TERRE HAUTE —
A new collision repair shop, one that will use what are called lean manufacturing methods, is slated to open in Terre Haute by November.
Ted D. McClintic and Benedict “Dick” Cobb Jr., with a combined 50 years of experience in auto collision repair in the Indianapolis market, joined forces to create MC2 Collision. The new business will construct a new 14,000-square-foot facility near the intersection of First Street and Springhill Avenue.
The two-acre property was sold in April by Dorsett LLC for $300,000 to Cobb and McClintic, county property records show. Construction of the new business is slated to start this week.
“We thought that this corridor along U.S. 41 is a crossroads of western Indiana. We think it has a lot to offer, with a reach of six to nine counties,” McClintic said Monday during an announcement of the business on the property site.
The new business will employ 15 workers, McClintic said, and expects to repair 50 to 60 vehicles a month.
Cobb sold his shares in Collision Solutions, which has five Indianapolis locations.
“I didn’t leap into this. I started doing market research and did an analysis on the market. Terre Haute city has about 65,000 people. ... But the retail trade zone of this area, which takes in 14 counties in Indiana and Illinois, is almost 600,000 people who regularly come here to work, shop and dine,” Cobb said.
Cobb said the new business will use lean manufacturing methods to more quickly repair cars. “Short of a total aluminum vehicle, we will be equipped to fix anything,” Cobb said.
Wikipedia offers this explanation of lean manufacturing: “Essentially, lean is centered on preserving value with less work. Lean manufacturing is a management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) ... and identified as “Lean” only in the 1990s. ... TPS is renowned for its focus on reduction of the original Toyota seven wastes to improve overall customer value. ... (For Wikipedia’s full entry on the topic, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing.
“The average repair here is twice as long as in Indianapolis and it is not because they don’t do good work,” Cobb said. “They [other collision repair shops] are busy and also are still doing things the old way.
“Lean manufacturing, those same principles, can apply to our industry. It takes a lot of training, but when you successfully convert your business to that, you cut repair time in half,” Cobb said.
Cobb and McClintic said they will be a referral for Dorsett LLC, which sells Mitsubishi, Kia and Nissan. Cobb said he also plans to approach Mace Ford about working with that dealership.
“The trend is for dealerships to get out of the collision repair business, which is not their core business,” Cobb said.
Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
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