OARA 2026 Recap — SMASH on the Convention Floor in Markham
We Were There — And It Was Worth Every Minute
The 2026 OARA Convention & Trade Show wrapped up on March 28th at the Markham Hilton, and SMASH was proud to be in the room as a Bronze Sponsor. For three days, the best minds in Canadian auto recycling gathered to talk shop — and we were right there with them.
Jeffrey Zwirsky, founder of SMASH, shared his experience on LinkedIn after the event. If you haven't seen the post yet, it captures the energy and the connections that made this convention special.
What Made OARA 2026 Stand Out
OARA's annual convention is Canada's largest gathering of auto recycling professionals — yard owners, dismantlers, processors, parts resellers, and the buyers who keep the entire chain moving. This year brought together hundreds of industry professionals from Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, and across the country.
The conversations on the floor kept coming back to a few key themes:
- Transparency in pricing — Recyclers want to know they're getting fair market value, not backroom quotes. Auction-based selling puts the price in the open.
- Cross-border B2B opportunities — Canadian yards are looking south for qualified buyers, and American processors are looking north for quality inventory. The appetite for a platform that bridges that gap is real.
- Technology adoption — From real-time metals pricing to verified bidder pools, the industry is ready to move past phone-and-handshake deals.
- Catalytic converter compliance — With tightening regulations around cat sales, having an auditable, transparent marketplace isn't just convenient — it's becoming necessary.
SMASH at the Show
As a Bronze Sponsor, SMASH had the chance to demonstrate what our platform does in person. For many attendees, it was the first time seeing a live B2B scrap metal auction platform that's purpose-built for their industry — not a generic commodity exchange, but a tool designed by people who understand yards, mixed loads, and the realities of scrap grading.
The response was impressive. Yard owners wanted to know how quickly they could list inventory. Buyers asked about our verification process. Everyone wanted to understand the pricing data — real-time metals tickers, historical trends, and how auction results compare to spot prices.
Why This Matters for Canadian Recyclers
Canada's auto recycling industry has always punched above its weight. OARA members process thousands of end-of-life vehicles every year, recovering metals, parts, and materials that feed back into manufacturing and construction. But too often, those materials are sold through channels that don't reflect their true value.
That's the problem SMASH was built to solve. Our platform connects verified sellers with vetted buyers through competitive auctions — no middlemen, no opaque pricing, no guesswork. Whether you're selling a load of catalytic converters, a bin of copper radiators, or mixed ferrous from a week's worth of crushing, you get bids from buyers who actually want what you've got.
Being at OARA 2026 reinforced what we already knew: Canadian recyclers are ready for a better way to sell. And they're not interested in half measures — they want a platform that works as hard as they do.
See Jeffrey's Post
Check out Jeffrey Zwirsky's LinkedIn post for a firsthand look at the convention. Connect with him on LinkedIn to stay in the loop on what SMASH is building for the Canadian recycling community.
What's Next
If you're a Canadian auto recycler or scrap processor who missed us at OARA, we're not going anywhere. Create your free account on SMASH to see live scrap metal prices, explore current auctions, and find out why yards across the country are making the switch to transparent, competitive selling.
OARA 2026 was just the start. The relationships we built at the Markham Hilton are going to shape how SMASH serves Canadian recyclers for years to come.
