Equipment Report

The Green Line of material handling machines from Sennebogen North America, Charlotte, N.C., has been recognized as a top new product for 2002.

The line of material handlers was recognized by Construction Equipment magazine with a Top 100 Award as one of the most significant new products for the year.

The Green Line consists of nine rubber-tired and tracked material handlers that have been marketed primarily to the scrap recycling and forest products industries. Keith Ahlstrom, national sales manager of Sennebogen North America, says the machines "were designed exclusively to withstand the rigors and demands of the scrap and material handling industries."

The 870-M rubber-tired handler has a lifting capacity of 55,000 pounds and a boom reach of more than 68 feet.

Metso Minerals Metal Recycling, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has added a number of positions to its staff.

The North American operation, which supplies a range of recycling equipment and parts to the scrap industry, cites "remarkable growth over the last year" for the staff additions.

• Dave Cross, aftermarket sales, is responsible for sales of replacement and wear parts for Metso’s shredders, balers and shears in the central and southern U.S. His primary responsibility is the direct supply of castings to Metso customers. Metso has three foundries that produce shredder manganese wear parts.

• Vicki Fenton has been promoted to parts manager at the Cedar Rapids facility. Her responsibilities include management of the company’s online parts system and filling orders for shredder castings warehoused throughout the U.S.

• Amy Branning has been hired in the parts department to help with related respnsibilities.

• Mike Weaver joins Metso Minerals Metal Recycling as a service technician. Weaver will assist in the installation, service and support of shredder plants, shears and balers.

• Lance Domek is the new controller for Metso Minerals Metal Recycling in North America. He has an MBA in finance from Iowa State University and experience in the capital equipment business.

Portions of the former Svedala and Lindemann brands are now part of Metso Minerals, a leading supplier of scrap shredders, shears and balers.

TSI UPGRADES SHREDDER PLANTS

The "Smart" Water Injection System (WIS) offered by Texas Shredder Inc. (TSI), San Antonio, Texas, continues to be installed at shredder facilities throughout North America.

Twelve installations in 10 different states are operating the "Smart" WIS with two more units to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2003, according to the company.

The "Smart" WIS is an injection system that provides a limited and controlled water flow to the shredder. It often replaces a cyclone system or foam application system.

Also gaining popularity is the "Autopilot," an automatic system that can control some of the traditional operator functions of the shredder. Results from systems in the U.S. and South Africa have shown reduced cost per ton, improved ferrous quality, improved density and increased production (up to 15%), TSI reports.

The methodology of "Autopilot" is to maximize the stored energy of the rotor by controlling the infeed rate of scrap. The "Autopilot" is successfully running in the United States and South Africa.

GENESIS OFFERS ROTATING GRAPPLES

Genesis Equipment & Manufacturing Inc., Superior, Wisc., is making and marketing a line of Genesis Rotating Grapples (GRG). According to Genesis, the GRG line offers the "positive grabbing force of a grapple, its inherent ability to sort and 360° rotational capability."

Genesis’ GRG Rotating Grapples are suitable for demolition and other material handling and sorting applications. They offer continuous 360° rotation and the articulation of the excavator’s bucket cylinder and can be positioned to accomplish tasks that some other grapples cannot. Genesis CEO Kevin Bakke says the GRG line of grapples has proven itself in a number of demolition and C&D debris recycling applications.

"The GRG is the perfect tool to assist contractors with the handling and sorting commonly associated with this task," says Bakke. "Beams, particularly vertical beams, can now be grabbed with a simple rotation of the attachment. Similarly, load-out and sorting of debris is faster and more efficient since material can be more accurately grabbed, moved and placed," he adds.Genesis Rotating Grapples are available in three models and sizes with capacities from .6 to 2.0 cubic yards and fit excavators weighing from 28,000 to 88,000 pounds.

"We see the GRG line earning a valuable position in the attachment inventory of contractors — both large and small," says Bakke.