Summer of 2025

by Kris Burton, WMABA President

It has been quite the year so far, and the summer hasn’t disappointed.

We have all been dealing with fewer repairable vehicles, claims down across the country and increased insurance downward pressure. What do you do when faced with adversity? We’ve chosen to double down and invest heavily in our team, equipment and facilities. As with all changes and challenges, there is opportunity for growth if you are willing to invest in training and tooling. We, as collision repair shops, need to look at the opportunities right in front of us. 

We tend to default to finger-pointing and complaining when we need to look inside our own shops first. Do we have facilities that we are proud to show off and that give our team the best opportunity to correctly repair vehicles? First off, start with building your specific repair process with your techs. Ask them what they need to be successful. They will tell you more than you realize, whether it’s an outlet that isn’t working or it’s not bright enough in the shop or they need another welder or rivet gun. How are you getting OEM repair information to the person repairing the vehicle? Does the tech have his own tablet and access to a computer, or does your back-end writer print the file? Or can it be put up on a big screen in the shop for the tech to see during repairs? We are fortunate to have so many options. As my father always says, “We are lucky to have the instructions.”

Are you subletting mechanical repairs, wheel alignments, glass removal and replacements? Is there someone on the team who wants to learn? There are schools all around the country to send techs to, like Kaizen Auto Glass, Wheel Alignment, 3M Body and Paint classes, to name a few. Now is the time to take advantage and push your shop to be better. 

I’ve been lucky enough to travel the country and visit some highly certified shops. While they are all beautiful on the outside – clean, organized, places you would be proud of – the most impressive thing is their teams. The people are committed to being better; they are open to change and trying new things. While not every idea or new process works, you keep trying without any “loss of enthusiasm.” 

Don’t lose your desire to be better and keep leading your team to be better. 

Call or email me if you want to talk further.

Want more? Check out the September 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!