Optimal solutions for long-term success
 
Thomas Melzer has been Brand Manager of vehicle refinish manufacturer Spies Hecker, which is part of the DuPont Group, since 2006. The company based in Cologne ranks as one of the world’s leading suppliers of paints for accident repair. Spies Hecker supports its customers in over 60 countries with advanced paint technology, practical training and service systems for bodyshops and paintshops.
 
The year has been dominated by major economic upheaval. How are bodyshops faring?
Trends in Europe are by no means uniform. Some countries are strongly affected by the crisis, and others less so. We have found that paintshops and bodyshops fare better in a competitive environment if they supply a broad range of services to the market and are part of a network. Small and medium-size companies in particular benefit from a strategy of sustainable business. By this I mean that they have their sights set on long-term business success rather than on short-term gain. Solid craftsmanship, efficient processes and the flexibility to exploit new opportunities – these are the attributes that will increasingly count. I am confident that Spies Hecker customers can cope successfully with this challenge.
 
So you’re basically optimistic?
Right. I see things developing positively. Spies Hecker has over 127 years of vehicle refinishing experience. There have always been difficult economic periods, such as the Oil Crisis in the Seventies. We have learnt our lessons from crises and have come out of them stronger than before. Furthermore, the repair market has been on the decline for years, and we have responded to this and developed viable strategies. We are the reliable partner to bodyshops and paintshops.
 
What support does Spies Hecker offer its customers for their long-term success?
Spies Hecker offers refinishers product systems, technologies and training customized to their needs. In the car refinish sector, for instance, digital color management takes the sting out of work processes. With the ColorDialog spectro spectrophotometer, colors can be identified with greater accuracy and speed and, with the online formula search, the refinisher can obtain mixing formulas and true-to-original depictions of the latest series colors directly via the Web. This boosts efficiency. All our products are perfectly adapted to one another in their system (e.g. putty, surfacer, base coat and clear coat) and thus easy to mix and to apply with dependable results.
With the paint products of the Permafleet series, Spies Hecker gives bodyshops practical support with professional commercial vehicle finishes. And in the industrial coating sector, we are pursuing a solution-driven approach with our Permaflex product system. Car repairs, commercial vehicle finishes and industrial coating – the broader its business base, the better the enterprise will withstand crises.
 
Where do you see the challenges of the future?
In my view, the challenges of the future will be mainly found in cooperation between the market participants and in profitability and customer orientation. In other words, in cooperation between bodyshops and dealers, insurance companies, claim adjusters and fleets. Anyone wanting to strengthen this cooperation and acquire volume business has to make sure that business stays profitable. This applies particularly to management. Take the subject of price calculation. Electronic damage estimates and communication with insurance companies will become increasingly important. And you have to have complete mastery of this if you want to secure your income here. This is where the Spies Hecker networks offer optimum solutions. Our IDENTICA and CUI partner programmes have been very successful particularly with managerial support and in the marketing sector. Spies Hecker set out to create networks over ten years ago. Today, we can see that businesses operating within the IDENTICA workshop system and Colors Unlimited International (CUI) know-how programme are in a stronger position.
 
What does a “stronger customer orientation” mean in everyday business?
Today, different target groups have to be given much stronger individual attention than before because they expect packages of services tailored specifically to them. Leasing and fleet customers, for instance, expect professional management – unlike private customers. More and more customer groups are emerging that the bodyshop can only attract and keep in the long term if they are appealed to separately. The growing number of drivers aged 50+, families and female bodyshop customers call for targeted marketing. A good way of attracting fleets is with Smart Repair or a vehicle wash & brush-up. For families, a strong emphasis ought to be on picking up and returning the vehicle. These are just two examples of a greater customer orientation.
 
How can profitable repair business be lastingly achieved?
In development, we resort to high-grade materials that can be efficiently applied. This is the key to profitable repair business. I am convinced that bodyshops will only be successful in the long run if they uphold the quality of their refinishing and operate cost-effectively. Sustainability is called for here as well. With practical product systems, Spies Hecker takes the effort out of workshop processes so that they become permanently more profitable. This is why we offer innovative systems such as UV-technology. This advanced technology simplifies and accelerates the repair of minor damage. Another of Spies Hecker’s hallmarks is its close relations with its customers and personal visits from our experts. This creates a firm bond founded on deep trust. And this is the basis for our customers’ success.
 
What’s Spies Hecker planning for the future?
We shall continue to consistently adapt our product systems to the requirements of the market. This year, we have introduced 20 new products. In doing so, we have been building on the further development of waterborne technology, which has really pointed the way forward since its launch over ten years ago. And this also applies internationally, even in regions not subject to the VOC Directive, such as Asia, the Middle East and the USA. Solvent-reduced products are also gaining ground strongly there as well. Waterborne is the technology of the future and will become economically more attractive.
Advanced waterborne technology, energy efficiency and effective management are the big topics of the future. This expertise will have an increasingly strong influence on bodyshop success, which is why we are expanding our spectrum of seminars – at the 52 Training Centers in 33 countries and at the Spies Hecker Training Center in Cologne.
 
Thank you very much for the interview.