Equipment report

Weima America hosts dealer event

Weima America, a Fort Mill, South Carolina-based manufacturer of size reduction equipment for the metal, wood, paper and plastic industries, hosted a dealer event June 20-23, 2017, at its recently expanded U.S. headquarters.

About 100 attendees, mostly dealers and some suppliers, participated in the three-day event that included a presentation from Weima CEO Martin Friz; educational and technical sessions on Weima equipment and installations; bus tours of three facilities where Weima equipment is running; and a golf tournament in addition to receptions.

Attendees traveled from Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland and Russia, as well as from many U.S. states. In addition, all U.S.-based Weima employees (about 35 people) were on-site as were three representatives from Weima Germany: CEO Friz, Sales Manager Kay Schulte and Sales Engineer Stefan Reuss.

Weima last hosted a dealer event in 2013. Weima Marketing Manager Audrey Brewer says the 2013 event was about “half the size of this one” as it was not open to international dealers (only those from the U.S. and Canada were invited then). The company also recently completed an expansion to its headquarters, offering more space.

Including as many dealers as possible this year was key, she says, as “it’s essential for them to know that there’s a team behind the machinery, and that with a Weima machine, a sale doesn’t end when the machine ships from our warehouse.

“[The 2013 event] was such a success that we wanted to wait a few years and do a much larger one with international representation,” Brewer says. “The world is becoming increasingly connected, and we felt it was an exciting opportunity to showcase our international presence.”

The event featured demonstrations of 10 Weima machines with a variety of application types: wood, paper, film, purge, automotive components, plastic pallets, wooden pallets, wood chips/dust, wood ripping and metal turnings.

Brewer says one of the most interesting demonstrations at the event was of the two-stage shredder/granulator system. “The full system in operations is impressive.”

She continues, “The benefit of an event like this … is that Weima manufactures machinery for a wide range of applications, and seeing these machines and operations in person has given so many of our dealers new ideas of ways to incorporate Weima into operations with whom they’re already working. They feel immensely prepared to go out and represent Weima because they’ve see what our machinery can do.”

Thursday, June 22, attendees were separated into four groups, switching among one of four rooms every 45 minutes. The four session topics were wood, paper and plastic recycling, briquetting and waste-to-energy applications.

Neil Poissant, who recently joined the company in the position of briquette sales coordinator, told those in attendance, “We feel the metals industry is going to be the largest segment of growth for Weima.”

Poissant pointed to a screen with images of aluminum briquettes made with Weima equipment. This equipment, he said, can reduce the volume of material by up to 90 percent.

Schulte, an export sales manager for Weima in South America, Japan and the U.K., shared several applications for the company’s equipment in the paper and plastic recycling sector. He showed images of a Pratt Industries’ book recycling plant in Gary, Indiana, where a Weima machine preshreds books. He also showed Weima equipment processing agricultural film, intermediate bulk containers (IBC) and film.

Later in the day Thursday, attendees toured a film recycling plant. New London, North Carolina-based Fiberon makes wood-alternative decking, railing and fencing products.

The tour also included stops at a Georgia-Pacific, Mount Holly, North Carolina, diapermaking plant that is briquetting fiber dust and a secure document destruction facility that shreds documents with Weima equipment.

Brewer says Weima plans to host its next dealer event in three years. While the event helps attendees to learn more about Weima equipment and the applications it is used in, the event also helps Weima to better understand its employees, she says.

Brewer explains, “It’s also a great opportunity for us to hear from our dealers. They communicate to us during this event about things they encounter in the field, and it always gives us ideas of how we can better support our distributor network while they’re in the field.”

She adds, “The more confident they feel with our machinery, the more likely they are to find good homes for it.”

More information on Weima and its products is available on its website at http://weima.com/usa.

Rubicon Global launches RubiconPro with Goodyear Tire discounts

Atlanta-based Rubicon Global has announced that The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio, has joined a select group of manufacturers, retailers and maintenance providers through the RubiconPro consortium buying program. The program is designed to deliver fuel, equipment, maintenance and financial benefits to independent haulers and truckers across North America.

Rubicon made the announcement at WasteExpo 2017, May 8-11 in New Orleans.

Through RubiconPro, independent hauling and truck fleets can purchase Goodyear tires at special discounts, including the Goodyear Endurance WHA waste haul tire, Goodyear’s longest-wearing waste haul tire, and its matching retread. The Goodyear Endurance WHA waste haul tire features a new, scrub-resistant compound and a deep, 24/32-inch tread depth.

Through the program, Goodyear also will provide discounts on Goodyear and Dunlop commercial truck tires; Goodyear retreads; and Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly auto and light truck tires.

Haulers and truckers can apply to join RubiconPro at www.rubiconglobal.com/pro and receive approval in 48 hours or less, Rubicon says. Haulers using the RubiconPro program receive advance notice of all Rubicon special sourcing opportunities, as well as additional discounts on hauler equipment, smartphones and maintenance, according to the company.

“Goodyear is an exciting new addition to our RubiconPro suite of offerings,” says Marc Spiegel, co-founder, Rubicon Global. “At Rubicon, we’re committed to providing value-added, essential equipment to help independent haulers and truck fleets expand and compete.”

He adds, “We are excited about extending Goodyear’s Total Solution of trusted products, a nationwide network, reliable services and fleet management tools to Rubicon members.”

OBC unites brands under new name, new headquarters

OBC Baler Co. (OBC, www.obcbaling.com), a distributor of and service provider for recycling equipment, has announced it has purchased a 10-acre, 60,000-square-foot headquarters in Strongsville, Ohio, near Cleveland. The company also has announced it will be uniting its OBC Baling Equipment, OBC Used Equipment, OBC Rigging Services and OBC Compactor Rental brands under new parent name, OBC Industries.

“This has been our strategy for several years, and we’re now realizing some of the bigger parts of that plan,” says Mike McChrystal, president and owner of OBC Industries.

OBC’s executive, sales and support teams currently operate from the corporate office in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, with a team of service providers and equipment specialists based in its Euclid, Ohio, reconditioning and service center. OBC Used Equipment and OBC Rigging Services also are managed from the Euclid location. Business management and customer service will relocate to the new facility this fall, and consolidation of other teams and assets to the property will continue during the next two years, the company says.

“We certainly didn’t purchase a building and property this size to contain our current capacity,“ McChrystal says. “With this added capacity and the efficiency gains realized by consolidating to a single site, we will be able to develop new services and capabilities that offer even more value for our customers.”

Dust Control Technology changes name to BossTek

Dust Control Technology, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, has changed its name to BossTek to better reflect its product lines, the company says. These include OdorBoss odor suppression technology, with its line of environmentally safe topical and airborne odor treatment agents, and KoolBoss crowd cooling technology for large outdoor events.

BossTek President Laura Stiverson says the company’s expansion into other aspects of industrial air quality has come as a result of repeated inquiries from businesses with unmet solutions for common issues.

“Over time, we began to realize that we were not simply a supplier of dust suppression equipment but rather a solutions provider with the expertise to address a much wider range of applications,” she says. “These new segments of our business are growing far beyond our initial expectations, and our updated company name more accurately reflects the firm’s commitment to the expanding needs of our customers.

“We’re passionate about providing long-lasting equipment that helps customers exceed regulatory compliance, enhance environmental stewardship and improve safety, both in the workplace and in the community,” Stiverson continues. “This mission is built into the design of our equipment, and we intend the company name to represent those values as well. The entire BossTek team feels a sense of reward after a customer tells us that we delivered equipment and service that went above and beyond what they normally experience in the industry. We share in the success as a company because it drives our profitability, but it also gives us a real sense of achievement earned from providing a great customer experience. There’s a level of group energy and dedication among our team that will help us to continue our success and foster even more growth.”

The company maintains a domestic rental fleet of industrial-strength misting cannons of all sizes for dust and odor suppression, as well as for crowd cooling. The firm also customizes equipment for sale in North America and internationally.

“We’re always developing new technologies and get very excited when we’re presented with new opportunities for product designs,” Stiverson says. “It’s our customers, first and foremost, that drive our innovation and passion, and they will always remain our primary focus.”

BossTek is a global leader in dust suppression, odor control and crowd cooling solutions, serving a wide range of applications. Its equipment carries a three-year, or 3,000-hour, warranty.

More information is available at http://bosstek.com.