Townsville Car Care Centre needs more workers to keep up with strong demand

A massive new shed has energised a long-running Townsville business, which desperately needs more workers to keep up with demand. See where.

Townsville Car Care Centre has just built a new industrial building in Aitkenvale. Owner Craig Chapman. Picture: Evan Morgan

A Townsville business that has been a fixture of the automotive care landscape for over three decades needs more workers to keep up with demand after building a massive industrial shed in Aitkenvale.

Until recently, Townsville Car Care Centre had operated out of a CBD workshop at 655 Flinders St, offering value-for-money car care services including car detailing, fabric, vinyl and leather protection, stain removal, soundproofing, rustproofing, and engine cleaning.

With 26 years experience working in the plastics industry, Craig Chapman was forced to look for a new line of work after the Bohle manufacturer shut down in 2015.

Given that Craig and his wife Jan were “keen car people”, they decided to have a crack at purchasing and running the family-owned Townsville Car Care Centre business nine years ago.

After a bit of “hit and miss” in the early days, Mr Chapman said they never looked back.

“Our specialty is doing a lot of car yard type work. Cars go to the mechanics, get roadworthy, and then they get brought to us to get detailed,” Mr Chapman said.

Townsville Car Care Centre has just built a new industrial building in Aitkenvale. Owner Craig Chapman. Picture: Evan Morgan

“We give them, give them a full detail, vacuum, shampoo and buff and polish and engine bays and so forth, and then we give them back to them looking a million bucks.

“I just get so much repeat work on repeat customers and word of mouth. (Car dealerships) can sell 20 to 40 cars a month, so when they’re restocking, some are going to come through to me to be detailed.”

Townsville Car Care Centre has just built a new industrial building in Aitkenvale. Owner Craig Chapman. Picture: Evan Morgan

He said there was a strong demand for rustproofing mining vehicles and also around the holiday season, when motorists prepare for off-road adventures, like to K’gari (Fraser Island).

After looking for a new shed to rent after their Flinders St workshop was sold, Mr Chapman realised it made financial sense to purchase a block with an existing 300 sqm concrete slab at 4 Rendle St, Aitkenvale, where they’d build a new shed.

Construction kicked off in late May and completed the project in late August, costing the Chapmans just under $600,000.

“My shed area is a lot bigger, and I have two hoists, … so you can drive your car up, and we can thoroughly do the underside washing cars. It just makes the job so much easier … it’s more time efficient, and the quality is (better), and it’s a lot safer as well,” he said.

Townsville Car Care Centre has just built a new industrial building in Aitkenvale. Owner Craig Chapman. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mr Chapman described Townsville as tracking “exceptionally well” economically, where the demand for their services sometimes became a juggling act for his skeleton crew of five workers.

Now settled in the new shed, Mr Chapman’s attention has shifted towards recruitment to avoid turning work away and to make headway on their booking backlog.

If you are looking for work or more information, visit: www.townsvillecarcare.com.au.

Originally published as Townsville Car Care Centre needs more workers to keep up with strong demand