Item 1. Business
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Item 1. Business
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General
Copart, Inc. is a leading provider of vehicle remarketing services in the United States (US), Canada and the United Kingdom (UK).
We provide vehicle sellers with a full range of remarketing services to process and sell vehicles over the Internet through our Virtual Bidding Second Generation Internet auction-style sales technology, which we refer to as VB2. Sellers are primarily insurances companies but also include banks and financial institutions, charities, car dealerships, fleet operators, vehicle rental companies and the general public. We sell principally to licensed vehicle dismantlers, rebuilders, repair licensees, used vehicle dealers and exporters and, at certain locations, we sell directly to the general public. The majority of the vehicles sold on behalf of the insurance companies are either damaged vehicles deemed a total loss or not economically repairable by the insurance companies or are recovered stolen vehicles for which an insurance settlement with the vehicle owner has already been made. We offer vehicle sellers a full range of remarketing services that expedite each stage of the vehicle sales process, minimize administrative and processing costs and maximize the ultimate sales price.
In North America, we sell vehicles primarily as an agent and derive revenue primarily from sales transaction fees paid by vehicle sellers and vehicle buyers as well as related fees for services such as towing and storage. In the UK we operate primarily on a principal basis, purchasing the salvage vehicle outright from the insurance companies and reselling the vehicle for our own account.
During fiscal 2004, in North America, and during fiscal 2008 in the UK, we discontinued all live auctions and began remarketing vehicles on our Internet based auction-style selling platform which we call VB2. This technology and model allows for bidding in two phases. The first phase is an open preliminary bidding feature that allows a buyer to enter bids either at a bidding station at the storage facility during the preview days or over the Internet. To improve the effectiveness of bidding, the VB2 system lets a buyer see the current high bid on the vehicle they want to purchase. The preliminary bidding phase is an open bid format similar to eBay. Buyers enter the maximum price they are willing to pay for a vehicle and VB2's BID4U feature will incrementally bid the vehicle on their behalf during all phases of the auction. Preliminary bidding ends one hour prior to the start of a second bidding phase, an Internet-only virtual auction. This second phase allows bidders the opportunity to bid against each other and the high preliminary bidder. The bidders enter bids via the Internet in real time, BID4U submits bids for the high preliminary bidder, up to their maximum bid. When bidding stops, a countdown is initiated. If no bids are received during the countdown, the vehicle sells to the highest bidder. VB2 opens our sales process to registered buyers anywhere in the world who have Internet access.
We believe the implementation of VB2 across our North American salvage operations has increased the pool of available buyers for each sale and the added competition has increased the amount buyers are willing to pay for vehicles. We also believe that it has improved the efficiency of our operations by eliminating the expense and capital requirements associated with live auctions. For fiscal 2008, sales of North American vehicles, on a unit basis, to buyers registered outside the state where the vehicle is located accounted for 50.8% of total vehicles sold (24.6% of vehicles were sold to out of state buyers and 26.2% were sold to out of country buyers, based on registration). We implemented the use of VB2 in the UK in fiscal 2008. We cannot predict whether the implementation of VB2 in the UK will have the same favorable impact on our buyer base and operating efficiencies that we experienced in North America.
We believe that we offer the highest level of service in the salvage vehicle sales and remarketing industry and have established our leading market position by:
providing coverage that facilitates seller access to buyers around the world, reducing towing and third-party storage expenses, offering a local presence for vehicle inspection stations, and providing prompt response to catastrophes and natural disasters by specially-trained teams;
providing a comprehensive range of customer services that include merchandising services, efficient title processing, timely pick-up and delivery of vehicles, and Internet sales;
establishing and efficiently integrating new facilities and acquisitions;
increasing the number of bidders that can participate at each sale through the ease and convenience of Internet bidding;
applying technology to enhance operating efficiency through Internet bidding, web-based order processing, salvage value quotes, electronic communication with buyers and sellers, vehicle imaging, and an electronic used vehicle parts locator service; and
providing the venue for insurance customers through our Virtual Insured Exchange (VIX) product to enter a vehicle into a sealed bid sale to establish its true value, allowing the insurance customer to avoid dealing with estimated values when negotiating with owners who wish to retain their damaged vehicles.
Our business has grown, we believe, as a result of i) acquisitions, ii) increases in the overall volume in the salvage car market, iii) growth in market share, iv) increases in amount of revenue generated per sales transaction resulting from increases in the gross selling price and the addition of value-added services for both buyers and sellers, and v) the growth in non-insurance company sellers. For fiscal year 2008, which ended July 31, 2008, our revenues were approximately $784.8 million and our operating income was approximately $237.9 million.
On June 14, 2007, we entered the UK salvage market through the acquisition of Universal Salvage Plc (Universal). In fiscal 2008, we made the following additional acquisitions: Century Salvage Sales Limited (Century) on August 1, 2007; AG Watson Auto Salvage & Motors Spares (Scotland) Limited (AG Watson) on February 29, 2008; and Simpson Bros. (York) Holdings Limited (Simpson) on April 4, 2008. Universal, Century and Watson were all leading providers of vehicle remarketing services to the motor insurance and automotive industries. Simpson was primarily an auto dismantler and was acquired primarily for its real estate holdings.
In fiscal 2008, we began two new programs (i) Copart Dealer Services (CDS), by which we sell dealer-trade-ins using our VB2 application and (ii) CopartDirect, whereby we sell cars on behalf of the general public, using our VB2 application, so that individuals can avoid the inconvenience of selling the car themselves. Our goal through these two programs is to expand VB2's application beyond traditional salvage in order to expand our customer base. CDS targets franchise and independent dealerships while CopartDirect targets the general public.
In North America, we acquired one new vehicle storage facility in Sikeston, Missouri and opened six new vehicle storage facilities located in London, Canada; Windsor, New Jersey; Walton, Kentucky; Birmingham, Alabama; Minneapolis, Minnesota and Prairie Grove, Arkansas. As of July 31, 2008, we had 129 facilities in the US, 2 facilities in Canada and 12 facilities in the UK.
In fiscal 2006, we adopted a formal plan to discontinue the operations of Motors Auction Group, or MAG, a wholly owned subsidiary, and dispose of the related assets or convert them to our salvage business. We operated six public automobile sales facilities located in Detroit, Michigan; Chesapeake, Virginia; New Castle, Delaware; Greencastle, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Richmond, Virginia. We sold the businesses located in Chesapeake, New Castle and
Greencastle prior to the end of fiscal 2006. We converted Detroit, Pittsburgh and Richmond into salvage facilities. As of the end of fiscal 2006, no MAG operations remained.
Industry Overview
The vehicle remarketing industry provides a venue for sellers to dispose or liquidate vehicles to a broad domestic and international buyer pool. In North America, sellers generally auction or sell their vehicles on consignment either for a fixed fee or a percentage of the sales price. On occasion in North America and on a primary basis in the UK, companies in our industry will purchase vehicles from the largest segment of sellers, insurance companies, and resell the vehicle for their own account. The vehicles are usually purchased at a price based either on a percentage of the vehicles' estimated pre-accident cash value and/or based on the extent of damage. Vehicle remarketers typically operate from multiple facilities where vehicles are processed, viewed, stored and delivered to the buyer. While most companies in this industry remarket vehicles through a physical auction, Copart sells all of its vehicles on its Internet selling platform, VB2, thus eliminating the requirement for buyers to travel to an auction location to participate in the sales process. In the UK, all sales were converted to VB2 during fiscal 2008.
Although there are other sellers of vehicles, such as financial institutions, vehicle leasing companies, automobile rental companies, charities, automobile dealers, and the general public, the primary seller of vehicles is insurance companies.
Automobile manufacturers are incorporating new standard features, including unibody construction, passenger safety cages with surrounding crumple zones to absorb impacts, plastic components, airbags, xenon lights, computer systems, heated seats, and navigation systems. We believe that one effect of these additional features is that newer vehicles involved in accidents are more costly to repair and, accordingly, more likely to be deemed a total loss for insurance purposes. This may result in an increased supply of total loss salvage vehicles from insurance companies.
The primary buyers of the vehicles are vehicle dismantlers, rebuilders, repair licensees, used vehicle dealers, exporters and in some states, the general public. Vehicle dismantlers, which we believe are the largest group of vehicle buyers, either dismantle a salvage vehicle and sell parts individually or sell the entire vehicle to rebuilders, used vehicle dealers, or the public. Vehicle rebuilders and vehicle repair licensees generally purchase salvage vehicles to repair and resell. Used vehicle dealers generally purchase recovered stolen or slightly damaged vehicles for resale.
The majority of our vehicles are sold on behalf of insurance companies and are usually vehicles involved in an accident. Typically the damaged vehicle is towed to a storage facility or a vehicle repair facility for temporary storage pending insurance company examination. The vehicle is inspected by the insurance company's adjuster, who estimates the costs of repairing the vehicle and gathers information regarding the damaged vehicle's mileage, options and condition in order to estimate its actual cash value (pre-accident value). The adjuster determines whether to pay for repairs or to classify the vehicle as a total loss based upon the adjuster's estimate of repair costs, vehicle's salvage value, and the pre-accident or settlement value, as well as customer service considerations. If the cost of repair is greater than the pre-accident value less the estimated salvage value, the insurance company generally will classify the vehicle as a total loss. The insurance company will thereafter assign the vehicle to a remarketer, settle with the insured and receive title to the vehicle.
We believe the primary factors that insurance companies consider when selecting a remarketing company include:
the anticipated percentage return on salvage (i.e., gross salvage proceeds, minus vehicle handling and selling expenses, divided by the actual cash value);
the services provided by the salvage vehicle sales company and the degree to which such services reduce administrative costs and expenses;
the price the salvage vehicle sales company charges for its services;
national coverage and ability to respond on a national scale;
the ability to provide analytical data to the seller; and
in the UK, the actual amount paid for the vehicle.
In the UK, insurance companies generally tender periodic contracts for the purchase of salvaged vehicles. The insurance company will generally award the contract to the company that is willing to pay the highest price for the vehicles.
Generally, upon receipt of the pick up order (the assignment), the company arranges for the transport of a vehicle to a facility. As a service to the vehicle seller, the company will customarily pay advance charges (reimbursable charges paid on behalf of vehicle sellers) to obtain the vehicle's release from a towing company or vehicle repair facility. Advance charges paid on behalf of the vehicle seller are either recovered upon sale of the vehicle or invoiced separately to the seller.
The salvage vehicle then remains in storage at one of our facilities until ownership documents are transferred from the insured vehicle owner and the title to the vehicle is cleared through the appropriate state's motor vehicle regulatory agency, or DMV. In the US, total loss vehicles may be sold in most states only after obtaining a salvage title from the DMV. Upon receipt of the appropriate documentation from the DMV, which is generally received within 45 to 60 days of vehicle pick-up, the vehicle is sold either on behalf of the insurance company or for our own account, depending on the terms of the contract. In the UK, upon release of interest by the vehicle owner, the insurance company notifies us that the vehicle is available for sale.
Generally, sellers of non-salvage vehicles will arrange to deliver the vehicle to one of the company's locations. At that time, the vehicle information will be uploaded to the vehicle database and made available for the buyers to review. The vehicle is then sold either at a live auction or, in our case, on VB2 typically within 7 days. Proceeds are then collected from the buyer, seller fees are then subtracted and the remainder is remitted to the seller.
Operating and Growth Strategy
Our growth strategy is to increase our revenues and profitability by, among other things (i) acquiring and developing new vehicle storage facilities in key markets including foreign markets, (ii) pursuing national and regional vehicle supply agreements, (iii) expanding our remarketing service offerings to sellers and buyers, and (iv) expanding the application of VB2 into new markets and to new sellers within the vehicle market. In addition, to maximize gross sales proceeds and cost efficiencies at each of our acquired facilities we introduce our (i) pricing structure, (ii) selling processes, (iii) operational procedures, (iv) management information systems, and (v) when appropriate, redeploy existing personnel.
As part of our overall expansion strategy, our objective is to increase our revenues, operating profits, and market share in the vehicle sales industry. To implement our growth strategy, we intend to continue to do the following:
Acquire and Develop New Vehicle Storage Facilities in Key Markets Including Foreign Markets
Our strategy is to offer integrated services to vehicle sellers on a national or regional basis by acquiring or developing facilities in new and existing markets. We integrate our new acquisitions into our global network and capitalize on certain operating efficiencies resulting from, among other things, the reduction of duplicative overhead and the implementation of our operating procedures.
The following table sets forth facilities that we have acquired or opened from August 1, 2005 through July 31, 2008.
| Salvage Locations | Acquisition/ Opening Date | Geographic Service Area | ||||
| Honolulu, Hawaii | August 2005 | Hawaii | ||||
| Greenwood, Nebraska | September 2005 | Eastern Nebraska | ||||
| Grand Island, Nebraska | September 2005 | Eastern Nebraska | ||||
| York Haven, Pennsylvania | November 2005 | Southern Pennsylvania | ||||
| Chambersburg, Pennsylvania | November 2005 | Southern Pennsylvania | ||||
| Altoona, Pennsylvania | November 2005 | Central Pennsylvania | ||||
| Fruitland, Maryland | November 2005 | Eastern Maryland | ||||
| Lansing, Michigan | December 2005 | Central Michigan | ||||
| Billings, Montana | March 2006 | Central Montana | ||||
| Dover, Florida | July 2006 | Western Florida | ||||
| Jacksonville, Florida | July 2006 | Northeast Florida | ||||
| Baltimore Maryland | November 2006 | Central Maryland | ||||
| Woodburn, Oregon | January 2007 | Central Oregon | ||||
| Sandy, England | June 2007 | East England and Midlands | ||||
| Sandtoft, England | June 2007 | Northern England | ||||
| Sandwich, England | June 2007 | London and South East United Kingdom | ||||
| Westbury, England | June 2007 | South Wales and South West United Kingdom | ||||
| Chester, England | June 2007 | North Wales and North West England | ||||
| Denny, Scotland | * | June 2007 | Scotland | |||
| Wootton, England | June 2007 | Central United Kingdom | ||||
| Punta Gorda, Florida | July 2007 | Southwest Florida | ||||
| Peterlee, England | August 2007 | Northern England | ||||
| Wisbech, England | August 2007 | Eastern England | ||||
| Rochford, England | August 2007 | Southeast England | ||||
| London, Canada | September 2007 | Southern Ontario | ||||
| Windsor, New Jersey | November 2007 | Central New Jersey | ||||
| Walton, Kentucky | January 2008 | Northern Kentucky | ||||
| Birmingham, Alabama | February 2008 | Central Alabama | ||||
| Inverkeithing, Scotland | March 2008 | Central Scotland | ||||
| Whitburn, Scotland | March 2008 | Central Scotland | ||||
| Featherstone, England | * | March 2008 | Northeast England | |||
| Doncaster, England | * | March 2008 | Northeast England | |||
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | March 2008 | Central Minnesota and Wisconsin | ||||
| Sikeston, Missouri | March 2008 | Southeast Missouri | ||||
| York, England | April 2008 | Northern England | ||||
| Prairie Grove, Arkansas | July 2008 | Northwest Arkansas |
Closed in fiscal 2008
Pursue National and Regional Vehicle Supply Agreements
Our broad national presence enhances our ability to enter into local, regional or national supply agreements with vehicle sellers. We actively seek to establish national and regional supply agreements with insurance companies by promoting our ability to achieve high net returns and broader access to buyers through our national coverage and electronic commerce capabilities. By utilizing our existing insurance company seller relationships, we are able to build new seller relationships and pursue additional supply agreements in existing and new markets.
Expand Our Service Offerings to Sellers and Buyers
Over the past several years, we have expanded our available service offerings to vehicle sellers and buyers. The primary focus of these new remarketing service offerings is to maximize returns to our sellers and maximize product value to our buyers. This includes, for our sellers, real-time access to sales data over the Internet and, for our buyers, the implementation of VB2 real-time bidding at all of our facilities, permitting buyers at any location worldwide to participate in the sales at all of our yards. We plan to continue to refine and expand our remarketing services, including offering software that can assist our sellers in expediting claims and salvage management tools that help sellers integrate their systems with ours.
Our Competitive Advantages
We believe that the following attributes and the services that we offer position us to take advantage of many opportunities in the vehicle remarketing service industry.
National Coverage and Ability to Respond on a National Scale
Since our inception in 1982, we have expanded from a single facility in Vallejo, California to an integrated network of 143 facilities located in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as of July 31, 2008. We are able to offer integrated services to our vehicle sellers, which allows us to respond to the needs of our sellers and buyers with maximum efficiency. Our coverage provides our sellers with key advantages, including:
a reduction in administrative time and effort;
a reduction in overall vehicle towing costs;
convenient local facilities;
improved access to buyers throughout the world;
a prompt response in the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophe; and
consistency in remarketing of vehicles.
Value-Added Services
We believe that we offer the most comprehensive range of remarketing services in our industry, including:
Internet bidding, Internet proxy bidding, and virtual sales powered by VB2, which enhance the competitive bidding process;
online payment capabilities via our ePay product;
e-mail notifications to potential buyers of vehicles that match desired characteristics;
sophisticated vehicle processing at storage sites, including ten-view digital imaging of each vehicle and the scanning of each vehicle's title and other significant documents such as body shop invoices, all of which are available from us through the Internet;
CoPartfinder, our Internet-based used vehicle parts locator that provides vehicle dismantlers with greater resale opportunities for their purchases;
Specialty sales, which allow buyers the opportunity to focus on select types of vehicles: i.e. motorcycles, heavy equipment, boats, recreational vehicles and rental cars; and
Interactive Online Counter Bidding, which allows sellers who have placed a minimum bid or a bid to be approved on a vehicle to directly counter bid the current high bidder.
Proven Ability to Acquire and Integrate Acquisitions
We have a proven track record of successfully acquiring and integrating vehicle storage facilities. Since becoming a public company in 1994, we have completed the acquisition of 74 vehicle storage facilities both in North America and the UK. As part of our acquisition and integration strategy, we seek to:
expand our global presence;
strengthen our networks and access new markets;
utilize our existing corporate and technology infrastructure over a larger base of operations; and
introduce our comprehensive services and operational expertise.
We strive to integrate all new facilities, when appropriate, into our existing network without disruption of service to vehicle sellers. We work with new sellers to implement our fee structures and new service programs. We typically retain existing employees at acquired facilities in order to retain knowledge about, and respond to, the local market. We also assign a special integration team to help convert newly acquired facilities to our own management information and proprietary software systems, enabling us to ensure a smooth and consistent transition to our business operating and sales systems.
Technology to Enhance and Expand Our Business
We have developed management information and proprietary software systems that allow us to deliver a fully integrated service offering. Our proprietary software programs provide vehicle sellers with online access to data and reports regarding their salvage vehicles being processed at any of our facilities. This technology allows vehicle sellers to monitor each stage of our salvage vehicle sales process, from pick up to sale and settlement by the buyer. Our full range of Internet services allows us to expedite each stage of the salvage vehicle sales process and minimizes the administrative and processing costs for us as well as our sellers. We believe that our integrated technology systems generate improved capacity and financial returns for our clients, resulting in high client retention, and allow us to expand our national supply contracts.
Our Service Offerings
We offer vehicle sellers a full range of vehicle remarketing services, which expedite each stage of the vehicle sales process, maximizing proceeds and minimizing costs. Not all service offerings are available in all markets.
Online Seller Access
Through Copart Access, our Internet-based service for vehicle sellers, we enable sellers to assign vehicles for sale, check sales calendars, view vehicle images and history, view and reprint body shop invoices and towing receipts and view the historical performance of the vehicles sold at our sales.
Salvage Estimation Services
We offer Copart ProQuote, a proprietary service that assists sellers in the vehicle claims evaluation process by providing online salvage value estimates, which help sellers determine whether to repair a particular vehicle or deem it a total loss.
Estimating Services
We offer vehicle sellers in the UK estimating services for vehicles taken to our facilities. Estimating services provide our insurance company sellers repair estimates which allow the insurance company to determine if the vehicle is a total loss vehicle. If the vehicle is determined to be a total loss, it is generally assigned to inventory.
End-of-Life Vehicle Processing
In the UK, we are an authorized treatment facility, or ATF, for the disposal of End-of-Life vehicles, or ELVs.
Virtual Insured Exchange (VIX)
We provide the venue for insurance customers to enter a vehicle into a sealed bid sale to establish its true value, thereby allowing the insurance customer to avoid dealing with estimated values when negotiating with owners who wish to retain their damaged vehicles.
Transportation Services
We maintain contracts with third-party vehicle transport companies, which enables us to pick up most of our sellers' vehicles within 24 hours. Our national network and transportation capabilities provides cost and time savings to our vehicle sellers and ensures on-time vehicle pick up and prompt response to catastrophes and natural disasters in North America. In the UK, we perform transportation services through a combination of our fleet of over 100 vehicles, and third party vehicle transport companies.
Vehicle Inspection Stations
We offer certain of our major insurance company sellers office and yard space to house vehicle inspection stations on-site at our storage facilities. We have over 30 vehicle inspection stations at our facilities. An on-site vehicle inspection station provides our insurance company sellers with a central location to inspect potential total loss vehicles, which reduces storage charges that otherwise may be incurred at the initial storage or repair facility.
On-Demand Reporting
We provide vehicle sellers with real time data for vehicles that we process for the particular seller. This includes the vehicle sellers' gross and net returns on each vehicle, service charges, and other data that enable our vehicle sellers to more easily administer and monitor the vehicle disposition process. In addition, we have developed a database containing over 240 fields of real-time and historical information accessible by our sellers allowing for their generation of custom ad hoc reports and customer specific analysis.
DMV Processing
We have extensive expertise in DMV document and title processing for salvage vehicles. We have developed a computer system which provides a direct link to the DMV computer systems of several states, allowing us to expedite the processing of vehicle title paperwork.
Flexible Vehicle Processing Programs
At the election of the seller, we sell vehicles pursuant to our Percentage Incentive Program (PIP), Consignment Program or Purchase Program.
Percentage Fee Consignment. Our Percentage Incentive Program is an innovative processing program designed to broadly serve the needs of vehicle sellers. Under PIP, we agree to sell all of the
vehicles of a seller in a specified market, usually for a predetermined percentage of the vehicle sales price. Because our revenues under PIP are directly linked to the vehicle's sale price, we have an incentive to actively merchandise those vehicles to maximize the net return. We provide the vehicle seller, at our expense, with transport of the vehicle to our nearest facility, and DMV document and title processing. In addition, we provide merchandising services such as covering or taping openings to protect vehicle interiors from weather, washing vehicle exteriors, vacuuming vehicle interiors, cleaning and polishing dashboards and tires, making keys for drivable vehicles, and identifying drivable vehicles. We believe our merchandising efforts increase the sales prices of the vehicles, thereby increasing the return on salvage vehicles to both vehicle sellers and us.
Consignment Program. Under our consignment program, we sell vehicles for a fixed consignment fee. Although sometimes included in the consignment fee, we may also charge additional fees for the cost of transporting the vehicle to our facility, storage of the vehicle, and other incidental costs.
Purchase Program. Under the purchase program, we purchase vehicles from a vehicle seller at a formula price, based on a percentage of the vehicles' estimated pre-accident value (PAV), or "actual cash value" (ACV), and sell the vehicles for our own account.
Buyer Network
We maintain a database of thousands of registered buyers in the vehicle dismantling, rebuilding, repair, resale and exporting businesses. Public buyer information is included in this database as we sell directly to the general public at certain locations. Our database includes each buyer's vehicle preference and purchasing history. This data enables us to notify via e-mail prospective buyers throughout the world of salvage vehicles available for bidding that match their vehicle preferences. Listings of salvage vehicles to be sold on a particular day and location are also made available on the Internet.
Sales Process
We offer a flexible and unique sales process designed to maximize the sale prices of the vehicles. We utilize VB2, an auction-style sales methodology that we developed. This technology and model allows for bidding in two phases. The first phase is an open preliminary bidding feature that allows a buyer to enter bids either at a bidding station at the storage facility during the preview days or over the Internet. To improve the effectiveness of bidding, the VB2 system lets a buyer see the current high bid on the vehicle they want to purchase. The preliminary bidding phase is an open bid format similar to eBay. Buyers enter the maximum price they are willing to pay for a vehicle and VB2's BID4U feature will incrementally bid the vehicle on their behalf during all phases of the auction. Preliminary bidding ends one hour prior to the start of a second bidding phase, an Internet-only virtual auction. This second phase allows bidders the opportunity to bid against each other and the highest preliminary bidder. The bidders enter bids via the Internet in real time, BID4U submits bids for the highest preliminary bidder, up to their maximum bid. When bidding stops, a countdown is initiated. If no bids are received during the countdown, the vehicle sells to the highest bidder. VB2 opens our sales process to registered buyers anywhere in the world who have Internet access.
CoPartfinder
CoPartfinder is our unique Internet "search engine" that enables users to locate used vehicle parts quickly and efficiently. CoPartfinder is accessible by the public through a Copart-sponsored website. CoPartfinder lists vehicles recently sold through VB2 and identifies certain purchasers. This allows vehicle dismantlers and other resellers to streamline their parts sale process and access a large pool of potential buyers. Parts buyers can use CoPartfinder to search for specific vehicle makes and models and view digital images of vehicles that meet their requirements. Once a specific parts seller is identified for a specific part requirement, buyers have the option to call, fax, or e-mail the dismantler/seller. We believe that CoPartfinder provides an incentive for vehicle dismantlers to purchase their salvage vehicles through our sales process.
Copart Dealer Services
We provide franchise and independent dealerships with a convenient method to sell their trade-ins through any of our North American facilities. We have engaged agents that target these dealerships and work with them throughout the sales process.
CopartDirect
We provide the general public with a fast and convenient method to sell vehicles through any of our North American facilities. Anyone can call 1-888-Sell-it-1, drop off their vehicle and transferable title at any of our North American facilities. We remarket the vehicle by listing it on VB2, monitoring the sale, handling the title processing and collecting payment from the buyer.
Seller Marketing
We process vehicles from hundreds of different vehicle sellers. State Farm Insurance Company accounted for 10%, 11% and 14% of our revenues for fiscal years 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of our total revenues during the same periods. Of the total number of vehicles processed during fiscal years 2008, 2007 and 2006, we obtained approximately 83%, 84% and 87%, respectively, from insurance company sellers. Our arrangements with our sellers are typically subject to cancellation by either party upon 30 to 90 days notice.
We typically contract with the regional or branch office of an insurance company or other vehicle sellers. The agreements are customized to each vehicle seller's particular needs and often provide for the disposition of different types of salvage vehicles by differing methods. Our arrangements generally provide that we will sell total loss and recovered stolen vehicles generated by the vehicle seller in a designated geographic area.
We market our services to vehicle sellers through an in-house sales force and independent agents that utilize a variety of sales techniques, including targeted mailing of our sales literature, telemarketing, follow-up personal sales calls, Internet search engines, employee referrals, tow shop referrals, participation in trade shows and vehicle and insurance industry conventions. We market our services to the general public under CopartDirect by utilizing an in-house sales force and we market our services to franchise and independent dealerships through a group of independent agents. We may, when appropriate, provide vehicle sellers with detailed analysis of the net return on vehicles and a proposal setting forth ways in which we believe that we can improve net returns on vehicles and reduce administrative costs and expenses.
Buyers
We maintain a database of thousands of registered buyers in the vehicle dismantling, rebuilding, repair licensees, used vehicle dealers and exporters. We believe that we have
established a broad international and domestic buyer base by providing buyers with a variety of programs and services. To gain admission to one of our sales and become a registered buyer, prospective buyers must first pay an initial registration fee and an annual fee, provide requested personal and business information, and have, in most states, a vehicle dismantler's, dealer's, resale, repair or export license. In certain venues we may sell to the general public. Registration entitles a buyer to transact business at any of our sales subject to local licensing and permitting requirements. A buyer may also bring guests to a facility for a fee to preview vehicles for sale. Strict admission procedures are intended to prevent frivolous bids that would invalidate the sale. We market to buyers on the Internet and via e-mail notifications, sales notices, telemarketing, and participation in trade show events.
Competition
We face significant competition from other remarketers of both salvage and non salvage vehicles. We believe our principal competitors include vehicle auction and sales companies and vehicle dismantlers. These national, regional and local competitors may have established relationships with vehicle sellers and buyers and may have financial resources that are greater than ours. The largest national or regional vehicle auctioneers in North America include the Adesa Corporation, Auction Broadcasting Company, Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. and Manheim Auctions. The largest national dismantler is LKQ Corporation. LKQ, in addition to trade groups of dismantlers such as the American Recycling Association and the United Recyclers Group, may purchase salvage vehicles directly from insurance companies, thereby bypassing vehicle remarketing companies entirely. In the UK, our principal competitors are privately held independent remarketers.
Management Information Systems
Our primary management information system consists of an IBM AS/400 mainframe computer system, integrated computer interfaces, and proprietary business operating software that we developed and which tracks salvage sales vehicles throughout the sales process. We have implemented our proprietary business operating software at all of our storage facilities. In addition, we have integrated our mainframe computer system with Internet and Intranet systems in order to provide secure access to our data and images in a variety of formats.
Our auction-style service product, VB2, is served by an array of identical high-density, high-performance servers. Each individual sale is configured to run on an available server in the array and can be rapidly provisioned to any other available server in the array as required. Our sale, Internet and imaging services are load balanced across different geographical data centers.
We have invested in a production data center that is designed to run the business in the event of an emergency. The facility's electrical and mechanical systems are continually monitored. This facility is located in an area considered to be free of weather-related disasters and earthquakes.
As of July 31, 2008, our UK operations utilized our proprietary business operating software and servers described above.
Employees
As of July 31, 2008, we had 2,975 full-time employees, of whom approximately 486 were engaged in general and administrative functions and approximately 2,489 were engaged in yard operations. As of July 31, 2008, we had 2,361 and 614 employees located in North America and the UK, respectively. We are not currently subject to any collective bargaining agreements and believe our relationships with our employees are good.
Environmental Matters
Our operations inside and outside the US are subject to various laws and regulations regarding the protection of the environment. In the salvage vehicle remarketing industry, large numbers of wrecked vehicles are stored at facilities and, during that time, spills of fuel, motor oils and other fluids may occur, resulting in soil, surface water or groundwater contamination. Certain of our facilities store petroleum products and other hazardous materials in above-ground containment tanks and some of our facilities generate waste materials such as solvents or used oils that must be disposed of as non-hazardous or hazardous waste, as appropriate. We have implemented procedures to reduce the amount of soil contamination that may occur at our facilities, and we have initiated safety programs and training of personnel on the safe storage and handling of hazardous materials. We believe that we are in compliance, in all material respects, with all applicable environmental regulations and we do not anticipate any material capital expenditures to remain in environmental compliance. If additional or more stringent requirements are imposed on us in the future, we could incur additional capital expenditures.
In connection with the acquisition of our Dallas, Texas facility in 1994, we set aside $3.0 million to cover the costs of environmental remediation, stabilization and related consulting expenses for a six-acre portion of the facility that contained elevated levels of lead due to the activities of the former operators. We began the stabilization process in 1996 and completed it in 1999. We paid all remediation and related costs from the $3.0 million fund and, in accordance with the acquisition agreement, distributed the remainder of the fund to the seller of the Dallas facility, less $0.2 million which was held back to cover the costs of obtaining the no-further-action letter. In September 2002, our environmental engineering consultant issued a report, which concludes that the soil stabilization has effectively stabilized the lead-impacted soil, and that the concrete cap should prevent impact to storm water and subsequent surface water impact. Our consultant thereafter submitted an Operations and Maintenance Plan (Plan) to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) providing for a two-year inspection and maintenance plan for the concrete cap, and a two-year ground and surface water monitoring plan. In January of 2003, the TCEQ approved the Plan, subject to the additions of upstream (background) surface water samples from the intermittent stream adjacent to the facility and documentation of any repairs to the concrete cap during the post closure-monitoring period. The first semi-annual water sampling was conducted in April 2003, which reflected that the lead-impacted, stabilized soil is not impacting the ground and/or surface water. The second round of semi-annual water samples collected in October and November 2003 reported concentration of lead in one storm water and one surface water sample in excess of the established upstream criteria for lead. In correspondence, which we received in July 2004, the TCEQ approved with comment our water monitoring report dated February 24, 2004. The TCEQ instructed us to continue with post-closure monitoring and maintenance activities and submit the next report in accordance with the approved schedules. In February 2005, a report from our environmental engineering consultant was transmitted to the TCEQ containing the results of annual monitoring activities consisting of two (2) semi-annual sampling events which occurred in April/June 2004 and October/November 2004. Laboratory analytical results indicated no lead concentrations exceeding the target concentration level set in the Corrective Measures Study for the site, but some results were in excess of Texas surface water quality standards. The Company's environmental engineering consultant concluded in the February 2005 report to the TCEQ that it is unlikely that lead concentrations detected in the storm water runoff samples are attributable to the lead impacted soils. Based on the results of the 2004 samplings, we requested that no further action be taken and that a closure letter be issued by the TCEQ. In September 2007, the TCEQ notified us that they did not concur with our consultant's conclusions and recommendations. The TCEQ said it would not provide a closure letter until additional sampling of surface water is performed which reflects concentrations of lead below Texas surface water quality standards. In February 2008, the TCEQ provided comments to our proposal for surface water
sampling. In March 2008, our environmental engineer submitted to the TCEQ an addendum to the surface water sampling plan, which was approved by the TCEQ in June 2008. Sampling is anticipated to be performed in September or October, 2008. We are not assured of receiving the no-further-action letter and we may incur further liabilities if the stabilization process proves ineffective, or if later testing of surface or ground water reflects concentrations of lead which exceed Texas surface or ground water quality standards. In addition, in 1994, we detected a small quantity of two hazardous substances in a temporary groundwater monitoring well at the Dallas facility. Our environmental consultants concluded that both substances arose from an off-site source and no further action was recommended.
We do not believe that any of the above environmental matters will, either individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Governmental Regulations
Our operations are subject to regulation, supervision and licensing under various federal, national, international, provincial, state and local statutes, ordinances and regulations. The acquisition and sale of damaged and recovered stolen vehicles is regulated by various state, provincial and international motor vehicle departments. In addition to the regulation of sales and acquisitions of vehicles, we are also subject to various local zoning requirements with regard to the location of our storage facilities. These zoning requirements vary from location to location. At various times, we may be involved in disputes with local governmental officials regarding the development and/or operation of our business facilities. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with applicable regulatory requirements. We may be subject to similar types of regulations by federal, national, international, provincial, state, and local governmental agencies in new markets.
Legal Proceedings
We are involved in litigation and damage claims arising in the ordinary course of business, such as actions related to injuries, property damage, and handling or disposal of vehicles. This litigation includes the following matters:
On July 28, 2006, Foreign Car Sales and Service LLC (FCS) filed suit against Copart in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, originally alleging antitrust violations and unfair trade practices. Relief sought originally included class certification based on both unfair trade practices and Sherman Act violations, damages, fees, costs and expenses. On August 23, 2007, we filed: (i) a Motion to Dismiss Claims for Improper Venue, (ii) a Motion to Dismiss for Failure to Join Persons Needed for Just Adjudication, (iii) a Motion To Dismiss for Lack of Diversity Jurisdiction, (iv) a Motion to Dismiss Load Out Fee Class Action for Failure to State Claim, and (v) a Motion to Dismiss Load Out Fee Class Action for Lack of Diversity Jurisdiction. On February 22, 2008, the court granted the motions to dismiss with regard to all claims, leaving only the antitrust claim pending. On July 15, 2008, the federal antitrust claims were dismissed with prejudice. No material claims remain.
On November 20, 2007, Car Auction & Reinsurance Solutions, Inc. (CARS) filed suit against Copart in the Superior Court in the County of New Castle, Delaware. CARS is seeking $4.7 million in damages, punitive damages, and prejudgment interest related to allegations involving breach of contract and misrepresentation. We believe the claim is without merit and are defending the lawsuit vigorously.
On November 30, 2007, Tracy Utterback Suggs filed suit against Copart in Harris County, Texas District Court. The complaint alleges breach of contract and negligence for allowing Suggs' vehicle
to be destroyed. The plaintiff claims that the vehicle in question was the key piece of evidence in support of an anticipated design defect products liability case against American Honda and that the Company is responsible for the spoliation of that evidence. On May 28, 2008, the parties reached a settlement in principle at mediation. The settlement does not result in any material contribution on the part of Copart because our insurance company agreed to fund the settlement, under a reservation of rights. All portions of the settlement requiring court approval have been approved. The lawsuit remains open pending the final funding of the settlement by the insurance company. We are aware, however, that the insurance company intends to claim that we are responsible for a $2 million self-insured retention. We cannot determine that a loss is probable, and we cannot reasonably estimate the amount of a loss regarding this claim, if a claim is made. We intend to vigorously defend any claim made by the insurance company.
On April 18, 2007, Heather Trafton, as personal representative of the estate of Larry Trafton, filed a wrongful death suit against Carlos Sigas Star Auto and Copart in the Circuit Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida in the County of Hillsborough, Florida. The plaintiff alleges that Manuel Vega, a driver for the independent tow company Carlos Sigas Star Auto, caused the death of decedent, motorcyclist Larry Trafton, by running a red light and colliding with Mr. Trafton at an intersection. Although neither Mr. Sigas nor Mr. Vega are employees of Copart, the plaintiff alleges that we are responsible for the wrongful death of Mr. Trafton. On or about February 6, 2008, we received the plaintiff's initial monetary demand in the amount of $6 million. On September 16, 2008, the parties reached a settlement in principle at mediation. The settlement does not result in any material contribution on the part of Copart. The settlement remains subject to the parties entering into formal settlement agreements, and it must also be approved by the court. However, we believe the ultimate outcome will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
On July 14, 2008, we filed a lawsuit against Auto Auction Services Corp. (AASC) in US District Court, Northern District of California. The principal parties are Copart as plaintiff and AASC as defendant. The complaint identifies, but did not name as defendants, various co-conspirators, including Manheim Auctions, Inc. and ADESA, Inc. The complaint primarily alleges that AASC and its co-conspirators engaged in a group boycott and concerted refusal to deal with Copart for the purpose of excluding Copart from effectively providing vehicle auction services to fleet operators, fleet management companies, national or regional banks, finance companies, and leasing companies, all in violation of federal and California antitrust and unfair competition laws. We are seeking injunctive relief and unspecified monetary damages.
We provide for costs relating to these matters when a loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The effect of the outcome of these matters on our future results of operations cannot be predicted because any such effect depends on future results of operations and the amount and timing of the resolution of such matters. We believe that any ultimate liability will not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. However, the amount of the liabilities associated with these claims, if any, cannot be determined with certainty. We maintain insurance which may or may not provide coverage for claims made against us. There is no assurance that there will be insurance coverage available when and if needed. Additionally, the insurance that we carry requires that we pay for costs and/or claims exposure up to the amount of the insurance deductibles negotiated when insurance is purchased.
Intellectual Property and Proprietary Rights
In June 2003, we filed a provisional US patent application on VB2 in the United States. This provisional patent application was followed by a US utility application filed in July 2003 and a concurrent international application that has since been nationalized and is pending in the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, China, the European Union, Mexico and Japan. The patent was
issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on January 1, 2008. Generally, patents issued in the US are effective for 20 years from the earliest asserted filing date of the patent application. The duration of foreign patents varies in accordance with the provisions of applicable local law. We are not dependent upon any single patent application and there can be no assurance that any patents will be issued from pending applications or that any patents that are issued will provide meaningful protection or other commercial advantages to us.
We also rely on a combination of trade secret, copyright and trademark laws, as well as contractual agreements to safeguard our proprietary rights in technology and products. In seeking to limit access to sensitive information to the greatest practical extent, we routinely enter into confidentiality and assignment of invention agreements with each of our employees and consultants and nondisclosure agreements with our key customers and vendors.
Seasonality
Historically, our operating results have been subject to quarterly variations based on a variety of factors, of which the primary influence is the seasonal change in weather patterns. During the winter months we tend to have higher demand for our products because there are more weather related accidents.
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