MTA Queensland members are the best in the business. This is no idle boast and more proof of that truth can be seen in the results of the recent 2018 Paint & Panel Bodyshop awards – presented by Australasian Paint & Panel magazine at a glamorous event held at the Melbourne Arts Centre in October.

Winners of the Queensland state awards were all MTA Queensland members and the national award for best new shop also went to an association member – Willmot Smash Repairs Specialist in Cairns. The Willmot business also picked up the best new shop in Queensland gong.

It’s a brilliant result all round and especially so for the Willmot team. The business, founded in 1977 by Allan Willmot, marked its 40th birthday last year and the current owners, Helena Willmot and Wes Jenkins, had a busy 2017 overseeing the design and construction of their new purpose-built facility that opened last December.

While a massive amount of work went into the development of the new shop (and it clearly meets the very highest of industry standards) for Helena and Wes, being announced as the national award winners came as a big surprise.

“I honestly didn’t believe we would take out the national award,” said Helena. “We were absolutely gobsmacked when our name was called out and we were lost for words. It is such an honour to be recognised and we are extremely proud.”

While the new shop is certainly designed beautifully and now utilises state-of-the-art Pan booths, just as important, said Helena, were the processes and workflow that dictated the shop’s design – a feature that, perhaps, swayed the Paint & Panel judges in their favour.

“We spent countless hours on how the process would work within the new floor space,” she said. “Yes, we did build a new shop, but I think it was the whole package that was important. It is one thing to build a nice shed and make it look all pretty but it is everything else, from the front end to the back and all the processes in between, that count.

“The first day we opened was a hairy moment for us,” she added. “It is one thing to think, in your mind, about how it is all going to flow, but quite another to be physically there with the cars coming in and production ready to go!

“But Wes did a really great job, and while he has done some tweaking and a little fine tuning, production really has been seamless and efficient.”

For Helena, Wes and the 26-strong Willmot team, the bar has been set incredibly high – winning a prestigious national award less than 12 months into operation is no small feat – but no one will be resting on their laurels.

“We are in a very exciting industry that is going through many changes and we have to make sure we keep on top of that,” said Helena. “We are all proud of what we have achieved but we will make sure the standards stay high – that work never stops.”

Our congratulations go to all Paint & Panel award winners, and especially to the MTA Queensland members who were successful:

• Best boutique QLD: Eagle Smash Repairs
• Best large shop QLD: Holmes Smash Repairs
• Best new shop QLD: Willmot Smash Repairs Specialist
• Best new shop national winner: Willmot Smash Repairs Specialist
• Best customer experience: Gold Coast Collision Centre.

Source: Motor Trade E-Magazine (November 2018)

9 Nov 2018