Managing the Backend

[bowl1978]

Can anyone owner/mechanic give me some input
on a budget for the backend!!!
I have been offered a position to run a 50 lane bowling center. I hire the people I need and train them. I will be in charge of the 50 lanes from front to back. How many employees, besides myself would it take to work the backend.
They tell me the place averages 40 games per day per lane. Would like some input on what kind of a budget you think it would take to run the backend. Wages, parts, etc...
And while I am at it, what is the going pay scale for an eperienced Head Mechanic??

[This message has been edited by bowl1978 (edited 10-22-2000).]

[Guest]

Re: Managing the Backend

I am a mechanic a 6 lane house at a University. I also work at a 24 lane house at night...right now we have 3 people...and we think it would run `alot better with 4 of us...Im thinking that with you and four others it should run good...I think a good starting pay for a head mechanic with a few years of experience would be great at around *in North Carolina*..$13 1/2 ..to start off...with Insurance...being Im only at a 6 lane house Im getting paid $2 1/2 less than that..and $8 to be a "pin boy" at a different house...figure out the cost of living where yer at and go from there

[Brunsmechanic]

Re: Managing the Backend

hey bowl,
lots of luck with your new position.
i can offer you the following info.
1)pinsetter budget=300. to 500. dollars per year per pinsetter on brunswick equipment. so that breaks down to between 1500. and 2500. per month depending on your needs.
2)I would run the back with yourself & a "b" mechanic and 2 pinchasers i used to run 42 lanes and i ran the back so that it came out to about 20-25% of the total payroll.
hope this helps,
brunsmechanic

[Dutch]

Re: Managing the Backend

If you have wood lanes & approaches, double Bruns's $$$ figure & add 1 more person. This includes resurfacing costs. Lane Maintenence costs more than most people figure.
Dutch

[This message has been edited by dutch (edited 10-23-2000).]

[Guest]

Re: Managing the Backend

Just my opinion,

Hopefully you’re not showing your uncertainty to your future employers.

We all have to move up sometime.

Good Luck,

Tech




[This message has been edited by Tech_Mech (edited 01-12-2001).]

[David Johnson]

Re: Managing the Backend

Hi bowl1978,
As far as basic dollar amounts as brunsmech
has mentioned somewhere around 2000.00 per
month,plus or minus a few hundred, would be
fine for pinsetter parts as long as the machines are not really rundown.I would budget about 600.00 for lane maintenance and
depending on what type of scoring you would
probably need to budget 500.00 per month for
scoring also.Thats the easy part,now for the
tougher part,payroll.You need a head mechanic
I assume that would be you,then you need to decide what kind of service you plan on providing to your customers.If your center is
going to be fairly busy I would suggest you
have the head mechanic and a pinchaser in the day time and a B mechanic and a pinchaser
at night,that equals a total of 28 shifts to fill.(2 mechanics 7 days a week=14 shifts and 2 mechanic 7 nights =14 shifts total= 28 shifts)That would break down to;
1.head mechanic-working 5 days a week.
2 B mechanics-Since you will only want to work 5 days a week that leaves 2 days plus
7 nights when you would need a fairly good lead mechanic working so you don't get called
everynight and your machines run without problem.
2-full time pinchasers and at least a 3 day a week part timer.
The above would get you the coverage for the
28 shifts you need to cover.
Finally you need a graveyard laneman 7 nights a week which equal 7 shifts.This could be done with 1 full time lane man and a 2 day a week part timer or the person you hired as the 3 day a week pinchaser could work 3 days as a pinchaser and 2 as a laneman.There are I'm sure other mechanics who might see things a little differently but Hopefully this give you a little more insight into what you will probably need if you plan on giving decent service to your customers.

[GPS]

Re: Managing the Backend

I agree with everything David said. You would not be overstaffed by any means. A machine goes down during league play you have a qualified mechanic to fix it while the pinchaser jumps calls. I am a little confused as to your first posting. Are you running the whole center or are just running the back end? If you are running both get a good head mechanic and let him do his thing. If you bury yourself with problems in the back the front end will fall apart. Been there, done that. If you do some bussiness you will be a busy person. Good luck.

[bowl1978]

Re: Managing the Backend

Quote:]Originally posted by GPS:
I agree with everything David said. You would not be overstaffed by any means. A machine goes down during league play you have a qualified mechanic to fix it while the pinchaser jumps calls. I am a little confused as to your first posting. Are you running the whole center or are just running the back end? If you are running both get a good head mechanic and let him do his thing. If you bury yourself with problems in the back the front end will fall apart. Been there, done that. If you do some bussiness you will be a busy person. Good luck.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the replies so far:
This is what I had in mind, let me know if this is an acceptable offer to give or not.

1 head mechanic- pay 800.00 a week Salary
1 "b" mechanic - pay 13.00 hour = 520.00 aweek
3 pinchasers - pay 7.00 - 9.00 an hour = 280.00 -360.00 a week
for a total of $154.800 per year for payroll.

Parts only for machines parts and lane maintenance = per year 24,000.00
(not including automatic scoring parts)
Total payroll and machine parts = $178,900.00 per year.

[Dutch]

Re: Managing the Backend

It sounds like a good offer but depending on the local economy, expect to get a counter offer. In our local economy, here in Reno you'd be anywhere from 10% to 40% high on your payroll. Depending on the quality of the center.
I'd stay firm on the parts budget if you don't have any catch up or up grades to do.
I personally like 1k per machine, per year. That’s everything, including pins & scorer parts.
dutch

[Steve Stafford (JBEES)]

Re: Managing the Backend

bowl1978,
Everybody here has given you ideas on pinsetter parts budgets...using flat rates per machines. Nobody has suggested a budget based on lineage. In 1980, we were using 2 to 2.5 cents per line and doing rather well with that. Of course that means nothing today. Last year I used 5.3 cents per line and improved the machines over the year before that. If you are trying to improve a dump...expect to spend 6 cents per line or so...if you are trying to maintain the status quo...3.5 to 4 cents per line should get you by. Based on your figures of a 50 lane center with 40 lines per bed per day...that comes to $42720 if you are trying to rebuild...$24920 if you are trying to just keep them running. Of course these are just rough estimates based on my past experience...

Just my two cents worth...

Steve

[David Johnson]

Re: Managing the Backend

I'm not real familiar with your area but in
many areas of the USA your pay scale would be good.You are however ,to my way of thinking, short about 3 shifts in order to have 2 people on at all times.You know your situation better then I do so maybe there are slow times when you feel you can get by with only 1 person.My bigger concern would be who is going to be doing your lanes?I don't see a Laneman listed anywhere?Even with todays all in one lane machines for a
50 lane house I would want some one on graveyard doing lane maintenance.A house that big needs more then a mechanic coming in a little early to run lanes.