Tradition vs. Technology
Tradition vs. Technology If a family-run small business survives long enough, the reality of generational transition must be faced and worked through. Since selling my facility in 2019, I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of recyclers from all over the world - and I have seen a wide variety of effects of generational transition in almost every operation. I’ve seen patriarchs that have refused to ‘hand over the reins’. I have also seen the incoming generation ‘drop the ball’ and cause the business to fail. I could write for days about issues that exist in family-run businesses, but today’s article is going to be focussed on the adoption of technology during generational shifts. The Automotive Recycling Industry has been a very lucrative segment of the overall automotive industry for well over a century. It has not required a lot of education, ability, or technology in order to provide an acceptable income for many generations. A strong wor...