NEW CONCEPT BODY SHOP FOR STANDERTON
Lekwa Collision Repair (LCR) burst into life just a few months ago. It is the brainchild of Nico Higgs and two of his children, Annemarie Third and Nick Higgs. The sister shop – Modern Collision Repair (MCR) – is based in Secunda, and has 30 years of success under its belt. Nico decided that a way to celebrate this milestone, would be to expand and invest in an all-new shop in Standerton. “Starting an all-new operation is not for the feint hearted,” says Nico, “but the opportunity has proved to be too good to miss.
“LCR will start with a structural approved rating which covers smart repairs and major structural as the new business ramps up. It always takes a fair amount of time to get a good rhythm going in any shop when you start from scratch like this.”
There has been a heavy investment programme to get to start-up level in Standerton. By promoting a number of new job opportunities within the community, their customer base has been maintained by some key features; repeat clients and outstanding auto insurance and long term relationship support.
The standout modern presence will assist LCR in the expansion drive and already customers are actively coming in for quotes on damaged vehicles, which is great. Nico has a long history as a motor racing enthusiast. It’s with this passion for all things on wheels that he has designed LCR from the ground up, and in doing so has been able to realise his dream.
The no-cost-spared approach is amplified by a state-of-the-art spray booth and double dedicated preparation zones and production areas, as well as the use of a colour matching room. Henry Swanepoel is the manager at LCR and he comes with panelbeating and quotation knowledge to offer first class help to new clients. Developments on body repairs feature an EZ Bench rack from Chief. It is a good piece of kit for bakkie type construction which abounds in Standerton and the Free State market.
ADAS equipped vehicles can also be recalibrated to vehicle manufacturer specifications in-house using approved diagnostic tools before the repaired vehicle is returned to the client. “LCR has plenty of expansion space to move into,” says Henry, “to keep pace with the constant changes that are happening with new vehicle designs since many damaged vehicles are becoming uneconomical to repair. A vital part of this business will be keeping a client’s damaged vehicle on the road.”
Nico says that luckily their in-house Merseta training programme has upskilled their entire staff complement. This ensures a quality right first time vehicle repair. It is this in-house enthusiasm that is helping the company move forward in leaps and bounds.
The refinish of choice in LCR is with Sherwin-William’s Octoral brand which has been installed and expertly serviced by Trendline Automotive Suppliers. “We evaluated various refinish paint systems, but Octoral offered outstanding features of data colour formula retrieval and other great economy on cost and rapid production repairs in the new company,” said Nico.
Right now their operation is gearing-up, but should hopefully see an output of some 60 vehicles a month or so, in the future.
Story and pics by Ian Groat
