ATF Professional spoke to Dave Picking, owner of Status Porsche, a vehicle recycling business, and Eladene Systems, a used part stocking inventory system, about why implementing such a system could be beneficial to any vehicle recycling operation.
Dave, can you provide some background with regards to your involvement in the vehicle recycling industry.
My journey in the vehicle recycling industry started when I left college. I have always had a keen interest in anything automotive which then led me to a job with a dismantling company. While every day was breaking Audi’s, my main passion was for Porsche’s, which is why, in 2013, I made the move to set up my own business – ‘Status Porsche’, breaking Porsche models. I felt there was an opportunity in the dismantling industry for high-quality recycled Porsche parts. I took the plunge and secured a small unit close to home, and after a few years, we soon outgrew it and realised we needed larger premises.
Business is good, and we now have plans to expand into the land we acquired with the warehouse.
You have created some specialist software for the vehicle recycling industry called Eladene Systems. Can you provide a little history about it and why you are now letting other recyclers access the software?
Like most dismantlers, implementing a system (a used part stocking inventory system) goes with the territory. We tried several systems but found that they were all hindering our business rather than improving our processes. We needed a system that enabled us to sell more through different sales channels in any part of the world and was simple to set up and operate. The choice was to try and encourage existing software providers to adapt their software or design our own.
We wanted a system to remove as much unnecessary work as possible by automating it as much as possible. In essence, we wanted an efficient and cost-effective system but more importantly one that addressed the everyday issues of being a vehicle dismantler.
We decided to build our own software from scratch and use our experience as a dismantler. This is how the Eladene system was created – a bespoke used part stocking inventory system, which is, most importantly, a system built by recyclers for recyclers.
The system has been seven years in the making, and for the last two years, it has been in its finished status. We have ironed out all of the bugs by extensively testing them in the Status Porsche business throughout that time. I felt that after using the Eladene system, it could be of use to other companies as it really transformed our company. I guess it was helping other businesses in a similar position that we had found ourselves in prior to using the software. By providing it to other companies, we can continue to improve and make it even better than it already is. We actively encourage users of the software to provide feedback so we can implement any upgrades or make changes to suit them.
So what does Eladene Systems offer, and what benefits can it bring to those who use it for their business?
There are many benefits of using the Eladene software – not only is it cost-effective and time-efficient, but it can create a whole new way of selling for a company. Moreover, the system offers reliability and speed; positive aspects of being Cloud-based.
Eladene Systems really does offer a super-efficient way of stocking parts off a donor car. It cuts out a lot of the leg work involved in stocking an item and then placing it on to online sales platforms such as eBay or Google shopping, saving time that will be better used elsewhere within the business. Our system is not only UK based but can be used worldwide; for international orders. The system provides accurate invoicing as it is interactive with all VAT rates.
With the launch of the VRA certification, we felt it was the best time to offer it to other dismantlers. We also wanted to test the system extensively and have tested over 10,000 of our own orders on the platform which made us confident that it really could help other businesses.
As well as the software itself, it is important for me to keep improving it, to make it better and more efficient, not just for me but for our customers too.
Technology is fast changing many aspects of our industry, especially when purchasing salvage, stock control, and selling. Where do you think technology will help recyclers in the future, and how do you intend to keep up to date with it?
We really try our best to keep the system at the forefront by updating the software with improvements and upgrades. As I have already mentioned, we actively encourage our users to fill in feedback forms which are then passed on to our developers who implement any upgrades based on that information.
By using a cloud-based system, recyclers can access their business wherever they are, whether in the office, in the yard, and even if they’re not on-site.
We are proud to offer an inventory system that is both super-fast and super-reliable and can be adapted to our customer’s requirements as the recycling industry ever changes.
Accessibility and speed will be imperative for software in the future. Utilising the cloud will become more important. Users will want to be using multiple devices whether in the office or out in the yard and have data available instantly to be able to keep up to date with their inventory and transactions.
There is a cycle that software improves with the demands that its users require. We have seen this pattern right from the inception of our software and we expect to continue as the needs of our customers continually change as we adapt.
To find out more, visit our website at www.eladene.co.uk or call us on 01642 573929.
