The US auto parts market is undergoing a period of unprecedented change and innovation thanks to the arrival of My Auto Store, a nationwide car parts retailer developed and owned by world-leading metal recycler EMR.
Based in Camden, New Jersey, My Auto Store stocks over 200,000 parts on inventory, representing every major passenger vehicle manufacturer and model currently on the road in the US. This facility is capable of dismantling 10,000 vehicles per month.
Re-using high-quality parts from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) provides an important way to keep cars on the road for longer, reducing the considerable emissions associated with manufacturing new cars. Until recently, the US market has been dominated by one single supplier with the rest of the market fragmented into hundreds of smaller, local car breakers.
“The way that we do things at My Auto Store is not like a traditional auto breaker – our teams have developed unique ways to triage ELVs and dismantle them sustainably to deliver parts to a wide market of customers across the USA,” says Ross Charbonne, Chief Operating Officer at My Auto Store.
“At My Auto Store, we’re really trying to improve the auto breaking industry in two ways. First of all, we’re working hard to raise the bar from an environmental perspective. Our Camden site is a clean, well-organised facility that gives parts a second useful life and avoids material going to landfill. Harvested parts are inspected for quality and made available for sale to the appropriate markets: retail, wholesale, remanufacturing or scrap.”
Building on the insight and capabilities of EMR’s global operations, My Auto Store disassembles vehicles and extracts components from headlights to taillights and everything in-between. Much of the firm’s trade comes from engines and gear boxes – or transmissions as they are known in the US – with parts then being delivered to wherever they are needed across the USA.
“Additionally, we’re focusing on leveraging digital tools on our website to improve the customer experience. Most of our customers want to search on their phones for the parts they need – so we are tailoring our service to that.”
Vehicles are mostly sourced from auctions but individuals and companies can also contact the My Auto Store customer call centre directly and receive a competitive quote for their end-of-life vehicle. From here, the team coordinate with the customer and a towing partner to pick up the vehicle in a convenient and well utilised service.
“Our large ELV inventory, allows our team members to work with a variety of vehicles on any given day. This not only keeps things interesting but also helps to diversify and hone the skills of our team members,” Ross adds.
“We’re certainly growing and making inroads in new areas of the market but there’s always room for improvement. We’re always striving for innovative ways to improve production, deliver what customers need and grow our business,” says Ross.
While My Auto Store provides benefits in terms of sustainability and service for drivers and repair businesses across the US, Ross is keen to emphasise the positive impact the huge facility is having closer to home:
“My Auto Store really places great emphasis on positively impacting the community of Camden. In addition to community outreach projects, we provide employment opportunities for residents, who have access to specialised training and skilled work that provides competitive wages and health benefits.”
And, with ambitious plans for growth in the years ahead, the benefits that My Auto Store provides for its customers and the local community are only set to increase.
