Markham, Ontario — This year’s Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association’s (OARA) 2024 conference event took place in Markham, Ontario from March 21st to the 23rd and showed how, when it comes to automotive recycling, community collaboration is at the heart of the industry.
The event included everything from networking opportunities to cutting-edge insights on technology and industry trends. Day one began with an OARA board meeting, and following this, a roundtable took place featuring recycled auto parts and invited industry stakeholders.
Presentations from Mitchell International, Intact Insurance, Simplicity Car Care and the OARA Green Recycled Parts Environmental Report also took place.
From 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., guests then enjoyed a recycled auto part-y where drinks and appetizers were offered alongside a buffet of insightful conversations.
On Friday, the day began with registrations and an OARA breakfast and annual general meeting for direct members only. Some of the day’s key highlights included a talk on scrap trends for auto recyclers with Sean Davidson of Davis Index and speed presentations on auto materials from Lithion Recycling, Cyclic Materials, Salvage Scan and Environmental 360 Solutions.
The day’s keynote industry address was given by J.C. Cahil, VINMatchPro, and the day ended with a trade show, reception and appetizers sponsored by Techemet and Wholesale Auto Parts Warehouse. Alongside these activities, a fundraising event for the OARA Employee Scholarship Program, sponsored by eBay Canada also took place.
The final day of the event saw more key discussions with talks on everything from electric vehicle (EV) profitability, to staff engagement and sales versus production data. The day’s keynote speaker was Donald Cooper who discussed strategies to accelerate business growth, and the day ended with recaps and takeaways.
Stay tuned for more takeaways from the OARA Convention and Trade Show this week. In the meantime—check out our photos.
