No matter how well you run your workshop, you’re bound to struggle with capacity at times.
The cold winter weather means more repairs and maintenance — and there are always customers who leave the tests they need to the last minute.
You can’t avoid the seasonal flux — and you can’t expect the unexpected. But you can take steps to keep your workshop ready.
Here’s what you can do to prepare your workshop for the busy periods:
Get Ahead of Your Maintenance
Maintenance and repairs are disruptive at the best of times. But when they’re scheduled during peak periods (or you hit an unexpected fault), the downtime on your equipment can be a disaster for your output.
That’s why smart workshops are always looking ahead:
Most equipment needs a service visit every 6 months. But the schedule isn’t set in stone — and you can adjust it around your peak seasons.
In an ideal world, you’d have all your regular service visits completed before the peak season begins. So when the high volume hits and your workshop’s under stress, your equipment’s in the best state it can be. You’ll have a recent certification, and the lowest chance of a breakdown or a fault.
That won’t be possible for every piece of kit — you can’t service everything you use in the same week.
Instead, you can prioritise your maintenance schedule based on:
- The most used or most critical (like your vehicle lifts and brake testers)
- The time of year when they matter (like servicing AC equipment before the summer)
- The likelihood of needing repair (like the length of time since its last service).
Stock up on Parts and Supplies
Even the most reliable suppliers have lead times and delivery times. And if it’s a high-volume season for your workshop, it’s often a high-volume season for every other workshop they supply.
So if you’re waiting to order parts until you need them during a rush, you can’t guarantee you’ll have them when you need them.
Instead, proactive workshops stock up in advance on the parts they need.
With their most-used components in stock and on-site, they’ll have instant access if something goes wrong — so they can get their equipment up and running without any loss of throughput.
That’s why we always recommend a Totalkare Service Contract to our busy customers:
Depending on the level of agreement you choose, you can get up to a 35% discount on parts and spares — taking the pressure off your cash flow if you choose to stock up in advance.
Invest Early in Efficient Tools
When your workshop’s caught in a peak period, every bit of saved time adds up.
But it’s not just about your team’s training and processes — or the layout of your workshop and the way you schedule jobs.
The equipment you choose can have a massive impact on your efficiency and your throughput. And if you’re still using older equipment, you might not realise how far the tech has come.
That could mean looking at:
- Automated tools — like our drive-through Quick Check Wheel Alignment with instant laser scanning
- Guided processes — like our troubleshooting Diagnostic Equipment
- Or high-throughput stations — like our all-in-one Compact Pit with brake testing and play detection.
With the right modern tech that’s focused on speed and efficiency, your teams can work faster through the peak seasons with less stress and effort — giving you higher throughput and less downtime.
Keep Your Workshop Flexible
High-volume seasons may be predictable. But they don’t last all year — which means choosing permanent solutions could lead to waste during the quieter parts of the year.
You could end up with:
- Floor space that’s not being used
- Extra energy and maintenance costs
- Or a crowded layout that’s not efficient.
The best workshops know the value of flexibility — where they can adapt on the fly to changes in volume, and make the most of the space and the equipment they have.
So how do you keep your workshop flexible?
With equipment that gives you more freedom with your space.
That could mean thinking about:
- Mobile Column Lifts — to create temporary lifting stations in areas that aren’t being used
- Mobile Brake Testers — to make use of an outdoor space (like a courtyard or loading bay)
- Pits and lifts with roller covers — so you can set up new work stations on top of unused lifts and pits.
With this flexible approach to the equipment you use, you can activate new work stations to handle extra jobs during busy seasons — without the commitment of keeping them running all year long.
This article was originally published by Totalkare.
