iRG (Cardiff)

Origins

Having been made redundant from British Coal during the colliery closure programme, the founder’s main motivation for starting the business was initially to provide financial stability for his family. Quite quickly this became an obsession to be the best at what he did followed by the enthusiasm to be the largest repairer in Wales. Having no previous business experience, he effectively had to learn on the job dedicating long working days sacrificing family time for the cause of the business. Financially it was very difficult because the banks were not supportive in the start-up so finances had to be raised through high interest finance houses putting extreme pressures on cashflow.

Success Factor

Hard work, long hours and risk taking were the early factors in the success of the business. As the business become more established winning manufacturer brand approvals allowed the firm to gain direct insurer approvals with consistent work streams. The continuous investment in people along the journey has allowed iRG to have a home grown talent of people on which it can draw on as the business expanded. The geographical footprint across the business today offers customers an unrivalled service offering and be reactive to new opportunities. Having the support of family through the first few years was also instrumental to the success of the business.

The Future

The number of auto accident repair centres has decreased by 33 per cent over the last 10 years and is predicted to continue to fall by a further 10 per cent by 2020, leaving the UK with a future shortage of repair capacity which provides great opportunity for growth. To allow the firm to be best placed for this opportunity, it will need to invest in people to ensure it has a continuous talent pool of future skills. Today’ss modern vehicles have a raft of new technologies which are mostly designed to reduce accident and improve passenger safety. Impacts are also becoming less severe overall so the firm will invest in more express and same day facilities to meet the future demand.