JDS Collision Repair is named after its owner, James David Shirley Jr., but everyone calls him David.
“I couldn’t think of a better name for the business than one with my signature to guarantee everything we stood for,” he said. “If my son (James David ‘JD’ Shirley III) decides to eventually take over the business, the name of the sign will remain the same.”
Another thing that will undoubtedly never change is the company’s commitment to PPG and its ENVIROBASE® High Performance waterborne paint line. It has played a huge role since the doors opened in 2015 on this high-production shop that repairs roughly 300 vehicles every month.
JDS Collision Repair
Location: Irving, TX
(972) 721-0650
www.jdscollision.com
Facebook: @jdscollision
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 23
In Business Since: 2015
Number of Locations: One
Production Space: 30,000 square feet
Shirley Jr. was born in Fort Worth, TX, in 1971 to deaf parents. His father was a body man, painter and mechanic, and his mother was a draftsman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was a great experience for a boy who was literally living in a big classroom.
“I had worked alongside my father in his shop and learned many skills,” Shirley said. “I not only learned how to work on all aspects of a car, but I realized quickly that I could effectively communicate at a very early age. This had allowed me to be very proficient in automobile repairs and it began the foundation for my career.”
At 16, Shirley got hired at a body shop, and he was off to the races. He is now 52, with 36 years in the industry as a shop foreman, parts director and manager at some of the most successful collision centers in Texas.
In January 2015, Shirley opened JDS Collision Repair and brought many of his team with him. Some of his people have worked for him in different shops for 20+ years, and he values each and every one of them.
"I am very lucky to have a great staff,” Shirley said. “People stay here because they feel appreciated and respected, and that is how it works. I realized long ago that we would not be where we are today without this amazing team.”
In 2015, entering into an agreement with PPG was an easy decision. “I used PPG previously, and it was such a good experience,” Shirley said. “My two painters love the product, and they were also familiar with its characteristics and were very comfortable here with the system.”
When it comes to any vendor, Shirley looks for “products, processes and people,” and hit the trifecta with PPG and his jobber, English Colour. At a shop where they have to produce 15 or more vehicles daily, JDS Collision Repair has no leeway for comebacks or anything that can hamper the process.
The shop’s approach is to “pull cars, rather than push” through its production system, and it evidently works. Shirley devised a parts rack system and designated a specific area to disassemble cars and track parts, so they have them ready for each tech when the times come to install them.
“That way, the tech knows where every part is and we don’t have to run around trying to complete a repair,” he said. “I learned from experience that searching around for parts or waiting for parts is the No. 1 way to mess up your cycle time. We have to keep moving here, so designing these racks and coming up with this system is perfect for us.”
By using the ENVIROBASE® High Performance waterborne paint line on every vehicle, the crew at JDS Collision Center is exceeding everyone’s expectations.
“We hear back from our employees, our insurance partners and, of course, from our customers, and all we hear are compliments,” Shirley said. “We have reduced our booth time considerably and getting more throughput than we ever anticipated. We can’t fall down with this product because I tell people it comes with training wheels. My guys are hitting color matches dead-on, so we never get comebacks, which is a major deal. In addition, we are saving time on curing the vehicles, so it’s been wonderful.”
To educate himself, Shirley and his son have taken classes through PPG’s MVP Business Solutions program.
“I’ve taken production classes, estimating classes and classes about paint processes, and they have all been very valuable. My son has worked his way up the ranks from washing cars for two years to parts and now as an estimator, so the PPG classes have helped him as well."
Tapping into the advantages of working with PPG has helped Shirley on multiple levels, so he is more than delighted to share the news.
“We are happy, what more can we say? You get a product that works, and it’s supported well from both the jobber and the manufacturer, what more can you ask for?”
PPG
Company Contact: Cathy Rusnak
(440) 572-2800
rusnak@ppg.com
www.ppgrefinish.com
Facebook: @PPGRefinish
Instagram: @ppgrefinish
Twitter: @PPGRefinish_NA
YouTube: PPG Refinish (USA/Canada)
To read more auto body shop profiles from the October 2022 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
