Aadco recycling plant adds a fourth 'r': resale
SABRINA DIVELL
Brampton Guardian - July 4, 2003
Landfill space is rapidly being depleted and as environmental standards increase, one Brampton company is trying to make automobile bone yards a thing of the past. Aadco has fine-tuned a process that surgically dismantles a car and brings its working parts back into the automotive life cycle. In doing so, Charles Hodgkinson, Aadco's interim CEO, says it keeps vehicles out of landfills. "There really is nobody doing it this way or on this scale," he said.
The community was first introduced to this company more than a year ago when The Brampton Guardian profiled Aadco in the business section.
In the last year, Hodgkinson said certain changes have shifted the focus from being primarily a "dismantler of automobiles and trucks in a very green environmentally-friendly fashion, to being a seller of used auto parts" With an operation similar to any assembly line found at DiamlerChrysler or Ford, Aadco is simply inverting the process and ripping the vehicles apart like carnivores but with extreme intricacy. The used cars are assessed and whatever is deemed "quality used parts" is saved.
All of the vehicle's fluids are drained and stored in double lined explosive proof tanks that hold 1,000L. A separate company comes in and recycles the fluids with the exception of windshield washer, antifreeze and gas, which are used in Aadco's own fleet of vehicles.
Original equipment manufactured parts (OEM) still in working condition are certified and resold to the public for one-third less than the cost of brand new car parts.
A money-back guarantee, exchange, and six-month warranty are also attached to every OEM part sale.
The remaining car pieces that cannot be reused are thrown into a strategic recycling process that sends less than 10 per cent of the original vehicle to the landfill. Each year, traditional auto wrecking methods put more than 700 pounds from every "end of life" vehicle in garbage dumps. Multiply that number by more than one million cars taken off the road in Canada in one year, said Hodgkinson, "and you are talking about a lot of space that is going for disposal of automobiles."
Aadco's goal is to recycle 100 per cent of the cars it purchases, but the company's CEO admits that isn't entirely possible at this stage. "We are not perfect, there are certain things we can not get rid of at this juncture although we are getting closer and closer."
Currently, the company is desperately looking for a recycler that would have a use for the badly damaged bumpers, dashboards, and interior plastic parts removed from cars. "Right now we are 100 per cent environmentally free because we are not shipping this plastic to a landfill, it's being stored in the back," said Hodgkinson, "and we are getting out of capacity to store it."
Aadco is waiting for a plant in Barrie to open that might be able to find a use for the scrap, but in the meantime it's asking any company involved in the environmental business to contact them with new recycling ideas. Another previously used car part throwing up recycling roadblocks for the Brampton business is mini spare tires.
"I have a challenge for The Guardian's readers, we would love to hear from someone who has a use for these," said the CEO. "I don't care if it's a wheelbarrow manufacturer, we can do a deal," he playfully added.
The company is building up its automotive inventory primarily using newer vehicles. Its "sweet spot", said Greg Bertrand, vice president, is three to eight-year old cars. "This business was started on 'we will build, they will come'," he said. "We have built it and they have come, but now we need to ask how they enjoyed their stay and what more we can do for them."
The change in philosophy has led to recent initiatives with the City of Brampton, the City of Mississauga, and the surrounding conservation authorities.
All three groups have green mandates and are interested in working more recycled parts into their organizations. Both Aadco's CEO and vice president said the groups found the company's practices very interesting and exciting, and it doesn't stop there: The Brampton business is aggressively reaching out to the local community as well. "Our biggest single selling OEM item is sideview mirrors," said Hodgkinson.
An average new mirror, depending on the type of car, costs $200, and Aadco will sell it for $75. The public can simply visit Aadco in person to do a search for car parts ranging from catalytic converters, doors, headlights, taillights, and mufflers, or place their order by phone.
Currently the company employs more than 47 and is planning to create a second shift in its 2004 calendar year.The goal is to recycle at last 5,000 cars a year, and that's in one shift, said Hodgkinson. "If we are happy with that, then we will go for more." Aadco also plans to expand into locations across Canada and the United States. "We really have perfected how to do this in one location," added the CEO.
"There is a tremendous need out there and nobody is filling it."
For more information, call 905-789-9310, visit www.aadco.ca, or drop into its location at 220 Walker Dr.
