MK OK! - January 2012

We are proud to announce the continued expansion of the Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group with the acquisition of the Wayside Bodyshop in Milton Keynes. This is the second step in our planned Nationwide expansion.

Wayside has been serving the automotive industry for 25 years. They are a Certified Collision Repair Facility for Mercedes-Benz, an approved Paint and Body Centre for the Volkswagen Group, a Jaguar Centre of Excellence and a BMW Approved Bodyshop.

A VERY 'PORSCHE' DO - December 2011

During November Tonbridge Coachworks opened its doors (or rather swung up its barrier) to the local Tonbridge Porsche Owners Club for a special, invitation-only 'Car Cosmetics Event'.

The event was attended by 40 discerning motorists who brought their pride-and-joy along for a day of maintenance and cleaning techniques, fancy refreshments and socialising.

Starting with hot drinks, pastries and a catch-up at the very civilised hour of ten o'clock attendees were then given tours and talks about wheel alignment, trim repairs, claying and dent repair. They also got a chance to meet the impressive Symach machine (used in the spraying process) and have their cars diagnosed through computer analysis!

With breaks for lunch and afternoon tea and special offers on many 'treatments' the visitors all left feeling like they'd had the VIP treatment as is made obvious by this response on behalf of the club:

TCW & DEBRA - WORKING TOGETHER - November 2011

Staff at Tonbridge Coachworks have been looking for ways to help out one of their favourite charities - DEBRA.

DEBRA is the national charity working on behalf of people in the UK with the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). You will have encountered the condition if you watched the recent BBC3 programme The Butterfly and the Tornado which followed tornado researcher and EB sufferer Sam Hall as she chased giant storms across America.

To help out DEBRA Tonbridge Coachworks offer free mountain bikes to their customers as a greener, healthier alternative to the usual courtesy car and if a customer chooses the bike, but has no need of it themselves, they can elect to donate it to DEBRA. In this way Tonbridge Coachworks have raised over £1,000 so far this year!

There are some big changes happening at Bodywork Solihull. The business has recently been chosen to join the prestigious Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group.

The Tonbridge Coachworks Group is currently made up of three very successful Kent-based bodyshops and this expansion into the Midlands marks an exciting first step towards a National group. Vince Scudder, Group CEO said:

"We are very pleased that Bodywork Solihull are now part of the Group. We aim to spearhead change in the way our industry works and they are part of that change. We see great potential within the business and we believe that this acquisition will strengthen both Bodywork Solihull and the TCW group."

However, for all the satisified Solihull customers and hard-working staff it is still business as usual. There is a slight move about in the management structure but otherwise jobs will remain as they are, as Mr Scudder says:

"We chose Bodywork Solihull to join us because they excel at what they do - so why change it?"

Sue, Mike and Nathan from the CARS team.

Following a gruelling two-day audit Canterbury Accident Repair Specialists (CARS) are now among the first bodyshops in the country to be able to display the prestigious BSI KiteMark.

The 2011 version of the PAS 125 (Publicly Available Specification) was updated in June this year to keep up with the latest technological innovation in the motor industry and best practice within bodyshops. These revisions were agreed by public comment as well as industry representatives.

The Kitemark scheme, run by the BSI, is completely independent and impartial and is seen as an opportunity for bodyshops to show how serious they are about getting the body repair process right. With over 80% of the UK adult population recognizing the Kitemark it is a sure sign of the quality of work offered at CARS and a guarantee of a high safety standard in the repair process.

As Peter Shaw, Chief Executive of the industry research centre at Thatcham, comments:

Some of the TCW Team

Like many 39 year-olds Tonbridge Coachworks is looking forward to next year with a mixture of pride and excitement. Pride inspired by forty years of growth and achievement and excitement at what the future holds. And like others approaching the big four O the company is having something of a make-over!

Vince Scudder is the owner of Tonbridge Coachworks (technically Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group, made up of Tonbridge Coachworks and European Automotive Solutions in Tonbridge and Canterbury Accident Repair Specialist in Canterbury), and it was Vince's father who founded the company back in the early 70's. Vince himself never meant to go into the vehicle repair business, he started at the age of 19 just filling in time by working for his dad, but then everything changed:

"Nine months after I started, my father died suddenly at the age of 43. My younger brothers were still at school and so I just did what had to be done. I carried on as best I could, with the help of 12 staff who were all older than me and, 33 years later, I'm still here."

During that time the industry has moved on, it's not as simple as knocking out a few dents and giving cars a quick re-spray nowadays:

"Everything about the car has changed in 30 years. They were made of tin and welded together then, but now there are so many different materials and systems that our staff of 63 need rigorous training and online guidance just to keep up. It's certainly not the kind of industry my dad came into back in 1971."

This change in approach has led to some impressive investment over the last year or so. In 2010 a state-of-the-art drying system was brought in at a cost of £120,000. These computer-aided robots are seven times more energy efficient than previous machinery and capable of cutting down drying time by over 65%, meaning a potential bottle neck in the repair process is freed up. This makes a lot of sense both financially and for the customer. Investment in new technology is, of course, backed by continuous staff training that includes apprenticeships and even open days for students.

"A business like ours can't afford to stand still" says Vince "we're always looking forward to the future."

And it seems that this mixture of experience and investment is working. Tonbridge Coachworks is approved by many prestigious manufacturers, from Porsche and Lamborghini to Aston Martin and BMW, all of which have  very rigorous standards that are constantly checked and tested, tests which the company are passing with flying colours, a recent audit by Mercedes-Benz was passed with a perfect 100% score! In addition the company has just been voted in at number six in a nationwide list of Porsche Centre Approved Bodyshops, being pipped to the number five spot by just 0.04%!

Recognition of the good work the firm carries out doesn't just come from within the industry, it also comes from celebrity endorsement! Alongside completing jobs for local people, Tonbridge Coachworks often repairs the rides of the rich and famous. Modesty and customer confidentiality prevents us from naming names, but musicians and footballers feature strongly! Not that these cars get a better treatment than the family cars that also come in:

"We offer an excellent service to all car owners. The intention is to make Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group a positive part of our customers' lifestyle."

This is the ethos behind the recent image work the company has had done. New websites showcase a new brand that is cleaner, sharper and more focussed on the customer.

"The online world is alien to many in our industry, but it is increasingly relevant to our customers."

Which is why you'll see Bently, the smiling chihuahua that has become the company's mascot, on Facebook and Twitter and heading up the new members' privilege club. It's part of a move away from a culture of technical jargon and hidden costs towards a friendly, fun conversation in plain English.

Amongst the many new customer-centred innovations that the company is currently trialling Bently the dog features in an innovative offer whereby customers can exchange the usual courtesy car for a free mountain bike that they get to keep, or donate to charity.

A leaner, greener, more fun approach to repairing cars? It looks like this forty year-old is getting better with age.

Craig Gallacher with one of the new courtesy bikes.

How would you describe your car repairer? Knowledgeable? Trustworthy? It seems unlikely that the word 'caring' would spring to mind. However, that could change for at least one such business who are showing their caring credentials with an unusual new offer. Customers of Tonbridge Coachworks in Kent can now choose to waive their right to a courtesy car in favour of a courtesy bike!

The prestige repairer's offer goes further than a simple swap; recipients will get to keep the bike forever, they'll even get a lock and one year care plan from Halfords. Which brings us back to that word 'caring': Yes, the scheme will help customers care for their health, yes it is more caring towards the environment than a car, it even shows a business that cares about customer choice. Yet the real caring part occurs when someone decides that they don't want the bike because then Tonbridge Coachworks will donate it to one of two local charities: The Lord's Taverners and DebRA.

Owner, Vince Scudder, explains his reasons for the unusual offer: "We are currently re-branding the business and we felt that it should be more than just a new look, it should represent a more responsible attitude and that means offering more choice to our customers and thinking outside of the motor trade."

Mr Scudder goes on to say that: "The staff are all really excited about this. Like me, they see it as a big step in a more positive direction."

Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group is a family-owned business with three sites in Kent that has been established for almost 40 years.