ACtion Magazine - January/February 2014 - (Page 6)

How I know CUSTOM FITTINGS AND HOSE ASSEMBLIES By Andy Fifﬁck ne of my favorite pictures is of me at six years old helping Dad tune up an old Studebaker. I probably got in his way more than I helped; nonetheless, I remember Dad teaching me about the different tools and showing me how things worked. From that point forward I wanted to learn more and was destined to be a gear head. After Dad ﬁnished his tour as Sergeant in the Army's motor pool, he became a truck mechanic and started his family. He helped launch my career and taught me everything he knew about vehicle repair and maintenance. Dad's father was a ﬁnish carpenter and cabinet maker, and he taught me how to make cabinets and trim, and how to be a true perfectionist. Dad and Gramps taught me a lot, and I have picked up a few life lessons along the way, but I've also received a great deal of formal training over the years. You would think this would make me comfortable, but that is not the case. Knowing that I and our staff are missing important changes in our industry keeps me up at night. Even worse, we sometimes don't know what we don't know! Let's be realistic here; we're all way too busy to keep up with everything, and training can be timeWe sometimes consuming and expensive. don't know what To update our knowledge, we hire contract trainers, schedule "lunch & learn" training clinics, we don't know. and send our staff to formal training events. This training allows us to be competitive and productive, and it enhances our ability to fulﬁll our clients' needs. Training is a commitment of time and money, but it's essential to our survival. Remember the old adage: if you don't take care of your customer, someone else will. If you are not up to speed on CAN, R-1234yf, electronic troubleshooting, complete vehicle thermal management, nitrogen sweep, sub-cooling recharging, hybrids, hivoltage A/C compressors, solar ventilation systems, and app-driven remote A/C control, you may need additional training. If you don't know the pitfalls of odometer surﬁng or wallet ﬂushing, you may need additional training. Maybe you don't know what your shop numbers mean, or how to choose the customers worth having, or how to get the ﬁrst appointment and turn it into a long term relationship. Again, you and your staff may need some additional training. The good news is that you can receive this and much more training at an affordable price all in one place, by attending the MACS 2014 Training Event and Trade Show. As a multishop owner, I have found that attending the MACS training events with our staff is a lot of bang for the buck, and we get to see all the latest and greatest equipment too. Simply put, you cannot receive this caliber of training anywhere else for the same investment. Of course, I am biased here, but Dad and Gramps taught me to be honest and take pride in my work. I take pride in being your MACS CEO and Chairman, and honestly, you need to be in New Orleans at the 2014 Power Up Training Event and Trade Show. See you in New Orleans! O " Reader Reply 800.525.2370 meicorporation.com 6 ACTION * January/February 2014 Sincerely Andy Andy Fifﬁck chairman-macs@macsw.org 330-220-8384 http://www.macsw.org/imis15/MACS/Publications/ACtion_Reader_Reply/MACS/Publications/ACTION/ACtion_Reader_Reply.aspx?hkey=ac24bddb-c045-442a-813c-cbf05f88ac4d http://www.macsw.org/imis15/MACS http://www.meicorporation.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - January/February 2014

ACtion Magazine - January/February 2014
Table of Contents
Compressor installation
Meet the newest pioneers
Outlook
Freeze Frame
Leonard’s Law
Virtual View
Service Port
Last Watch
By The Numbers
Cooling Corner
Industry News
Association News
New Products & Services

ACtion Magazine - January/February 2014