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Word on the Wire By Andy Latham andy@salvagewire.com
Progress Measured I
n the book of Genesis the world was created in one chapter. Moses had the 10 commandments inscribed on 2 tablets of stone, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray in 142 words ... and the European Union’s recent directive on the sale of duck eggs is 14,640 words – Progress? Maybe not, but it is a great reminder that simpler might be better when trying to move the needle on the mission of progress.
When I look back over the last 15 years I see massive change in myself and the people that surround me at home and at work. My children are now adults, my work colleagues have married, had chil- dren, changed jobs, been promoted and more, and the industry I work in has advanced further in this period than the whole previous history of automotive recycling.
Driving most of the advancements within our industry is the internet, the availability of data, the ease of buying and selling vehicles and parts, and the way the internet allows local, national and international connectivity has all changed how we work. Vehicle design has also changed sig- nificantly since the millennium, vehicles are much cleaner, more efficient and less polluting than before, but that does bring complexity to them which can make them more difficult and costly to fix if they go wrong, and could also mean that they become an End of Life Vehicle (ELV) slightly earlier. I have just read about the possible replacement for the Bugatti Veyron, with a target top speed in excess of 280mph that McLaren and Ferrari are going to try to match; and the next BMW 7 Series that could be 200kg lighter than the cur- rent vehicle through the use of alu- minum, magnesium, ultra high-strength steel and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics throughout the body structure. All of these vehicles will someday end up in an
28 Automotive Recycling | November-December 2015
auto recycling facility which will be expected to recycle these to the highest standards and quality.
This was highlighted during the recent Annual Convention held in Charlotte in the keynote speech by Tanvir Arfi of Solera Holdings, along with the con- nected car, autonomous driving, and more. And this industry will adapt and change to meet these challenges; we have shown in the past that we can do this and we will again, it is all down to attitude and wanting to change. In life, there are many things that hold us back, that make us resistant to change, to not doing anything; and not doing anything is a choice that people make that means they get left behind. During the recent road trip that I organized for UK auto recyclers to the Annual Convention (read my story on page 52), I was very impressed by all the recy- clers we visited, especially as they were all second or third generation businesses who had changed over the years as they had grown, added facilities or moved, had raised efficiencies, added self-service to a full-service facility, or removed the self-ser- vice option to become a full-service yard; and all of these yards are proud members of the Automotive Recyclers Association. This history of change and growth
means that auto recyclers are better pre- pared for some of the advances high- lighted above; the leaders that operate across this industry know this and are able to approach the future with the con- fidence that they will be the companies and organizations leading the rest of the industry into these new areas. The teaching, leadership, and educa- tion at this years’ ARA Annual Con- vention in Charlotte showed that this industry, despite the current scrap price, is in robust health, it is in good hands, and will continue to adapt and change to meet the challenge of the future. I encourage you to continue to pro- mote the industry wherever and when- ever you can, and get more people to become members of the ARA so that we can continue to break the chains that are holding the industry back, prepare for the future and continue the growth and change that have characterized the last 15 years.
Andy Latham is Managing Director of Salvage Wire, a unique Auto Recycling consultancy with a focus on Safety, Ethics, and Profitability for all clients. With over 30 years of experience
in the automotive industry, Andy shares his knowledge, ex- perience, and wisdom garnered as an engineer, manager, and leader. For more details of Salvage Wire Training please contact Andy Latham on andy@salvagewire.com, or look at the website www.salvagewire.com