Mechanic shortages and find technitions is the new challenge in auto repair and service. What have you done to protect yourself? Tips from an insider.Mechanic Shortages? You Bet. Nothing is more serious than Labor issues. In Arizona the incoming Governor is poised to try to train skilled labor and set the bar higher for those jobs, which need filling. Everything from constructions to maintenance. For every 10 mechanics that leave or retire only three enter the market. Thus supply and demand is dictating increased wages, but not very much and certainly not as much as expected. Some is offset by low wage payers such as Wal-Mart oil changing technicians on the low end. But the Wyoming Automotive technical Institute tells me that there are many high paying jobs waiting for every graduate as a matter of fact they could never fill all the openings across the nation, they would need 10 campuses? Perhaps The University of Phoenix or some other technical college may fill the gap, but we need people now. Yes, our company, the Oil Change Guys needs them and so does the rest of the industry.The National Institute for Service Excellence has certified 430,000 mechanics so far, but many are already mechanics switching jobs and getting the certificate, same with the ASE program. One bulletin board in the Oil Change Industry is hammering on Wal-Mart for secretly visiting their facilities and leaving “come to work at Wal-Mart” cards around the shop, offering benefits, better hours, stock, etc. Quick Lubes are already seeing a price war brewing and some will not admit lost market share, but they have lost customers and should probably not blame the oil interval challenge or the economy as much and look at the big box store competition.Training on the low end for technicians to change oil is fairly easy, but a no-knowledge individual hurts production time and stands around and moves too slow, for at least a week or so, hurting volumes, sales and time to change. Most facilities are partnering skilled with unskilled in a mentoring program for one to tow weeks in the beginning, which usually has good results, we recommend a trainee to ride shot gun for one month before taking the truck units or van out by themselves on a scheduled fleet oil change route. It is serious business because whether fixed or mobile, you really live or die by efficiency.The average number of cars for the industry at a fixed facility is 41.1 cars a day based on a survey with plus, minus 10% accuracy done by National Oil News. I guess that sounds about right. However if you have a lube bay with competition down the street and a Super Wal-Mart, things could get a lot worse. We have seen prices as low as $10.99, but with average cost of goods sold at a Lube Facility estimated at $7.75 to $8.50 without labor or building where is the profit? There would not be any. So Wal-Mart is hoping for those oil change customers who spend an average of $82.22 during their one and one half hour wait to buy stuff in the store even if the average Wal-Mart is charging $12.99 for the oil change and making basically $ .50 on the oil change itself. Ouch.So what does this say to you, if you have labor, which runs slow or is not trained? It means do not expect high volumes, happy customers and repeats every 3000 miles. With G-4 coming and Jiffy Lube bundling everything in an 8-Bay facility with even engine overhauls. Where are you going to find labor? You are not, you will have to find nice. Polite, smart and good personality kids and train them yourself and then pay them enough to keep them. How much? You make the call based on your area. News source: 10000 Articles