This is Alex, your capacity planning expert at Progi. Often, when the seasons change, I publish an article on the impact of seasonality on your collision shop’s capacity.
This time, we’ll approach the subject from a more specific angle: your reality, based on your geographic market and sales mix. Even in our harsh winters, seasonality may have less impact for you, because of your urban location or your customer base.
Adapt to Your Environment
It is therefore crucial to adjust your strategies and adapt to your specific situation. Is the arrival of winter the best time for these adjustments? For many Canadian collision shops, the answer is yes. With the increase in severe accidents, it’s important to prepare your production schedule and logistics to accommodate more complex, often non-drivable repairs.
However, we must think beyond that. For example, a tourist season can multiply traffic in your area, leading to an increase in accidents. Similarly, deer season can increase the number of serious collisions, and the presence of black ice preceding winter can cause many small (or large, depending on the type of road) fender benders.
Geography, Temporality and Partners
If your sales mix is strongly influenced by dealership partners, these geographical and temporal variations will have less impact on your business. The idea is to remain attentive to your immediate environment and integrate it into your production schedule to maximize value added according to the time of year.
Over time, it is also essential to monitor the evolution of the vehicle lineup and model years in circulation around your shop. Trends suggest that technology will reduce the overall number of collisions, particularly severe impacts. So the more recent the vehicle fleet, the more it can bias your past experience regarding accident severity.
The opening of a new residential area near your location could change traffic density and impact your business activity.
Anticipate and Adapt to Climate Change
Climate change will also influence demand in your shop. For example, hailstorms can cause damage too severe to be repaired with paintless dent, and claims come in waves. Other severe weather events could result in total losses, renewing a significant part of your area’s vehicle fleet. How is your workshop preparing to serve your partners and customers in these future conditions?
Your Wallet Depends on It
The way you generate revenue today and tomorrow can change, influenced by supply and demand. It is your responsibility to monitor market trends to adjust your schedules accordingly. Analyze the data, engage in discussions with your team and partners, and continuously adapt. Your wallet will thank you.
Would you like to optimize your workshop capacity and move up a gear? Request a ProgiPlanning demo now and find out how we can help you achieve your goals.
Get a demo by emailing arocheleau@progi.com.
Thank you for your trust!
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Written by: Alexandre Rocheleau
Editing and translating: Krystel Henley-Rocheleau
In collaboration with: Linda El Mounafis