Julien Jacquot, Director General of Jaqu’Auto, recounts the journey of his family-run business in France, which has evolved over decades into a leading name in second-hand auto parts and vehicle recycling. Three generations steer the company: father, François, eldest son, Julien, and youngest son, Louis. A 17-year age gap separates the brothers, offering three distinct and passionate perspectives. This dynamic is shaped by three lives wholly devoted to the craft, reflecting a genuine sense of vocation. Founded on principles of passion, respect, and innovation, Jaqu’Auto is committed to delivering high-quality used car parts while championing sustainability in the automotive industry. From its humble beginnings in the 1960s to its vision for a greener future, Jaqu’Auto continues to impact its customers, community, and the environment.
The Passion Behind Jaqu’Auto
From my perspective, it’s a story full of passion and history. I’m incredibly proud of my family and everything they’ve taught me along the way.
It all began in the late 1960s when my dad and his brothers found their love for cars. They didn’t just drive them, they raced them, worked on them, and lived and breathed everything about cars. That passion shaped their lives and, in many ways, mine too.
They soon realized how difficult it was to find quality used car parts. My uncle René Jacquot, the eldest, decided to take on the challenge by opening the first garage in our area that also sold car parts. In 1976, my dad, François, picked up the torch, moving the business to Roye and eventually to our current location in Granges-La-Ville in 1979. Meanwhile, my younger uncle Philippe started his own car recycling center nearby, named ‘Depannage 70’, and together, we built something truly special.
For us, this is more than a business—it’s a family legacy built on passion, respect, and teamwork. We’ve grown together, supported each other, and kept the Jacquot name at the heart of it all. As we celebrate 49 years of Jaqu’Auto this year, I couldn’t be prouder of the journey that brought us here.
Our Mission and Values
Over the years, I’ve watched Jaqu’Auto grow and evolve, and it’s been nothing short of fascinating. What began as a small family operation has matured into a business driven by strong values and a clear mission. Today, we deeply focus on people, process, high-end products and infrastructure. We’ve invested heavily in these areas to ensure we provide reliable, high-quality used car parts while keeping efficiency at the forefront.
For us, wasting time—or resources—is unacceptable. We strive to deliver the best parts to our customers, especially our B2B partners, who depend on us to save them time and help them focus on their own customers.
We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint and making a positive environmental impact. To do this, we’ve partnered with Carbon Risk Intelligence, a French company specializing in CO2 analysis, to map out the most effective ways to cut emissions in our production process. By prioritizing high-impact changes and continuously improving, we’re proving that used car parts can be pivotal in building a more sustainable future.
I believe this effort not only strengthens Jaqu’Auto but also inspires greater awareness about the value of reusing and consuming responsibly. The CO2 savings from our work are significant, and I can’t wait to see the results of this study.
Overcoming Challenges
At Jaqu’Auto, we face various challenges from the industry and within our own operations. One of our biggest tasks is to industrialize a job that’s full of individual cases—every vehicle is different, and each part requires attention, though not all to the same degree. For instance, an export component for Tunisia differs significantly from a high-end 2023 Mercedes car meter. To tackle this, we’ve placed a strong focus on technologies, software, and processes to keep up with the fast-paced nature of today’s world.
Scaling our operations while maintaining high quality and sustainability is no small feat. As production increases, the challenge of optimizing workflows and reducing waste becomes even greater. Our facility, with over 4,200 cars in maximal stock, allows us to refine and improve, but it takes constant effort to stay ahead.
Another key focus is our team. Attracting and retaining skilled workers is crucial to adapting to the ever-changing market. We work hard daily to instill our mindset into the team, ensuring they’re motivated and proud to provide top-quality service. When this mindset becomes second nature, we know we’ve made progress—but the journey doesn’t end there. Improvement is a continuous process, and we embrace it as part of who we are.
Adapting for a Greener Future
With 49 years of experience, we’ve learned so much about our industry and the importance of sustainability. Compliance with regulations has played a big role in pushing us to improve, but for us, it’s about more than just following the rules—it’s in our blood to respect the environment and go beyond what’s required. We’re proud to be Qualicert-certified, reflecting our commitment to quality and sustainability. However, we have further goals to achieve.
One of our key focuses is material sorting and recycling. We ensure that materials like metals, plastics, and hazardous substances are properly sorted and recycled at every workstation. We work closely with partners like Derichebourg, a major recycling company in France, to stay updated on best practices and test new processes, ensuring we minimize waste and maximize reuse.
Experts on our team play a critical role, identifying the parts most in demand to ensure that nothing is wasted. Our dismantling techniques are designed to prioritize sustainability, optimizing the reuse of components while reducing our overall impact.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is now deeply integrated into everything we do. In addition to environmental initiatives, we’ve implemented programs to improve team well-being, such as addressing musculoskeletal issues and promoting energy-efficient practices like eco-driving.
Every year, we celebrate our commitment to sustainability and our community by hosting a public event with music and an open-air movie, which is our way of connecting with our followers, friends, B2B customers, and team.
We are also art enthusiasts, incorporating artworks into our company to inspire thought, provoke questions, and challenge perspectives, especially in an industrial environment.
“Art is made to disturb, science reassures.” – Georges Braque
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Looking Ahead
Our future is filled with exciting projects and opportunities to enhance our customer experience and expand our reach. One of our key priorities is completing our industrial disassembly project. This will significantly increase our production capacity and allow us to hire more workers, including specialists for electric vehicles, to ensure proper depollution and battery storage. A new building of 30,000 sq ft will be the centre of this major evolution for our company.
We’re also focused on enhancing the digital side of our business. A new version of our website is in the works, featuring a license plate integration that will make it easier than ever for customers to find the parts they need directly online. Our goal for 2025 is to surpass last year’s 1,300,000 visits while reducing our bounce rate to below 32%. At the same time, we continue to actively explore B2B marketplaces.
As an independent company, we’re considering joining a dynamic group to strengthen our position in the market while maintaining our identity. At the same time, we’re exploring acquisitions of other companies to expand our territorial coverage and serve more customers.
Innovation is at the heart of our plans. We’re looking into investing in robots to assist with part retrieval, hosting school visits to inspire the next generation, and collaborating with educational institutions to provide training opportunities.
We’re committed to promoting the benefits of second-hand parts use. Through communication and education, we aim to spread the message about how sustainable choices in the automotive industry can make a real difference for our planet.
Visit www.jaquauto.com/fr