Better together

Sebright Products, Hopkins, Michigan, is known for designing custom equipment for the waste and recycling industry. JWR Inc., Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, is known for installing, servicing and rebuilding industrial compactors, balers and waste equipment. When the two companies collaborated to develop the BaleWulf line of balers, they had a primary thought in mind: versatility perfected.

After introducing two closed-door baler models in 2018—the 4560 and 7060—the business partners turned their attention toward developing an entry-level two-ram baler that would offer the bale weights recyclers sought in addition to ease of maintenance.

Tony Sebright, sales and marketing specialist at Sebright Products Inc., says, “JWR is a premier service company. They see multiple balers daily and know the problems that exist. Sebright develops custom solutions for customers’ specific needs. JWR has the baler knowledge, and we have the manufacturing knowledge.”

Attend the BaleWulf two-ram product launch webinar Sept. 17. Register here.

BaleWulf’s two-ram baler seeks to address the problems JWR has encountered in the decades it’s been servicing baling equipment. The BaleWulf two-ram features pack shoe adjusters, which allow the shear tolerance to be tight without shimming, and the shoes can be replaced without removing the gathering ram. Additionally, a grease station at the back of the baler provides grease to eight points in the machine, eliminating the need to enter the baler.

Sebright says the BaleWulf two ram is unique in that it features lower horsepower and lower operating PSI than other two-ram balers but still delivers on bale weights. This combination makes it a great entry-level model that offers longevity because less stress is placed on the machine.

During product development, Sebright Products asked Schupan, which has a plant in nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan, to supply aluminum cans for testing. The company manages billions of beverage containers collected through Michigan’s redemption program. Gary Brinkmann, managing director at Sebright Products International, says Schupan has been a Sebright customer for two decades.

Rick Hart, Schupan’s director of process improvement, and his team brought the cans to Sebright. After witnessing the results of the test, Brinkmann says, “Rick got excited about the baler.”

He and his team also began sharing ideas about how the baler’s design could be improved.

“One, now standard, feature that Schupan requested was removable liners,” says Amber Borchardt, director of marketing and sales for JWR. “Sebright’s engineer Bill Brisbin took it a step further and designed liners that are bolted in, reducing replacement time and expense,” she explains.

Also unique to BaleWulf is its warranty, which guarantees the baler’s frame and ram for five years, or 10,000 hours, and parts and labor for two years, or 4,000 hours. Customers receive an all- inclusive planned maintenance program for two years, or 4,000 hours, standard with the baler, as well.

“I don’t know of anyone that has two-year’s worth of free planned maintenance,” Hart says.

At Schupan, the BaleWulf two-ram has replaced an auto-tie baler.

“I don’t have to make as many bales because they are heavier,” Hart says. The two-ram baler produces aluminum can bales that weigh from 1,150 to 1,225 pounds compared with the auto-tie bale weights of 1,000 to 1,050. He says the company also is saving on wire and labor as a result.

The BaleWulf is pushing out 60-by-30-by-48-inch bales. “The auto-tie bales were longer to get the weight,” Hart adds. Their 70-inch length also made the auto-tie bales more difficult to handle and required more bales to be loaded on a truck to meet weight requirements.

He says the BaleWulf bales also stack better than the auto-tie bales. “My forklift guys love it.”

Commenting on the installation process, Hart says, “It became a partnership, and everyone took ownership.”