Since its inception in 1979, DaBryan has grown into one of the largest limousine manufacturers in the nation.

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The limousine remains one of the most easily identifiable signs of opulence and luxury. However, the industry has not been immune to the temptation to cut corners and reduce costs. Even the limos that carried movie stars to this year’s Academy Awards may have been built with lower-cost materials as manufacturers look to increase margins.

Resisting that trend has been DaBryan Coach Builders, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Edward Macdonald says the company has no intention of cutting back on what makes it one of the largest limousine and luxury van manufacturers in the nation. Based in Springfield, Mo., DaBryan is a subsidiary of Accubuilt, the largest specialty auto manufacturer in the world. Because DaBryan refuses to follow the trends and build its products to lower standards, Macdonald says, the company stands apart as one of the best in the business.

DaBryan was started in a small Missouri garage in 1979 by partners Gary Dabney and Rick Bryant, who originally built one limo at a time. Over the years, the company expanded into its current 50,000-square-foot facility in Springfield. “We have the ability to build two limousines a day,” Production Manager John Berry says.

In 2005, DaBryan was sold to Accubuilt, the manufacturer of more than 70 percent of the hearses sold in the United States. Accubuilt gives DaBryan the ability to manufacture in plants in Lima, Ohio, and Elkhart, Ind. Even through the acquisition, however, the company’s principles have stood firm.

“[We have a] quality product and a tremendous amount of integrity, which, in this kind of customized world, is certainly something that is appreciated and not as common as I would like to see in this market,” Macdonald says. “Typically, we’ll market to the smaller company that is a family business or smaller operation that is really hands-on and appreciates the quality.”

Streamlining Operations
That quality begins in the company’s manufacturing plant, where the work force hums like a well-oiled machine, according to Macdonald. This is due to the company’s adoption of certain lean manufacturing principles and an emphasis on accountability.

“In-house, our processes are very defined,” he says. “We make each person responsible for a certain number of tasks and from a management standpoint, we’ve found it very important to measure, because if you can’t measure, you can’t manage.”

The measurement is done by a specialized computer program that quantifies the output of each worker on the assembly line and his or her effectiveness at each assigned task. This allows management to set goals and accurately pinpoint areas of inefficiency in the production process.
Berry says the company’s inventory control system is also automated, with each component bar-coded for real-time tracking of costs and usage.

All of DaBryan’s sales requirements are routed through the same system, he adds, which prevents redundancies and increases efficiency. “The combination of the lean manufacturing techniques and the integrated computer system gives us an advantage over our competitors,” Berry says. “To my knowledge, none of them have these benefits.”

One of the most beneficial changes to DaBryan’s operations was perhaps the simplest. “We went from 30 units in production at any given time to 13 units in production,” Barry says. “The less units there are in production, the easier it is to focus on the work in front of you.”

DaBryan’s foray into lean manufacturing began when it built its current facility in 1999, Berry says. A third-party consultant helped the company consolidate all of its operations into the single site as well as incorporate numerous lean principles throughout. “After we moved in, we effectively learned how to streamline our production line to increase our throughput,” he says.

True Luxury
Although DaBryan has made lean manufacturing principles its bedrock for how it builds its vehicles, the company has taken the opposite approach in terms of what it builds. Whereas lean concentrates on streamlining and efficiency, DaBryan wants its limousines to be filled with as many luxuries as possible.

Macdonald says the company refuses to cut corners with features, and continues to offer customers the most opulent amenities even as the rest of the industry cuts back. Unlike other limousine manufacturers, DaBryan uses aluminum floor and side panels to prevent rusting. Additionally, the company invests in a hard-wired electrical system for all its products that avoids downtime caused by electrical problems.

The company’s reputation for quality is such that DaBryan was one of the first coach builders in the nation to be certified by Ford and General Motors. The company was named a Quality Vehicle Modifier by Ford in 1990 and soon after received certification as a Cadillac Master Coachbuilder from GM. Macdonald says certification is becoming more important to end-users because of liability and safety issues.

The construction of its vehicles isn’t the only area where DaBryan goes all-out, either. “We receive constant compliments from customers saying that we have tremendous customer service, and that keeps them coming back to get more,” Macdonald says.

This includes ensuring that every customer who calls the company with a warranty or service issue is connected to a live person every time. Remaining committed to customer service is another way in which DaBryan keeps itself at the forefront of the marketplace. “In these tough times, we see a lot of competitors shrinking on customer service just because sales are soft,” Macdonald says.

Forging Ahead
The weak state of the economy has caused many Americans to give up luxuries, and Macdonald says DaBryan’s products definitely fall into that category. “We have certainly seen a downturn,” he says. “By no means can we say we haven’t seen a difference. There has been a huge impact in terms of what has been happening at the moment.”

Corporate business has been shrinking over the last several months, and financing has become tighter. In light of this, DaBryan has taken several steps to shore up its own business. These include ensuring that raw materials are delivered on a just-in-time basis, with no surpluses. Being fastidious about quality control cuts down on man-hours because a car built right the first time requires less work, Macdonald says.

The company has also cut back on marketing but has boosted its sales efforts to deal more directly with clients. Macdonald says the company’s sales strategy in down times is to stress the value of a new vehicle over costly maintenance on an older model. DaBryan is also working on ways to make a newer model a more attractive prospect. “We’re certainly looking at new products,” Macdonald says.

“We’re also looking at new technologies.” He adds that the company is somewhat limited because the main chassis it uses – the Lincoln Town Car – hasn’t changed much since 1998, but notes that a new chassis is expected from Ford in the next few years. In the meantime, new technologies such as touch screens for GPS and audio systems are being incorporated, along with LED lighting for the interiors. Because LEDs consume less energy, they help DaBryan meet another of its goals for the future.

“We’re trying to figure out some green technologies that are out there, as well,” Macdonald says. DaBryan is trying to shake the notion that limousines are not green vehicles, even as they are frequently criticized for their size. Macdonald says the company believes that limousines are some of the greenest vehicles on the road, pointing out that they normally carry four to six people and take extra cars off the streets.

New technologies will only be part of what drives DaBryan to greater success in the future, according to Macdonald.