Westminster, Colo.--As auto insurers continue to put the squeeze on their direct repair providers (DRPs), 
collision repairers are forced to keep a close eye on material use that directly affects profits. Numerous causes of waste can be found in the paint department, said Chris Johns, business development manager for FinishMaster Automotive & Industrial Paint, adding that his goal is to make shops use less of the very product he sells.
"The more efficient the technician can be in using our product, the more profitable they'll be," said Johns, who offers training classes through his paint manufacturers, PPG, DuPont, and BASF.
"We have become a strategic partner to our shops in helping them run their businesses," Johns said. "We just don't sell paint. It's the value-added things that help their business grow."
Since FinishMaster carries three brands, owners have the ability to attend any of the courses, regardless of their paint preference, Johns said, adding that the principles of use still apply. Techniques such as pointing out that a single product can do multiple jobs are ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality, he added.
FinishMaster's Fort Collins store, one of six in Colorado, is home of BASF's national training center, said District Sales Manager Todd Cornell. The store hosts 6 to 8 training classes a year, he said, adding that several of them are part of BASF's Vision Plus training, and other certifying courses from color theory to graphic design and styling. The next course at the training facility, he said, is for RM certification on April 16.
"We get guys from Colorado Springs going to that training," Johns said. "It's been a big home run for us to have a manufacturer training center right in our store."
FinishMaster has also teamed up with the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), a not-for-profit training organization, offering training at participating collision repair facilities and in-store training at FinishMaster, Johns said. The latest course on 3M panel bonding took place at the Westminster store in February, he added.
Other training events, sponsored by FinishMaster, occur throughout the year, such as a DuPont Continuing Education course in March at Christopher's Dodge World in Golden, Johns said.
To increase efficiency among the 170 FinishMaster stores nationwide, the Indianapolis-based company has implemented Enterprise 1 (E1), an online inventory management and point-of-sale system, Cornell said, a program the Colorado stores adopted in March.
"It produces real-time reporting," Cornell said, "and allows us to gain access of live inventory for any store nationwide and our three warehouses in California, Michigan, and Florida."
"It allows the customer to see their purchases by date, product, or manufacturer," Cornell said.
"This helps them manage their purchases better," Cornell said, which is vital for survival in a difficult marketplace.
Working in the market where they live, Johns and Cornell said they've witnessed a large amount of shop consolidation in 2006.
"We documented 14 closures in Colorado last year," Cornell said. "This was due to overcapacity and mismanagement of business. It has been a soft collision market for two years now."
Johns added that the attrition mainly occurred with people that were in the business for a long time that didn't want to play the game anymore. "They got left behind when the DRPs began to get more selective," he said. "The rules have changed.
"As the market changed so did our business model in Denver," he said.
To adequately serve their customers, Cornell said FinishMaster employs six account managers and an industrial/ commercial fleet account manager. He added that Johns' efforts are dedicated to large dealerships, multi shop operators, and large independent accounts.
David Craig, district operations manager, oversees the internal operations of the six Colorado stores, working directly with the store managers, Cornell said, adding that he is responsible for the entire district.
