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"Follow the Recycled Part!" Event Fosters Communication Print E-mail
THORNHILL ON -- June 23 2008 -- Improved communication benefits repairers recyclers and insurers and on Thursday June 19 2008 members of those groups gathered to do just that.

Last year Collision Repair magazine hosted an event called “Re-Think Recycling”. Essentially members of the insurance industry were given tours of three different recycling facilities. The event was a huge success by any standard. This year it was time for Phase II – “Follow the Recycled Part!”

At 7:45 a.m. Thursday morning a specially chartered bus left for CSN Bayview & Steeles Collision in Thornhill. Upon arrival the group enjoyed a delicious breakfast while the facility’s owner Manuel Der Haroutiounian and his colleagues walked attendees through the claims process providing a demonstration of how a typical estimate is done.

At each stop along the way there is opportunity for all parties to ask questions and express their opinions about the process they are visiting. Many valid questions were asked throughout the day clarifying many misconceptions.

The group is clearly looking forward to a morning of information and progress. “We are always trying to be cost conscious and environmentally conscious as well” says Wilf Bedard of Manitoba Public Insurance. “I see this event as an exploratory adventure. There are always new and different processes to learn. Take advantage of the best practices continuous improvement maintaining efficiency and keeping costs low.”

Next on the agenda was Carcone’s Auto Recycling where the group is shown step-by-step the typical process used by recycling facilities when an estimate is received. The presentation quickly moves from overhead visuals to a very informative productive discussion amongst the three different perspectives within the auto industry. We make our way outside and into the parts warehouse where we observe the process in which the requested parts are picked packaged and shipped.

“Historically the [auto recyclers insurers and collision repairers] never wanted to address these issues” admits Mary Poirier of Valley Automotive. “We as a recycling facility are accountable for the quality of what we ship.”

The last stop of the day is Assured Oaktown in Richmond Hill. Here the group is shown the method used when the recycled parts have arrived. The parts are thoroughly inspected before they are unloaded to confirm that they are the right make model year and that the quality of the part is what was previously guaranteed. To bring this memorable event to an end lunch was served accompanied by a debriefing of the day as well as one last opportunity for any final questions and comments.

Throughout the morning many informative discussions arose. One active topic was that the consumers need to be educated about recycled parts. They don’t understand that these parts are of good quality are safe and are worth buying.
 
Carcone's Auto Recycling Celebrates 30th Anniversary Print E-mail
AURORA ON -- April 14 2008 -- Change is a constant in the collision repair industry and no less so in the automotive recycling business.

Carcone’s Auto Recycling has been in the forefront of that change since the doors first opened in 1978. Located in Aurora ON Carcone’s Auto Recycling celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The business was founded by Tony Carcone father of the current owner Michael Carcone. Although Carcone’s Auto Recycling has been in the same location since first opening for business the location itself has changed drastically. For proof of this take a look at the photos on the left. The top one is from 1978 soon after the facility opened. The second shows the recycler as it today.

It isn’t just the buildings that have changed. In 1978 Tony Carcone employed three people. Today the staff at Carcone’s Auto Recycling has grown to 49 people in two divisions. The second division is wheel refinishing which was added in 1996. The business has continued to advance grow and change over the years with the wheel refinishing division attaining the coveted ISO designation. This isn’t something simply handed to a company. It’s something that must be earned and the process of earning it is not something that can be approached casually.

“It takes a lot of effort to get that status” says Michael Carcone. “You have to document everything.”

Besides growing in staff and adding a completely new division other aspects of the business have changed over the years. According to Michael Carcone there was a time long ago when inventory was tracked by memory and locations of salvage vehicles noted by reference to landmarks. Those days are long gone.

Today the auto recycling facility is fully computerized and everything that comes in is bar coded for easy   inventory management.  Michael Carcone has seen all these changes first hand. Starting in the business as in his words “a pain in the ass kid” he’s truly grown up with the recycling industry in his blood.

Many things may have changed in the last 30 years but the focus of the business remains the same. “Our main customers are still professional repairers” says Carcone. “I’d like to thank all of our staff as well as our customers past present and future for helping us to achieve the milestone of our 30th anniversary.” For more information on Carcone’s Auto Recycling please visit carcone.com.
 
Ontario Auto Recyclers Meet to Discuss Trends Print E-mail
TORONTO ON -- March 31 2008 -- Ontario will finally be looking into developing a program for recycling used tires. That was the word at the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA) annual convention which took place over the weekend.

Environment Minister John Gerretsen has announced that the government will finally be re-looking the lack of a tire stewardship program in Ontario.

"It's unacceptable that Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that doesn't have a tire recycling program right now and that's why we want to get one going as quickly as possible" said Minister Gerretsen.

In other news Ken Edwards was elected to the OARA Board of Directors replacing Benjy Katz who had stepped down. Wally Dingman Mary Poirier and Trevor Generoux were are all re-elected to the Board.

250 attendees were registered at the event including guests from Allstate Insurance RBC Insurance The Dominion of Canada Insurance Lombard Insurance The Co-operators State Farm CCIF PPG Assured Automotive Ministry of Transportation Autodex Clean Air Foundation Canadian Steel Producers Association Automotive Recyclers Association and recyclers from British Columbia Alberta Manitoba Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

The convention also included a trade show with 30 exhibitors.
 
Allianz Pushes Forward with First UK-Wide Recycled Parts Program Print E-mail

January 3 - London UK - Allianz Insurance said it will be the first to offer recycled parts for collision repair across the United Kingdom. The company recently announced the decision to push ahead with a program they piloted with a small number of repairers and distributors in Northern England.

Allianz says policyholders that took part in the pilot gave positive feedback saying they were not only pleased to use parts that would otherwise have been disposed of but in many cases the use of recycled green parts meant that their vehicle was not a total loss.

Allianz is touting the plan as an opportunity for drivers to reduce their carbon-footprint by having recycled green parts fitted to their vehicles by Allianz's nationwide network of approved repairers. In addition Allianz says that on a £1000 claim an average of £240 can be saved by using recycled parts.

During the initial pilot test of the program policyholders who own vehicles of five years and older were invited to consider the use of recycled green parts to repair their vehicles. The test initially included seven approved repairers and one distributor. Customers chose recycled parts 25 percent of the time rising to 80 percent when a total loss could be avoided. In May of 2007 the pilot was extended to five distributors and the five-year vehicle age limit was removed. The test revealed a 40 percent acceptance of recycled parts.

Allianz said it aims to offer the program through 185 approved repairers and 15 distributors by the end of the first quarter of 2008.

The initiative has received support from the British Vehicle Salvage Federation (BVSF) which represents the UK vehicle salvage industry.
 

 
Auto Recyclers of Canada Join NATA Print E-mail
December 11 - London ON - The Auto Recyclers of Canada (ARC) has joined the National Automotive Trades Association (NATA).
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