People & Processes

“The management of multiple locations takes a system of regular reporting and review on a daily basis. With the proper people and systems being utilized effectively, one may very well find that the return on investment on self-service is greater than on full-service. But neither will be very profitable without people and systems in tune with each other every hour of every day.” The Wilbert’s U-Pull-It team says that to keep their operations running smoothly and efficiently, “We thrive on providing our team with great business direction with expectations and daily goals. We have to provide the proper facilities, tools, and guidance to employees for them to be successful.”

“It takes good employees with clear roles to be effi-

cient,” says Cox. “There is too much going on each day to waste on basic direction. Therefore, employees should understand their role in the company, and its importance. For us, separating our employees and resources between companies is also a priority, so as not to have one affect the other in daily operations.” CTV’s owners take a high level view of the operation, empowering department heads to buy inventory, sell cores, manage operations, including employee matters. “We try to stay well above the business and hold a weekly confer- ence call with all managers to stay informed,” says Cox.

Staying Power

The longevity of self-service for the future is something to consider. “How much longer will the consumer be able to properly diagnose the problem with their vehicle?” says Lieberman. “How much longer will the average consumer want to get their hands dirty fixing their own vehicle even if they wanted to do that?” With an opposing view, “Interestingly, the do-it-your- selfer is a trend that is definitely coming back from our perspective,” Cox notes, “and is directing customers toward our self-service yard. The reason, I believe, was the recession. We started seeing people coming in droves. People had to save money. Today, the pick-a-part yards are nicer and cleaner than they used to be. People enjoy saving money, got used to saving money, and enjoy coming to these facilities to do it.” Also, complex electronic computer parts sales are on the rise. “We sell a lot of them at the Pik-A-Part,” says Cox, “mostly because prior to 2007, these parts were not programmed. As programmed electronics enter the marketplace, someone will make an affordable gadget to reprogram them. People already have them! We will adapt. It might be challenging for the first few years, but then it’s second nature. That will always be case.” “To thrive in the future, we must effectively communi- cate our value, especially through social media,”

Automotive Recycling

March-April 2019 //43