U-R-G On the Go
An informative podcast for the United Recyclers Group. Each week we will feature an entertaining guest that will share their knowledge and information with you, providing you with tips and tools to help you become a more profitable business.
U-R-G On the Go
EV Essentials for Auto Recyclers from Greg Aguilera
The electric vehicle revolution isn't coming—it's already here. Automotive recyclers across North America are increasingly encountering high-voltage vehicles, yet many lack the training, tools, and confidence to handle them properly. In this enlightening conversation, Greg Aguilera of International Automotive Consulting shares his journey from early EV technician to industry consultant, revealing practical insights for recyclers navigating this charged terrain.
Greg's expertise stems from being one of North America's first qualified high-voltage technicians, working with prestigious manufacturers like Porsche and Volkswagen. When he discovered recyclers were trying to adapt repair-focused EV training to their unique needs, he recognized a critical gap. "Knowledge isn't really the problem," Greg explains. "It's implementation of that knowledge." His company now offers comprehensive training specifically designed for recyclers, covering the entire process from receiving vehicles through dismantling, storage, and shipping.
Throughout the discussion, Greg highlights how the industry has swung between two dangerous extremes: paralyzing fear and risky complacency. Many recyclers have vehicles sitting untouched in their yards because staff are terrified to handle them, while others have grown complacent after avoiding incidents despite improper practices. The solution? Practical, hands-on training that builds both competence and confidence.
Perhaps most surprising is Greg's prediction that high-voltage vehicles will overtake traditional vehicles in recycling yards within just 2-3 years. This includes not just fully electric vehicles but also hybrids, which pose identical safety risks. He also shares fascinating insights into emerging battery technologies that will make EVs more efficient and viable in extreme climates, further accelerating their adoption.
Ready to electrify your recycling operation? Contact Greg directly at 647-449-6311, visit intautoconsulting.com, or reach out through URG to discover how proper training can transform high-voltage vehicles from perceived threats into profitable opportunities. The future of recycling is electric—make sure you're powered up to handle it.
Welcome one and all to the URG On the Go Podcast. You're there and we are here. This is the URG, the true voice of the automotive recycling industry. I want to tell all of you this is for the pros that have a need to know that are on the go for the pros that have a need to know that are on the go.
Speaker 1:I'm DJ Harrington, your co-host, better known as the cardiologist, but the real host of this program is the talented Amanda Morrison, Director of Member and Vendor Relationships for URG. Amanda is a good friend of the industry, a dear friend of mine. Amanda, how are you this great day?
Speaker 3:Doing great. I'm just getting back into the swing of things. We've been traveling a lot with URG. We just got back from the Women's Industry Network in Orlando, so that was great, was in some of the sunshine and back in Texas now. So it's been busy, been busy, even since the conference.
Speaker 1:I have to tell you, Shannon Nordstrom called me yesterday and when I told him who our guest was on today's podcast, he goes. Oh, DJ, that'll be a good one. A man could be good getting this guy on the podcast, so I'll turn it over to you, Amanda.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you DJ. Yes, we met in Canada at the Aura Conference and it was just a great time, and going to those conferences you meet so many fantastic people as well as new vendors. So you know, it's just a great way to get out there and meet people that are up and coming in the industry. And we have Greg. And Greg, from where are you living at, greg? I should have asked this before you got on I know you're in canada, but I live in toronto in canada.
Speaker 3:That's right awesome, yeah, awesome. So greg aguilera is um a consultant here in the industry and is starting to discuss EV batteries, and thank you so much for being on the podcast today. And it was great to meet you at Aura. And then you came to the URG conference. You know we discussed you coming to the conference and meeting up with some of the recyclers down here. How did everything go? And thank you so much for being on the podcast. By the way, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 4:Thank you, Amanda, for having me, and also thank you, dj. And as you said a little bit earlier, dj, I am going to steal your white jacket at some point in the future, but no, it was great to meet you guys. It's fantastic as an area for us to get into and meet some absolutely amazing people in the industry, so we're really looking forward to adding value to people in the recycling industry. I think it's an area that we can definitely add some help to for sure.
Speaker 3:Definitely. Thank you for having me. Yeah, and the company that you own is International Automotive Consulting, correct? And when did you guys get started?
Speaker 4:Yes, we got started in 2019. So I've been in automotive since the early 90s. My last corporate job was working for one of the German car manufacturers sports car manufacturers and I looked around and I really couldn't see the advice for dealerships, workshops and places like that. So I went out on my own and started IAC. We have three parts to our business. The first part is a consultancy, which is helping business owners to make more money and to be happy doing it. The second part is we help manufacturers and businesses to develop facility designs that work practically. And then the third part is our training area, and that's the part that we're bringing we're actually bringing all three to the reciting industry in kind of this really cool package. So we write for several car manufacturers. We teach everything from automotive management and finance all the way through to EVs and fixing batteries and electric vehicles, and now we have this for the recycling industry. So we're super excited to be able to come on here today and talk about that.
Speaker 4:So that's kind of what we do as a short thing.
Speaker 3:So I love that and can you share the story of how you kind of got started within the automotive recycling industry and evs as a whole?
Speaker 4:yeah, yeah. So this is a bit of a strange one. So in 2010 I first qualified with porsche as a high voltagevoltage technician, and then the Volkswagen group. As they were getting into high-voltage vehicles, they rolled out a high-voltage expert program outside the factory. So in the early days the factory team, the guys in the factory, would actually go out and fly all over the world. When they turned that into an external thing, I was one of the first two people in North America qualified to work on EVs, so I kind of used to fly all over and help dealerships fix cars for all of the Volkswagen brands.
Speaker 4:And so then recycling kind of came as a little bit of a surprise, because during a conversation with IAC and another client, they said hey, can you help write a recycler training course for a recycler in Canada? And so we looked around and what I actually found was a bunch of courses that were really aimed at the repair side of the industry. So there was a whole bunch of stuff missing that were very, very specific use cases for recyclers, including receiving of the vehicles, storage of parts, shipping of parts, making vehicles safe. So all of this stuff really was missing. So we built this ground up practical training and it's on site for recyclers specifically. So that's kind of how it all started. It was purely by happen, chance, and or happy chance should I say, because I think it's. I'm so proud of what the team here have done.
Speaker 3:So yeah, that's incredible. That's pretty cool that you were one of the first to approve to work on EVs. That's pretty. It was at the time. Yeah, I bet. So what are some of the biggest lessons you've learned since starting your business and starting in this industry and consulting?
Speaker 4:Oh, I think, if I look to the number one lesson I learned in starting a company for training consultants, I think it's probably actually two things and they're kind of held together with one common theme. So I'd say, with consulting, I would say knowledge is rarely the problem. It is generally implementation of that knowledge is the problem, and that's the first big learning lesson for consulting. So knowledge isn't the problem. We know a salad is better for us than eating a snickers or a mars bar, but we still go ahead and eat a snickers or a mars bar, right um the second part is for training.
Speaker 4:Um, and this is something that I'm really passionate about training for me is about putting practical tools in people's tool belts to do their job better. It's as simple as that. It's not about anything else. It's not about showing anybody how smart the instructor is. And then I think the third part, as I said, is two common themes that hold this together, and this is lessons learned over trial by FIRE. Lessons learned over trial by FIRE, but both training and consulting, the change really happens in the person. That's receiving the information, knowledge or help, and it's not about who's consulting or training. So it's the change that's important in the person, and the person needs to realize change needs to happen, and then that happens. Same for when we do training we provide an environment where people can learn in, and that's why, for us, we designed the course to ev the recyclers from the ground up, because we need to provide a different environment than somebody that's, let's say, in a university degree course.
Speaker 3:So very practical that's right, yeah, and that makes complete sense. You know the knowledge is there. It's a great example of you know, everyone knows that the salad's healthy, but they're not going to necessarily utilize that knowledge and put it to work. So that's a great example. What advice would you give to someone buying their first EV? So a recycler goes out, you know they're going to explore the EV world. What's the first thing you would tell them?
Speaker 4:Yeah. So I think if a recycler were going out and buying an EV, I would say do your homework first. Are we talking to buy an EV from an auction or something like that, rather than a customer buying an EV? Is that kind of what we're talking about, Amanda?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it could be either, or A lot of these yards will buy off of a customer.
Speaker 4:you know that's trying to you know get the car sold as well, so it could be either, or at that point, gotcha, yeah so what I would say is, I'd say, be aware of the product that you're buying and just be conscious of that. I mean most recyclers that we've spoken to or speak to say well, the car was driving before it had an accident and therefore everything must work, but we actually don't know how how far down the line that actually is. If you're buying one from a customer, the question is, why are you getting rid of the car? And that helps us to be able to assess whether those components are still good or those components we can reuse for other clients. And the second thing I would say is really just be mindful of is your yard ready for taking on evs? I think that's really the key part. So, am I? Am I actually ready? Am I? Am I buying this for the right reason, not just because it's come up at a good price?
Speaker 4:So I think those would be my main piece of advice for a recycler thinking about getting into EV. So I would say get ready first and then kind of jump into it, and that's EV. When I talk EV maybe to clarify, ev for me means anything that's got a high-voltage battery. That includes plug-in hybrids or hybrid vehicles. So everything from the prius, prius plug-in through to the tesla, it's everything and everything in between. So when we talk about ev, actually we're talking about high voltage vehicles. So just be mindful that um of what you're getting into, because the dangers are still there so that makes complete sense.
Speaker 3:Um, this isn't on the the questionnaire, but I kind of want to revert back to your, your background, um, where? Where are you from originally? Uh, you've got your your accent. Everyone's going to wonder where you're from and kind of where you came from and how you ended up in toronto we should actually probably just leave it as a?
Speaker 4:um put a thing in the comments and I'm sure I'll have some something I'm really pleased about and something I'm not. So I started off in in the uk, um grew up in the uk and um when I was in my very early 30s I decided that I was gonna quit everything. So I I bought a small car and a tent and I traveled around fr and Spain and I tell everybody the same, so I'm not going to say anything different on this podcast. I literally sat and thought to myself I can travel around the world and fix cars and kiss girls. So that was literally my impetus.
Speaker 4:I did that for a while and then got asked to move to China with Porsche cars. I was the technical manager for Porsche cars in China and then I was at home, actually visiting in the UK, and got a call from the Canadian office and they said would you consider coming to Canada? And so I said, sure, I'll come to Canada for six months, and always my plan was to go off to South America kissing girls and fixing cars again, because that was what I was doing in my early 30s and I fell in love with the country, fell in love with the continent and stayed. I've been in North America since 2008. So this is now home for me. Kissing girls and fixing cars isn't off the table, but I've got some people to teach about EVs in the meantime and we don't want to get in the way of that. Yeah, that's a short story.
Speaker 3:That's an incredible background. Living in China, that's crazy. How was that experience living overseas over there Did you learn? Are you fluent in Chinese now?
Speaker 4:No, yeah, I picked up some Mandarin. Yeah, but I have to say, as a country, if you've never visited, visit with an open mind. It's an amazing country. It has literally 5,000 years of history and I come from the UK, so people in North America think the UK is old and China's history goes even further back. So it's an amazing place from a historical perspective. It's really big and if you think it is really one and a half times as wide as the United States. It has one time zone, so it's absolutely incredible. They have one time zone. They should have eight time zones east to west and two time zones north to south. That's how big they are. They're not quite as big as they're actually the third largest country behind Canada, but just to give you an idea of the size of China, but it's. I enjoyed my time there. I knew it would be temporary. I love North America but I love adventuring. I love meeting new people and I've got some cool people to meet here in North America. Yeah, that's now my mission.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was excited to meet you in Canada and I feel like you're going to have such a presence here down in the States as well and be able to help so many different people. I think EVs and just training in general is such a need and something that's not really hit a lot for us, and you know it is newer, but it's here to stay. So I think it was great meeting you. But, dj, I think maybe it's time for our first break.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's take a break, folks, and we'll be right back with a great guest, us Frank.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's take a break folks and we'll be right back with a great guest. Urg can help you streamline your business for maximum efficiency and increased profits. Access powerful software and unique tools. Receive top-level training with industry experts. Network with hundreds of recyclers. Employ e-commerce solutions to boost business. Receive support, resources and discounts Starting at just $150 a month. It's the smartest investment you will make for your business this year. Go to u-r-gcom and click on Become a Member. Your path to a profitable future is just a click away. That's u-r-gcom.
Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. You know you're listening to URG On the Go podcast DJ Harrington, amanda Morrison and this guest. Just like Shannon Norsen said, greg from Canada knows the EB product. I'm taking a lot of notes and I hope you're doing the same. He's come up with lessons learned and I'm taking his lot of notes and I hope you're doing the same. He's come up with lessons learned and I'm taking his notes as I go.
Speaker 1:I want to remind all of you we're available every week and I hope you listen to us continually and we're trying to get up to 10,000 listeners, so we need each and every one of you telling your friends about us, but we're available on Spotify, itunes, pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia, amazon or wherever you get your podcast. So, amanda, I'll turn it over to you. This has been a great one, and I hope you all get out your paper and pen and start writing down some of these expressions of greats because they're wonderful.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that's one of my favorite parts when I met you. You're just kind of a little bright light and have all this different knowledge and background. That is just really going to help and all the conversations we had that you know you've already talked to some of the recyclers up in Canada but getting you kind of introduced to all the people in America and the people that you can really help out. So Greg is from International Automotive Consulting and he's just got some great tips and tricks and he's just a great resource for all of our automotive recyclers here in the US as well. Greg, what are some of the main steps a recycler should take when training their teams about EVs and deciding when to handle them?
Speaker 4:Great question. I would say that the number one thing recyclers should consider is really their overall process train how we've done this. We train the entire process, from receiving the vehicle not just dismantling a battery through to dismantling, shipping, selling the parts. So we train everybody within the process. I think the most forgotten part for owners is this this new type of energy in vehicles because really it's a vehicle really need to process rethink from the storage of the vehicle before it's dismantled or even if you're in a U-pick, how you're going to handle that vehicle in a U-pick, then through to the dismantling, then through to the storage and then through to the shipping.
Speaker 4:Really, the most important thing and this is one thing that I heard a lot of discussion about, whether it be at the URG conference or whether it's at Aura or whether it's just reaching out in general conversations with people the number one thing that plagues our industry, this part of the industry, is the quality of the parts. It's absolutely critical for EV parts to go out in a condition that, a you've tested them and B b they can be reused on a, on a, on a vehicle. And those are kind of some of the key and critical parts. So I'd say look at your entire process. Don't just think I need to train john billy sally suzy, that's just doing the dismantling, because it's actually a process. Change it. It's a fundamental change.
Speaker 3:Okay, well, and the different types of materials that they are using to handle these batteries. I know I was listening to you talk to another recycler and you know gloves are great, blankets are great, but you know there's already going to be a problem there. So how do you handle that and what are the tools that they need in order to properly handle that?
Speaker 4:That's exactly it, amanda. I think what's happened five let's say five to 10 years ago, I think was the training that came out five to 10 years ago was very much for the worst case scenario. So we see a whole bunch of guys running with rubber mats and blankets and safety hooks and gloves and that's literally it. But those things are worst case scenario and I think what we've now got ourselves a little bit into is, through happen, chance, nothing has happened to a lot of these guys and girls out there, and when nothing bad happens, what creeps in is complacency. And when complacency creeps in, silly decisions start to be made and we're kind of just guessing and I would say 80 90 of the guys that I speak to.
Speaker 4:It's like how do you know that component's good? Have you done like we do on a gas engine? Have you done a compression test on that? Do you know it's good? And the answer is no. So we're shipping stuff and we're moving stuff around that we just don't know it's good. And also we don't know if we're completely safe. Maybe safe. The phone calls that I get daily and weekly are I've had this car in my yard. I bought it, I haven't touched it because my guys are terrified, and I can tell you this 100% for sure. People that are frightened make bad decisions, make bad decisions, but what we need to do is put tools in their toolbox, confidence and competence in their toolbox. That means that they can competently handle these and know exactly what they're doing what they're doing. So I think those are the key critical parts, for me at least.
Speaker 3:Definitely Yep. Knowledge is key, makes it so they're not afraid of touching it, then I think that's the biggest thing you know is they've heard of all the different things that can happen and if they're not properly trained or prepared for it, they're going to be scared.
Speaker 4:I like that saying Right, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 3:So how do you see the automotive recycling industry and EVs evolving in the next five to 10 years? Obviously, we've seen so much change happen over the last five to 10 years. How do you expect that to kind of go forward?
Speaker 4:Yeah Well, I think we're already seeing the change. But I think what will happen and this will happen very quickly, because in the conversations that I have, people say I'm not dealing with EVs, but I've got a bunch of hybrids, and then we go around the yards and we count how many hybrids I have. So I think there'll be a watershed with these high-voltage vehicles and they'll take over the non-high-voltage vehicles. So I'm not talking EVs, because when we picture EV training, we picture Tesla Model S. That's what people picture in their head. If I said to you, picture an EV, you'll picture a Tesla Model S in your head.
Speaker 4:That's typically what people do. They were the first on the market. But if I said, picture a hybrid, you'd picture a Prius. A Prius is just as dangerous as a Tesla just as dangerous. So these are the things where I think a HV vehicle will overtake. And plug-ins are getting better and better and better, so they're not getting worse. So manufacturers are having to combat these emission standards that are constantly getting tougher. So we have to find a solution and EVs high-voltage vehicles just make sense for now. This is why I think that in the industry, we're going to get to the point that we're going to be buying more cars with a high-voltage system than we're going to buy cars with a non-high voltage system, and that will happen in the next two to three years.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow, okay, yeah, makes sense, yeah, and I feel like there, you know, with the, you know different things going on in. You know, economically, I think vehicle prices are probably going to go up. And then you know also, you know the dismantling process and relying on recycled materials. We're going to be more and more prominent as well.
Speaker 4:I agree, couldn't agree more, and this is why this is why us this, why now, the timing couldn't be better exactly, exactly, yeah.
Speaker 3:When I found you, I was like aha, I found him, I found the person we need.
Speaker 4:I know and I thought it was. I thought I was all excited and then I realized it's all about the EVs and I got disappointed in myself. No, you know what it was serendipitous it was uh it was a fantastic. It was a fantastic feat and a and a great opportunity, I think, for all of us to take one big step forward, and I think the best line is a rising tide. I think that's where we want to be, yeah.
Speaker 3:And, yeah, we're going to have you guys as an associate member as well. So if any of you guys are looking for feedback from Greg or want to work with Greg, you can always reach out to me as well and I can get you in touch with him. You know it's a great company, greg's awesome and has you know. I've already referred a few yards to him. So if you guys are needing any kind of help with EVs or you know, hybrid batteries or high voltage vehicles, like he's saying, please feel free to reach out to URG as well.
Speaker 4:Yeah, absolutely. And as part of that, amanda, like I said to you on the phone and maybe for the listeners, if you do have, the only stupid question is the one you're not going to ask or the one you're going to figure out yourself. So if you've got a question about EVs I don't know the answer, I will find you the answer and um, I would much rather people phone and ask me a hundred questions than not phone and um and try and guess things on their own. That's not the purpose. Obviously we. We have training that we would love to do. But if it's a simple question, your thought is just keep the guys safe. That's the most important thing.
Speaker 3:Love that. That's perfect. So we kind of touched a little bit. But what trends do you think will have the biggest impact on the industry going forward?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so there's been some really interesting stuff going on in the latest hybrid or in the latest auto show in Shanghai. That happened a couple of weeks ago. There are new battery technologies that are coming out in the next, and so CATL is probably the largest battery manufacturer in the world for EVs and hybrids. They probably produce 85% of the batteries for all manufacturers, regardless of brand.
Speaker 4:They've come out with two new battery technologies. One's called a sodium ion battery. That's the first one, and that is really, really great in low temperatures. This is minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, is minus 40 degrees um fahrenheit, minus 40 degrees celsius. The battery, the battery, uh, performance is absolutely fantastic. And they've also come out with a battery that can charge and has way more energy density than than current batteries. So to give you an idea, if you took the same size of battery that you would have in your regular ev now let's say it's 350 miles that that car could do over 2 000 miles.
Speaker 4:So it had the same size battery. So these, the technology is going to explode in the next little while, which means batteries will get lighter, they'll get smaller, cars will be able to charge faster, they'll be able to work in all temperature zones, and I know you're from Montana originally. So in those cold winter mornings where EVs and hybrids just don't work, they're going to work just as well, and that's really key and critical. So that's why I think our biggest trend is going to move within EVs in this industry.
Speaker 3:Okay, yep, that makes sense. Yeah, it's crazy what they're going to be able to do here. It's exciting, but also keeping up with all the industry changes. I think it's learning from the Women's Industry Network that I was just at just the development of even the body shops or the repair facilities, having know what all the different intricacies are for repairing these things and or replacing them. It's all going to be integrated and it's a big task, that's for sure. It's going to be key for them to have training on it. So how does a recycler keep up with these industry trends and changes? Obviously, I think you're going to be a huge resource for that, but what's a good technique for you to give the feedback for these recycling facilities?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I think for the recycler, I think what will probably what I feel will likely happen is I think recyclers will probably end up moving back towards more of a traditional recycler. So once I think the downstream uses of hybrid technologies and batteries and stuff like that become easier, then I think we're going to see more second use cases for batteries themselves. So at the moment they're kind of going into either landfill or being broken up or being reused. What I think will end up we'll have some downstream uses for the cells and the modules and stuff like that.
Speaker 4:I think once that starts to take off, I think what will actually start to happen is the battery prices will start to climb, so we'll really start to see the pricing of this stuff increase. And then we have things that are in the repair side of the industry, like right to repair and stuff like that. All of these unlock and these secret codes that manufacturers hold onto tightly. I think those will start to be released to repair facilities, which means they'll be able to use more recycled or reused parts on crash damage and also vehicles that just want to stay on the road. So I think those are going to be the some of the things that are really going to come up. So I think we're going to one part, we're going to be selling more of the parts to go back on cars because of the open sourcing, and on the other side, I think we're going to move more towards recycling or second use of these things, not necessarily just in the automotive industry.
Speaker 3:So it's going to be an interesting time yeah, kind of buying them to power different things potentially. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and I I think that's that that's going to be. It's exciting for the recycling industry because I agree with you there, you know, especially you know, a lot of these used precious materials is not going to be. It's exciting for the recycling industry because I agree with you there, you know, especially you know a lot of these used precious materials is not going to be something that runs out. You know, a lot of the time, you know, further down the road they're going to have to look at different opportunities to figure out either they need to replace whatever the materials they're using or use recycled materials.
Speaker 4:Excellent, excellent, exactly.
Speaker 3:So perfect DJ. Are we good for another quick break? Let's do a break.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm with you. Let's do a break. And when we come back, folks, this will be our last segment. When you come back, let's learn more about what Drake can offer each and every one of you. So hold tight, we'll be right back.
Speaker 2:The URG Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2014 in honor of individuals who give their talent, time and, very often, their own finances, to ensure the growth and success of the automotive recycling industry. College is not for everyone, so each year, the foundation offers substantial financial scholarships to auto recycling employees and the children of employees that are attending four-year and technical or trade schools, to assist with their education. Don't leave money on the table. If you have a child or if you're interested in attending continuing education, this money is available to you. Go to u-r-gcom and click on the Scholarship Foundation tab. Urg keeping our industry strong through education.
Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. You know you're listening to the number one podcast in the automotive industry and this is a good one. But I want to remind all of you please like and review and share with all your friends. We're desperately. We're right now hovering between 9,000 and 9,200 regular listeners. When we get up to 10,000 listeners Spotify, itunes, iheartmedia they all help promote the podcast. So tell your friends about this great one with Greg and it'll make a difference. Now, if you know an industry expert that you would like to hear on URG On the Go podcast, just dial a hotline number right here in the podcast center 706-409-5603. And Amanda will do her talented best to get the industry expert on the next podcast. So, without further ado. You know you might know the business, but URG teaches you how to grow the business and this is a podcast where you're learning how to grow your business. All right, amanda, pass it over to you.
Speaker 3:I completely agree with you, dj. Yes, learning some great tips and tricks from Greg over at International Automotive Consulting about high voltage vehicles and EV batteries and how to mitigate. You know dealing with these in your yard and recycling them. So, greg again, thank you so much for being on today. How do you think the industry can mitigate some of the risks that we've talked about, and what resources and tools can you provide the recyclers?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so not only do we provide hands-on training for recycling teams, but we also provide a comprehensive tools list of the actual tools that they need to work on EVs, but then we actually train them on how to use the tools, so it's not just a bunch of tools that turn up. Then we also help and provide guidance and advice on the facility and SOPs, in whichever yards, language or writing or style that they have. So we help everything from the person actually doing the work on the vehicle to be recycled all the way through to the management team, in as much as something as simple as where do I park high voltage vehicles when they come in? What does that look like? So we go through everything from cradle through to grave when it comes to EVs. So it really is a one-stop shop. That's what we provide is a one-stop shop of everything that you need to get ready for EVs.
Speaker 3:I love that, and so how do you approach training and developing these teams whenever you're providing this information to them?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so, as I said, we provide training services and we write a lot of training courses and we write all the way up to the degree level. So, as this is a certification course, there's obviously a theory part, and theory is great for knowledge knowledge but it's not good for demonstrating competence. So there has there is always a demonstration of competence. Hands-on participants in our certification course are required to prove competency. They can actually do the job with the tools and then, of course, there's a there's an end test. So we really thought long and hard about whether we put this online, and the answer for us and our philosophy is you simply cannot prove competency for practical tasks in an online course. That's why we haven't offered this currently as a distance course, because we haven't figured that part out yet. It has to be online, with the participant standing next to them, helping them to build their confidence. So that's kind of how we approached it, um, but it's absolutely a hands-on course for us and that's at the yard so that makes some pretty sense.
Speaker 3:Yep, and, and most of these guys that are in the yard dismantling, you know, want to see it firsthand too. Am I going to touch this cord to this cord? I'm sure it makes a huge, huge difference being there and being able to see them actually do these active dismantling tasks. So tell us more about what you do and how you could help URG members. So obviously you have these, these courses. So whenever they come and come to you, what does that look like and how do you decide where you're going to go with the consulting?
Speaker 4:yeah, yeah, absolutely so. Like I said, we have three parts of the company, so the consulting, and then we have the facilities, and then we have the courses for training. So actually, what we did for recyclers, um, we actually just put all three together. So when a recycler first starts to work with us, we do things from a distance, like google aerial view shots where you put your vehicles, take us through your process flow, take us through that stuff. That's the first part we do. Then we provide you the tools and equipment list that is purchased ahead of time, so we already have that at the recycler. And then we go in and we actually train, and then, as we're training, we talk with each individual and it's like each course is ever so slightly different.
Speaker 4:Um, for example, if we look at a small yard and then we look at a large yard, you might just have you might have people in a large yard that are just a loader driver.
Speaker 4:That's all. That's their job and all they're doing all day is being a loader driver. But in smaller yards that might be the dismantler that was also the loader, as an example. So this is where we tailor the SOPs during the training to how that yard works within its process, and so we combined all three, and so by the time we leave every recycler, they're like okay, now we can do this, let's go buy some, even make some money, because ultimately that's what it boils down to. We all, we would all love to skip off into the distance and click our heels three times and go home and see toto, but the reality is we are in business and that means we've got to turn a profit um, so that we can go and do those fun things. And that's all of what we do, which is helping people to make money and make a living, and do it safely and do it possibly.
Speaker 3:Yep, it's a great mission to live by. So what? What motivated you to come to the urg conference in orlando? You know, besides me convincing you, um, and to partner with urg, what? What's the motivation behind that?
Speaker 4:You know, it was one of those interesting things and the name URG just kept popping up, and then I got a chance to meet you at the conference and I think there was one evening there were a bunch of people who stood around and a couple of guys that we'd done some training for, or a bunch of people stood around and a couple of guys that we've done some training for, and they literally said, listen, you should, and you've got to get down and be at URG. I had an amazing opportunity at URG to speak to Christy and we had a long conversation about how we might be able to help URG and it was just a no-brainer for us, and so I'm glad that I listened to the people giving advice, giving counsel. Really good to meet you guys, and I think this is that was for me. I like to do business where I get involved with people. That's a longer term outlook and review, and so for me, what UIG stands for fits really well with our thought process. So, like I said, it was a no brainer.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I agree, and I think you know we have similar missions, that you know we're wanting people to do things right and do it efficiently and be safe about it. So, and working with this accreditation you know the everything that we're doing with ARA as well, and just making sure people are working safely is so key, especially in this industry with all these dangerous EVs that are out there now. But you know, having the right tools and being properly trained, it doesn't. It makes that risk go from, you know, however high it was, to a little bit lower, so it makes them a little bit happier to come into work, right? Yeah, absolutely, Absolutely Perfect. So can you explain how your business technology or tools can help enhance their revenue streams? So, by getting this training and going through all of this, how it can help them be more profitable?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and it's actually pretty simple. The top one. There are two real critical things. The first one is keep the recycling staff and the facilities safe, which means that we mitigate as many risks as we possibly can by being forward-thinking. The first one, because if you're not safe, you're not profitable. Second thing is ensuring that recycled parts from evs are tested once when they're taken off, so we're not stocking parts that don't work, and also then they're tested before sale, which much like, as I said before, it's like an engine getting tested before we sell it on to its next owner. So those are the two main things and, as we know, comebacks and return parts are the area of our business that nobody wants, and that's what we go to mitigate or go to reduce for members.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and have you noticed that that's kind of one thing that they aren't doing right now is testing those, just taking them off and storing them? Is that a pretty common?
Speaker 4:thing, yeah absolutely and, like I say, it was really, of course, a personal opinion that we've taken and this is talking to hundreds of recyclers. We've moved from an unknown which is terrified with fire blankets, hooks and rubber mats, to complacency, and that complacency isn't through skill, the complacency is well. I've taken this part off and it's sat on my shelf for three, four, five years, so we actually don't know if it's good. So we've moved from terrified to complacent, because people just haven't been shown how to test a component and that's, that is you know that's literally it.
Speaker 4:And now with this training, they can confidently test components they've got. They can mark the components as tested and be confident when they sell them on and also be able to, on the phone with whoever's on the phone with them trying to buy the part, tell them that it's tested. So I think that's really key and critical. That helps the confidence in the recycler that's selling the part.
Speaker 3:Create that loyalty with that customer? Yep, yep, perfect, absolutely. Customer. Yep, yeah, perfect, absolutely. So what, um, what future initiatives and innovations are you planning that could help benefit URG network? Obviously you have the kind of three components, but what other things in the future are you are you looking at? Obviously you touched on potentially. You know it's not feasible right now for the online training and I completely agree with that, but are you guys kind of thinking of any other benefits that you can offer?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, as a company that's in business, we're always looking at how we can offer the very best in education, training and development for any of the teams that we serve and, I think, working with URG, developing courses and products that help your members. And our current focus is very much on EVs. But I think, as we deepen this relationship with URG, I think what we'll realize is there are some let's say, there are some unknown unknowns at the moment, so we don't know what is out there and we're jumping headlong in and the team have worked really hard.
Speaker 4:I know you mentioned earlier ara. We've jumped into the ara um training academy and seen what's there and and we're focusing on evs at the moment further training courses with soft skills, whether sales based-based training courses, whether they're management development or future people development. So working with URG, really further developing courses to help your members. So I think I just have to say I think it's exciting times. That's all. I think it's a great time to be in the industry. I think it's a serendipitous time, um, that we met and long, and I'm just, I'm just super excited for what doors they present themselves in the coming weeks, months and years.
Speaker 4:So I'm excited and you are not gonna. Unfortunately, you are not going to get rid of me. You have a listen to my dulcet tones for a little while longer and, dj, I'm so sorry. Your white jacket's coming with me down the corridor near here soon.
Speaker 3:Well, we love having you on here and it's been great talking to you and hearing your background and learning about what you're potentially going to be able to do for recyclers here in the US now and working with some of the members that are currently up in Canada. You've been doing such a good job and that's how we end up with good people and good vendors to refer to is by hearing who other recyclers are working with, and that was how we met and I think exactly you kind of filled a little niche that we've been looking for and I think this is going to be a great partnership.
Speaker 4:So thank you again for for being on, greg yeah and thank you, and I finally get to talk to the mr dj harrington.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, or doctor, I don't know if I call you mr or doctor, I'm not sure and to make sure let's give our listeners how can we get a hold of Greg A website, a phone number, something that our listeners because I think there's a lot of people who belong to a 20 group that would love to have him come and present I agree, Greg.
Speaker 3:do you have a good email and phone number?
Speaker 4:I do so. Our website is obviously all the w's and the dots and then then it's int autoconsultingcom.
Speaker 4:that's the website. You can get hold of me on linkedin by searching greg aguilera or international automotive consulting, can get a hold of me on my number and I'm going to say this nice and slowly and I'll say it twice 647-449-6311. That's 647-449-6311. And so feel free to reach out, or through Amanda or any of the team at URG. I'm on the Facebook Recyclers group as well, so there are lots and lots and lots of ways to get hold of me. And if you didn't get any of that down, just ping Amanda a note and I'm sure she'll fly off my details.
Speaker 4:But yeah, I'd love to hear from you guys. I'd love to come and help you guys out and we'll see what we can do or we can make happen in the next little while. So excited to work with you guys yep, it'll be awesome. Thank you again, greg thank you so much guys, thank you DJ, thank you Amanda you got it, amanda, it was great.
Speaker 1:I told you, you told me, you told me. So it is done. You can't get a better informed guy than Greg, so it was an excellent one, so I'll let you have the final word, Amanda.
Speaker 3:All right. Thanks everyone for listening and we hope to have you back listening again here soon. Have a good day.