Summary
MetroWest Subaru near Boston has moved its service technicians to three-day shifts, aiming to “make the most of technicians’ time.” The service department typically processes about 60 vehicles per day. Automotive News highlighted the approach as a best practice, noting growing interest in compressed schedules to boost productivity and coverage without adding headcount. The report did not include specific hours, compensation details, or quantified performance outcomes.
Key points
- Goal: improve technician utilization, throughput, and bay coverage.
- Context: high service demand, tight technician labor market, and variable daily demand in the Boston area.
- Approach aligns with industry experiments to match staffing with customer peaks and extend coverage.
Reported claims
- Compressed schedule is designed to “make the most of technicians’ time.”
- Advocates say longer but fewer days can align staffing with drop-off/pickup patterns, reduce idle time, and give techs longer recovery periods between shifts.
What’s not detailed
- Exact shift hours, weekly structure, and staggered coverage design.
- Compensation and benefits under the new schedule.
- Quantitative outcomes (e.g., repair cycle time, hours per RO, retention).
- Any changes to service-lane hours, appointment policies, or seven-day coverage.
- Operational safeguards for fatigue, safety, and quality control.
- Cross-department coordination (parts, warranty, porters) during extended windows.
Why it matters
With roughly 60 vehicles daily, even modest gains in throughput or bay utilization can reduce customer wait times and improve revenue while potentially enhancing the technician experience amid a tight labor market.
Operational considerations
- Staffing blocks that ensure consistent coverage across the week.
- Fatigue management: breaks, task rotation, and robust final checks.
- Clear handoffs, parts staging, and sequencing complex work when senior techs are present.
- Mentorship alignment so apprentices and masters share time for knowledge transfer.
- Coordinated support from parts, warranty, and porters to avoid delays.
- Measurement plan to track cycle time, hours per RO, CSI, comeback rates, and retention.
Open questions
- Does the schedule improve repair cycle time, hours per RO, and on-time delivery?
- What is the impact on technician recruiting, engagement, and retention?
- Were service-lane hours extended and how does that affect appointment availability?
- How are quality assurance and safety maintained during longer shifts?
- Will the store refine or expand the model based on results?
