360 degree blueprinting for improved speed and accuracy

When it comes to repairs, speed is obviously important. The faster you can make measurements on a vehicle, the faster you can make pulls on that vehicle. And the faster you can make pulls, the faster you can get to the next vehicle. Get them in and get them out as fast as possible. That’s the key to productivity and revenue.

But speed has an enemy. And that enemy is accuracy.

You can make the fastest pulls in the world. But if those pulls are imprecise and inaccurate, those cars are going to end up back in your shop. Once they do, your world-beating speed has just made the job twice as long. And all those cars in your lot in line for your racks—all that new revenue—will now have to wait for you to fix the car that you just fixed.

You need a combination of speed and accuracy. And you need a process that hones your technical capabilities, so you make the right pulls the first time. That’s where blueprinting comes in.

In architecture, a blueprint is a plan. Same for your shop. Blueprinting is simply a process that makes everything as efficient and accurate as possible—from the moment a car enters your shop until the moment it’s ready to get back on the road. It’s also much bigger than that, because blueprinting each car gives you a better look at your shop’s overall workflow, so that everything is as fast and accurate as possible.

4 steps to blueprinting.

1. A visual inspection that evaluates damage using collision dynamics.
2. Measurement of the vehicle to reveal and hidden or frame damage.
3. Producing a list of all parts, materials and procedures the vehicle needs.
4. Writing a repair plan.

Each of these is important to make quality repairs. But there’s one stage that’s more important than the rest: vehicle measurement. If your measurements are off—even slightly—there’s a good chance that vehicle will end up back in your shop for even more repairs. There’s only one way to avoid this: do it right the first time. And that requires the best measurement equipment you can find.

Options for measurement systems.

There are many kinds of measurement systems on the market: point systems, ultrasound systems and laser systems.

Laser systems typically provide the most accuracy. And when it comes to laser systems, nothing is more accurate than our new Meridian™ Live Mapping™ system with the Galileo™ scanner.

The Meridian and Galileo system is simply the fastest, most advanced, most reliable system available. It’s also the most accurate. In large part, this is due to the single-hub design of the Galileo scanner, which minimizes target blockage for 360-degree accuracy. Of course, it wouldn’t be all that helpful without the most comprehensive and precise vehicle data available with Chief’s exclusive Thunderbolt vehicle specifications. These cover the precise specs of thousands of vehicles. And we don’t rely on third-party data for those specs. We measure those vehicles ourselves with the frame anchored and the suspension unloaded for real-world accuracy.

Nothing helps your shop’s productivity more than accuracy. And nothing is more accurate than the new Meridian Live Mapping system with the Galileo scanner. A big statement? Yes. The absolute truth? Absolutely. Watch the system in action and see for yourself.