dealership, we primarily use environmentally friendly paints from the AraClass range, which enable high process speeds. But increases in efficiency can be achieved not only in painting, but also with the help of workshop equipment and in the design of preparatory work and work processes. The “Body Shop Boost” program offered by BASF Coatings, which Josef Kamper has been using for several months, shows how these can be implemented.

“It starts with an audit in which the current status is determined using around 1,400 questions,” explains BASF area manager Martin Kanzsaj, who regularly visits the Kamper car dealership. “We then support the company in implementing the measures for twelve months,” says Kanzsaj. The efficiency status is given in percent, the maximum value is 100 percent. “We reached 84 percent in December 2023 after the audit,” explains Kamper service manager Michael Lindenberger. “Today we are already at 95 percent,” he reports proudly. This significant improvement was achieved by optimizing work processes and investing in workshop equipment. Among other things, new workbenches were purchased, the light output of the workplace lights was increased and additional covered parking spaces were set up for dismantled vehicles. “We are now also using UV fillers that dry completely in just one minute,” says Lindenberger. “For us, it’s not just about increasing efficiency, but also about improving safety for our employees,” emphasizes Josef Andreas Kamper, who inherited this from his father Josef Kamper senior in 1974. founded car dealership as managing director since 2001.

A total of 104 employees work at the Kamper location in Neusiedl am See. 15 plumbers and painters work in the paint and bodywork center, including four apprentices. “On average, we complete 49 jobs per week, from small parking damage to window repairs to major accident damage,” says Michael Lindenberger. One of the next planned measures as part of the Body Shop Boost program is the purchase of transport carts that will allow employees to better maneuver spare parts. The service manager is confident: “When the program is completed, we should be able to increase throughput in the body shop to 54 orders per week - that would be an increase of at least 5 percent!”