Wright investment in Hoddesdon
Two years after Fix Auto UK franchisee Matthew Wright and fellow director Grant Ealey announced a major investment which saw them take over a third bodyshop and increase their footprint into Hertfordshire, they have completed their goal by officially opening a new flagship repair centre in the region.
Local MP Charles Walker OBE this morning officially opened the 17,500 sqft state-of-the-art bodyshop which will operate as Fix Auto Hoddesdon, replacing their previous site which was branded as Fix Auto Hertford. The new premises has a well-planned design layout, which will also increase their repair capacity by 25 per cent.
The £300,000 investment has been used to install the latest, energy efficient, spraybooths, LED lighting to ensure the optimum working conditions for staff, a 10-tonne jig and the latest in wheel alignment systems.
The new site complements their existing businesses, Fix Auto High Wycombe and Fix Auto West Hampstead. Collectively the three sites will have the capabilities to repair more than 600 vehicles a month.
Grant explained, ‘Two years ago we acted on an opportunity to expand into the Hertford area, a move which far exceeded our own expectations. However, it became apparent that the layout of the building required improvement and therefore if we wanted to continue to grow and expand our capacity, we would have to move premises.
‘We found a building nearby that was a complete blank canvass. We have been able to develop the repair centre from scratch, so we’ve committed to a 25-year lease – but critically will be able to repair 75+ vehicles a week.’
He added, ‘Being able to design our own flagship bodyshop forced us to sit back and re-think our processes. We’ve placed our spraybooths in the centre and devised a figure-of-eight workflow structure that has instantly proved a great success in terms of increasing our productivity.’
Matthew added, ‘We can’t thank the team enough. The transition from our old site to this new one has been seamless over the last six weeks to ensure our productivity hasn’t been impacted. It’s another hugely exciting chapter for the business my grandfather started during the 1930’s.’
On officially opening the new site, Mr Walker MP, said, ‘What a fantastic investment in the community of Broxbourne. I’m delighted to be here today to open this amazing repair centre which is just a great example of local business people investing in their local community providing high skilled jobs for local people. I wish Matthew and Grant every success for the future.’
Ian Pugh of Fix Auto UK said: ‘Once again we have another Fix Auto UK franchisee continually investing for the greater good of their business. I know I’ve said it many times before but the perfect Fix Auto franchisee is a true entrepreneur, continually looking for the next challenge to improve their business. Matthew and Grant characterise everything we look for and they are a credit to the network.’
