Is the New Volvo Recall part of the Recall Bounty Program? You have probably seen the recent headlines regarding the new Volvo airbag recall. The Volvo recall announced in November pertains to airbags that could rupture, spewing metal fragments into the passenger compartment. As with Takata airbags, the propellent degrades over time when exposed to … Read more
Going on 25+ years now, it has been my pleasure to write for the Recyclers Power Source Magazine. Even though we are beginning a new year, I believe the first quarter of this year will be remarkably like what we experienced over the last 9 months. However, I am hopeful it will be better. I … Read more
I know, I know, you don’t have much money for advertising. But… surely you are interested in it if it’s free? Don’t underestimate the value of press releases for your business. In fact, you should set a goal of issuing one every other month, no less than 6 times a year. It’s easy and costs … Read more
Our memories are special to us because they tell our personal story. Oscar Wilde saw memories as a part of a mental, personal diary that a person adds to throughout their lifetime. So true! As we create them, no one can take your memories from you because each day is a beginning or an addition … Read more
How are your cats refined? Things you should know. One way, assay. This is what we preach at United Catalyst Corporation. There is one way to recycle a scrap catalytic converter. It must be de-canned, milled, sampled, assayed, smelted, and refined. This process may sound simple at first glance, but do not be fooled, to … Read more
The year of 2020 will be remembered, talked about & researched forever. All of those things will be good topics but the reality is we have businesses that need to be run profitably during a period of time that sees many different ideas and principals in play. Simple math and deductive reasoning — skills that … Read more
The events of 2020 might have changed the looks of your business today. What have you done to prepare your people for next year? Are your employees working as individuals, doing their own thing? Or are they working efficiently as a team? During my previous travels to businesses, some of them have synergy and they … Read more
I have been working from home and have been getting a lot of instant messages via Car-Part Messaging (iCPM). One of the recurring messages I have been getting from yard owners, managers, and employees has been (ironically) to complain about instant messages! They are not complaining about using instant messages—quite the opposite. They are complaining about people … Read more
You have sat in class after class, talked to other yard owners about switching over to paying employees for performance, and you are still paying them hourly, thinking all your employees will walk out or that making this change might cause chaos in the business. Yes, just like you, I was slow to change to … Read more
Do you want to rejuvenate your business, revive your business profits, reframe your current perspective, refresh your team’s skills, and recharge your personal energy? In light of the most challenging year in history, why wouldn’t you take advantage of ALL your options? Look no further, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) is offering this and more, … Read more
The precious metals markets are up and so are the incidences of stolen converters. It is all over the news. The BBC recently reported that catalytic converter thefts have doubled in England as metal prices have risen. If you are a recycler this is not news to you. At United Catalyst Corporation, we are seeing … Read more
Shell Games and Other Shenanigans Cat recycling circa 1990s: Small. Medium. Large. $5. $10. $15. Have you been in the business long enough to remember it? When all you cared about was the price of a large GM? Eventually you learned the game. That the large GM and the exotic converter were the lost leaders. … Read more
I want to talk about the importance of safety and compliance and its return on investment, as well as the cost and potential liabilities. Let’s start off with the question of what exactly does compliance mean for the Automotive Recycler? For this article, we will talk about two main areas of compliance, the first being … Read more
When salvage yards find themselves leading the local news, it’s rarely a good thing. Salvage yards are a staple of local fire coverage for obvious reasons: lots of flammable materials and no shortage of heat and spark producing processes and tools, including the use of oxy-acetylene torches. The use of acetylene torches for removing parts … Read more
Before writing any article, I ponder whether it would benefit me rather than helping everyone else. Usually, it is self-help for me. I must ask if COVID-19 has been getting to you. It has me. Have you been drinking, smoking, or eating more than usual? I have, and I have also been having too much … Read more
I know, I know, you don’t have much money for advertising. But… surely you are interested in it if it’s free? Don’t underestimate the value of press releases for your business. In fact, you should set a goal of issuing one every other month, no less than 6 times a year. It’s easy and costs … Read more
The Need for Speed When we introduced our Mobile YAPP (Yard Airbag App), we wanted to allow multiple ways to scan VIN Barcodes. It has always been our goal to give our customers OPTIONS! First, you can manually type in the VIN, second, you can use the built-in VIN Barcode Scanner, and last, you can … Read more
In converter recycling, the best recyclers are partnering with companies that educate. We encourage our customers to sell on assay, the analytic procedure that measures the content or quality of a metal or ore contained in the catalytic converters. In this, the fourth installation of our series, Getting the Most from Your Converters with A … Read more
I’m writing this article to talk about all of the challenges we are facing as an industry, all the adversity that we will need to overcome, as well as the uncertainty about current events facing all of us with COVID-19. One thing is for certain, we are living in a different world now. These are … Read more
Not everyone is the same in your world. If, as a boss, you can’t talk to employees with a proper tone, they won’t like you and won’t produce as well. As entrepreneurs and managers, we need to get along well with many kinds of people to achieve our goals: vendors, service providers, professionals, employees and … Read more
If any of you have been to my Selling Used Parts in an Online World class, you know that I love, love, LOVE online sales! eBay, Car-Part.com — selling online makes me happy! Here are my top 5 tips for selling used parts online: 1. Great pictures Go look at pictures from other yards that … Read more
Here is a great story. Two months ago, I received a call from Doug Williams, an old customer who owned Eagle Auto Parts located in Martinsburg, WV. Doug and his wife, Lori, purchased Eagle Auto Parts back in 1983. I have been there many times and would speak to all their employees and follow up … Read more
FAQ – Are you still paying a bounty on Honda airbags? I’m not getting as many hits on my Honda’s. Since the RAS Airbag Recovery program began, the Automakers have frequently added and redacted VIN’s from our database. The primary reason for redactions is that the vehicle has been repaired so the automaker is able … Read more
Well Toto We Are Not in Kansas Anymore Recycled OE parts have never been in demand more than they are now. Anywhere and everywhere, if you have high quality products you can find a buyer. With eBay selling over 12 billion dollars in auto parts and accessories online last year, you can sell all over … Read more
Electric vehicles are quite a hot topic these days. It’s become very common to see many Tesla vehicles as well as other electric vehicles when out driving around. Many people are very pro EV while many others are very against EVs for a handful of reasons. Despite some of the public opinion, they are more … Read more
MANASSAS, VA – The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) announced today that the upcoming 77th Annual Convention & Exposition will be a 100 percent virtual event. Originally scheduled to take place in person at the Peppermill Resort & Cason in Reno, Nevada, Association leaders decided last week to transition into an all virtual event due to … Read more
It’s my intention to write about the “How Money Works” book because I wanted to thank lots of you who have ordered the book and either have given copies away to friends and family or have asked for copies for your teams. While listed for $16.95 plus shipping on Amazon we have sold over a … Read more
CREATING NEW HABITS WHILE SHEDDING OLD HABITS IS CRITICAL TO BUSINESS AND TAKATA AIRBAGS Creatures of Habit We all know about Bad Habits because we tell ourselves that we will change some of them in our New Year Resolutions. Some of us are successful at stopping bad habits but it usually doesn’t happen without starting … Read more
Few things cause changes as rapidly as crises. For the most part in our lives, things start down a path we maintain a certain sense of inertia. This is often true of business relationships, partnerships, customers, vendors in that they tend to stay unchanged until certain inflection points. I think we can all agree that … Read more
You finally made the switch from selling your converters by the piece to selling them on assay. And you have found, like most of us have, that it is totally worth it. Your average cat sale is up 5-45% depending on how you were being treated by your buyer. Now you are in the real … Read more
Those of you who know me well can recall when I lived in a mobile home. I wasn’t broke, but I wasn’t rich. But, even back then, I like to think I was never too cheap. Yes, I can remember having a pole truck to pull engines and move cars around, and I can recollect … Read more
I would like to talk about the future role of commission-based salespeople in the auto recycling industry. One of the byproducts of the COVID-19 pandemic is how it has accelerated the shift to internet/e-commerce purchases. With the advances in information and technology that we have, anyone can find almost anything online in short order. There … Read more
Chapter two of my book How to Salvage Millions from Your Small Business discusses this month’s topic. Bigger can be better, but many times it simply isn’t. First, you have to make several decisions: Do you really want to be bigger, with the commensurate problems? Are you willing to tolerate more mediocrity that will inevitably … Read more
The Experts Weigh In Recently, I had the privilege of moderating and participating in a global webinar regarding the auto catalyst value chain. Some of the analysts, refiners, and fellow processors that I respect most were on the panel. Dr. Jonathan Butler, Head of Business Development for Mitsubishi Corporation, kicked off the webinar with an … Read more
History When the Takata Airbag Recovery Program launched in 2015, our IT Department swung into action to create software for recyclers to process airbags. However, they recognized that there were customers enrolled in CorePro submitting cores and airbags, and recyclers who only wanted to process their airbags. So two logins were put on the same … Read more
I know that with COVID-19 going on, a lot of us are spending more time online. I have heard from several customers that online sales have really been picking up for them the last couple months. I thought that I would share some of my tips on social media for auto recyclers. 1. Never post … Read more
Do me a favor, please! I am asking all recyclers to refer to this unpresented time as the “New Normal”. I really dislike using the word “abnormal” because what we are going through right now is not abnormal. However, it is the future. Our customer base is telling us that this is “Amazon Time” because … Read more
Man alive, if ever there was a global stress test, surely this is it! How healthy are you? How healthy is your business? How secure is your job? How stable are your customers? At different points, we have all had to consider these questions from a variety of lenses without the benefit of past data … Read more
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR I started in this business back in 1973 and like the saying goes, if you live long enough, you pretty much will see and hear everything. In May of 1983, I left my former employer of seven years to come to work as a salesperson here at Northlake. I … Read more
I continue to hear from folks who say their business is tougher than it has ever been. I always chuckle when I hear from a recycler that business in his area is off, after I’ve just spoken with another recycler in the same area who is having record sales and/or profits. How can this be? … Read more
With the surge of online-virtual meetings comes a need to review our communication skills. When the novelty of the first live virtual meeting is over, most of us would agree that while helpful, it might not have been the most productive time spent. This technology is not going away anytime soon, so it is best … Read more
Finding Time for What’s Important This is a time of incredible uncertainty. With limited work crews in many recycling facilities, having the manpower and finding time to process cars is a challenge. Keeping the company books in order is equally important so that you can make a contingency plan for varying volumes. It can be … Read more
Creating a Climate for Potential Leaders You will not grow your company unless you are able to grow people. Even if you are to go into the marketplace to hire an experienced manager/leader you will still need to provide a climate and culture that allows them to grow into their new position. The author John … Read more
Life, as we have known it, has come to a screeching halt because of an invisible threat. We can’t see it! But we surely can see the effects of what it’s done. Thousands of people have been infected and thousands have lost their battle against it. As if they haven’t already been involved enough in … Read more
Lead battery recycling is one of the biggest success stories of our generation. Ninety-nine percent of all lead batteries manufactured are recycled to make into new batteries. All elements of the lead battery can be recycled, including the sulfuric acid. The same cannot be said about other battery chemistries. Though some other batteries like Nickel … Read more
Whether you are a small business owner, a fortune 500 company, or the average working person, this is the question that you are now pondering. This has hit us fast and hit us hard, and the bad thing is that we are really not sure when it will end. Also when this is over what … Read more
To our valued customers, With the coronavirus (COVID-19) affecting communities, families, and people around the world, this is a difficult time for all of us. Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected. At Car-Part.com, our priority is the health and well-being of our employees and customers. We have taken several steps … Read more
Let’s look at current practices in place at the Salvage Auctions we attend. Vehicles are put up for auction on the sale date. Now, these auctions are live, online-only. You can, of course, preview these vehicles before the sale, but you have a limited amount of time to do so. Who are the buyers at … Read more
The COVID-19 Pandemic will surely go down as the biggest crisis in our lifetime. We all remember the housing crisis in 2008 and 911 in 2001. Most people are not aware, but we had a banking crisis in Rhode Island during the early 90s where the Governor closed forty-five credit unions and banks creating runs … Read more
Ever since I came to work at Car-Part.com, I have had this debate at least once a week with a recycler. The recycler tells me the MANY reasons they can’t or won’t put prices online. Trust me, I have heard them all! Let me tell you an example that I use in one of the … Read more