Thomas Hayward, Managing Director of I Need Spares Ltd, tells us about his set up; where it all began and where the future lies for his business.
I Need Spares Ltd is a spare parts business that recycles end of life vehicles and offers the tested, useable parts to the public and businesses sold through multiple platforms worldwide. Based in Rochford, Essex they operate from a small 3500 sq ft warehouse which they refer to as a ‘micro site’.
Founded in 2015, and after a few years testing the water, Thomas Hayward’s vision is to streamline the process of end of life products through to the sale of reusable spare parts by the means of automation and ecommerce also offering premium customer service, knowing that their satisfaction is key. “What started as a love for reusing, repairing things and selling online turned into a business over the course of a few years.”
But the process of getting the operation set up wasn’t easy, there were a string of factors that had to be met in order to get a permitted site set up such as finding a strategically positioned site through to training and research into the industry. “Sourcing all the right pieces of the puzzle took about nine months but was worth doing this myself in order to fully understand the process and industry, mitigating a refused or lengthy permit.”
Over the past few years, Tom has made an effort to meet several people in the industry including Jason Cross whom he met at CARS 2016, attending training courses with AutoDrain, and Andy Latham at Salvage Wire. “Being positive and sharing ideas and advice with others in the industry will help everyone in many ways.”
Training and learning about legislation is very important, and to keep up to date with the information means that the workplace is a safer environment to be in. Continuing competence is good practice and should be seen as a positive procedure, not a negative task.
I Need Spares currently processes between 18 and 20 vehicles per month from their ‘micro site’ in Rochford, with a team of four. Each employee has their own area to ensure it is managed efficiently and kept safe. The team enjoy the workplace and appreciate the flexible environment which is offered to them to help where necessary to a work/life balance.
I Need Spares are looking into joining the DH Systems network which can help with several factors from faster vehicle and part identification to inter-trading with other members. The inter-trading facility through the new software is something they are really looking forward to using as this will help both parties using the software in providing fulfilment to customers.
The ‘micro site’ model that Tom has is something he wants to roll out in multiple locations from next year. “Having smaller efficient lower risk sites is the way to go I feel for many factors, we are not a scrap yard, we are a spare parts business that recycles end of life vehicles for reusable parts, although we produce scrap metals as a by-product from the vehicles, it is not an area which I am focused on at the moment and prefer to leave this to the professional metal recyclers”. “I’ve tons of exciting ideas that I want to experiment with and implement within the industry and hope that they may be able to help others in some way”. “I am looking forward to meeting more people as the journey continues and the company grows.”
To find out more, visit www.ineedspares.com, alternatively check out Tom Hayward on Linkedin at www.linkedin.com
