Auto Recycling World hears from Nicolas Proupech, Head of Business Development & Customer Success at Opisto, a used auto parts specialist, based in France, about what the company can offer to the modern car recycler.
For those that may not know, can you provide some background about Opisto, and can you give some figures and statistics on the size of the company?
Opisto was created in 2010 following the observation that it was very difficult to find second-hand parts in France. There were no websites offering a large stock of second-hand parts and no software allowing easy computerisation of second-hand parts.
This is why we launched two solutions on the market:
- Opisto 360, a management software for dismantlers that covers all their daily activities
- fr, is an e-commerce platform for the general public on which we distribute the pool of used parts stock of all our dismantlers.
In terms of figures, there are now more than 500 dismantlers using Opisto 360, with 4 million used parts available in real-time. A dismantler with 10,000 parts in stock generates an average of €14,000 in e-commerce turnover per month. This indicator is key because it shows that the effort of the dismantlers to computerise their stock is showing results.
You offer several solutions for the modern vehicle recycler. Can you briefly describe them and how they have come about?
- Opisto 360, our main software for dismantlers, covers all their daily activities, including administration, invoicing, used and new parts management, e-commerce distribution, etc.
- Opisto Connect is a software limited to online sales. It allows the stock of an external software to be retrieved and distributed on the Opisto platforms
- fr and Opisto.com, our e-commerce platforms for the general public, are currently available in French, Spanish and Italian, with more languages to come soon.
- pro is our e-commerce platform aimed at the professional born following the evolution of the regulation that pushes to propose the use of more second-hand parts during repairs.
Based in France, can you describe the public attitude to reused parts and do you think that has helped Opisto to grow? Also, how important is it for auto recyclers to have quality systems to provide good customer service?
Private individuals were the first to be convinced by Opisto used parts. French regulations were then quite avant-garde in encouraging repairers, experts and insurers to turn to second-hand parts. The rising price of new parts, the ageing car fleet, and the carbon reduction objectives, all these upheavals mean that today used parts are no longer seen as a constraint but as a solution.
Of course, to meet this demand and to convince buyers. French dismantlers had to structure themselves. Heavy investments and computerisation of the dismantlers have made it possible to raise their quality standards to an excellent level. French dismantlers today have little in common with the companies they were 10 years ago. They are now real dismantling factories with industrial processes and quality controls.
You state that your users provide the best-used auto parts prices to individual and business customers; how can you do this? Is it a matter of the users working together, and how does it benefit not only them but their customers?
Opisto connects buyers (individuals or professionals) and sellers (dismantlers) on a marketplace model. Opisto takes care of the payment but does not buy and sell parts. The buyers will pay the same price as if they were at the counter and most dismantlers will also offer discounts for professionals.
Providing premium used parts to customers is paramount. How do you ensure that those signed up to Opisto maintain that quality? Do those wishing to join Opisto have to meet strict criteria, and how necessary is training to provide these parts efficiently and to get maximum value from your platforms?
Quality is key, and the lack of confidence in used parts is still an important obstacle for their growth. From our +500 dismantler clients, only 220 are currently selling parts on our e-commerce platforms. We ensure that the dismantlers only start to sell online when their stock is compliant, and they are ready to manage online sales.
Furthermore, we look at various criteria (guarantee, photos, delivery time, web users satisfaction, return rate, etc.) to create a premium quality label to distinguish the high-quality parts and best sellers on our websites.
Digililisation is revolutionising the industry. What can we expect to see from Opisto in the future?
In the coming years, Opisto will continue to support dismantlers in their industrialisation by further developing our solutions, in particular around the use of data and mobility.
We believe that interest in used parts will continue to grow strongly and even extend to new players such as distributors and OEM aftermarket. We will continue to offer solutions to all aftermarket players to make it as easy as possible for them to access used parts.
Last but not least, we also want to accelerate our European development by connecting European stocks, starting with Spain and Italy, and by promoting the development of our e-commerce solutions abroad.
To learn more about Opisto, go to www.opisto.fr/fr/entreprise
