Introduction to Bay Management

Bays are physical service locations in your workshop where work is performed. Hydra's bay management system helps you visualize your floor plan, track capacity, and assign jobs efficiently.

What Are Bays?

A bay represents a designated work area in your facility. This could be:

Automotive shops - Lift stations, alignment bays, paint booths
Detailing centers - Wash bays, detail stations, ceramic coating areas
Service centers - Workbenches, inspection areas, specialty stations

Why Use Bay Management?

Visual Floor Planning

Design a digital representation of your workshop. Drag and drop bays to match your actual layout, making it easy for staff to understand the workspace.

Capacity Tracking

See at a glance which bays are occupied, available, or under maintenance. Plan your day knowing exactly what capacity you have.

Job Assignment

Assign service jobs to specific bays. Track where each vehicle or item is located and prevent double-booking of workspace.

Performance Insights

Understand bay utilization over time. Identify bottlenecks and optimize your workflow.

Bay Types

Hydra supports different bay types to match your operations:

Type	Description	Example
Standard	General purpose work area	Basic service bay
Specialized	Equipment-specific station	Alignment rack, paint booth
Quick Service	High-turnover stations	Oil change pit, wash bay
Storage	Holding areas	Waiting zone, completed area

Getting Started

To start using bay management:

Navigate to Bay Management in your company sidebar
Create your first bay or use the visual designer
Configure bay types and properties
Start assigning jobs to bays

The following tutorials will walk you through each step in detail.

Permissions

Bay management requires appropriate permissions:

View bays - See bay status and assignments
Manage bays - Create, edit, and delete bays
Assign jobs - Assign service jobs to bays

Check with your administrator if you need access to bay management features.