Global leader in online vehicle remarketing and recycling, Copart UK, have announced that they are now operating from a 10-acre site in Staffordshire, boosting their vehicle storage capacity in the West Midlands by 15%.

This site will provide the company with storage for an additional 7,000 vehicles per annum in Hixon, Staffordshire.

Located just 30 miles from Copart’s Operation Centre in Wolverhampton, overall vehicle storage capacity for customers operating in the West Midlands will increase by 15%.

This news follows a series of recent land investment announcements from Copart, including new sites in Corby (Northamptonshire) and East Kilbride (Scotland) as well as continued expansion at their Operation Centres in Rochford, Sandtoft, Westbury, and Wisbech.

Jane Pocock, CEO of Copart UK & Ireland, said:

“We’re delighted to boost vehicle storage capacity in the West Midlands as part of our ongoing reinvestment strategy into land, transport, services, and technology.

“With an increasingly diverse UK car parc and extreme weather events becoming more commonplace, especially as we head into the winter months, expanding our provision of storage capacity is vital.

“We’re committed to further developing and expanding Copart’s strategically positioned operational network across the UK, providing close proximity to communities and customers so that we can collect, handle, and store vehicles quickly, efficiently, and with minimal environmental impact.”

 

As part of their ongoing growth programme, global leader in vehicle remarketing and recycling, Copart UK, is expanding their Sandtoft site to create a 110-acre UK ‘Super Centre’ in the North of England. 

The company has acquired an additional 65 acres of land situated on a neighbouring site to their Sandtoft Operation Centre in North Lincolnshire.

Once works are completed it will become an extension of the existing 45-acre Copart Sandtoft site, with the additional acreage set to more than double their overall vehicle storage capacity for customers operating in the North of England.

Situated just east of the South Yorkshire border, it will now be Copart’s largest vehicle storage and processing centre in the UK, adding to the existing network of ‘Super Centres’ in Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, and Sandwich in Kent. 

By enhancing their network of Super Centres, Copart says they are improving storage capacity for anticipated growth in recycling, electric, and hydrogen vehicles, as well as helping to accelerate the diversification of their business into green parts handling following their purchase of Hills Salvage & Recycling – The Green Parts Specialists. 

Jane Pocock, CEO of Copart UK & Ireland, said:

“Demand from our customers continues to rise and we’re committed to future-proofing their needs, considering the evolving car parc and the increase in extreme weather events like floods. 

“This expansion will increase our annual vehicle storage capacity to over 120,000 at our Sandtoft site, supporting Copart’s continued growth and industry leading services in the North alongside our Operation Centres in Peterlee, Whitburn, and York.

 

“This investment marks yet another huge step forward for our UK customers and illustrates our ongoing commitment to remaining at the forefront of the industry by continuing to provide market leading services.”

 

Today we announce the first annual Global Car Recycling Day, to be held on June 20th.

With over 1.4 billion cars on roads globally, it's essential that the public makes, and has the option to make, an environmentally responsible choice when their vehicle gets to the end of its life.

Domestic recycling is thankfully second nature in most economically developed nations, but cars are complicated and potentially environmentally dangerous items – even more so with the advent of electric vehicles. Many people are still unaware that every car can be effectively recycled, which is why we believe there is an urgent need for Global Car Recycling Day.

This new, vital awareness day is driven by international car recycling experts CarTakeBack. The company's Business Development Manager, Alison Price, had this to say:

"Establishing responsible car recycling networks across the globe, after meeting the UK and EU's tough environmental standards and 95% recycling rates, has revealed the pressing need for this campaign. While many countries love their cars, and are increasingly environmentally aware, at the end of a vehicle’s life the right choices are not always clear or indeed available.

To avoid environmental harm and to ensure the protection of sustainable car production into the future, it’s essential that car recycling regulations are improved internationally. The public can help to drive that progress by demanding an environmentally responsible route for the disposal of their old car.

We're looking forward to raising awareness through Global Car Recycling Day and working with organisations and individuals worldwide to maximise its effect."

To maintain the world's most popular form of travel, while protecting our environment and supporting sustainable car production, it is now crucial to raise awareness of the importance of responsible car recycling.

Use #GlobalCarRecyclingDay on June 20th to share the campaign, show your support and start the conversation.

Contact details: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Jason Cross, founder of FAB Recycling Ltd and former director of Synetiq, joins the board of e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management [e2e], the UK’s only nationwide network of automotive recyclers, as a Non-Executive Director. 

Jason brings three decades of industry experience to the e2e Executive Board and a history of many industry firsts.  His company, FAB Recycling Ltd, was ahead of the curve as the first ever carbon neutral vehicle dismantler in 2010.  FAB also designed and implemented the first reclaimed parts grading system and the first reclaimed parts procurement platform in the UK.  His role at e2e will see Jason advising the Board on network strategy with a particular focus, unsurprisingly, on ESG and reclaimed parts. 

Jim Loughran, CEO at e2e said: “Following his exit from Synetiq, Jason’s non-compete restrictions have prevented him from working in the industry for the last eighteen months.  We are proud and delighted that he has chosen to join the e2e network as soon as permissible. Jason is known and respected by our members, who value his opinion and insight highly.  The timing for the network is perfect, as we prepare to launch our national reclaimed parts solution and as our members embrace our network wide ESG strategy.  We look forward to drawing on Jason’s expertise and strategic input as we build competitive advantage with these initiatives, demonstrating the benefits that are unique to our collective, network approach to servicing clients.”

 

Commenting on his appointment, Jason said: “I’m delighted to be joining e2e at a time when the network is ready to disrupt the reclaimed parts supply chain with what I believe will be a ground breaking proposition; and secondly, as the members unite behind a network wide ESG programme which has the combined potential to drive industry standards. Both initiatives pave the way for business growth.

“At this time of market uncertainty, due to consolidation and pace of change, e2e’s members represent regional centres of excellence with a powerful, combined national footprint and in-depth local knowledge. They are uniquely placed to continue to take advantage of working collectively to offer service certainty and a first-class solution to the network’s clients.   Sharing knowledge, resources and collaborating is critical to seizing the market opportunities that lay ahead and I believe the key to huge upside potential for e2e’s network.

“The next two years are going to see our industry facing further immense change. Salvage contracts will be won, and unfortunately lost, in many cases based on the reclaimed parts capability and approach to ESG of the companies involved.   These are my areas of expertise after many years in the industry.  I plan to use my knowledge, experience and strategic approach to full advantage as a new NED with e2e.”   

 

The e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management Network is made up of a diverse range of independent, innovative vehicle recycling and salvage firms, operating collaboratively and united behind market leading service standards against which they are audited.  11 collecting members represent nationwide coverage with a further 14 non-collecting members competing to become active in the event additional capacity is required.  The ‘Meet the e2e Network Members’ blog has been developed to shine a light on the infrastructure, operational capabilities, knowledge and expertise embedded in the network and demonstrate the progressive culture inherent in its members. 

Autospares & Salvage Ltd [Autospares] has been established for 48 years and is managed by Julie Mitchell and Robert Austin.  The company operates out of a four-acre site at the heart of the UK in Northants and with a fleet of four multi-vehicle transporters recovers salvage vehicles across the region; from Leicester down to St Albans and from Peterborough to Milton Keynes. Its diverse customer base includes insurers, public sector organisations, fleet management companies, bodyshops and garages across the region and the general public.

The business offers three key services to customers; the re-marketing of repairable vehicle salvage via the e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management auction site – SalvageMarket; the provision of quality graded, warranty assured, provenance recorded, OEM reclaimed parts, offering discounts on retail prices of 70%, to the general public, bodyshops and garages; and end-of-life vehicle disposal and recycling.  The Autospares site is an Authorised Treatment Facility monitored by the Environment Agency and the business recycles over 95% of end-of-life vehicles.     

Adaptability and embracing change in the auto recycling operating environment sits at the heart of AutoSpares’ success with a strategy that includes harnessing technology and equipping staff with the latest skills via regular training. The latest in salvage management technology systems are used to ensure efficient business processes and impressive customer service; as demonstrated by the positive online customer reviews regularly received.  The company was one of the first in the UK to achieve certification to the VRA UK Standard for Reclaimed Parts which it recognised as crucial to providing customers with confidence in the reclaimed part product and its quality consistency.  It has since renewed its VRA certification for the third year in a row. 

Anticipating and responding to increasing demand for reclaimed parts saw the business invest in building a new 10,000 sq ft warehouse, completed in 2023.  New office space has been developed to accommodate the team and phase two of planning involves the creation of additional workshops to further increase vehicle dismantling capabilities.

A family-owned business, now with second generation managers, Autospares is committed to supporting the regional community within which it has been based for nearly 50 years.  The company supplies vehicles and engines to its local motor engineering college in Northampton, assisting in the training of the next generation of motor mechanics.  Support is also ongoing for a local day centre for children and young adults with special education needs and learning disabilities.  A longstanding sponsor of Rushden and Higham Rugby Club, for the first time this year Autospares also sponsored the Rushden and Higham Community Boxing Show, supporting the club which gives young children a haven where they can be safe and learn the discipline of boxing. 

Autospares sees membership of the e2e network as a valuable way to help members navigate the continuing changing landscape in auto-recycling, learning from each other’s experiences and providing a collective insight into market and operating dynamics.  This combined expertise and understanding helps to boost performance at a network and individual member business level.