Depth of dismantling: which parts are worth removing

„What do we remove?“ is decided by experience in most yards, and experience is a good adviser. It has just two weaknesses: it is tied to individuals, and it ages. What was a shelf-warmer five years ago may today be the only available example in Europe.

The factors that count

Notably, three of the six come from your own business — and in most yards are nonetheless unavailable, because parts are recorded without a vehicle reference. If you do not know which model line the revenue came from, you cannot learn anything from it for the next one.

Three levels of depth

1. Mandatory scope. Everything depollution and the subsequent material separation require. Not negotiable.
2. Reliable value drivers. Assemblies that earn in almost every vehicle: engine and gearbox at low mileage, control units, headlamps, bolt-on parts in sought-after colours, wheels, catalytic converter.
3. Conditional scope. Everything that depends on model line, equipment and market. This is exactly where a vehicle turns into 400 or 1,200 euros of parts revenue — and exactly where your own history helps.

Common wrong calls

• Removing whatever is quick. Quick does not mean valuable. Small parts with five minutes of removal and three euros of revenue tie up more capture effort than they bring in.
• Leaving electronics behind. Control units are hard to describe and therefore unpopular — but often the parts with the highest revenue per kilogram.
• Deciding by appearance. A dusty part is not worthless; a shiny one is not valuable.
• Ignoring scarcity. For discontinued model lines, a part with no competing offer can achieve a multiple of the standard price.
• Working without feedback. Never checking which parts actually sold repeats the same misjudgements every year.

Drawing the line with numbers

1. Attach every removed part to the donor vehicle's VIN.
2. Record sales revenue and time on shelf per part — both arise anyway.
3. After a few months, evaluate by product group and model line: revenue, time to sell, removal effort.
4. Set the threshold per product group and write it down, so that it does not depend on one person.
5. Recalculate once a year. Markets shift, especially for discontinued model lines.

The digital bridge: market potential plus operating reality

A reliable pick list combines market potential with removal time, testing cost, stock, sell-through and condition. tapinomahub supplies the market perspective; ERP and operations supply local reality.

Operating case: a pick list before the first bolt

An eight-year-old crashed vehicle arrives. After the required VIN flow, the ERP requests the analysis with country, condition, part limit, recovery rate and cost assumption. Missing data continues as a job. The operator then sees a ranked list with stop rules.

1. Green: high potential, low effort and no overstock; remove and inspect.
2. Amber: potential exists but condition or ageing is uncertain; obtain approval.
3. Red: effort and risk exceed contribution; retain in the material route where permitted.
4. Learning loop: actual time, price, ageing and no-sale outcomes return to the ERP.

KPIs: contribution per lift hour, sold removal positions, stock age, variance between average and realised net proceeds, time per assembly and parts value per vehicle.