A century of leadership

Metal refining and reclamation company Gannon & Scott was founded in 1919 in Providence, Rhode Island, by John F. Gannon and Fred P. Scott to service the growing jewelry manufacturing industry. At the time, Providence and southern Massachusetts were considered the “jewelry capital of the world” given their prominence in jewelry manufacturing. This, in turn, created the need for solutions for refining precious metals, providing Gannon & Scott with a perfect window of opportunity.

However, this opportunity came with challenges as global competition began to ramp up. For example, in the 1980s, countries like China began manufacturing jewelry on a larger scale, and companies unable to compete with its lower costs and mass production capabilities faced financial constraints and closures.

Despite these challenges, Gannon & Scott has transformed from a small jewelry refining company into an industry leader serving various sectors, including plating and surface finishing, electronics, semiconductor, aerospace, defense, medical, fuel cell and nanotechnology.

Taking a different approach to refining

Gannon & Scott is considered a “secondary refiner” because it works with recovered metals, blending and assaying the scrap. To be considered a primary refiner, a company must refine metals down to a pure level, according to John Antonacci, vice president of sales and marketing at Gannon & Scott.

The traditional method involves extracting impurities from raw materials to leave behind pure precious metals, such as gold, silver and platinum. However, this process can be costly and time-consuming, so Gannon & Scott adopted secondary refining practices. Secondary refining involves preparing the scrap material into a form that provides an accurate, homogenized sample. The model is ideal for Gannon & Scott customers because they get paid much faster than having to wait, in most cases, several months for refining by a primary to be completed.

“Before materials are sent to our facilities, we communicate with customers, complete thorough compliance paperwork and do our due diligence to ensure the materials have been properly generated or sourced by the customer,” Antonacci says. “Once those steps are complete, the material is sent to either our Rhode Island or Phoenix facility. Both facilities have identical capabilities, so proximity is usually the deciding factor. The customer receives a receipt of acknowledgment verifying the weight and description, and then the material undergoes one of our refining processes.”

The final step of Gannon & Scott’s refining processes involves analyzing a sample of material to determine its value and extrapolating the sample’s value to the entire job.

Getting the sample can sometimes be complicated, but the company can do it in one of three different ways.

The first option is thermal reduction, which reduces the material’s size through incineration, creating ash. That ash is then further processed into a fine powder that undergoes assaying, which determines the sample’s purity and metal composition. The fine powder is sent to its lab to determine its metal content and value.

The second option is using induction furnaces, which use electricity to melt the material, resulting in a cleaner, more accurate sample as opposed to using traditional gas furnaces. Once melted, a sample of the molten material is sent to its lab to determine metal content and value.

The last option is chemical treatment using cyanide or acids. While dangerous, this process dissolves insoluble metals to be analyzed and their value determined.

Once a sample’s value is determined, Gannon & Scott consolidates materials from various clients and sends them to a smelter to extract the pure precious metals. This creates a closed-loop system where the precious metals are returned to the supply chain for reuse.

The company also provides a refining worksheet to customers before moving into settlement, which is when a customer receives a statement for its lot. The value is determined using the settlement date’s London fixes, allowing precious metals to be traded at a fair market price.

While Gannon & Scott does not offer cash payments, it does offer flexible financial solutions to customers. For example, it can transfer metals into a customer’s account or to its vendor, allowing the customer to receive the metals in physical form, which can be a positive when the markets are volatile.

Handling complex materials, controlling emissions

A unique aspect of Gannon & Scott’s operations is its ability to handle a variety of complex materials, from circuit boards to paints containing precious metals—the company says it loves a challenge.

Additionally, Gannon & Scott’s facilities are equipped with advanced emissions control systems, which play a key role in responsibly recycling these materials.

“One of the biggest challenges about accepting these complex materials is they can release harmful acids when incinerated,” Antonacci says. “However, our emissions control systems are designed to minimize these acid molecules, allowing us to process these materials safely while adhering to strict environmental standards and without releasing toxins into the air.”

Gannon & Scott is permitted to release a certain level of emissions, and in 2023, it reached roughly 22 percent of that permissible level.

“With these emission control systems, we can dispose of any hazardous waste that may be brought into the facilities,” Antonacci adds. “That hazardous waste is reduced to product that is then either recycled or used in a product that our smelting partners can use in their processes.”

From the East Coast to the West Coast

Since its founding in 1919, Gannon & Scott has expanded its operations from the East Coast to the West Coast, bringing its total operational size to 180,000 square feet and approximately 62 employees.

In addition to its headquarters and production facility in Cranston, Rhode Island, Gannon & Scott has a precious metal refining plant in Phoenix, which it acquired in 2000. The company also operates an ISO-certified lab in Rhode Island, which analyzes samples from both its facilities.

In addition to expanding its operations, Gannon & Scott has grown its number of partnerships across the industry.

“Trust is essential in this industry, and partnerships are a pivotal part of our operation,” Antonacci says. “Before forming a new partnership, we do our due diligence to ensure our prospective partners meet our expectations in terms of quality and professionalism.

“This level of trust also extends beyond our partnerships and to our clients.”

Looking to the future

Gannon & Scott is focused on setting new goals and advancing its operations.

Following success at its Rhode Island headquarters, the company is pursuing improvements to its recycling efforts and upgrading or adding equipment to streamline processes. These goals, along with other internal goals, aim to achieve operational efficiency and profitability for Gannon & Scott and its diverse array of customers.

“In 2024, we started an ESG [environmental, social and corporate governance] Committee in Rhode Island in an effort to be more intentional about our sustainability efforts,” Antonacci says. “We also are working to improve our communications with our customers and prospects by being more visible with these efforts from both an environmental and impact standpoint.”

The author is event and content producer for the Recycling Today Media Group and can be reached at mszczepanski@gie.net.