IPS Balers - World Player

With China’s increasing hunger for recovered fiber, even American material recovery facilities (MRFs) are feeling the lure of the export market. With so many recyclers eyeing lucrative opportunities trading overseas, having equipment that can deliver export-quality material is more important than ever.

When it comes to bale density and uniformity at Rumpke’s Columbus, Ohio, MRF, IPS Balers Inc. of Baxley, Ga., has exceeded expectations.

"This machine has been excellent for us," says Harvey Cassidy, recycling director for the north-central market at Rumpke, of the IPS model TR-1388-100S, which has been in operation for about 18 months.

Harvey Cassidy

Old corrugated containers (OCC) comprise most of the material processed by Rumpke Columbus’ IPS baler—about 95 percent, according to Cassidy. With production rates of about 16 to 18 tons per hour for OCC, the machine has made a lasting impression on Cassidy, producing 30-inch-by-60-inch bales averaging about 1,400 pounds per bale.

The bales produced by the IPS machine have proven ideal for export, according to Cassidy. "They’re perfect—they fit right in the container," he says, adding that Rumpke averages about 48,000 pounds per overseas container (32/34 average bales) loaded with bales from the IPS machine.

In a business environment rife with competition for shares in the export market and climbing transportation costs, denser bales can make all the difference.

While OCC makes up the lion’s share of the IPS baler’s feed material, the machine also processes some old newspapers (ONP), achieving production rates of about 20 to 22 tons per hour.

The machine has performed so well that Cassidy says Rumpke Columbus is upgrading the facility’s conveyor system to feed even more material into the IPS baler.

Cassidy also has high praise for the baler design, particularly the compression lid on the model working in Columbus. According to Cassidy, the compression lid pushes material down under the shear blade, eliminating shear jams that used to hold up production with other machines. "It’s allowed us to produce more efficiently," he says.

For the few problems that have come up, IPS technicians are always just a phone call away. "We can always get a hold of someone pretty quickly if we have an issue," Cassidy says, adding that many of those issues have been solved simply over the phone. "Their responsiveness is excellent," he says. "They’re very easy to get a hold of."