CARECO is evolving its governance to accelerate its development

CARECO is reshaping its governance to support faster growth, stronger digital sales and more consistent recycled parts performance. By moving from a cooperative model to a more agile SAS structure, the French ELV network aims to expand from 18 to 40 centres, improve traceability and exceed one million parts in stock by 2027.

CARECO leaders Édouard Martin and Nelson Jourdin discuss the network’s new governance and development strategy. — L-R: Édouard Martin – President and Nelson Jourdin – Managing Director (CARECO)

In an environment marked by increasing demands for quality, availability and performance, CARECO is evolving its organization to support the development of its network and strengthen its position in the automotive remanufactured parts market.

Historically structured around a cooperative model, CARECO is evolving its organization to become more responsive to market changes, strengthen its appeal to repairers and future CARECO members, and continue developing its territorial network.

This transformation is part of a broader evolution of the industry, which is gradually moving ELV (end-of-life vehicle) centers closer to a distribution model, with increased management of inventory, quality, and sales performance.

A new governance to gain agility

The new organization marks a turning point in the trajectory of the network: the historical operation, based on a very horizontal model, no longer allowed to fully meet the needs of responsiveness in decision-making.

By evolving from a cooperative model to a SAS structure, CARECO is equipping itself with a more agile framework to deploy its development strategy, better meet the expectations of its customers and welcome new ELV centers into its network.

Structured around Édouard Martin, President, and Nelson Jourdin, General Manager, the CARECO network now relies on a governance of 10 members, organized into two bodies: a management committee of 7 members and a council of wise men of 3 members.

“The evolution of our statutes marks an important step in CARECO’s trajectory. It allows us to equip ourselves with a framework that is both more flexible and more responsive to support our development, while remaining true to our collective and entrepreneurial DNA,” explains Edouard Martin, President of CARECO, also Managing Director of CARECO Pontarlier, Louhans and Saint-Marcel, in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

The CARECO network also relies on an operational organization dedicated to implementing this roadmap.

In his role since January 2024, Pierre Largillier, CARECO’s Deputy Managing Director, oversees the structuring of this organization, while ensuring overall management of activities and team coordination.

Alongside him, Pierre Coirier, recently recruited as Director of Development, is responsible for the network’s deployment and management, supported by teams dedicated to key functions, including finance, guarantees, and information systems.

This organization combines strategic vision and operational efficiency, serving the performance and quality of the network.

A transformation to support network development:

Beyond its statutes, CARECO is evolving its organization to support its growth and the integration of new affiliates.

This evolution reflects the transformation of the ELV (End-of-Life Vehicle) center business, which is increasingly resembling an industrial and e-commerce model, where the ability to efficiently identify, dismantle, catalog, and market recycled parts (RLEs) becomes a key driver of performance. This is accompanied by a strengthening of quality and warranty standards, in line with market expectations.

“Our ambition is to build a network capable of operating uniformly across the entire territory and ensuring its long-term development. To achieve this, it was essential to evolve our organization to accommodate new ELV centers with varied profiles and to enrich our offering of recycled parts to meet the expectations of a rapidly accelerating market,” continues Nelson Jourdin, Managing Director of CARECO, also Managing Director of CARECO Gièvres, in Centre-Val de Loire.

The CARECO network is also evolving its tools and practices, with a centralized online inventory tailored to market needs, improved parts traceability, and harmonized processes across its centers. The deployment of digital tools also contributes to improved data flow and strengthens organizational efficiency across the network.

In this context of digital transformation, CARECO has made online sales, to both professionals and the general public, a priority, to facilitate access to recycled parts and accelerate their distribution. With its two proprietary marketplaces, careco.fr for individuals and careco.pro for professionals, the network strengthens its commercial autonomy and affirms its leading position in the market.

CARECO has thus set itself a clear course: to strengthen its territorial coverage and progressively expand its network, following a strategy of selective and structured growth. The objective is to reach 40 centers within 3 to 5 years (compared to 18 today) and to exceed one million parts in stock by 2027.

CARECO Leadership Appointments:

Édouard Martin, President of CARECO

Édouard Martin (35 years old) has been appointed President of CARECO. He will lead the network’s strategy and support its transformation.

He is also Managing Director of CARECO Pontarlier, Louhans, and Saint-Marcel, as well as a member of the MOBILIANS National Board – Recyclers Branch.

Nelson Jourdin, Managing Director of CARECO

Nelson Jourdin (52 years old) has been appointed Managing Director of CARECO. Alongside Édouard Martin, he contributes to the strategic management of the network and supports its development.

He is also Managing Director of Gièvres Auto in the Centre-Val de Loire region and a member of the MOBILIANS National Board – Recyclers Branch

About CARECO

CARECO is a French network of independent ELV (end-of-life vehicle) centers, specializing in the production and distribution of recycled automotive parts.

Founded in 2003 on a cooperative model, the CARECO network has established itself as a recognized player in the automotive circular economy thanks to its territorial roots and its expertise in the recovery of end-of-life vehicles.

Today, it comprises 18 centers spread across the entire French territory, offering national coverage to serve both professionals and individuals.

It represents a turnover of €130 million, mobilizes 600 employees across all ELV centers and processes 50,000 end-of-life vehicles each year.

CARECO relies on a shared stock of more than 750,000 parts managed via a centralized digital hub, ensuring real-time availability and optimized logistics with deliveries in 24/48 hours throughout France.

CARECO benefits from the support of the European group Autocirc, as a shareholder of CARECO France, allowing it to be part of a growth dynamic on a European scale while preserving its identity as an independent network and its local roots.

More information: careco.pro and careco.fr

Source www.careco.fr