ENTRIES CLOSE: 10 June 2015
Click here to enter or nominate for 2015 awards
Over the last 20 years, the Paint & Panel/Suncorp awards have recognised excellence in hundreds of shops all around Australia.
In that time the industry and the vehicles it repairs have changed almost out of recognition. The awards criteria has changed with it to reflect the new skills and competencies that today’s body repair businesses must achieve to repair vehicles safely and deliver quality, value and customer service.
Until 2014 there were simply state winners in size categories and national winners in size categories. This year’s crop of awards reflects the different aspects that today’s repair businesses must excel in.
New awards
As well as the traditional awards for best boutique, medium, large and new shop in each state – except for SA and WA where there is no medium category – we also invite nominations for an industry Rising Star and a Community hero. The full list of awards that you can nominate a shop for or enter your own shop are:
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Best boutique shop
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Best medium shop (QLD, NSW, VIC)
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Best large shop
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Best new shop
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Innovative business initiatve
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Best customer service
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Best regional repair shop
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Community Hero
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Axalta sustainability award
Click here to enter or nominate for 2015 awards
Here's a run down of what the judges are looking for in the different categories. Best boutique, medium, large shop categories are divided by turnover.
Boutique
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VIC, QLD, NSW: up to $1.8m
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SA: up to $1.8m
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TAS: up to $1.5m split
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WA: up to $2m split
Medium
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(QLD, VIC, NSW)
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Between $1.8m - $4m
Large
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VIC, QLD, NSW: $4m+
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SA: $1.8m+
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TAS: $1.6m+
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WA: $2m+
Here are the basics that a shop must comply with in order to be considered.
Basics
Comfortable customer facilities
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A clean, tidy reception
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Good signage
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Dedicated estimating space
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Clean toilets
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Equipment
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Investment in the latest repair technology
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Organised equipment storage
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Organised parts area
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Robust training schedule for correct use of equipment to achieve repairs to manufacturers’ specifications
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Staff welfare
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A clean, healthy work environment
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Good OH&S procedure
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Staff training
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Acceptable staff facilities
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Green initiatives
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Solid recycling program including thinners
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Extra credit for water recycling, energy efficient equipment and other green initiatives
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A website
What scores extra points?
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Having a coherent vision for the future of your businessesD
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emonstrating how you have adapted your business to meet current challenges
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Innovation in business practice
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Involvement in the industry - trade associations or industry business groups
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Positive attitude towards the industry
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Marketing program which connects with customers and work providers, social media involvement
What do I have to do to be considered?
When you have nominated yourself or have been nominated for any of the awards you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. This helps the judges, Sam Street, editor at Paint & Panel, and Neil Powell to select which shops will be judged. The information you provide is completely confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside of the judges. If you win a regional award which entails an article in the magazine, you will have the opportunity to see what is written prior to print. The spirit of these awards is to celebrate the best in our industry, not to give away any trade secrets.
Innovative business initiative
What is the award for? A new process, a unique workshop management system, an innovative recruitment policy. In what aspect of the business have you been innovative? Judges will look for evidence of how the innovation has been developed and applied to improve commercial performance, operational effectiveness and/or customer outcomes. Here are some suggestions for what you have achieved in your business:
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Created competitive advantage
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Created or contributed to business growth
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Provided industry leadership
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Improved overall financial performance
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Embedded ethical or sustainable practices
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Helped staff deliver better customer service
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Supported staff education and/or training
Best customer service
What is the award for? Consistently exceptional customer service. Think carefully before nominating. Does this business really go the extra mile? Do they measure customer satisfaction? What sets them apart from a run-of-the-mill repairer?
Best regional repair shop
It's impossible for the judges to visit all the entrants given the vast distances involved so we will be judging video entries. Please check out last year’s winning entry by typing '2014 regional repairer winning entry video' into the search box on this website.
What do I have to do to be considered?
Enter or be nominated online. Make a movie of up to 10 minutes long which showcases your shop and key staff members. Last year’s winner, Craig Carey, made the smart move of getting one of the youngsters in the shop to make the video and edit it. If you haven’t got a clue where to start and there’s someone under 25 working in your shop you can almost guarantee that they will have the necessary skills to shoot a movie entry for you. If you can’t supply a movie on a memory stick, cd rom or via websites such as Hightail or Dropbox, then a well presented powerpoint will be considered with plenty of reasonable quality photographs.
The video should show your shop inside and out including customer reception area, offices, estimating area, parts storage and workshop - demonstrating workflow if possible. Please look at the judging criteria above and consider how you can cover these in your video. You can make this film with a smartphone, iPad or camcorder, or you could take the opportunity to go a bit more upmarket and end up with promo video which you can put on your website.
You are a regional repairer if your shop is not located within 50km of:
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Sydney
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Melbourne
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Brisbane
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Perth
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Adelaide
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Gold Coast-Tweed
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Newcastle-Maitland
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Canberra-Queanbeyan
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Wollongong
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Hobart
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Geelong
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Townsville-Thuringowa
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Cairns
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Darwin
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Toowoomba
Rising star
This is a new award to recognise younger people in the industry, under the age of 35, that are on the path to becoming leaders or innovators. We're looking for positive, energetic people who have contributed to the success of a smash repair shop or chain of shops.
What do I have to do to be considered?
Be nominated or nominate yourself. We are hoping that suppliers who have been impressed with their dealings with an under 35-year-old in a smash repair shop will also nominate. We will ask the person who nominates this individual to fill out a form detailing why they believe the nominee is worthy of the title Rising Star.
Axalta sustainability award
Sustainability is more than just about being green. It is also about building a better future for your business and creating a better environment for your staff to ensure that your business stands the test of time. Click here for more details. You don't need to tick every box but here are some of the criteria the judges will be looking for:
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Strong vision for business and plan for future
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Staff training, especially encouraging the next generation, e.g. apprentices
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Marketing program
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Efficient operating procedures
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Environmentally responsible
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Community involvement
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Specialisation or diversification strategies
Local Hero
Another new award for 2015. We want to recognise shops that are involved with their community, which is another indicator of good business practice.
What do I have to do to be considered?
This business will be involved in community initiatives such as supporting local sports teams, seniors clubs, making a contribution to local business community initiatives or being involved with schools and colleges. The nominated business will need to fill out a form detailing their community involvement.
A word about judging
The judges have only two days in each state and cram as many eligible shops as they can into each day. You will be contacted to let you know when we are coming to your state. If you can't be there, please arrange for someone else to conduct the tour. There is no other opportunity to be judged outside of the days scheduled for your state.
What happens if win?
You will be flown to the Autobody Repair of the Year awards lunch to receive your award. Each winner will have a profile of their business in the September edition of the magazine, with the national winners profiled in the November issue. As well as the physical award to display in your reception area, you will receive a winner's logo to display on your website and in your marketing material.
All financial data will be kept confidential and only viewed by the judges Sam Street and Neil Powell.
Click here to enter or nominate for 2015 awards
Axalta Sustainability Awards
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