The Accessor Winter 2025 Web - Flipbook - Page 17
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ATF
GREEN PARTS,
THE GLITCH IN THE MATRIX
David Punter, IAEA President, draws on his extensive career in engineering, insurance,
salvage, and insurtech to highlight the challenges of integrating green parts into the
automotive industry. Despite their promise for sustainability and cost savings, practical
complexities often hinder widespread adoption. Through personal insights and real-life
experiences, David spoke to ATF Professional about the “glitches in the matrix” that
must be addressed to achieve a greener, more ef昀椀cient future.
aving been very
privileged in my career,
I have been involved in
engineering, insurance,
salvage, governance
and insurtech around the overall
market and have been privy to a lot
of things, so my insight sometimes
leaves me to see through the fabric
of the matrix and identify the obvious
昀氀aws that some appear to gloss over,
don’t understand or sometimes are just
unaware takes place.
H
So, over the last year, I have been
asked to speak at a number of
conferences around the insurance
industry, engineering, and green parts
and recycling.
What has become very clear is that
there is a real wish to make green
parts readily available and usable in all
markets. This would drive a greener
economy with less waste for the planet
and clear 昀椀nancial bene昀椀ts for the
stakeholders, driving a user-driven
outcome.
resulting in a bumper which could be
plastic repaired by my local competent
repairer for £250, but he advised
that if it impacted again, it would
obviously crack. “Why don’t you get
a second-hand one? It’s a straight
swap then,” he said.
Obviously, yes, as this supports the
above economy, and I can be part of
the change we all desire.
Off I went on my journey, contacting
my source of known agents to 昀椀nd
this part, and two came back straight
away with one in the colour I wanted
and one in a colour that needed to be
painted.
The one in the colour that needed
to be painted had some marks on it
from its previous life and, indeed, its
afterlife, and given the complexities
of modern bumpers, masking is not
really an option, so stripping was
required.
The price tag for this unit was £400
with no VAT, plus shipping.
So I started to do the math, and yes,
it was more, but it wouldn’t split if
impacted, but it had to be painted.
As the unit was removed from the
vehicle completely, it came with all,
including the grilles, trims, daytime
running lights and indicators, which
is great if you need all of those parts
but not great if you don’t, and you
generally don’t need everything.
However, it all becomes a bit confusing
when you strip back all of the individual
directives to market to drive the above
and actually step on the bus of that
journey.
Here is a real-life experience:
So the 昀椀rst part of my dilemma was
that I needed to strip the unit, discard
the parts I didn’t need (perhaps sell
them second-hand myself via an
auction site) and then have it painted
and 昀椀tted up.
During the course of my daily business,
I had an altercation with an object
damaging the front bumper of my
vehicle (let’s not get bogged down
with who did what to who and why),
So, what is the time to strip a bumper?
After researching this model, removing,
stripping and 昀椀tting would take
approximately one and a half hours
and would cost around £104 (using
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | WINTER 2025 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
ABP rates).
The new price of a bumper cover is
around £320, non-OE is £185, and
eBay has them for £83.
So again, I scratched my head a bit,
so it was technically £24 to carry out a
repair with a new part more than the
green part, and it was much more
cost-effective to buy non-OE over the
new or green.
This also happens with doors (and
I know a man who loves doors). A
complete unit is sent over with 昀椀ttings
and sometimes partial trim, but when
it arrives on site, the shop must spend
time stripping and making it 昀椀t onto
the vehicle to return it to its
pre-accident condition.
Now, there is a need for complete
assemblies, but not in every case, so
we as an industry need to de昀椀ne the
need a little better, what is required
for that speci昀椀c user at that time, as I
can see this being a bit of a turn off to
users/insurers who drill down to the
logic and determine there is no cost
bene昀椀t but there is a green bene昀椀t,
and perhaps that is the angle, but it’s
worth reviewing what the customer
needs, and what we need to supply.
Meanwhile, I will continue ahead with
my eyes open this time and await the
return of my vehicle (with green parts,
of course), completing the ethical way
ahead.
This article originally featured in AFT
Professional: atfpro.co.uk/2025/01/24/
green-parts-the-glitch-in-the-matrix/
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