Bodyshop equipment and abrasives supplier Mirka has highlighted ways in which it is helping Irish bodyshops to overcomes the growing skills gap that the industry is facing.  

Ross Hanna, is the Irish business development manager at Mirka and he keeps in close contact with customers, to understand and assist with the challenges they are facing. He says, “We know that the workforce is what makes the workshop tick, however, one of the biggest challenges facing the sector is a growing skills gap, which is being driven by the fact that the current workforce is ageing and there is a shortage of new apprentices entering the industry. These two factors are here to stay but we are seeing businesses looking at ways to combat the gap.”

Ross has seen firsthand how progressive bodyshops are making a concerted investment in apprenticeship programmes and tailored training initiatives, such as those available from Mirka. He says, “This type of investment is important, because it helps fill some gaps but it will need lots of businesses to do it to make a big dent in the number of gaps in the market. With these programmes, the benefits are pretty simple because they ensure technicians, no matter their age or experience, gain the expertise, certifications, and hands-on skills to operate tools and abrasives effectively. This in turn ensures the businesses benefit from having a workshop filled with a workforce that is ready to meet the demands of modern automotive repair and maintenance industry.”

At the same time bodyshop businesses are also looking to streamline their processes to be as efficient as possible, from a financial and job perspective. Mirka assists in this by running a full evaluation with the business. This evaluation leads to an action plan being agreed upon and implemented and all training is documented and followed up with regular review meetings to monitor progress. 

This process enables the experienced Mirka technical team to customise each programme based on the needs and requirements of the customer. In addition, the margins for each job are tight, so businesses are always looking at ways to get the most bang for their buck, when it comes to the products they are using. To help bodyshops achieve this, Ross and the Mirka team of experienced technical experts conduct a regular physical audit of the business, to ensure the repairer is maximising the efficiencies of the products and abrasives they use. This enables Mirka to show where cost savings can be made. The action plan covers best practices, which include specific processes for jobs or the recommendation of certain products for the business based on the surfaces being sanded. 

In this way Mirka can help to make the repair process more efficient and profitable, while utilising the bodyshop skills set to the maximum.