MONETIZING SMALL PARTS
We have to think smarter about how we stay competitive and there are still many parts that we don’t have an Interchange for yet. The more we develop, the more parts we can sell and this will become crucial as competition gets tougher.
depth, brand name, and a formula of the wear com- pared to the new price for the exact tire, pair or set of four that we are selling.” Swift says the Inventory and Interchange has been
very good for them on tires. Using Checkmate, they saw tires go from an occasional purchase to now being in their top ten sales items. He says they have also had success with batteries and other small parts. “You can’t believe how many batteries a week we sell,” said Swift. “We sell about 50 batteries per week at $30 dollars each piece or $35 with a warranty. We find we can’t keep enough in stock. It’s our top selling
small parts item. We also sell a lot of jacks, aftermarket steel wheels, cup holders, glove boxes, horns, owner manuals, wiper arms, door handles, (inside and out), washer bottles with pump, radiator coolant overflow bottles, and air conditioning hoses.”
Nordstrom says while the Interchange and online access has been good, there are small parts that they have stopped selling because it’s either too difficult to remove the part, too high subjectivity on inventory, or too difficult of interchange. One example is seat belts. “We stopped selling seat belts online because there were too many types and customers were clicking on
Value in Scrap Lead Acid Batteries T
wenty years ago lead acid batteries were considered more of a pain to deal with than a commodity worth value. They take up a lot of room, they are made with lead and sulfuric acid and they are bulky to move around. Today, scrap lead acid batteries almost guarantee a scrap yard, used auto part store or shredder some cash return depending on the number of scrap batteries you recycle. Batteries are only worth money, however, if they are handled correctly. If not, they may be considered a universal waste or hazardous material and might actually cost the scrap yard money in fines and/or violations.
In 2009, the USDOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) noticed a trend of safety problems and non-compliance regarding the classification, packaging, marking, labeling, documentation and transporta- tion of spent batteries in commerce. Upon finding a lack of proper packaging among many shipments of spent batteries, U.S. DOT developed an action plan to crack down on the bat- tery recycling industry. The DOT surveyed retail facilities and manufactures and discovered the following results:
(1) vast non-compliance regarding return logistics of scrap lead-acid batteries; (2) information provided to retailers by battery manufacturers was inconsistent and conflicting; (3) lack of training at the retail level regarding preparation of bat- teries for shipment; and (4) improperly packaged pallets con-
52 Automotive Recycling | March-April 2015
taining damaged and leaking batteries were being accepted by carriers. More recently, shippers of batteries have taken additional precautions to ensure scrap batteries are packaged correctly. As scrap lead-acid batteries are one of the most highly recycled materials in the U.S., the DOT created exceptions for shippers that allow lead-acid batteries to be shipped as a
recyclable material and not a universal waste. The exception, 49 CFR 173.159(e), is available to any company that ships sealed lead-acid batteries, but can only be applied if the batteries are: (1) the only hazardous material on the vehicle; (2) loaded or braced to prevent short circuits; (3) any other material loaded in the same vehicle must be blocked, braced, or otherwise secured to prevent contact with or damage to the batteries; and (4) the transport vehicle may not carry material shipped by any person other than the shipper of the batteries. Raw material from scrap lead-acid batteries will be used in the foreseeable future to manufacture new lead-acid batteries. Nearly 97 percent of an entire battery can be recycled (the plastic, the lead and the sulfuric acid or electrolyte) making it one of the most highly recycled products in the country. So besides the fact that scrap lead acid batteries hold some value even after their typical use as a power source has expired, when handled properly, shippers are protecting themselves, their company and their customers and are showing an interest in protecting our environment, while still making a few bucks to boot.
–Provided by Interstate Batteries
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