Almost as Nice as Showroom

Bob Moran, dealer principal of Acton Toyota, in Littleton, MA, visited a local Mercedes-Benz store while mulling over the various equipment and workspace options that would outfit his new store.

Seeing an organized service area with built-in toolboxes, he decided to do the same thing at his dealership.

“I loved the way everything looked and felt at that dealership,” Moran says. “It was not only extremely functional, it was very pleasing to the eye.”

Storage and workspace equipment were areas that did not measure up to Acton Toyota's normally high standards.

“In the old building there were free-standing metal benches that were wobbly and ugly, along with some rickety wooden shelves,” says Chuck Bradshaw, Acton Toyota service director.

“It didn't provide much storage and everything was out in the open.

“Additionally, everyone had their own toolbox, which made the place look sort of like a yard sale. We didn't want to look like a garage with individual mechanics; we wanted a uniform look with some visual appeal.”

Parts manager Mike Coffey and service foreman Mark Bentley began investigating shelving options for the parts area. They picked equipment from Lista International Corp. shelving, toolboxes and workbenches.

In the service area, 30 of Acton Toyota's 32 bays are outfitted with workbenches accompanied by 30 built-in toolboxes. Pump controls for lifts are mounted in the bottom of each bench in a customized lift control drawer.

“Each mechanic has his own toolbox and bench area, which makes them feel like part of a team,” Bradshaw says.

The dealership's parts and service areas are more efficient, and almost as attractive as the showroom, he says. “There is basically no place in our entire facility that we couldn't show off to our customers with pride.”