Trans-Pacific Partnership signed, set to impact auto sector
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — October 7, 2015 — Negotiating countries, including Canada, have reached an initial agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal. The deal may have the potential to disrupt many industries here at home. Two areas of particular concern are auto parts manufacturing and vehicle assembly. Japan is part […]
Brian Kelleher joins Uniparts
Toronto, Ontario — September 29, 2015 — Mike Kaplaniak, Vice President of Uniparts OEM Canada is pleased to announce the newest addition to the Uniparts team in Ontario. Brian Kelleher will be the Territory Manager for the East Toronto and Durham market. Kelleher comes to Uniparts with over 20 years of experience in the collision […]
Aviva goes after fraudsters
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — September 14, 2015 — Insurance company Aviva recently helped police lay fraud charges in two cases involving the auto body and auto insurance industries. According to a press release from Aviva, Peter Panagopoulos, the owner of Bill’s Midway Auto Body, is one of those charged. He is alleged to […]
Barge full of crushed cars tips in Victoria harbour
By Jeff Sanford Victoria, British Columbia — August 31, 2015 — A barge loaded with several hundred crushed cars tilted Friday afternoon, spilling twenty vehicles into Victoria’s inner harbour. The recycled vehicles are owned by US recycler Schnitzer Steel, which operates steel recycling and auto parts recovery operations across Canada and the United States. The […]
Greg Woodbeck joins OARA Board of Directors
London, Ontario — August 26, 2015 — Greg Woodbeck of Woodbeck Auto Parts in Stirling, Ontario has been appointed to the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA) Board of Directors. A vacancy in the Board occurred when Don Fraser of AADCO Auto Parts stepped down earlier this month. “I would like to welcome Greg to the OARA […]
Uni-Select becoming a market darling?
By Jeff Sanford Boucherville, Quebec — August 24, 2015 — Not bad for a Canadian company in a niche sector. It seems Quebec parts distributor Uni-Select is developing a bit of a reputation as a bit of a stock market star. Most recently the company featured in a story that ran on the Bloomberg news […]
Financial round-up: LKQ buys Wheelers, Zacks gives US Auto Parts a “buy”
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — August 20, 2015 — Wall Street continues to show new interest in the collision repair sector, with some interesting developments happening in the financial sector. Texas-based investment advisor Generational Equity announced LKQ Corporation has purchased its client, an autobody supply firm known as Wheeler’s Autobody Supply. Based in Iowa, […]
CAR-MS QRP partners with Monidex to increase offering
By Mike Davey Toronto, Ontario — August 18, 2015 — CAR-MS QRP Group of Recyclers has announced the signing of Monidex Distribution as the newest member of the CAR-MS QRP Group. A statement from CAR-MS QRP says that as a leading importer and wholesaler of automotive aftermarket sheet metal and mechanical parts, Monidex is a perfect fit. Pat Ryan, […]
Will surging demand from China drive up the price of aluminum?
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — August 11, 2015 — A new report suggests that the current boom in the Chinese auto sector will see much more aluminum used in that country over the years to come. The report, “Global and Chinese Aluminum Alloy Automotive Sheet Industry Report, 2014-2017” claims that China’s growth in the […]
Mitchell report: Alberta, Saskatchewan top Length of Rental list
San Diego, California — August 11, 2015 — Mitchell has released its Industry Trends Report (ITR) for the third quarter of 2015. In this issue, Mitchell’s VP of Industry Relations, Greg Horn, looks into the data on the top 10 most frequently damaged parts to determine how often they are repaired versus replaced. Among the […]
