Innovation

CORES is an innovation that uses old car parts that can be rebuilt and sold as stable working remanufactured/recycled parts. A few examples of a CORE are car batteries, transmissions, starters, and more. Octavio, the owner of America Auto has set up a system that allows him and his workers to prioritize the return of CORES by keeping an area specifically designed for these pieces to sit until collected, without any fluid leaks from the CORES parts reaching the drains.

Another method that differentiates America Auto from other body shops is the priority of customers through repairs over replacements. Usually insurance will send out an estimate for repairs based on notes and estimates sent over from the shop. Most body car parts are plastic and a part listed as a repair on the shop’s side can be seen as a replacement for the insurance. This causes the customers rates and higher deductible. For the sake of the customer, Octavio and his partners go back and forth for parts they believe should be repaired to avoid the old part from ending up in the trash.

These steps toward helping the environment are not only desirable, but are also an inspiration to local mechanics and showing how they can also make small steps to ensure the future of the next generation.

Inspiration

Octavio has always been fascinated by cars and its machinery. He believes that the safety of a customer should always come first and has helped him see that the best way to ensure the safety of everybody is to practice greener methods through his work. The environment is something we should take care of and what better way to take care of it then while you are also working.

Octavio likes to remain busy by finding better ways to his improve his business. This is how he finds time to come up with methods to help his mechanics work faster, greener, and better. He says, “I'm always motivated to accomplish my mission in fighting the stigma that surrounds the car industry and mechanics.” He tries to be as transparent and honest to his customers as possible when it comes to offering the most cost efficient and beneficial work to a car at the beginning stages, during the project, and when the car is finished. The assurance to customers that their cars are in good hands is the best service he can offer and his long list of loyal clientele can agree.

Overall impact

As outlined above, the overall innovation of CORE is to prioritize repairs over replacements. The overall impact of this innovation is recycling car parts as opposed to disposing car parts in the landfill and replacing them with new ones. These actions are innovative as they help to promote environmental sustainability as well as reduce excess waste. Additionally, as a result of these innovations the customer has the option of paying less for replacement parts which can often be up to 30% cheaper than new parts.

Business benefit

The overall innovation of CORES benefits the business as it incorporates long term CSR practices such as environmental sustainability and customer loyalty. The implementation of environmental sustainability is beneficial to the business as it shows consumers and stakeholders that the company cares about the community, environment, and our future planet. Aside from this, developing an environmentally friendly company reduces overall waste and operation costs, resulting in a more efficient manufacturing process and lowering the cost of excess waste production. Additionally, the CORE production further benefits the business as it has gained customer loyalty through the company's morals and values of repairs over replacements. Gaining and maintaining customer loyalty is beneficial to the company as it helps to maintain and secure business all year around, increase sales and revenue, lower marketing and advertising costs, and increase brand affinity.

Social and environmental benefit

As highlighted above, this innovation allows honorability to be paramount to customers. Customers have that sense when coming to him that they will be taken care of due to his terms of service and known standing. He built up a well-known reputation in the local area with customers with reasonable services and other automotive locations with his practices on these services. The local automotive businesses started to get enlightened by his services and implement them in their own shops. Although Octavio didn't expect it, he created an innovative change in practices through the local automotive industry that will keep continuing the effort to provide customers with the best possible services.

Interview

Octavio Tapia, CEO