Essential information for end of life vehicle dismantling, depollution and recycling

May 21, 2026

Redcorn’s Next Phase: Consolidation, Data and Expansion

Redcorn is entering its next phase by consolidating operations, using sales data more intelligently and preparing for further expansion. By bringing processing and storage closer together, investing in people, machinery and vehicles, and refining online parts decisions, the business is improving efficiency while adapting to more complex vehicles and wider collection opportunities.

Mike Stokes, Manager of Redcorn, a London-based ELV recycling operation, discusses how the business has changed over the past 12 to 18 months, from relocating key operations and consolidating parts activity to using data more effectively in online sales. He explains how investment in machinery, vehicles, staff and site capacity is helping Redcorn adapt to more complex vehicles, improve efficiency, protect customer relationships and prepare for further geographic expansion.

Evolving operations for a changing vehicle recycling market

The company is constantly evolving; the very nature of the business we are in is constantly evolving, so we have to as well. Cars and their components change, becoming more complex and advanced year by year.

A move of sites from where we were originally based in Tottenham, to our headquarters now in Purfleet, where road links are better for our vehicles, and sites are bigger and easier to expand.

We have made significant investments in machinery and vehicles and taken on more staff to facilitate the operational changes.

Bringing processing and storage together to cut waste and improve control

We have gone from running two separate sites, where parts were conveyed to the warehouse, site from the processing site, to having both sites together.

We were sending parts daily to the warehouse, some 15 miles away and 45 minutes away.

This was neither cost-efficient nor practical due to damage incurred during transit.

Having everything processed and stored in the same site, or actually, the same street, has streamlined the listing process and saved us from the issues we encountered with moving them.

From volume listings to value-led stock decisions

When we first took the step of selling online, we only really had the knowledge of what sells locally, or within the M25, which was the catchment area for most of our counter customers.

Having now been selling online for just over 2 years, we have learned what sells, what has a different value than what it was locally, and what we don’t really want to fill the warehouse with, as it is likely to sit there for some time. Changes give an opportunity to learn; some mistakes were made, but this is all expected, given that we were new to it. We are still relatively new to online sales; some of the other established companies have been selling online for decades, and we will continue to learn and strive to improve as we go forward.

Using data and experience to stock smarter

The team are constantly learning. As I mentioned earlier, we combine staff knowledge and previous sales data to target the most suitable vehicles for stripping and processing, so that we stock the correct parts for sale.

Adapting parts recovery for more electric vehicles

Yes, definitely, the amount of ECUs and modules coming from vehicles now blows you away. Go back only 5 or 6 years, and they had far fewer electrical components. They take up little space, and some are very small to store; however, we are still learning what, if any, of these typically fail, as again, it’s something we will learn going forward.

Building repeat business through service and reputation

We do see a large number of sales come from returning customers, and we have over 7000 followers on our eBay site. Returning customers tend to be those who have been happy with the service and commodity we provide, and, even though we have been trading online for a short period compared to the other established businesses, we are very proud of that.

Extending Redcorn’s reach through strategic site expansion

Mr Thompson, the company owner and director, is someone who will never allow us to sit still and cruise; he is always striving to improve and expand. We are currently looking for a yard in the Milton Keynes/Northampton area. We have experienced opening a site further north, in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, so we have the blueprint and know how to get it up and running, that particular venture didn’t last too long but that wasn’t due to us not being able to make a success of it, matters outside our control meant that we could no longer work there however, it has only strengthened our confidence in being able to make a success of expansion further north and being able to collect in areas that we currently do not cover from Purfleet. We are very much looking forward to the future.