This Month’s News

Airbags inflate European auto recycling costs in Japan

TOKYO JAPAN - Europe sees them as a potential terrorist device. In Japan they are more of a noisy irritant.

Car airbags, or the cost of dismantling them when scrapping a car, are proving a major headache for Europe's leading carmakers looking to challenge Japanese car giants on their own turf. Under new laws set to take effect in Japan in January, carmakers will be responsible for recycling airbags, freon gas and non-metallic scrap from end-of-life (ELV) vehicles. This will be difficult for domestic firms, but even more difficult for Europeans who command 4 percent of Japan's car and truck market and who have very different recycling rules at home. The European Union sees airbag inflators as pyrotechnical devices that can be misused by terrorists. In Japan, they are seen more as a source of noise pollution.

State targets auto switches as mercury pollution source

Before junked cars are reborn as new steel, their batteries, fenders and other salvageable parts are stripped from the carcass, which then gets shipped to recyclers. Gasoline, freon, transmission fluid and other environmental hazards are extracted. But one hazardous material has been widely overlooked: one-gram pellets of mercury in switches that, in some cars, activate trunk lights or anti-lock brake systems. The switches should be removed, regulators say, because of growing health concerns about mercury. In Pennsylvania, recycled steel is the second-leading source of mercury emissions, with the unrecovered car switches accounting for most of the mercury. Only coal-fired power plants put more mercury in the state's environment, according to Nicholas DiPasquale, a deputy secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection. Steelmakers could capture the mercury by installing costly pollution control equipment on the furnaces where recycled steel is melted. But DiPasquale, along with automakers, steelmakers, scrap dealers and environmentalists agree it would cost a lot less if dismantlers removed the switches at the same time they pulled other parts from junked cars. But that's where the agreement ends. Everyone but the car makers thinks dismantlers should be compensated for cleaning up the problem.

Florida automobile dealerships feel Hurricane Charley's wrath

Friday, August 20, 2004. Wheels Hurricane Charley delivered a major blow to Florida automobile dealerships in the center of the state. Even dealerships that suffered little damage to their buildings or vehicles could not open earlier this week because they did not have power and phone service. "We're in the process of trying to assess the damage," Ted Smith, president of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association, said Monday. For dealers in the path of the storm, such as Marlow-Werner Pontiac-Buick-GMC Truck Inc. in Punta Gorda, there was nothing anyone could do except wait out the storm and hope for as little damage as possible. George Werner, dealership owner, predicted it would be months before everything returned to the way it was before the storm.

How’s Business?

“It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste time.”
- Henry Ford

Is Your Fear of Failure Keeping You From Being as Rich as You Could Be?

Set higher goals for your income and it's likely that you'll reach them. Too many people earn less than they could -- not because of a lack of skill or hard work but simply due to low self-esteem and a fear of failure.

The best way to get over these obstacles is through positive action. Raise your aspirations, set formal goals, and make detailed plans to achieve them. If you're earning $50K now, set a goal for $75K. When you reach that, aim higher again for $100K.

AutoSalvageConsultant.com was formed in 2001 to help recyclers improve their businesses. With over 50 years of experience in 3 staff members, the group is THE definitive source for recyclers’ management and training needs. Mike Gibson and Tammy Sturgeon joined the team in 2003, and bring a wealth of experience to the team, plus more resources, as there have been more requests for help than Ron could meet. The founder, Ron Sturgeon is past owner of AAA Small Car World. In 1999, he sold his six Texas locations, with 140 employees, to Greenleaf. In 2001, he founded North Texas Insurance Auction, which he sold to Copart in 2002. In 2002, his book “Salvaging Millions” was published to help small business owners achieve significant success, and was recently reprinted and published in Chinese. In June 2003, he joined the new ownership and management team of GreenLeaf. He also manages his real estate holdings and investments. You can learn more about how to help your business at www.autosalvageconsultant.com. Mike can be reached at 1409 Carson, Haltom City, TX 76117, (preferably) email Mike Gibson, or 817-872-1491.