INTERNATIONAL VIEW

ULTIMATE RoadTrip

Auto recyclers from across the pond make the most of their U.S. excursion on a pre-ARA

Convention Yard Tour. BY ANDY LATHAM

the case for the eleven UK and Ireland auto recyclers who visited the ARA Convention in Charlotte last October.

R 52 Automotive Recycling | November-December 2015

Together the group of yard owners, managers, and staff along with developers of yard management soft- ware invested over $22,000 to visit recycler yards across Virginia and North Carolina, as well as to hear from the best trainers and teachers at the ARA Annual Convention in Charlotte, NC, and network with the global recycling community. One of the group said that his yard “was going to be very different in nine

eturn on investment can be calculated in many differ- ent ways, however there is some investment that can be considered priceless, and this could certainly be

months time as a direct result of what I have learned this week.”

The trip began in Washington, D.C. where some of the group was able to sightsee the Capitol city. The following day, the group collectively travelled to M&M Auto Parts in Stafford and Fredericksburg, Virginia, meeting the owners and staff as we toured both of their facilities. This first visit set the tone for the rest of the week’s travels; a very warm welcome awaited us all along with an openness that few expected.

Since 1960, M&M Auto Parts, Inc. has been a proud family-owned/operated auto recycler, and boasts over 50 acres and 205,000 square feet of warehouse space, all under the watchful eye of Rick Morrow and staff. With the majority of their business being wholesale, they are a full-service recycler that dismantles and stores parts at both locations. The international group was privileged to enjoy tours of both very different facil- ities –one being a sprawling yard with lots of space, the other a large warehouse with limited outdoor storage. The quality of both sites reflected the owners stan- dards and highlighted to the group how important customer service is to the U.S. auto recycling industry. Following an overnight stop in Richmond, Virginia, which served as the Capitol of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War (and now is the state Capitol), we travelled to Chesterfield Auto Parts. Chesterfield Auto Parts Co., operated by F. Troy

M&MFredricksburg

Webber, was formed in the 1930’s and purchased in 1947 by the family who, after three generations, con- tinues to own and run the business. It is a self-service operation and felt very different to the previous visit, with much quicker vehicle turnover, much more cus-