Scrap Car Spotlight 1.2
Scrap Car Spotlight 1.2
Cleveland Scrap Cars is where to sell a junk car, more specifically; we are a site where you can junk cars in Ohio. To sell us your car and receive free old car removal simply contact our junk car buyer today. As previously mentioned, we strive to provide news and information within the industry, particularly from industry professionals.
Our 3rd installment of the Scrap Car Spotlight takes us to Cocoa, FL. Cocoa is located on Florida’s eastern coast in Brevard County with a population of approximately 17,000. Cocoa Auto Salvage’s President is Ms. Shan Lathem, who also serves as Vice-President of the Florida Auto Dismantlers & Recyclers Association. We had the opportunity to ask her a few questions relating to her business and the auto scrap and recycling industry.
- Could you describe your background and primary function/role in managing Cocoa Auto Salvage?
“My mother and father founded Cocoa Auto Salvage in 1979, with a partner. After several years, my family purchased the partner’s interest in the early 80’s. I worked the family business during summers and after school growing up. Once I graduated college in 1997, I began really learning the business and the nuts and bolts of how the industry works. Initially my function within the organization was focused mostly on the financial side, implementing accounting and control systems. This eventually paved the way for me to move on to procedural implementations and processes including day to day activities enabling us to be more efficient and productive. Today, I work closely with our General Manager who is responsible for making sure objectives are met. We talk daily but have a more formal, sit down meeting weekly to go through the prior week’s productivity, review metrics and discuss any concerns either one of us may have.”
- Are there challenges in the auto recycling business that are unique your eastern location in Florida, or to the industry in Florida as a whole? (ie..Climate, Location, Regulations etc…)
“We are located about seven miles inland from the coast in East Central Florida. Our land here is very flat, and during the rainy season it can get very wet in the yard which can certainly present some challenges.”
- What changes have you noticed in today’s new vehicle manufacturing that will have an effect on the scrap vehicle market in years to come?
“The auto manufacturers are using aluminum in production today more than ever before in an effort to be compliant with impending legislation regarding gas mileage requirements. This will certainly effect how we process the vehicles for end of life sale and our scrapping processes will need to be modified. Only time will tell if this move toward aluminum will be one that works for the industry or not. It may just be the push needed for steel companies to work at creating better, more lightweight alloys.”
- Have you had measurable success marketing your business in any certain ways? Perhaps you have tried some marketing initiatives where the results were lower than expected?
“We have been the largest automotive recycling facility in East Central Florida for many years and so when the retail customer is looking for a quality, used item our name typically comes to mind. Word of mouth is so important to us, just like for any business. We do have a large wholesale business, accounting for about 70% of our overall sales. We have built relationships with our local dealerships, body shops and garages through the years on trust and it’s mutually beneficial for both parties involved. We tried a social media campaign over a two year period including Facebook and Twitter along with some interactive web site programs. We monitored the response but there was not any real significant change based on these campaigns so we have suspended them for now. We do use CraigsList locally which does generate a significant amount of calls with limited investment. We also participate in multiple on line component locating systems making our inventory available to all consumers both locally and nationwide.”
- Are there any key differences or niches that your company specializes in that are unique among the local auto recycling market?
“One of our biggest advantages is being able to supply a customer their item next day more than 90% of the time. If we have the item, we get it pulled and put on one of our trucks that make deliveries daily to the Central Florida area. If we don’t have it, we can get it from one of our 10 trading partners that we have formed an association with where we trade items every night at a “Cross Dock.” Each one of us sends our delivery truck up with a load after closing hours and our truck returns later that evening loaded with the items my salespeople have purchased that day which means our customer can have their part upon opening or it will be on my delivery truck’s route that day. This significantly reduces my freight costs making me much more competitive on price. I can get the components to my customer faster than the competition which is a huge advantage in our industry.”
Cocoa Auto Salvage is a sustainable industry leader in this business. Several of Ms. Lathem’s comments are excellent including:
- They have a weekly management meeting to insure goals are accomplished, evaluate processes and review results.
- The company is deeply rooted locally and operates well in both the wholesale and retail segments of the industry.
- Has formed “win-win” partnerships that creates 2 competitive advantages:
1. Speed of product deliver
2. Lower freight (shipping) costs
Due in part to the heavy usage of road salt, the volume of junk cars in Ohio is plentiful. Our old car removal system is structured so you can sell us your car as quickly as possible. There is no question of where to sell a junk car for cash in Cuyahoga County, since we give you our best price quote right over the phone and in most cases will have your car picked up the same day. You may find a guy that buys junk cars in Ohio that may offer you a few dollars more; however, all too often when these guys show up for the old car removal there price changes. Don’t play those games… Sell us your car and avoid headaches and “no-show” tow drivers that are all too common in this business. This is why I explain that we are where to sell a junk car—plain and simple!