X-Met Metals Ltd is a scrap metal recycling company founded in 2012 by Mark Bardsley and Andrew Houghton. They collect scrap metal directly from customers using vehicles equipped with scales, allowing them to pay customers on the spot. However, legislation soon prohibited cash payments, so they researched ID and payment systems. They chose VerifiiD Limited's system, which allows secure storage of customer IDs and use of pre-paid cards for payment, meeting legal and customer needs. Using this system has helped them grow their business while remaining compliant.

1. Peter is a director of Verifi’iD Limited. Specialist supplier of ID Card and Cashless Payment Systems to the
Scrap Metal Recycling Industry. Peter has had a career spanning 20 years in the Electronic Security and
Loss Prevention Sector and over the last 9 years built a career in the Recycling Sector. He has been writing
for Skip Hire Magazine for over a year. You can contact Peter on 0151 423 5535 or peter.hill@verifiid.co.uk
The founders of X-Met Metals Ltd began their
careers in the recycling industry in 2012.
Originally Mark Bardsley and Andrew
Houghton worked as plumbers and collected
scrap metal as just a hobby. Their approach
to the industry naturally came from the
perspective of professionals who had
previously weighed-in their scrap metal with
other Scrap Metal Merchants. This approach
brought with it an understanding of the
needs of their target customer base and
placed them well to serve those needs also.
In a nutshell, Andrew and Mark’s unique
offering is that they go to their customers
instead of their customers coming to them.
Their vehicle is equipped with calibrated
digital scales which allow them to accurately
weigh the metals as they buy them giving
their customers the confidence that they are
getting the best deal on the day. Back in the
days when cash was legal this meant that
the whole transaction was completed there
and then on the spot.
However, shortly after they founded X-Met
Metals Ltd, it became apparent that paying
in cash for scrap metal was going to be
made illegal. Considering all available
payment methods, Mark and Andrew clearly
understood that whilst paying cash was not
an option, paying solely by cheque was not
viable either if their new business venture
was to grow.
The cash problem was as we know further
compounded by the need to obtain, store
and record ID for every transaction. The
recording and storing of ID poses greater
challenges when you are mobile as is the
case for Andrew and Mark and as such they
began to research the options available to
them to address these issues.
They looked at the offerings of a number of
ID system providers comparing each system
for ease of use, ability to
comply with the legislation,
security and cost effectiveness.
In the end, the solution they felt
suited their needs and the
needs of their customers’ best
was the solution offered by VerifiiD Limited.
Building on the success of their approach
to dealing in scrap metal, to meet increasing
demand for their services; Andrew and Mark
have recently expanded their fleet and now
operate two vehicles identically equipped
with digital scales and the VerifiiD ID and
Pre-Pay system.
They state that they find the ability to
securely store ID documents in a “cloud
environment” and the convenience of the
pre-pay card suits theirs and their customer
needs perfectly. In this age of identity theft
particularly they feel that it is vital that their
customers’ ID documents are stored
securely and that the VerifiiD system gives
them the assurance that this need is fully
met at all times.
They go on to say that their customers see
the pre-pay card as an acceptable
alternative to cash and as such this gives
them the competitive edge when they are up
against other scrap metal collectors who
either cannot pay on the spot by legal means
or worse still pay by illegal means instead.
Andrew and Mark’s stated aim is to
continue to grow their customer base
moving forward and they feel that the service
they offer combined with the flexibility
provided by the VerifiiD system means they
have the confidence to do so.
In conclusion, the challenges faced by
X-Met Metals Ltd in remaining competitive
and legally compliant are common to the
challenges faced by all mobile scrap metal
collection businesses. However, what sets
them apart from the great many other scrap
metal collectors is their commitment to not
only providing a convenient and reliable
service to their customers, but also the way
in which from the outset Andrew and Mark
have sought to do this in a fully legally
compliant way.
X-Met Metals Ltd operate in the Greater
Manchester area.
Find them at www.xmetmetals.com
or on Facebook X-Met Metals Ltd or Twitter
xmetmetals.
There is an old saying which offers the opinion that “Necessity is the Mother of all ingenuity”. Necessity being the need to
do something in order to get where you’re going or achieve whatever objective a given situation dictates essential at that
time. The Scrap Metal Recycling Industry of late as we are all aware, has undergone seismic changes necessitating all
manner of ingenuity in the way in which the industry serves its’ customers. Not all companies have adapted well to the
changes but one which has is the subject of this month’s article, Greater Manchester based X-Met Metals Ltd.
Upwardly mobile metal
SHM February 2014 Issue 10010 Register your email for news and updates at www.skiphiremagazine.co.uk
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