STATS: Monroe Tire & Service Location: Shelby, N.C. Website: hunter.com Cost: $29,000 Uses: Changing tire Training Required: On-site training is provided at customer's shop with local Hunter representatives
The Reviewer:
Chris Monroe is a second-generation shop owner. His father started the shop, Monroe Tire & Service, in 1974 and Monroe took it over in 1987. Monroe is the director of the North Carolina Tire Dealers Association and a member of the Tire Industry Association’s Board of Directors.
The Shop:
The eight-bay shop has been in the community for 43 years. Monroe Tire & Service specializes in extensive auto repairs and tire sales. Monroe estimates that his shop does 55 percent tire sales and 45 percent service sales.
Since the shop is so tire heavy, any equipment that can improve that business is important to Monroe. In 2015, Monroe saw Hunter demonstrate its Revolution Tire Changer and has used it ever since.
How it Works:
In order to use the Revolution, the user rolls the wheel up to the machine and secures it in place. Then, the screen will prompt the user to input certain parameters, including the locations of the TPMS and the size of the rim. After all of the necessary information is entered, the “go” pedal on the machine is pressed and the machine begins running automatically. In 2 minutes and 20 seconds, the tire is changed.
The Review:
“This machine equalizes the playing field from a technician's standpoint,” Monroe says.
Monroe says that the Revolution has taken away the anxiety that he once felt with vehicles that had more difficult tires on which to operate. It has simplified the process and decreased damage to the tire. Once all of the information is entered, the user just presses the “go” pedal and the job is done automatically. Every job is exactly the same.
The feature that Monroe particularly likes is that it tracks TPMS throughout the entire process, which means that technicians won’t have to worry about it, which can set a shop back $80–$90.
The ROI:
Monroe has used the Revolution for close to three years and he says that it’s already paid for itself. Depending on the vehicle, changing a tire can take between 1 and half minutes to 10 minutes for the more difficult ones. Every single job with the Revolution takes 2 minutes and 20 second. That time savings allows more work in and out of the shop. By eliminating the pressure put on technicians with more difficult jobs, less damage is done to the tire and parts don’t have to be replaced.
Some of the biggest savings come in the form of customer satisfaction and decreased training costs. Because of its consistency, the Revolution produces successful results each time and leaves customers extremely happy. This is huge for Monroe, who prides his shop on being cutting edge when it comes to equipment and has used this as a marketing tool to attract customers.
Because the tire changer only performs one operation, there is a huge saving when it comes to training. Since a user doesn’t need to learn multiple positions, training time and costs are cut significantly. Teach one person how to do one operation and they can teach others. Monroe says that he taught two older women who came into the shop for an open house and they learned within a few minutes—that’s how easy it is.
