For Centre de Recyclage Universel, 2023 was all about building connections

2023 marked transitions and milestones for Centre de Recyclage Universel in Val-d’Or, Quebec and Sudbury, Ontario, in what Pier-Olivier Larochelle described as a year full of opportunities for learning, growth and change. Originally founded in 1981, 2023 saw the first full year that Pier-Olivier Larochelle, Sales Director and Jeremy Oglesby, Director of Operations served as business owners in what they described as “a big year of transitions.” In 2023, Centre de Recyclage Universel saw its highest demand for used parts, but faced significant challenges with the ongoing industry labour shortage—something that is beginning to stabilize, Larochelle and Oglesby are happy to note.

In order to help overcome these labour shortage issues, Larochelle and Oglesby spent 2023 working on achieving a company culture focused on community, flexibility, and a process of offering employees more opportunities in terms of work-life balance.

“In terms of industry demographics, we’re young, and so we’ve worked hard to maintain our key employees and learn from them—many of whom have been working here for 30 to 40 years.”

Alongside developing these internal community connections, Larochelle and Oglesby also spent the year updating the company database, bringing the software into the new digital age all the way from 1996.

Oglesby commented that with this update, “we are now able to integrate a parts traceability system, which systematically improves our customer service. We have also integrated a new way to communicate with our sales staff by leading our customers towards a text messaging platform aimed at directly reducing our customers’ waiting time on the phone.”

In 2024, Larochelle and Oglesby hope to continue stabilizing Centre de Recyclage Universel following 2023’s big changes while also optimizing operations and focusing on customer service. 2024 also marks the company’s sixth year in Sudbury with Larochelle and Oglesby looking forward to expanding in the Ontario market. “Most people say, why change?” Larochelle and Oglesby told Canadian Auto Recycler.

“We say it’s important for the company to continue evolving in a way that achieves greater efficiency and sustainability to continue creating success in the future.”