www.truckandtrack.com Winter 2025/26 Truck and Track 49 WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT able to accommodate longer and wider vehicles more easily, without having to rearrange your layout. Think in clusters Most checks and repairs don’t happen in isolation. So it makes sense to group related jobs and stations together in your workshop layout — to minimise travel time across the shop floor. That means thinking about the proximity of: ■ Closely related jobs — such as placing tyre changers close to wheel balancers ■ Services that affect each other — like the need for wheel alignment after replacing suspension parts ■ Shared equipment — such as placing a hydraulic press between a bodywork station and a wheel-servicing station. Separate fast and slow jobs As well as grouping services by equipment, you can also think about the time they take. For basic services with a fast turnaround (like oil changes or emissions testing), you can place these workstations early in the flow, with an extra lane that leads them straight to the exit. When vehicles only need a quick tune-up, they can go straight to what they need — and get straight out. They spend less time travelling through the workshop or getting in the way of other vehicles, and you can fast-track a higher number of these vehicles to improve your throughput. For longer services (like bodywork or mechanical repairs), you can place these stations deeper inside your workshop layout. Because these vehicles are spending more time in the shop, it doesn’t hurt your efficiency as much if you send them on a more complex journey. Think about stacking services Moving vehicles through your workshop can be one of the biggest drains on your time and efficiency. So wherever you can, it makes sense to build all-in-one workstations that can handle multiple jobs in one position. That could mean looking at: ■ Using an integrated pit jack on your inspection pit — to work on the wheels without repositioning the vehicle ■ Using a jacking beam on your vehicle lifts — to access the wheels while the vehicle’s raised ■ Adding an in-ground brake tester to your inspection pit. As well as minimising the movement and repositioning of vehicles, these multi-use workstations also save you space — keeping other parts of your shop floor free for other services (or additional traffic lanes). Make use of your outdoor space Anything that can reduce congestion and traffic is a plus. And while lots of workshops have a serviceable outdoor area, not every workshop is putting it to good use. It could be as simple as creating an initial ‘staging area’ outside of your shop entrance. As new vehicles arrive, your teams can conduct an early inspection while the vehicle’s outside, before directing it to the workstations it needs. For some workshops, it makes sense to create an entire workstation in an outdoor space. That could mean a lifting station that doubles as a wash bay (with a set of wash bay mobile column lifts). Or it could mean a fixed outdoor installation — like a compact pit with a brake tester and play detection. By creating new workstations outside of your shop floor, you’re taking the pressure off your indoor operation (both in terms of space, and the traffic of moving vehicles). Plan for the future now If you’re going through the effort of optimising a new workshop layout, it can be tempting to take it the extreme: packing equipment and workstations into every square foot. But if you don’t want to keep redesigning your layout every six months, it’s worth thinking now about your plans for the future: As your workshop expands into new services and vehicles, your current layout won’t always be the best fit. So as well as optimising for your current efficiency, it’s worth thinking about the long term. That means thinking about: ■ Upcoming legislation and new vehicle testing ■ The volume (and indoor traffic) of vehicles as your business grows ■ The types of vehicles you hope to be servicing (and their shapes and sizes) ■ The equipment you have that’s due an upgrade soon (and what that looks like). With an eye on the future as you design your current workshop layout, you’ll be able to minimise disruption in the months and years ahead — keeping your efficiency high as your workshop adapts and grows. www.totalkare.co.uk
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