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T he workshop of Woodall Transport Group has all the hallmarks
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of a wellrun operation providing good value for money. Test failures and prohibition notices are rare, fitters seem to enjoy working there and the budgets set by management are normally adhered to.
Yet Mick Downes once regarded contract maintenance as a better option for the company, which is based in Coleshill, Warwickshire. In his former job as service manager of a local dealership, he approached Woodall's managing director on several occasions to highlight the advantages of paying a fixed amount each month to maintain its vein
des. "The beauty of it from the operator's point of view is that you can concentrate on running your business," says Downes. "At the end of the day, it would have meant their workshop becoming redundant."
Closed down
It was the Daf dealership rather than the workshop that eventually closed down, however, and seven years ago Downes was asked to take over as its fleet engineer.
Woodall has a fleet of 5o trucks and ioo trailers. The family-run business dates back more than 6o years and tradition may partly explain the reluctance to give up control of maintenance. But there are pragmatic reasons as well. Located near the MG and M42 motorways, it provides local transport for several blue-chip companies.
At Cadbury in Birmingham, it owns and operates four shunters whose maintenance is Downes' responsibility, something he says a dealer would be unwilling to undertake. "At the moment, we have a brand new Daf that is on a two-year maintenance contract but it should only see the dealer's workshop twice during that time for the oil changes."
This is largely explained by distance—the dealership used by Woodall is 22 miles away down a notoriously congested stretch of the MG motorway between junctions 6 and to. But Downes says that, in most cases, his workshop does at least as good a job as a dealer would anyway—and in far less time. You know when you phone up a dealership to do a warranty job that it's not going to be done straight away. They are under too much pressure.
"We just apply the criteria that during every four-week check-up, we do everything that needs to be done. There's no argument about putting it off until next time. Contract maintenance only covers basic maintenance; it won't cover things like topping up oils, bulb replacements or accident damage."
He also claims that his fitters are more flexible than those employed by dealers and so they can complete jobs more quickly. "Our fitters are multi-skilled and do bodywork, electrics and can turn their hands to anything. A dealership will look at everything from the floor down but when it comes to bodywork and tail-lifts, they have to find a time slot for someone else to do it."
The jobs given to Woodall's fitters include stripping engines down and rebuilding them. This helps to make their jobs more interesting and they are therefore more likely to stay with the company, according to Downes. It is one reason why he regards new technology as an opportunity rather than a problem.
"Dealerships have to train their people for this sort of work and they're only human beings at the end of the day. It gives our fitters an opportunity to develop their sldlls."
This summer, two of Woodall's fitters are going on an ABS course at a cost of boo each. "ABS is only wires coming from a wheel to a control unit in the cab that's linked into lights on the dash," says Downes.
"Nine out of ro problems are just sensors or wires getting chafed inside the chassis." New vehicles may be increasingly sophisticated but he argues that understanding the way they work will soon be easier because manufacturers will no longer be allowed to keep the information close to their chests.
His ideal fitter is someone who is enthusiastic, presentable and interested in the job. He believes a sense of being valued is fostered by small details such as providing fitters with clean overalls every day. The approach seems to work: the average length of service is around to years.
Hourly rate
Although the hourly rate for senior fitters has increased by 25% over the last two years, Downes says this has reduced pressure to top up their wages with overtime which he discourages unless strictly necessary.
"Unfortunately, overtime has always been part of the wage in this trade but a lot of in-house workshops tend not to think about overtime." He questions whether fitters who put in 70 or 8o hours a week are being productive all that time.
In Woodall's case, he says it would be pointless adopting a system to measure the efficiency of each fitter because he would waste too much of his own time in the process. "We are small enough to know how efficient each mechanic is just by working alongside him."
When Downes first joined the company, he says there was very much an "us and them" attitude, with fitters regarding transport as moaners. "Transport is now regarded as the customer," he says. "It's just a process of educating and speaking to the guys. We do things like putting seat covers on when doing repairs. After a service, we try to present trucks in a condition that customers would be happy to pick them up in. I'm sure Marks & Spencer and other shops do the same thing with their staff" His annual budget is broken down to cover areas such as tools, building maintenance, oils, training and tyres. 'We also have a target figure for each vehicle, based on its past history. If it exceeds the budget, we would review its future or scrap it altogether."
The trailer fleet is a mix of flats, curtainsiders and reefers. About 8o% of the trucks are Volvos and the rest are Dafs. "We have trucks that are it or tz years old that are still perfectly reliable," says Downes.
"Their costs per month are slightly more than a brand new truck, but still quite acceptable."