‘The relentless rise in motor insurance premiums could be alleviated by using reclaimed parts for repairs,’ according to Andrew Vernon, Managing Director of Epitomy Solutions.  ‘High numbers of good quality second hand parts are wasted despite the good economic and environmental arguments for their re-use,’ he continued.

Almost 2 million ‘end of life vehicles’ (ELVs) are scrapped in the UK each year.  Whilst the majority of vehicles have reached the end of their product lifecycle an estimated 300,000 contain parts that could be reclaimed.  Most of these parts reside in accident vehicles which have been deemed too expensive to repair despite relatively minor damage. Nonetheless many of the parts they contain remain in good working order.

‘A market for reclaimed parts will emerge in part driven by the EU Directive on ELVs which is already making an impact,’ says Andrew.  ‘However the single biggest driver could be the creation of a universal parts system where part details can be input by the 1300 plus Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATF) licensed to dissemble vehicles,’ he says.  ‘The system needs to allow for universal access, easy use, clear part identification and transaction capability.  With ATF licensing, a universal system for part transactions plus evidence of a margin a market definitely will emerge,’ Andrew concluded.