Designed for Growth

Establishing an in-plant shredding system can leave many entrepreneurs feeling a little overwhelmed at the number of considerations they must entertain. But with a little forethought and careful planning, secure destruction professionals can be certain to get the flexibility they require from an in-plant system as well as the long-term performance such an investment necessitates.

Successful shredding plant installations begin at the beginning: with a building’s floor plan. By approaching the project with the building’s layout in mind, secure destruction professionals can design systems that take into account all aspects of their operations, from material receiving to bale shipping, Chris Hawn of Vecoplan LLC, High Point, N.C., says. "It often behooves the customer to ask the vendor to come out to look at the facility and give them dimensional drawings," he adds.

Evelyn Jefferson, sales manager for Allegheny Shredders, Delmont, Pa., also says that space is an important consideration. "After allowing for the equipment, other important considerations are bale storage, container storage (both full and empty) and traffic lanes." She adds that a facility that has the potential to grow with a company is also important, as are the presence of loading docks and drive-in access.

Dave Wilson of SSI Shredding Systems Inc., Wilsonville, Ore., agrees. "The material handling and environmental aspect of the system is important." He says that destruction companies should consider how material will flow through their shredding operations as well as the installation of dust collection and fire protection systems.

"Processing all material quickly after arrival at the plant is important and eliminates the possibility of documents being mishandled," Joe Roberto of Shred-Tech Corp., Cambridge, Ontario, says.

Jefferson also stresses the need for quick processing, saying it is the easiest way to protect confidential information. "It goes back to the shredder/baler/feed system: Reliable equipment with better-than-anticipated capacity will make it easier to process material."

Efficiency is also important in an in-plant operation. To achieve this, Roberto suggests metered feeding of the shredder, which is typically done using one or more conveyors.

When it comes to feeding the shredder, Jefferson says, "Generally, an infeed conveyor with an electric eye sensor that can automatically pause the conveyor when the shredder or baler is processing is best."

However, not all destruction companies opt for such an automated approach, Hawn says. Material can sometimes be bulk loaded from the collection containers or gaylords into the shredder’s hopper if a company opts for a more manual approach. In such cases, mirrors can then be used to see inside the hopper to prevent spills.

Secure destruction professionals should also consider the need for pre-sorting when setting up plant-based systems, Roberto says, as this will affect conveyor layout.

Along related lines, Roberto says that if companies need to bale shredded paper from their mobile operations, they may want to bypass the in-plant shredder, necessitating modifications to the system’s layout.

When it comes to baling the shredder’s output, an incline or knee conveyor can be used to convey the shredded material to the baler, Roberto says.

Hawn says Vecoplan’s preference is to design systems that incorporate a drag chain conveyor to bring material from the shredder to the baler. "The beauty is that the system is completely enclosed from when it hits the shredder and comes out the back side in a bale," he says. "Instead of carrying material on to a belt, it drops onto the floor and a paddle sweeps the material." Hawn says that such conveyors are easier to maintain than some other types and require no tracking and just occasional tensioning of the mechanism.

Jefferson says that air systems "work great" for transporting shredded material to the baler, but she adds that conveyors also can do a good job for less money.

In addition to the finer points of a system’s configuration, Wilson suggests giving thought to the power needed to operate an in-plant shredding system. "Having an adequate power supply to operate the equipment is critical," he says. "High-volume systems typically operate on 460/3/60 power."

Considering the capital expense involved in installing an in-plant destruction system, companies should keep growth in mind when designing a system. Roberto suggests not only taking into account the current volume of material to be processed, but also projected future volumes. "Do they want to be able to grow or to move into a new facility?"

Determining the volume of the material to be processed is sometimes tricky, particularly for paper recyclers who are entering the destruction business for the first time and are accustomed to dealing with large tonnages, Hawn says. "They can significantly overestimate the volume," he adds. While Hawn says it’s better to overestimate the needs of a system rather than to underestimate them, overestimates can be extreme in some cases, as even established document destruction plants are not processing such volumes.

For record retention centers entering the secure destruction field for the first time, the volume of records they are sending out for destruction can be a good starting point for sizing a system appropriately, adding the perspective volume of future customers.

Hawn suggests allowing for 30 to 50 percent growth when designing an in-plant system at a rate of roughly 200 to 250 tons per month for entrepreneurs. He adds that infeed and discharge material handling systems can be oversized to facilitate swapping out a modestly sized shredder for a larger one in time, saving money and time during an upgrade.

When it comes to the shredder, the focal point of the system, the same flexibility that comes into play with conveyor setup can serve a document destruction company well.

"I always suggest looking at flexibility first," Hawn says. For him, flexibility means not only the particle size of the shredder’s output, but also the material the machine can handle. With the increasing need for product destruction, having a versatile shredder can enable a secure destruction company to handle a variety of jobs, until volume dictates the need for dedicated processing lines, he says.

With contracts and National Association for Information Destruction AAA Certification guidelines specifying destruction within a certain period of time, Hawn says production flow management issues come into play, as does the secondary value of the processed material, which can make adding a second line for non-paper processing preferable for some operations. However, for those companies that have not yet reached volumes that necessitate adding a second processing line for non-paper material, Hawn says, "It’s important to have a machine out of the gate that can help you get into those markets so you don’t have to put the cart before the horse."

The growth in product and electronic media destruction is having an influence on shredder selection. Wilson says, "More and more things are required to be shredded for security destruction. When you figure out what all you want the shredder to process, select a shredder that is proven in those applications." He continues, "If you plan to go after a wider market than paper, you need a machine that is very versatile. Spend time thinking about all the opportunities for shredding in your market area, define as best you can what needs shredding in your market and select equipment that will meet those needs."

Shred-Tech’s Roberto cautions, "Some shredders can handle a wide variety of material; however, a well designed system is going to be designed specifically for paper and will therefore not be ideal for e-scrap or product destruction." He adds, "It may be better to set up a separate line for non-paper destruction depending on the frequency and the volumes."

Jefferson says that secure shredding professionals should consider a number of factors when deciding if an additional processing line is required. "A medium-sized shredder will handle many items other than paper, such as microfilm, microfiche, DVDs, CDs, video cassettes, clothing, electronics, etc.," she says. "If a specific particle size is required or the product is especially bulky or dense, another piece of equipment may be required. The reason for more than one processing line would depend on the products—can they be baled, are they recyclable, will they contaminate the paper?"

While processing both products and paper can sometimes mean setting up separate processing lines, changing the particle size of a shredder’s output can sometimes be as easy as changing a screen on the machine.

Rather than emphasize a smaller standard shred size, the secure destruction industry may be moving toward a tiered system of particle sizes based on customers’ security requirements. Shredders enabling particle size changes by swapping out a screen may offer an advantage in such cases, enabling higher throughput for less critical applications while also offering the added security some jobs may require.

Of course, once a secure destruction company has its shredding system in place and operational, regular maintenance is essential to maintaining optimal performance.

Because a number of operators are coming to the destruction industry without experience in dealing with capital equipment, some manufacturers say they feel the need to stress the importance of preventive maintenance.

"Maintenance is something across the board, whether a large company or an owner-operator, that a lot of companies don’t consider," Hawn says. "When considering building an entire plant and making a capital investment up front, having a good mechanic on staff goes a long way. Preventive maintenance is something everyone should be thinking about," he adds.

Hawn says that maintenance on Vecoplan’s shredding systems is relatively easy, consisting primarily of tightening bolts and rotating the shredder’s four-way indexable cutters.

Roberto also stresses the need for regular preventive maintenance. "All systems regardless of make should be inspected daily and be part of a regimented preventive maintenance plan that will include daily, weekly, monthly and semi-annual maintenance, performed by in-house staff with support from the manufacturer on more involved maintenance and repair work," he says.

According to Jefferson, such preventive maintenance is standard for most industrial processing equipment and consists of lubricating the moving parts and inspecting items for wear.

Manufacturer support is also an important consideration. When doing their comparison shopping, Hawn suggests that potential buyers ask each manufacturer they are considering about service and parts availability.

With a little forethought and some attention to maintenance, a shredding plant can provide a secure destruction company with years of reliable and efficient service. n