Meeting our members: Summers Motors

Our member Summers Motors Ltd is a family business specialising in accident and crash repairs based in Kent for over a quarter of a century.

Their large, modern workshop with well-trained and experienced staff enables them to offer a very high standard of services from re-painting, panel repairs, chassis alignment, dent removal and wheel alignment. They are also proud to be one of a limited number of specialists in the repairs of Audi aluminium vehicles.

All members of staff are fully committed to ensuring the quality system effectively achieves the highest levels of customer satisfaction both now and in the future. 

Summers Motors Ltd were among the winners at this year’s British Bodyshop Awards. They gained the Volkswagen TPS Bodyshop of the Year Awards.

This week we meet Ian Summers for a little chat about his bodyshop and his experience with the NBRA.

What do we need to know about your company?

We are a family business and we have been based on the same site in the heart of Kent since my grandfather Phillip Summers brought the land at the end of the Second World War after serving in the RAF. He and his father started tinkering and repairing cars shortly after. Philip’s son Brian current M.D. established the Business in its current form in 1967 repairing accident damaged vehicles.

How many people do you have in your Bodyshop?

A team now of 25 people including 3 apprentices who are currently enrolled on the Volkswagen apprenticeship programme and also Jack Summers, 23, is now the 5th generation of the family being involved in accident repairs, being part of the customer facing team in Biddenden.

What are your projects for the future?

As a Volkswagen approved repairer now for over 30 years we are heavily tied to the brand with investing in their training and equipment which included being the first bodyshop to have ADAS calibrating tooling and now recognised being the most experience with dealing with ADAS and having the complete setup to be able to recalibrate all Volkswagen brand vehicles.

Why did you decide to join our association?

Being part of a national association especially as a new business has massive advantages, with the ability to receive help and guidance only a phone call away, it also gives credibility to the company.

Unity in numbers should have benefits and an association like the NBRA standing beside the bodyshops to try and help improve working relationship, being able to help negotiations with contracts and supplies, offering group discounts and services.

What’s the most important concern within your business at the moment?

One of the biggest issues for bodyshops today apart from the normal complaint over hourly rates is the massive shortage of trained and experienced quality technicians, we have addressed this by having apprentices in each department and training them from the ground up working alongside the VW programme and we are already seeing brilliant results with them.

You were one of the winners at the British Bodyshop Awards. What does it mean for you?

Being a recent winner at the British Bodyshop Awards is a lovely achievement for the many years as a bodyshop and all the hard work the team put in every day to not only repair vehicles the right way but look after the customer in the best way possible.

How do you see the future of our industry in Britain?

With the technology advancing at such a rapid rate the need for up to date training and equipment is now more important than ever, we honestly believe there will be a time where if you are not aligned to a vehicle manufacturer it will become increasingly difficult to be able to repair accident damaged vehicles beyond paintwork.

If you want to know more about our repair member Summers Motors please visit https://www.summersmotors.co.uk