Paint and body shop. We set up business processes

• Business: Automotive business; investments from RUB 7,500,000; payback from 18 months; minimum area from 10 m²
• Business area: services

Opening a paint shop for cars

Everything related to a car costs, as you know, a lot of money. Therefore, any type of business related to cars certainly looks very promising.

Car painting even stands out against this background, since the great demand for this type of service is explained not only by the need for post-accident body repairs, but also by the desire of many car enthusiasts to see their pet especially beautiful and different from others.

Let's take a closer look at how attractive this type of business is in Russia and what its commercial prospects are in the near future.

general information

A distinctive feature of the organization of a body shop is the fact that repair and painting work are directly related to each other; these are links in the same technological chain that make no sense to separate. After all, car painting takes place at the body repair shop.

The car body is painted after all elements that impede the work have been removed from it. Then the master corrects all damage and prepares the body itself. When all painting work is completed, the removed parts are reinstalled in their places.

Before organizing a paint and body shop, you should think carefully about the layout of the room, because during the repair process the car will have to be constantly moved between the repair and painting areas.

Minimal movement of equipment, personnel and vehicles will result in labor resources being used more efficiently and, consequently, increased profits.

Marketing plan

The decline in real incomes of the population has led to the fact that the main competitors of officially operating car services of various specializations have become “garage” workshops offering lower prices. There are two ways to successfully resist such rivalry:

1. Sufficient investment in the company's advertising campaign
2. Providing quality services by professional craftsmen

As a rule, the formation of consumer opinion is necessary not to convince them of the need for body repair services (all car owners already understand this), but to promote their own auto repair shop and quickly determine its location. This can be achieved:

• Placing outdoor advertising - at busy intersections directly near the car repair shop, signs at car washes, at gas stations, in auto parts stores, in small tire shops, etc.
• Placing advertisements in local media - on TV, in newspapers (preferably with a TV program).
• Distributing business cards of the company in auto stores
• Creating your own Internet resource
• Placing advertisements on the websites of partner stores (those where you will purchase materials)

To create an image, it is planned to create a company logo, come up with an attractive name, determine corporate colors, and sew a uniform for the staff.

A car owner who is faced with the need for body repair or painting for the first time, as a rule, looks for a car service in person, or comes on the advice of friends. One way or another, the main task of the company’s personnel is to provide services at such a level that the client in a similar situation in the future will no longer think about where to turn.

Download car service business plan

To do this, you need to create comfortable conditions both for the client himself and for his “wallet”. To do this, you can apply the following marketing techniques :

• Price determination slightly lower than competitors
• Working with insurance companies. This, by the way, will guarantee an influx of car owners, subject, of course, to the quality of the work.
• Posting information about services on thematic websites and forums in your region.
• Organizing a convenient place to wait for quick work - a small cafe, or a hall with coffee machines, cigarette vending machines, etc. installed in it.
• Organization of “delivery” of visitors who will leave their car for repairs to their destination.
• Issue and distribution of discount cards
• Introduction of a system of discounts for providing several services at once. For example, having brought a car with a damaged front fender in for repair, its owner can order a small dent on the trunk lid, or something similar, to be repaired for half the price.
• Providing services related to existing business. Example: a spray booth can also be used to coat a car with liquid rubber or apply airbrushing. An excellent option would be to organize a reupholstery of the interior.
• Proposal for concluding agreements on mutually beneficial terms for motor transport enterprises.

Activity planning

At the beginning of their activities, many owners do not pay due attention to the issue of planning. If the workshop load is low, there is no need to do this. But with the growing flow of clients, the situation may change. This often happens unexpectedly; the company turns out to be completely unprepared for a large volume of work and loses some clients who want to receive high-quality services and on time.

The essence of planning is the optimal use of labor and production resources. It needs to be carried out at the beginning of the activity, even if you do not see the real effect of such a plan. In this case, the enterprise will be ready to accept the maximum number of clients, ensuring that all production facilities are fully loaded.

To successfully develop your own business, you need to develop a business plan for a paint and body shop. It is this that will serve as the basis for further growth prospects. According to it, the company will implement specific activities at a specific time, based on specific numbers.

Advantages of purchasing equipment for painting works in Moscow from

When you buy painting equipment, price is one of the most important factors in choosing a supplier company. But in addition to a very competitive price, it offers its customers other advantages:

• The equipment you see in the catalog is also in stock. This allows us to reduce delivery times to a minimum, giving you the opportunity to get started faster.
• When choosing a specific model, you can seek advice from a company representative. Our specialists will answer all your questions and provide the information you need to make a decision.
• We deliver painting equipment throughout the Russian Federation, as well as Belarus and Kazakhstan. In addition to delivery, you can order a full cycle of commissioning work from us - and our employees will not only deliver, but install and configure the equipment.
• Finally, you can take advantage of the opportunity to purchase goods on credit or in installments: equipment for a paint shop costs a lot, so many of our clients have already been able to appreciate this option.

So if you need inexpensive, but reliable and effective painting equipment, you should buy it in. Tel.

Box equipment

As experts advise, the workshop must have a booth for painting cars. It has four body repair bays. In one of them you need to place a hydraulic electric lift for installing and removing car parts. In the second - install a body slipway. It is necessary to restore the body after major accidents.

Just a few years ago, this type of work was carried out manually, which complicated the process of restoring the exact geometry of the body. This led to the car moving as if sideways. Using a slipway allows you to avoid such problems. In the third box you need to install equipment for puttying, straightening the body and car parts. It may include a staple, a mallet and other necessary tools. The fourth box is intended for polishing the body.

This is the last step before sending the car to the paint booth. The process is carried out using a polishing machine or manually. Since polishing increases the level of dust, all personnel must be equipped with respirators or special masks. Try not to place this box next to another (especially adjacent), as this may interfere with the work of other employees.

Production plan

To operate an enterprise with a staff of 4 people, you will need the following tools and equipment :

• Straightening stocks - platform, frame, rolling, and floor type + grips, clamps, and jacks for cars of various brands - 1 of each type
• Two-post car lift – 2 pcs.
• Measuring rulers - 3 pcs.
• 2- and 3-dimensional measurement systems – 1 pc.
• Hydraulic sets for straightening bodies – 2 pcs.
• Set for straightening dents on the body without painting – 1 pc.
• Detectors for determining types of steel – 2 pcs.
• Set of straightening tools – 2 pcs.
• Semi-automatic welding machine – 1 pc.
• Inverter spot welding machine – 1 pc.
• Apparatus for welding plastic elements – 1 pc.
• Polishing machine – 2 pcs.
• Painting and drying chamber – 1 pc.
• Set of spray guns – 2 pcs.
• Special colorist lamp – 1 pc.
• Mini camera for spraying tests – 1 pc.
• Rotary painting tables for painting body parts – 2 pcs.
• Infrared short-wave drying – 2 pcs.
• Thickness gauge – 2 pcs.

When choosing equipment and tools, you should always remember that expensive does not always mean high quality, and it is the latter factor that should be decisive when purchasing.

Equipment for painting works

The car painting booth is the basis of the entire paint shop. It is an isolated room equipped with an air vent, temperature control mode, and good lighting. Any painting chamber operates in painting and drying mode. When paint is applied, warm (about 25 degrees) air is automatically pumped into the chamber from the ceiling.

It promotes sedimentation of suspended matter. After painting is completed, the painting chamber is ventilated. Then comes the drying period. The temperature in the chamber is raised to 70 degrees for 1-2 hours. At this moment, the system begins to operate in recirculation mode. Air intake from the street is reduced, thereby significantly saving energy. Natural gas is often used as fuel.

To avoid dirt, oil or moisture from getting onto the painted part from the compressor, use an air preparation unit for painting. They come in different types. The most powerful of them purify the air up to 99%.

How much can you earn from doing garage repairs with someone else's hands?

In short, it’s enough - you won’t die of hunger, but there won’t be enough for caviar! If you work with your own hands, you will get more, but it’s hard, dirty and harmful work - it’s easier to sell!

What about “start-up capital”? To start a business in a garage, you don’t need much:

1. Own or rented garage . For example, in Moscow, renting a good, brick and fairly spacious garage, in which you can easily work with one car, will cost up to 5,000 rubles.
2. Equipmentnecessary for car repairs. Here you need to decide what to do, either metalwork repair, or body repair, or both.
   Plumbing repairs will require a lot of hand tools (open-end wrenches, sockets, jacks, various pullers, etc.). On average, a starter kit for initial repairs will cost up to 30,000 rubles.
3. Body repair. It’s a little more complicated here, but the profits from body repair are several times higher than from metalwork. For example, for replacing spare parts on a broken “face” and painting them, you can freely demand at least 30,000 rubles (the cost of spare parts and consumables is paid by the client), because in a car service they will charge at least 2 times more for such work. To disassemble and reassemble a car, you will need all the same tools as for plumbing repairs. In addition, you will need to buy quite expensive equipment: an electricity generator, an air compressor, welding (preferably) and small power tools. As a result, the amount required to equip a garage for your business will be approximately 70-80 thousand rubles.

Profits and payback periods

Let's say you invested 80,000 rubles in garage equipment for your business. We started working. The first clients will most likely be your friends, and then word of mouth will begin. Alone, in a month you can do at least 2 cars with medium body damage, or up to 6-8 with minor ones (painting 1-2 parts). A simple calculation shows: 2 cars for 20-30 tr. or 8 for 5-6 tr. – this is more than 50,000 rubles of net profit.

As a result, your garage business will pay for itself in 2-3 months and begin to generate net profit. Yes, you won’t be able to take on serious slipway work, for which car repair shops charge from 100,000 rubles, but, as they say, “the hen pecks the grain, but he’s full.” If things go well, you will expand, especially since there is room for it.

Equipment

• Hydraulics for body straightening
• Semi-automatic and acid cylinder
• Spotter and reverse hammer
• Compressor
• Spray guns
• Bulgarian women
• Grinders (round and flat)
• Polishing machine
• Winch
• Grinding stones
• Yews
• Propane heat gun for accelerated drying
• Hood, shelving and heating (you can do without it).

Features of spray booths

Today, manufacturers offer various spray booths, the choice of which directly depends on the purpose of their purchase, the climatic conditions of the installation site and technical characteristics. The main role is played by equipment that provides air supply, heating and exhaust. In this case, excess pressure is formed in the box. It is achieved by a disproportion between air exhaust and air injection. Cheap cameras when working in harsh climates worsen the quality of services provided. Such conditions require a chamber with good thermal insulation and a powerful burner.

Only a small percentage (about 15%) of body painting jobs involve the complete painting of a vehicle. In most cases, medium or minor repairs to specific parts are required. In order not to waste energy resources, special truncated type painting boxes are used.

To place individual elements, stands for painting car parts are used. They make it easier and more convenient to carry out preparatory and painting work. When drawing up a business plan for car painting, you need to take into account all possible nuances and circumstances.

First steps in body repair

First step. First, you need to study all the technological processes in bodywork in order to organize a high-quality car service. Painting and body repairs must be carried out in accordance with the planned technical processes, otherwise the client will remain dissatisfied with the work performed and is unlikely to want to pay for it. In addition, the cost of some machines amounts to millions of rubles, which requires a careful and professional attitude. Therefore, a business plan for car body repair must include appropriate professional equipment and competent specialists. Of course, this will require significant investments, but there is no other way.

Second step. The body center can be organized from scratch or it can be purchased already in its operating form. In the first case, a business plan for car repair must be drawn up; in the second, you can do without it. However, the first option will be more profitable in terms of profitability, payback and customer loyalty, because already at the initial stage of drawing up a plan, you can foresee all the nuances and build a business according to the best option.

Third step. In which city will the body center be opened? This will greatly influence the business plan as well as its performance. The capital's costs will be incomparable with what some county town will require. At the same time, a Moscow car service center will be able to bring in much more profit, because the clientele here is larger and the contingent is richer.

Fourth step. You will also need to think about organizational issues: opening an individual entrepreneur or other legal entity and take into account some other issues.

After analyzing these points, you can begin to draw up a business plan for car body repair.

Labor resources

The business plan for a paint and body shop must include expenses for paying employees, purchasing workwear and deductions. Let's find out which specialists will be needed for each site. Four prep bays and one paint booth will require varying numbers of workers. To replace car parts that cannot be repaired, one specialist is enough. His workplace must be equipped with an electric lift.

Pre-painting work requires special skills and care. To do this, you will need 3 generalist specialists. They must also carry out work in a paint booth, because the painting process takes no more than 2 hours, so it is not profitable to invite a separate specialist to work.

Acceptance and delivery of vehicles, making payments, purchasing spare parts and other consumables must be carried out by a certain person. In a small business, this can be done by the workshop owner himself. In addition, he can take on the work of an accountant. Thus, the staff of an enterprise such as a body shop will consist of 5 people.

Staff salaries and other expenses

Body work is a complex and responsible task that requires a certain skill. It is the skill of professionalism that will determine how much profit you can receive. Therefore, it is worth hiring only real specialists who have some experience. Subsequently, it will be possible to hire a person without experience as an apprentice, who will learn from experienced employees. A person who does not have special knowledge is suitable for washing.

1. 4 employees for body repair with a salary of 4*70=280 thousand.
2. 1 painter - 60 thousand.
3. washer - 30 thousand.
4. mechanics and assistants for auxiliary work - 2 people with a salary of 40 thousand - a total of 80 thousand.
5. administrator - 35 thousand.
6. incoming accountant - 20 thousand.

Expenses for housing and communal services, taxes, plus monthly consumables - 100 thousand.

Total: 665 thousand rubles.

Counting expenses

In addition to the above costs, a business plan for a paint and body shop should include costs for the purchase of a cash register, services for opening a bank account, etc. We suggest considering a business plan that is designed for the work of an individual entrepreneur only with individuals for cash payments .

So, for the initial purchase of equipment and materials for organizing a workshop, you need to purchase:

• welding machine – 15 thousand rubles;
• compressor – 12 thousand rubles;
• slipway - 170 thousand rubles;
• painting booth – 430 thousand rubles;
• washing the spray gun – 25 thousand rubles;
• two types of spray gun: primer and finishing – 2 pcs. x 3 thousand rubles. = 6 thousand rubles;
• infrared drying - 5 thousand rubles;
• dust removal system – 50 thousand rubles;
• table, racks for painting parts - 10 thousand rubles;
• grinding machine - 2 pcs. x 8 thousand rubles = 16 thousand rubles;
• grinder - 2 pcs. x 5 thousand rubles. = 10 thousand rubles;
• workwear - 4 sets x 2.5 thousand rubles = 10 thousand rubles;
• other tools - 10 thousand rubles.

Total 769 thousand rubles. you need for capital investments in business.

Monthly expenses for the painting shop will be:

• electricity – 18 thousand rubles;
• gas – 10 thousand rubles;
• rental of premises – 55 thousand rubles;
• salary – 75 thousand rubles;
• taxes – 37 thousand rubles;
• consumables – 30 thousand rubles;
• advertising services – 8 thousand rubles;
• other – 10 thousand rubles.

Total 243 thousand rubles. you will spend monthly.

Car painting equipment

The basis of a car painting shop is a paint booth and a modular building in which it is installed.

The spray booth includes:

• Cell room and gate.
• Heating elements.
• Supply and exhaust ventilation.
• Filter elements.
• Safety system.
• Lighting.
• Remote Control.

Additionally, the spray booth is equipped with a compressor and spray guns.

Costs for purchasing and commissioning equipment:

• Spray booth included – RUB 2,500,000.
• Modular building – RUB 1,500,000.
• Permits – 150,000 rubles.
• Transport costs – 240,000 rubles.
• Installation, commissioning – 200,000 rubles.
• Advertising expenses – 150,000 rubles.
• Expenses for the purchase of materials – 250,000 rubles.

Total: 4,990,000 rub.

Income calculation

In the business plan of a paint and body shop, we will include monthly income with an average load of 2 cars per day:

• preparatory work and complete painting of the car - 5x30 = 150 thousand rubles;
• repair and painting of individual body elements - 30x3000 = 90 thousand rubles;
• replacement of parts that cannot be repaired – 80x600 = 24 thousand rubles;
• restoration of body geometry – 3x20,000 = 60 thousand rubles;
• other minor repairs – 30x500 = 15 thousand rubles.

Total 339 thousand rubles.

Organizational plan

Table 3 shows the job responsibilities of body shop personnel:

An open-ended employment contract is concluded with each employee. There are two remuneration options to choose from for an 8-hour working day of a 5-day working week:

1. Time wages + 15% of revenue for each repaired car
2. 30% of revenue for each repaired car

In any case, body shop employees will be personally interested both in attracting car owners for repairs and in the quality of the work they perform.

To optimize the workload of workers in different specialties, cross-training should be applied so that, if necessary, any of them can replace the other.

About risks and their elimination

To open any business, you need to develop a business plan, car painting is no exception. Its implementation must be ensured by reducing production, financial, commercial and other types of risks. In addition, the possibility of force majeure situations must be taken into account.

Disturbances in production processes and untimely receipt of materials can cause production risks. Their reduction can be ensured by careful monitoring of the progress of production processes. You can reduce commercial risks by constantly studying market conditions and introducing new technologies.

A flexible pricing policy, advertising and permanent reliable suppliers will also ensure the financial stability of the business. Working with clients on prepayment will help reduce financial risks. A high level of financial stability and strength of the enterprise will be one of the measures to prevent force majeure.

The type of activity described is very dependent on the human factor. Even with the most expensive equipment, an unqualified specialist will not be able to do the job efficiently. The experience and responsibility of the employee, combined with a high level of production equipment, will allow you to get maximum profit.

What you need

Next, we’ll tell you where to start for an entrepreneur who wants to invest in this area. Our step-by-step instructions will help you correctly enter this area and gain a foothold in it for a long time.

Finding a location for a workshop

The space you will need is small in area, 100 square meters will be enough if you are making a workshop for several machines at once. If you plan to repair no more than one car, even a small garage of 15 square meters will do. For serious business, we do not recommend using just one box, since the machine may be stuck in repair for several days for one reason or another, and you will be idle.

As in any car service center, here you will need to properly plan not only the premises itself, but also the surrounding area and access roads. The first thing you need is to decide on the form of purchasing the workshop. This could be renting, purchasing a structure, or constructing it yourself.

In order for the workshop to comply with existing standards, you need to contact the city’s architectural bureau. The cheapest option is to rent a ready-made garage. Rent will cost about 5-10 thousand rubles per month, depending on the region. However, it will have to be equipped to be suitable for body work. In addition, an ordinary cooperative garage will not allow work in the winter.

The best option is to purchase a plot of land and build a workshop from prefabricated frame structures. Such construction will take a little time and will not cost much in terms of money.

Business registration

You need to register as an individual entrepreneur at your tax office; this procedure takes only 5 working days. The following documents will be needed by the tax office:

• Passport.
• TIN.
• Application for registration as an individual entrepreneur.

You will also have to pay a state fee of 800 rubles. In order for government agencies to know what kind of activity a businessman is engaged in, it is necessary to indicate the OKVED code. In this case, it is 50.20.1 “Maintenance and repair of passenger cars.” It should be noted that this area is not subject to licensing. It is better to choose a simplified tax system. A cash register is not required; checks can be issued to customers manually.

Purchase of necessary equipment

High-quality specialized equipment is the key to the success of a body service. You will have to spend a lot of money on purchasing equipment; this will be the main item of initial expenses. But you shouldn’t save money either, because both the quality of the services provided and the speed of their implementation depend on the equipment. Clients trust well-equipped services with specialized equipment.

To work you will need the following devices:

• Straightening stocks.
• Car jacks.
• Clamps and grips for car parts.
• Lift.
• Measuring rulers and 3D measuring systems.
• Hydraulic devices for leveling body parts.
• Tools for leveling dents without painting.
• Straightening tools for manual work.
• Apparatus for welding work.
• Polishing machine.
• Drying chamber.
• Spray booth.
• Spray guns.
• Colorist's lamp.
• Steel thickness gauges.

Reception of workers

Difficulties may arise here, because it is not so easy to find professionals in their field. More precisely, you can find him, but convincing him to work “for your uncle,” that is, for you, will not be easy. Therefore, we recommend that you take care of this issue at the stage of a business idea.

More than half of the success of the entire business depends on the level of qualifications of employees. You need to find tinsmiths and painters who are fluent in the required skills. It’s a little easier if you work on your own for the first time, then you can hire smart assistants for an inexpensive price and train them yourself.

You can attract professionals only with a high percentage of the order and a constant flow of clients. In this area, wages are usually piecework, and the master receives from 15 to 30 percent of the order. The staff should have 4 people: 2 tinsmiths, 1 painter and 1 administrator. The administrator also performs the duties of a cashier and manager.

Advertising campaign and marketing

In order for clients of the paint and body shop to come and know about this service, you need to spend money on a serious advertising campaign. This is a necessary cost item, without which a business simply cannot proceed. Here you will need to convince people not that they need body repair (because this is already clear), but that they choose your workshop.

It is worth using the following advertising tools:

• Information about the workshop in local newspapers and magazines.
• Advertising on banners located on busy city roads.
• Printing business cards and distributing them to potential clients.
• Creation of a website and/or group on social networks.

We also recommend developing a memorable company logo. It is important that it is bright and recognizable. You can't do without a creative name. Marketing is based mainly on providing a service at such a high level that the client wants to come back again. Clients often become regulars and bring friends with them.

The client must feel comfortable in the service and understand what he is paying for. It is also worth paying attention to the following marketing moves:

• A pricing policy with high quality services does not require dumping (high-quality work is expensive, on the contrary, low prices can only scare away good clients).
• Interaction with insurance companies (work on insurance restoration of cars after an accident).
• Creating a comfortable area for the client, where the client can wait for the work to be completed (TV, coffee, magazines).
• Organizing a taxi home for clients who leave their car for a long time.
• Creation of a flexible system of discounts for regular customers.
• Carrying out promotions.
• Concluding agreements with transport companies of the city.

All this helps to create a positive reputation for the company, attract new clients and retain old ones.

How it works? Principle of operation:

An automated paint shop at an automobile plant consists of several sections for step-by-step carrying out all the necessary painting operations.

Before painting, the car body undergoes preliminary preparation in several baths. Using automated lifts, it is lowered into each bathroom for literally half a minute to wash, activate, phosphate, cataphoresis priming the surface and apply mastic. There are two types of mastics applied: suture and anti-noise. Thanks to this complex “bathing” in solutions, a fairly large guarantee against corrosion is provided.

Then the body is primed again, taking into account the future color of the car - different primers are used for dark and light shades.

After this, the body is dried in a special cabin. For this purpose, drying panels, thermal electric heaters, reflectors and mirror lamps are used. The drying process occurs by moving heated air. Heat flows going in the opposite direction produce drying from the substrate to the surface, and the paint begins to dry from the depths, without forming a dried crust on the surface.

The body then goes into an automatic paint booth. Modern manipulators operate here, equipped with jet tools and hoses for painting the body with secondary primer and color coating. To protect the painted surface, as well as to ensure an attractive appearance of the body, the car is painted with varnish. Inside the working arm of the device there is a whole system of pipelines for supplying and adjusting liquid paints and varnishes into the working area. After this, the paintwork is dried in an oven. A final inspection of the body's painted surface is then carried out.

Robotic arms are also customized to paint complex and multi-dimensional parts, perform local vehicle painting, and switch between different sizes and colors. Programming of the painting robot occurs mainly through demonstration. This approach automates work with parts of any size.

Video of industrial robots painting a car body:

Despite the fact that robots perform complete car painting, human labor is still necessary. For example, when specks do get onto a painted surface, defect detectors, having discovered this problem, put a special mark in its place, after which they eliminate the defect using polishing pastes and a whole set of soft circles. After final polishing, the finished body can be sent further.