Precision Coachworks Business Plan — Risk Analysis

Insurer concentration, technician scarcity, parts supply and the cash absorbed through the ramp, with the trigger points governing each.

Risk Analysis

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  • 13.1 The risks that matter
  • 13.2 Risk register
  • 13.3 Trigger points

13.1 The risks that matter

Failure to secure insurer panel listings is moderate in likelihood and severe in impact, and it is the risk that would render the equipment worthless. Accreditation is sequenced before capital expansion, published insurer standards are worked to explicitly, and two panel listings are targeted before the second booth is ordered. The mitigation is sequencing rather than insurance.

Manufacturer approval not being obtained is moderate in likelihood and high in impact. Approvals are pursued for two or three high-volume marques only, and equipment and welding certification are specified to approval standard from the outset rather than retrofitted — because a shop that has to re-equip after a failed assessment pays twice and loses a year of warranty volume.

Qualified panel beater and sprayer scarcity is high in likelihood and high in impact. With merSETA-approved training centres down from around thirty to twelve, and the occupational qualifications requiring apprentices to spend up to a third of three years at a provider, in-house development is necessary rather than optional. The apprentice programme runs from Year 2 and retention is structured around productivity.

Parts supply delays extending cycle time is high in likelihood and high in impact, because cycle time is the largest single sensitivity in the model. Multiple suppliers per marque, early ordering on authorisation, a stocked consumables line and cycle time measured by stage are the controls.

Slow insurer settlement is high in likelihood and high in impact. Working capital is sized at 52 debtor days against the debtor book rather than the equipment schedule, invoicing runs immediately on release, and disputes are escalated within defined periods. R4.18 million of the Year 5 balance sheet sits in the insurer debtor book.

13.2 Risk register

Risk

Assessment

Mitigation

Failure to secure insurer panel listings

Moderate likelihood, severe impact

Accreditation sequenced before capital expansion; published insurer standards worked to explicitly; two panel listings targeted before the second booth is ordered

Manufacturer approval not obtained

Moderate likelihood, high impact

Approvals pursued for two or three high-volume marques only; equipment and welding certification specified to approval standard from the outset rather than retrofitted

Qualified panel beater and sprayer scarcity

High likelihood, high impact

Apprentice programme from Year 2 against the occupational qualifications; retention structured around productivity; the merSETA provider shortage from thirty centres to twelve makes in-house development necessary rather than optional

Parts supply delays extending cycle time

High likelihood, high impact

Multiple suppliers per marque, early ordering on authorisation, stocked consumables line, and cycle time measured by stage

Insurer rate and margin pressure

High likelihood, moderate impact

Non-insurer work grown to about 16% of volume at a premium; efficiency rather than rate as the margin defence

Slow insurer settlement

High likelihood, high impact

Working capital sized at 52 debtor days against the debtor book rather than the equipment schedule; invoicing discipline immediately on release; disputes escalated within defined periods

Rework and comeback

Moderate likelihood, moderate impact

Quality control gate before release, provision at 2.2% of labour and paint revenue, rework tracked by technician and by job type

Environmental and air emission compliance

Moderate likelihood, high impact

Booth filtration maintained to specification, registered waste contractor, documented disposal, and compliance treated as a licence condition rather than an overhead

13.3 Trigger points

Point

Trigger

Committed response

Month 8

SAMBRA structural grading not achieved

Do not commit further capital. The accreditation stack is the business and the second booth is meaningless without it

Month 14

Fewer than two insurer panel listings secured

Hold at one booth and sixteen positions. A shop with equipment and no panel listings has fixed cost and no flow

Year 2

No manufacturer approval granted

Defer the second booth. In-warranty accident work is the higher-value volume the second booth is sized for

Any month

Key-to-key cycle time above 12 days after Year 2

Escalate by stage. Days are cheaper than equipment, and the floor is the binding constraint in every year of this plan

Any month

Debtor days above 65

Escalate to the insurer within defined periods. Working capital of R4.9m is larger than the second spray booth

Year 3

Debt service cover below 1.30 times

Defer floor position expansion and approach the financier before the covenant is tested

These are adopted as board policy before drawdown rather than debated when the trigger arrives. The Month 8 grading trigger is absolute: if SAMBRA structural grading has not been achieved, no further capital is committed, because every subsequent item in the capital schedule depends on it.