Autobody News: Gustafson Brothers Inc. Finds an Equalizer Tool That Fits Every Situation

Carlsbad, CA, January 23, 2018 (Newswire.com) -  NOTE: This October SPS profile was originally published in print in September 2017, and published online in October 2017. 

Gustafson Brothers Inc. in Huntington Beach, CA, is truly a one-stop shop for automotive customers.

We started with Equalizer back in 2007 by building our initial glass tech tool box and continued to add to it as we discovered additional tools that we needed. We also have quite the assortment of hand tools from Equalizer, such as urethane guns and cold knives. Equalizer seems to have something that fits every situation!

Dave Baylor, Senior Production Manager and Trainer for Gustafson Brothers

The 12,500-square-foot collision repair facility opened in 1971 and is co-located with its 7,500-square-foot mechanical shop and 5,000-square-foot training center and parts warehouse. In addition to offering smog, brake and lamp certification, the facility has been servicing glass customers since 2007, thanks to its investment in several indispensable Equalizer products.

Dave Baylor, Senior Production Manager and Trainer for Gustafson Brothers, explains, “As a body shop, we saw an opportunity to expand our service offerings by doing our own glass. If you call a glass company to remove glass, you usually wait until the next day. That is a day of cycle time lost, plus paying out money that could stay in-house. We had to cut cycle times and eliminate these delays in the process. We also handle broken windshield replacement, which is not normally part of the collision repair world.

“We started with Equalizer back in 2007 by building our initial glass tech tool box and continued to add to it as we discovered additional tools that we needed. We use numerous cutout tools, including the Viper and Python, depending on the application, and in conjunction, we use the squire wire and rip cord – they make such a nice cut without damaging the pinch weld. We also have quite the assortment of hand tools from Equalizer, such as urethane guns and cold knives. Equalizer seems to have something that fits every situation!”

Baylor also praises the customer service he has received from Equalizer, noting that he receives great support and a quick response whenever he has problems or questions. 

“They have been at it for so long that whoever you talk to has the knowledge and expertise to help,” he said. “We have tried other products and still have them around here somewhere, but I cannot even tell you the brands because we do not use them often enough.”

Although the Gustafson Brothers faced some initial reluctance from their technicians when switching to Equalizer’s products, Baylor recalls, “Once they got used to doing something new and gained proficiency, everything fell right into place. Now they love the products, and they all have Equalizer catalogs in their boxes.”

Founded in 1971 by John and Frank Gustafson, who originally began repairing neighbors’ cars in their father’s garage, Gustafson Bro-thers Inc. has evolved into a home for 24 collision repair employees who repair an average of 250 vehicles monthly. 

The collision repair facility is certified through Honda and Acura’s ProFirst program, plus it is certified for GM, Chrysler and Nissan through Assured Performance. Additionally, two of their technicians are certified for glass repairs. 

One of the things that separates Gustafson Brothers from the competition is the shop’s focus on training and education. 

According to Baylor, “We have built a training center plan to aid in training technicians for our industry. The first wave will be for our shop, but we are not stopping there! All shops are hurting for properly trained techs, and we want to help with that as well.”

Baylor feels that continuous training is imperative because “vehicles are losing a certain amount of standardization. One manufacturer might want adaptive cruise calibrated one way, while another OEM wants it done a different way. With all of the different technology going into cars, that problem gets worse, increasing the importance of ensuring our shop’s employees have the necessary knowledge to safely repair any of these vehicles.”

Focusing on current technicians is not the only way this shop emphasizes the importance of proper training. John Gustafson is also closely involved with automotive program administrators at the local community college, providing input on what the industry is seeking in a technician to give them a better idea of what they should be teaching.

Baylor believes the current tech shortage that the industry is experiencing is related to its poor reputation. 

He explains, “This reputation of a dirty old shop does not appeal to the younger crowd, so there is no new talent coming in. But the older technicians are still going to retire at some point, and there will be nothing to fill the void if we do not act to correct it.”

Gustafson Brothers’ partnership with local training programs allows them to help correct some of these misconceptions. 

Baylor states, “We have a couple of UTI students working for us on a part-time basis while attending school, and in June, we began the first of what we hope to be many apprenticeship programs where we train four students at a time for 10 weeks through classroom, lab work and real-world shop work to prepare them for work in the collision repair industry.

“We are also offering a ‘Summer Boot Camp’ to young adults that will teach the basics of how cars work. Hopefully, the apprenticeship program and the boot camp will help alleviate that problem, starting with our local market.”

Gustafson Brothers, Inc.
Huntington Beach, CA
(714) 756-0366
www.gustafsonbros.com

Company At A Glance...
Type:  Collision Repair / Mechanical Repair
Facility Employees:  74
In Business Since:  1971
Number of Locations: Two
DRP Programs:  Three
Combined Production Space: 20,000 square feet

Equalizer
800-334-1334
www.equalizer.com

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Source: Autobody News