Salvage Wire

Salvage Wire
Helping Automotive recyclers become leaders in their industry

Wednesday 14 October 2009

More on UK salvage yards

I have visited a number of yards this week and seen many different styles of operation and varying success stories.
The most successful yard was run by a father and son team who are big into exporting and believe that relationship and trust are the keys to successful business. They recently received an e-mail from a customer in S E Asia who told them that they had been recommended by his father - checking records highlighted that they had done business with the father in the late 70's and early 80's. what better recommendation can you get?
The poorest yard was still being operated in the style of the 1980's, reliant upon local customers, not willing to advertise or use technology to promote the business - unless this yard gets a major influx of enthusiasm and ideas it will, to put a Monty Python slant on it, cease to be.
Most yards are specialising, know what sells well and where it sells, and working very hard to make a living for the owners and provide steady employment for the staff, all done in the face of increased competition, greater red tape, Environment Agency demands, and increased costs, but they seem to be the forgotten face of the business, recycling 85% of each vehicle, ensuring that environmental standards are at the highest ever, and keeping local government and national Government at bay by complying with all requests - however stupid and time consuming.
Support them where you can, buy previously used parts for your own or your friends cars, and ensure that scrap vehicles always go to licensed operators, otherwise the next time you wnat them they may not be there, or the parts you need will have already been exported.

Friday 9 October 2009

UK Salvage Yards

All this talk of recession, job losses, and other depressing things, isn't it great to see an industry bucking the trends.
I have visited at least 6 yards this week, and all were busy with customers coming and going, and the phones never stopped ringing.
All said that the last few months have seen the numbers of enquiries for parts increase as more customers look to repair their cars rather than replace, and many of the yards confirmed that there is still considerable amount of vehicles and parts being exported from the UK to all parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, Middle East and Australia/New Zealand.
One overriding factor that I saw in all the yards this week; they are family run operations where husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters all work happily together, employing local people, helping the community repair their vehicles at lower cost, and generating a legacy that they can hand on to their children and grandchildren.
And as their children and grandchildren come into the business they will find an industry cleaner than ever before, a professional industry that is improving standards year on year, an industry that has a global reach, an industry that we can be proud of.
Next time scrappage is mentioned in the media or by government remember the yards that are treating these vehicles, de-polluting them to remove the hazardous elements, recycling the vehicles and parts, as well as creating revenue for UK plc by exporting parts, scrap metal etc, or helping others repair their cars at low cost and saving the environment by not having to produce brand new parts.
Now if we can get insurers to use 2nd hand parts in insurance repairs!