Equipment Report

ARTECH SELLS  SYSTEM OVERSEAS

PSC REPORTS IMPROVED  OPERATIONS

ASR DEVELOPS MACHINE TO LOAD CONTAINERS

Advanced Steel Recovery (ASR), a Fontana, Calif.-based scrap recycling company, has been looking at ways to increase the amount of ferrous scrap exported via containers.

Nathan Frankel, president of ASR, has been developing a piece of equipment that, if successful, could allow for a significant increase in the amount of ferrous scrap to be shipped overseas via container.

Despite a recent trend to ship ferrous metal by container, the overwhelming amount of ferrous scrap shipped is loaded via breakbulk. There are a number of impediments to loading ferrous scrap in a container, including the length of time it takes to, as well as the damage to containers caused by the traditional method of loading containers.

The container loading machinery, Frankel says, has been in the development stage for about 20 months. With the FASTek (Frankel Advanced Shipping Technologies), he says that companies using the system can cut down the time it takes to load the containers to less than 15 minutes.

In fact, Frankel, who has been using the machine to run some trial shipments to China, says that using the equipment would enable a company to load a container and ship it to a port before a truck could leave the yard because the container would not have to be weighed more than once. And, with an integrated weighing system, each load would come extremely close to the proper weight.

The company presently has applied for a patent for the FASTek. Frankel hopes that approval will come by this fall. The company also is working with manufacturers on potential joint venture arrangements.

Other advantages to using the FASTek system will allow smaller companies to use the system as opposed to relying on the largest exporters to take in the loose material.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Frankel says that with the new system, a scrap recycler could ship scrap to China for between $10-$20 per metric ton, compared to around $40 per metric ton for breakbulk vessels.

The FASTek equipment also could be a viable method for companies hundreds or thousands of miles away from docks to ship ferrous scrap, especially via intermodal methods.

Frankel hopes to lease or sell the machine to scrap yards that could become regional hubs for collecting and loading containers.

For customers to shell out at least $150,000 a pop for his machine, he needs to demonstrate that it can be successfully replicated and withstand thousands of hours of wear and tear.

Dutch metals recycler Gebr. Gerrits Beheer BV is installing a heavy media and sorting system plant configured by ProTec Srl of Genoa, Italy.

The Dutch company is installing the system at its Oss, Netherlands, yard to replace an existing plant that has been in operation for 15 years.

The plant includes a pre-washer followed by two Steinert eddy currents and a media drum that uses magnetite to separate the remaining metals from non-metals. A double-density drum helps separate lighter magnesium metals from heavier aluminum metals and from metals that are heavier yet (copper, brass, zinc). The plant also includes conveyors, drain and rinse screens and includes automatic density control of the media.

Maximum input for the system has been calculated as 40 tons per hour of shredded scrap. It is expected to go online for operation in the fall of 2005.

ProTec Srl, found on the Web at www.protec-srl.com, was founded in 1994 by metals sorting industry veterans. The company has systems in place in Italy, Spain, France and Switzerland.

METAL SHREDDING SOLUTIONS TO PROVIDE SHREDDER COMPONENTS

Mark Mullins

A new company has been formed to service the growing shredder market.

Metal Shredding Solutions LLC, based in San Antonio, bills itself as a full-service provider for all shredder related components.

Company founder and President Mark Mullins is a 25 year veteran of the North American shredder market, who says his experience and industry contacts will be valuable tools in Metal Shredding Solutions’ effort to provide quality service and competitive components.

"I’ve been in the business for 25 years and have worked for two different OEMs," Mullins says. "I didn’t like the direction they were going in and decided to do something on my own."

Mullins says he thinks the timing is right for such a move in light of the market demand thanks to the higher prices scrap metals have been enjoying.

The company will focus on providing efficient, responsive service to a core group of customers, Mullins says.

"By sticking with a small niche and not trying to stretch myself too thin, there’s a good chance to be successful," he says.

Metal Shredding Solutions provides wear parts, fabrication services, nonferrous systems and consulting on new projects and upgrades. The company promises on-time deliveries and prompt service.