SEPTEMBER 2023 AFTERMARKET 57 www.aftermarketonline.net specialise in this area, and an ADAS lane. Commenting on being a town garage with a serious side-line in Land Rovers, Michael said: “We're not too far from rural areas, so a lot of people are driving in. It helps that our personnel have many years of experience on them. It's a product that goes wrong a lot, to be honest, and the owners are among our best customers. They're willing to have the thing repaired.” There was a mix of servicing, mechanical and diagnostic work going on, and the garage looks to accommodate the latter fully. Off to one side of the workshop we were shown a diagnostic/training room: “We need space for research before we start jobs. Here, the technicians can sit down, look at the job, write a plan and go through a process. It speeds up things and the success rate is exponential. Our main training provider is Technical Topics, and this is something we learned from James Dillon. We invested tens of thousands of pounds in training last year. All of the techs went on a diagnostic boot camp week with James. Two techs did their diagnostic technician qualifications and two of us did our Master Technician, including me – I went back to school! Ultimately, we've implemented the processes we learned there into our business.” While diagnostics is a big part of what goes on at Shaikly Motor Company, Michael has moved away from the term itself when dealing with customers: “I've dropped the word ‘diagnosis’ when I'm talking to customers, because the they infer they're going to get a solution to the problem at a fixed price. Instead, we always sell investigations and assessments. The diagnosis comes at the end, not at the beginning. We're very selective in what we do. 50% are accepted into the workshop on initial inquiries, and out of those, some of them get rejected after an investigation.” Moving outside again, Michael showed us around an adjoining building that will become the dedicated diagnostics area and EV area. The next area, currently a gym, which will become part of the business as well. The company has four apprentices at the moment, and works with the local technical college to identify and bring on the best likely candidates. Commenting on the skills shortage, Michael said: “Owners are the problem as to why there isn't new blood in the industry, because we don't set up apprenticeships properly. Now, we work with the local college and they're selecting students that they think are the top tier and then we're offering work experience and apprenticeships to those guys that are coming in and impressing us.” Opportunity Well, that’s the future lined up. Before we head for the second site (or third, depending on how you count) on the other side of town, let’s find out how the company came to be in the first place. “My father set up Frank Shaikly Car Repair Centre in 1977. He probably had the hardest part of the journey for the company, which was starting on his own. I joined him in 1989, having spent most of my school summer holidays with him. I originally left school and pursued a career in finance, but that wasn't for me. “At that point, we were a quarter of a mile away up the road in a very small unit. In 1995 we moved into where we are now, which offered better customer parking and a better reception area. We could clean up our image, but it also meant that we had some more workshop space and we could expand the number of technicians. Then, around 2005, my dad exited the business, leaving me to manage and it. “Since then, we have doubled the size of the workshop. About seven years ago, we opened our second branch across town. That was an ideal commercial opportunity. There was an existing garage there that had a very poor reputation. We took that on and we've changed that reputation.” Prime A short drive later, we found ourselves at Colchester’s largest industrial estate in the Severalls district, where Shaikly Motor Company’s other garage is the only independent serving the area. The garage is currently a single story low-rise with parking at the rear, but Michael has plans here too: “This plot is prime for a redevelopment at some point in the next few years. We're established here and we've got some blue-chip companies around us. It's up to us now to put in something more modern.” On the customer base for this garage, Michael said: “People come to work, they leave the car for the day and we get it done for them It's more of a service centre that takes on smaller jobs.” The garage has three ramps and a MOT Testing Station. It has its own workshop manager who has been with the company for 35 years, its own Front-of-House and team of four techs, including one of Michael’s sons who is doing his apprenticeship. Grow Commenting on their win in Top Garage 2022 in the multisite category, Michael said: “It was the second year we entered. I really enjoyed it, and I felt the interview process this year, having got used to it the year before, helped us achieve our goal. I came away in 2021 thinking ‘I don't think I did us justice’. For 2022, I spoke about our vision and training we're doing and how we're going to implement our plans.” On what is coming next for the business, Michael said: “We are looking at further expansion, further specialisation, further focus in different physical areas within the site to enable the business to grow, and to help people grow in the business.” Technician utilisation is more important than technician efficiency ”
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