The repairs skill shortage - Steve Plunkett Interview

In our introduction to the ‘perfect storm,’ we explored the biggest issues facing our industry as we navigate through the choppy waters of 2022. With Brexit, Covid, an industry switch towards electric and the ongoing war in Ukraine to contend with, it took a whole post just to outline the issues we’re facing .

That outline is only the beginning. If we want to chart our path through this storm, we all need expert advice. Which is why Cogent Hire MD Kirsty McKno has been calling on some of the most experienced names in her contact book to take each issue apart piece by piece.

Kirsty’s first interviewee is Steve Plunkett - formerly of Volvo Car UK and now of Lotus Cars. Steve has a wealth of experience and deals with many people from across the repair industry, dealing with manufacturers, suppliers, insurers, the SMMT and various other bodies from across the industry.

There’s no better person to turn to for an overview of a very pressing issue - the skills shortage affecting the repair industry.

 

“It’s been a real challenge, hasn’t it?”

In understated fashion, Steve’s realistic about what challenges the industry has faced over the last few years. But who’s been most affected?

“It’s been a real challenge, hasn’t it? For bodyshops especially. In my previous role we used to deal with 76 body shops. That went down to 69 post Covid, but at the peak of lockdown only 21 of those were open and trading. For that first 6-8 weeks I really felt for the shops who were closed, but I also felt for the ones who stayed open.”

During the peak of the pandemic, Steve was regularly calling to check in on the repair partners that he relied on, checking on their health, their businesses - and times were hard across the industry. Phones weren’t ringing. Cash wasn’t coming in.

“It was that full lockdown scenario wasn’t it. We were having a record quarter and month for repairs before lockdown. It’s been very stressful, for everybody. It’s been a tough time for bodyshops, and we’re by no means out of the woods yet.”

 

Demand has returned - supply hasn’t

An end to lockdown restrictions means more cars back on the roads and a greater need for expert repairs. The demand for repair services has returned, the ability to meet that need hasn’t.

Whether it’s because their businesses shut down, or they decided to finally take retirement, the Coronavirus pandemic certainly saw people leave the repair industry in record numbers. And the remaining bodyshops in the industry have an average age that’s crept above 50 years old now.

Manufacturers, much like Cogent Hire, rely on a network of carefully selected bodyshops to put vehicles back on the road.

“Each time that I speak to a bodyshop they’re short staffed. They haven’t got enough courtesy cars and also have a lack of staff. We’re all having conversations about the average age of staff, and how there isn’t the young talent replacing people who’ve retired, we do need to look specifically at the technical staff. Panel and paint technicians. They’re just really very hard to get!”

A lack of skilled staff, combined with a lack of parts and materials. It’s easy to see this perfect storm coming together. But surely it’s not all doom and gloom, is it Steve?

No, not at all. Because with the right attitude, anything is possible.

 

“Our industry should be really, really proud of itself.”

Things are hard. And they’ve been hard for a while. But Steve’s proud of the way his corner of the industry is handling the storm.

“I think our industry should be proud of itself. It has proven that it is incredibly resilient. So I'm personally really, really proud of how the people that I have worked with in recent times have coped in this very difficult time.”

Could that can-do attitude lead to a path through the storm for bodyshops and the industry as a whole? Steve’s confident.

“It’s about respect. That’s key for me. In the previous role I have prided myself on the network that we built up and that mutual respect and trust that came hand in hand with it.

 

Networking and collaboration - a path through the storm

That networking is something Cogent Hire is serious about too. When Steve mentioned reducing friction between bodyshops and insurance companies and vehicle manufacturers, that spoke directly to what we do - what we’ll keep doing. On reducing friction, making sure we can all pull together, and forming partnerships to protect the industry as a whole.

As Steve concludes, it’s that resilience and that ability to work together that’ll help us all onto a more stable footing. No matter what the challenges are ahead.

“We work in a tough and very demanding industry. But we work with some great people and some very, very resilient businesses. We need to work more closely together”

Stay strong. Work together. Do that, and there’s nothing we can’t overcome.

 

Link to Perfect Storm #1