MAKE IT LAST LONGER
Page 31
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Investment is key to running a professional business
CM has seen a few business sectors that have shown themselves to be recession-resistant. Food distribution is one and this looks like another. Investing in new vehicles and equipment is seen as key to running the business professionally. When CM dropped in at ASM’s headquarters, a new 500hp 6x2 Scania was doing its first day’s work with one of the tri-axle bulk trailers that work hard for their living. There’s another tractor on the way, which will be followed by a couple of new rigid car transporters and a pair of new Liebherr re-handling cranes. Longer-lasting items such as the 900-tonne car crusher and baler – standard kit for any Bond villain – and the vehicle de-pollution stations, need a long-term replacement plan.
De-polluting a car might sound simple. It means the removal and proper disposal of all drivetrain oils, coolants and fluids, batteries and tyres, and deactivating all the pyrotechnics that detonate airbags and belt pre-tensioners. On average, it takes ASM 12 minutes per car, using the right equipment. The used-car parts generated form an important part of the company’s operations. Damaged-repairable, impounded and dismantle-only vehicles are separated. The result is a stream of scrap metal and a stock of more than 250,000 recycled parts ready for use, each covered by a 90-day guarantee. They’re sold on ASM’s website, alongside an online auction for the repairable vehicles that will live to fight another day.