A chain of one-stop-shop truck and trailer crash repair centres nationwide is planned for New Zealand – extending a grand plan already under way in Australia.
The trans-Tasman network is being created by Australia’s largest truck and trailer accident repair specialists, the Royan Group.
Royans has been in business in Australia’s eastern states for 75 years, specialising in truck and trailer accident repairs, panelbeating and spraypainting.
The current expansion drive began in Australia early in 2020, after private equity firm The Growth Fund took a controlling interest in Royans: In six months the group increased its Australian footprint from six repair centres to 10, with four more planned by year’s end.
Mid-year, its focus also turned to NZ – with the purchase in July of Auckland’s Transvisual truck refinishing centre.
That, says new Transvisual general manager David White, “was the first step.” Now, he adds, “we’re in the process of expanding this operation, while looking at new sites across the country.
“We feel confident that there’s a big gap in the marketplace. Insurers are writing jobs off because it’s actually easier than trying to get a unit repaired in about five different places, then re-assembled – and all done at the right price.”
The aim is to have a network of six or seven sizeable (around 5000 square metres) crash repair centres capable of working on trucks of all sizes, throughout the country….and soon. 
Says White: “We hope to have it all done within the next 24 months…two to three years max… 
“It’s bold, but we’re already quite a way down the track with looking at things like locations where we need to be, existing players, who’s in the marketplace. 
“We’re thinking about if there’s someone we want to partner up with, do we want to acquire a business, or do we want to look at greenfields. 
“So it’s not like ‘once we get this facility right, then we’ll step out.’ This is just part of the one big project.”
White, who was formerly a senior executive with PPG Industries NZ, says that there are some really good truck painters spread around the country – also good panelbeaters, good fabricators…and two or three that do good chassis repair work. But, he adds, “there aren’t too many big facilities that do it all – certainly not a nationwide network of repair facilities that can share resources, people and information.”
White says “there used to be this thinking that if a chassis is bent it’s bent – and you either put in new chassis rails or throw it away. Actually, that’s not the case at all: If a rig has a bit of accident damage they can be straightened – as long as you know what you’re doing, you’ve got the right equipment, and experience.”
Transvisual’s current 4000 square metre site in Wiri is able to do everything from prep to complete resprays and graphics, but currently is limited to handling light to medium-duty truck crash repair work – outsourcing repairs on heavy-duty vehicles.
However, White says that the company has now secured another 2000 square metre facility nearby where heavy-duty vehicle repairs (including structural work) will be carried out.  
The intention is that the Auckland facility will become “a one-stop shop for accident repairs.”
And, given the planned network, he adds: “Soon, if you own a fleet and you’ve got a unit that comes off (the road) in Kaikohe we can look after it…or if you’ve got a unit that comes off in Christchurch, we’ll be able to look after it there too.”