What Happens When a Company is Sold in the Middle of Your New Auto Dealership Design & Layout Project? You own it!

Sometimes, business happens. Employees come and go, and jobs and processes need to be realigned or reassigned. But what happens when the entire company is sold in the middle of a complete design and layout project for an automotive dealership service center? Always ready for the win, W.W. Cannon successfully and smoothly masters the transition.

Our Client
Premier Automobile Dealership in Austin, TX

“It was an interesting challenge because we basically had to start over from scratch,” says W.W. Cannon Automotive Storage Systems Specialist Rode Chambers.”

Our client is a premier family-owned-and-operated auto dealership in Austin, TX. Recently under new ownership and management, they are in the process of becoming a state-of-the-art facility with a full-service center.

Challenge
Remodel Auto Parts Storage Facility…Twice

While planning to remodel their entire facility and building addition, the dealership reached out to W.W. Cannon to come in, take measurements and help plan the new auto parts storage and service center.

And then the location was sold — mid-project design and layout.

“We had new ownership in place, right in midstream. And their entire concept was different from the previous owner.  It was like a whole new project.”

Solution
Complete New Design & Layout With A Different Auto Parts Storage System Outcome

Over the course of about four months, Chambers visited the dealership to learn more about the new owners needs, listen to his ideas, and make recommendations. Some measurements and photos were retaken, then drawings were created based on the new plan. With the owners satisfaction and approval, an order was placed with Rousseau Metal, W.W. Cannon’s preferred vendor for custom automotive storage solutions. According to Chambers, the order was completely different from what had been planned prior to the ownership change.

“The basic parts storage equipment remained the same, however, the layout of the parts department was a completely different setup including a couple innovative storage concepts. For example, the new ownership elected to put in what we call a ‘parts carousel,’ where the previous owner chose a completely different type of storage system,” says Chambers.

The new layout included rows of back-to-back parts shelving, modular drawer shelving units, hanging parts storage, battery rack, parts carousel and more. Some decisions were made based on city codes, while other decisions were driven by the new ownership, right down to the color of the new storage equipment.

“One of the first things we did was have the equipment custom colored based on the new owners preference,” says Chambers. “It was in a classic blue, which was a different color from what the previous owner chose.  Certainly not a problem switching colors with Rousseau. They have a large variety of colors in-stock and ready-to-ship.”

With an empty warehouse and new ownership to team up with, the installation process was a breeze, beginning on a Monday and being completed within the week.

Success
Increased Storage Capacity, Increased Productivity, Increased Sales

Thanks to Chambers and the W.W. Cannon installation team, the auto dealership has completely revamped their storage facility to maximize storage, which leads to a whole host of other benefits.

“The new system allowed them to increase their inventory and use their space more efficiently,” says Chambers.  The more parts you have in stock, the more business you do.”

“For instance, if someone comes in and asks for a part that you have on hand, you just made a happy customer with a higher potential for return business. When you tell that same person you don’t have it in stock and they need to wait 2 days, they’ll go somewhere else with faster service.”

The dealership seems to agree.

“They’re very happy with the project and our services,” says Chambers. “It went smooth and came off just the way we would have wanted it to. I’ve talked to them several times and there’s no complaints; just happy people who can better serve their clients needs.”

Next Steps

What are your storage issues for auto parts or service stations? We’ll quickly help solve your most pressing challenges.