Auto Recyclers Stunned by Sale of Pinnacle Yard Management Software by Actual Systems to Only Competitor in Space

    FORT WORTH, TX, June 14, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The owners of hundreds of auto salvage yards across the United States and partners in United Recyclers Group (URG) opened the business page a few days ago and nearly spit coffee all over their work pants.

The source of their chagrin is the sale of Actual Systems, the sole owner of Pinnacle yard management software, to a company that already owns its only real competitor, Hollander.

"Wow was all I could say when a friend e-mailed me news of the merger," said Ron Sturgeon, a 30-year veteran of the salvage industry who sold his yards to Ford in the 1990s and now a frequent keynote speaker at salvage industry conferences, leads peer benchmarking groups for salvage yard owners and consults.

"For those of us who have been in the industry for a while, this merger really is a surprise, especially since Pinnacle was created by URG, an industry group, in response to the decision by the maker of one yard management software to buy the other a little over 15 years ago, a transaction that ultimately the federal government objected to on anti-trust grounds," said Sturgeon.

For long-time watchers of the industry, the merger news evokes a feeling of deja vu, according to Sturgeon. "I am still cautiously optimistic that the new owners of Pinnacle will work with the recyclers that helped develop it and support Pinnacle the way that Actual Systems did," said Sturgeon. "I expect Pinnacle to be around for a while," said Sturgeon.

Sturgeon believes that Solera Holdings, Inc, the company that purchased Actual Systems, did so for strategic reasons that go beyond gaining greater dominance of the salvage-yard-management software market. "Solera will be in a very good position to be a market maker for used parts across the globe and in a strong position to control the valuable data that systems like Pinnacle and Hollander generate," said Sturgeon. Read Sturgeon's thoughts on the Actual Systems-Solera merger, and what it might mean to recyclers, as well as his thoughts on the best path forward: http://www.mrmissionpossible.com/blog/general/solera-acquisition-of-a ... -opinions/

Sturgeon is the author of six books for entrepreneurs and publishes a monthly advice column for recyclers and other small business owners. He is a Tarrant County commercial real estate developer and owner of a chain of salons and spas, a self storage and an exotic car driving experience company in Fort Worth, Texas.

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