Safelite AutoGlass offers quality vehicle glass repair and replacement solutions.

Premier Business Partners:

Unisand

In its more than 60 years in business, Safelite AutoGlass has grown from a single store in Wichita, Kan., to a national vehicle glass provider with more than three million customers annually. “At Safelite , our goal is to be America’s first choice for quality vehicle glass repair and replacement solutions,” says Rich Glover, assistant vice president of manufacturing and distribution. The company offers top-notch customer service, value and quality “through industry-leading 24-hour instant scheduling, convenient in-shop or mobile service, top-of-the-line materials and SafeTech-certified technicians,” he adds.

Safelite is a member of the Belron US family of companies. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Belron US offers a variety of vehicle glass products and claims-management services. It is the largest repair and replacement company in the United States, Glover notes.

Safelite’s Enfield, N.C., manufacturing location produces strictly windshields, but its distribution center services all vehicle glass parts, including side lights and back lights. “The Enfield distribution center ships to 83 warehouse locations across the United States, covering over 5,800 different SKUs,” he says.

The Enfield operation is divided into two departments: manufacturing with 310 employees and distribution with approximately 100. The company is the second-largest employer in Halifax County, N.C., Glover says.

The company’s work force is a great source of pride, Glover says. “I cannot remember a visit, and we have had many, where someone did not leave here saying in a closing meeting that they were impressed with the facility’s cleanliness and the attitude of the people,” he says. “It always comes back to the quality of the people.”

“Our core competency is our people and processes,” he adds. “We are vertically integrated from call centers to install. Speed of service is the key to this industry and the manufacturing and distribution channels play a crucial role in getting the right part to the right location consistently.”

Safelite’s customers are both internal and external. Internally, the company supplies its warehouse markets in 83 locations nationwide. Externally, it supplies wholesale customers through its warehouse channels. “The expectations continue to increase for quality,” Glover says.           

“Quality is defined not only in the product itself but in the delivery of the product. We continually strive to improve – its part of our quality policy, which ultimately is instilled in our culture. We realize that continual improvement is our key to growth. If we are not getting better, someone else will.”

Reducing and Expanding
As energy costs rise, Safelite is working to identify cost drivers and develop plans to reduce their impacts, Glover explains. This has included changing overhead lights from metal halide to fluorescent, using an extension service from North Carolina State University to conduct lean manufacturing training and maximizing freight density to reduce gas consumption.

“The climate is tough, without a doubt; from imports to energy we have many challenges,” he says. “Our culture is one that is always looking ahead. We understand our challenges, but it is our job to identify opportunities to make the good outweigh the bad. Regardless of the challenge, the goal does not change – we will continue to improve.”

Despite challenges, he says, “Belron is aggressive on growth through both organic means and targeted acquisitions. Organic growth comes by improving processes to become more efficient like the company’s adoption of the lean manufacturing methodology.”

The company has also recently acquired its largest vehicle glass repair and replacement competitor, Diamond Glass. The company’s senior leaders understand what it takes to expand its market share, he adds.

Glover says the company works to improve by adhering to strict quality standards and by investing back into the business. “Recently, we purchased and installed our first edge-grinding line that will allow us access to SKUs we couldn’t manufacture because of the edge-quality requirements,” he says. “This investment eliminates certain barriers to entry and opens up another avenue to generate value for the organization.”

The company offers monthly employee incentives based on four factors: safety, quality, productivity and yield. It evaluates opportunities to improve productivity annually.

Safelite is ISO 9001-2000 certified and recently completed a recertification audit that expanded its scope to include supply chain operations. In 2006, the company achieved more than 2.5 million man-hours without a lost-time accident.

“Our management philosophy is continual improvement,” Glover emphasizes. “We take calculated risks and focus on making sound management decisions to improve our value to the organization.”