Equipment Report

Metso has acquired Mueller Engineering Inc., a provider of equipment and services for high-voltage drive systems. The acquisition cost EUR 6 million.

Mueller Engineering, located in New Berlin, Wis., is privately owned. The company specializes in servicing drive motors and related equipment for auto shredders. In addition to servicing companies in North America, Mueller has customers in Asia-Pacific, South America, South Africa and Europe.

With this acquisition, Finland-based Metso Minerals further strengthens its position in the North American metal recycling plant services business and as a supplier of critical core components to shredder plants.

The acquisition of Mueller follows up Metso’s acquisition of BEST (Bulk Equipment Systems Technology), a supplier of shredder downstream equipment, this past March.

Olympic Wire and Equipment Inc., a Newport Beach, Calif.-based supplier of industrial baling wire and baling equipment, has introduced its Gold Medal Maintenance Program, which offers customers free preventative maintenance inspections and on-site training sessions.

Brian Brecheisen, Olympic sales engineer, is director of the program.

Olympic CEO Jim Walker says, "As a former field service engineer at Balemaster, Brian’s extensive experience troubleshooting electrical, mechanical and hydraulic balers and equipment helps him to pinpoint potentially problematic parts and operations."

Olympic serves as a dealer for Crown Point, Ind.-based Balemaster, a manufacturer of automated scrap handling equipment.

"The Olympic Gold Medal Maintenance Program is one way we can demonstrate our philosophy of providing quality customer service and innovation," Walker says. "We want to help our customers prevent problems before they happen."

Designed to prevent unnecessary damage and breakdown of a baler, the Olympic Gold Medal Maintenance Program consists of a point-by-point inspection of the machine’s major components, including a thorough assessment of the electrical, mechanical and hydraulic features. When problems are identified and replacement parts are required, Olympic offers the necessary parts at a discounted price, according to the company.

The program also offers additional on-site training, including updated usage and safety information and preventative maintenance suggestions.

Customers who purchase Olympic baling wire receive the Gold Medal Program for free.

"At Olympic, we want to be more than California, Nevada and Arizona’s exclusive licensed Balemaster dealer to our clients," Walker says. "Through programs such as the Gold Medal Maintenance Program, we hope to establish long-term partnerships by helping our clients further maximize revenues through waste and recycling solutions."

More information is available at www.olympicequipment.com.

The success of Genesis Attachments’ mobile shear reconditioning and blade replacement programs has prompted the latest expansion of the company’s manufacturing facility.

The expansion, in which Genesis added more than 9,000 square feet of plant area, is the third in the company’s 10-year history and brings the company’s total plant/office area to more than 46,000 square feet.

To a large degree, the newest addition to the Superior, Wis.-based plant reflects the success Genesis’ shear reconditioning program has enjoyed since its inception four years ago, according to the company, and is expected to enhance and streamline its shear reconditioning effort.

"To date, more than 500 competitive shears have been refurbished, and we see no signs of that slowing down," Bruce Bacon, Genesis vice president and general manager, says.

Bacon adds, "In addition, as some of our own shears approach the 10-years-in-service mark, we anticipate seeing some Genesis shears added to the mix."

The balance of the the company’s 9,000-square-foot expansion will be dedicated to the Genesis’ parts department, bringing its total area to about 10,000 square feet.

Genesis Attachments manufacturers hydraulic attachments for use in demolition, scrap processing, reconstruction, utility and waste handling operations. More information on the company’s product line is available from its Web site at www.genesisattachments.com.

Metalico Rochester has installed a new Harris Gorilla two-ram baler with two infeed conveyors at its nonferrous operation in Rochester, N.Y.

The new system replaces a 30-year-old baler and now gives the company the capability of processing up to five times the amount of material per hour at nearly double the bale density, according to a news release.

The system was sold and installed in early August by Ohio Baler Co., the Harris distributor for Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and Western New York.

"The new Harris system gives us the ability to process much more scrap in a lot less time," Sandy Eveland, nonferrous operations manager, says. "With the old system, our workers were waiting on the baler, now the baler is waiting on us. This enables us to reduce labor costs, downtime and maintenance expenses and in general, greatly lower our overall processing costs."

More information is available at www.ohiobaler.com.  

Eriez, Erie, Pa., has announced the availability of a 12-page brochure on the company’s line of eddy current nonferrous metal separators and other Eriez equipment for recyclers.

According to the brochure, Eriez eddy current nonferrous metal separators feature improved permanent magnetic circuits with rare earth Erium 3000 for stronger eddy currents and improved separation of nonferrous materials. The brochure also provides examples of where eddy current separators work well and details the effects of using the equipment.

Also included are details on the various rotor designs Eriez offers, including ferrite, rare earth arched, rare earth original and super eddy. Rotors are also available as separate items, and the brochure provides dimensions.

The brochure also describes the company’s magnetic pulleys, drum separators, suspended electromagnetic separators, mechanical feeders, scrap drums, electrostatic separators and metal detectors.

More information on obtaining the eddy current brochure as well as information on the rest of the Eriez product line is available at www.eriez.com.