Here’s a scene I’ve watched at a lot of yards. A technician pulls an alternator, walks it over to the gaylord box, and drops it in. An hour later he drops a caliper on top of it. By the end of the week, a box full of parts that were in great shape when they came off the vehicle is headed to a remanufacturer with cracked housings, bent pins, and broken plugs.
Damaged parts get rejected, and rejected parts are deductions. Based on what we see at RAS, our best estimate is that 20 to 25% of products arrive damaged because of poor packing. On a $2,400 box, that can add up to $600 you’ll never see.
The good news: packing is the easiest part of a core program to fix. It takes a little space, some light, a rack, and a habit.
The problem with “pull and pack”
Many yards pack the core box as parts are pulled. It feels efficient, and it’s probably the way it’s always been done. The problem is order. Light-duty cores like ECMs and instrument clusters often go into the box first, and heavy-duty cores land on top of them later. The damage isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s the process.
The fix is to separate pulling from packing. Parts come off the vehicle and go to a staging area. Packing happens once, in the right order, when the box is ready to ship.
Give your core area a facelift
Over the last few years I’ve watched recyclers find space for all kinds of new work: heated inventory bays, parts cleaning stations, loading docks for overnight transfers. Then I ask where the cores are, and I’m sent to the darkest, dampest corner of the building. Where’s the love?
Cores will be sold to a remanufacturer who puts that part on the shelf of a national retailer. They’re merchandise, and they deserve a merchandise area. You don’t need a new building. Small, incremental changes get most of the benefit:
- Light it. Your team can’t spot a cracked housing or a missing tag in the dark.
- Rack it. A rack or two next to the gaylord box gives you a staging area for medium- and light-duty cores.
- Pallet it. Keep the gaylord on a pallet so it can ship without repacking.
I guarantee the lighting and racking pay for themselves, and your employees get a better place to work.
Step by step: packing a core box
- Stage as you pull. Heavy-duty cores go straight to the bottom of the gaylord (rack and pinions are the exception; see below). Medium- and light-duty cores go on the rack.
- Count before you pack. With everything staged, you can get an accurate count and check every part against your order before anything is buried.
- Pack heavy to light. Heavy-duty first, then medium-duty, then light-duty.
- Separate the layers. Put a flat piece of cardboard between each layer.
- Protect the electronics. Bubble wrap instrument clusters, infotainment units, temperature controllers, and ECMs. Box them separately and place those boxes in the gaylord last.
- Never throw a core. Every drop risks the plugs, tabs, and pins that make a core valuable.
| Weight class | Examples | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty | Steering gears, compressors, calipers | Bottom of the gaylord, placed as pulled |
| Medium-duty | Alternators, starters, pumps, ABS units | Rack, then middle layers |
| Light-duty / delicate | ECMs, instrument clusters, infotainment, modules | Rack, then bubble wrapped in small boxes on top |
| Rack and pinions | Especially EPS units | Packed separately (see below) |
Rack and pinions pack differently
Rack and pinions, especially units with electric power steering (EPS), are often the most valuable cores in your box. A good one can bring $250 to $350, compared to around $50 for an ABS module. Don’t bury them at the bottom under heavier cores. They pack differently from everything else, and the right method depends on how many you ship and how you load your box.
Want the best way to pack racks for your setup? Talk to the RAS cores team.
Packing starts at removal
Good packing can’t save a part that was damaged coming off the vehicle. A few habits at removal make packing easier:
- Cut the pigtail on electronic cores instead of fighting a stubborn connector. It protects the pins and plugs, and it’s often faster.
- Mark every core with its stock number or tag before it leaves the vehicle.
- Don’t pack anything that won’t pass a quick QC check. A seized pulley or an aftermarket part only takes up space and adds freight.
Read more: The 7 Deadly Sins of Cores
Use your settlement statement as a scorecard
Every core buyer sends a settlement statement after your box is checked in. Don’t file it and forget it. Look at what was deducted and why. If you see the same type of damage on the same type of part, you’ve found a habit to fix. Improvement starts at the staging area, and your statement tells you whether it’s working.
Cutting your deductions by even 20% puts real money back into every box. Give your core area some bright lights and a rack, and your cores will arrive in the same condition they left.
Read more: Reading Your Core Settlement Statement
Back to the full guide: Auto Core Competency
Seeing damage deductions on your boxes? Talk to the RAS cores team.
