Knowing Your Options

The baling of shredded documents is an important aspect of most secure destruction businesses. It provides a means for effective materials management, revenue generation and increased information security. The revenue generated from the sale of baled material can be significant when properly managed. The value of baled material is historically stable over the long term but can be subject to short-term volatility. In-house baling of shredded documents can allow companies to maintain tighter control over the chain of custody and the ultimate destination for the material.

Baling is almost always employed in plant-based shredding operations. Mobile shredding operations often add baling capability to take control of fleet management and routing that is otherwise dictated by the availability of a local recycler. Many mobile shredding operations find that they can reduce their fleets or forego future shredding truck purchases as a result of more efficient and effective management of their current fleets.

An ancillary benefit of baling for these operations is the ability to more easily provide plant-based shredding as an additional service to their customers.

Only a few different types of balers are used for baling paper in the secure destruction industry. Baler selection depends primarily on the material to be baled and the volume of material to be baled in a given time.

Balers are sometimes used to bale secure, recyclable commodities other than paper. These applications are usually very specific and sometimes require specialized baling equipment.

However, horizontal balers are commonly used to bale shredded paper processed by a plant-based shredder or a mobile shredding truck. The horizontal baler uses a hydraulically driven compression ram that moves horizontally to compress materials that have been loaded into a vertical chute.

This type of baler is available in manual-tie, closed-end and open-end designs. An auto-tie unit is an accessory on most open-end balers. Lower-volume applications typically call for a manual-tie baler. Auto-tie balers are generally used in applications ranging from 60 tons to 100 tons or more per month.

Baler throughput is dictated by the main pump motor size and the diameter of the main ram hydraulic cylinder. Generally speaking, the higher the horsepower, the more throughput the baler has.

It has been demonstrated that horizontal baler throughputs often exceed the manufacturer’s published capacity charts when baling shredded paper from mobile shredding trucks. This is because the paper discharged from the trucks is partially compacted already and is denser than shredded paper processed through a plant-based shredder. Therefore, you will need more horsepower to bale 5 tons of shredded paper per hour from a plant-based shredder than you would to bale the same amount of paper that was produced by a mobile shredding truck.

Vertical balers are commonly used to bale OCC (old corrugated containers). The material is hand loaded into the baler hopper, and the baling ram moves vertically to compact the material. After each compaction stroke, the ram retracts so that more boxes can be loaded into the hopper. When the bale chamber is full, a buzzer activates to let the operator know that it is time to manually insert and tie-off the bale ties.

New customers sometime ask, "Why not use my horizontal baler to bale my OCC too?"

The problem is that, a) you don’t want to mix the OCC in with the shredded paper, and b) you would need to store about 1,000 pounds of loose OCC before being able to make a mill-sized bale. Therefore, it can be more practical to have a dedicated low-cost baler for processing the OCC that your operation generates.

However, in very high-volume operations, a dedicated horizontal baler may be a better choice than a vertical baler for processing OCC.

Balers can be a big-ticket item, so many first-time buyers look to used equipment as an economical way to get into the baling business. A high quality, well-maintained baler can provide many years of service, but price alone should not be the deciding factor. When considering the purchase of a new baler versus a used or reconditioned baler, keep a few things in mind and ask your equipment provider a few specific questions.

First of all, do your homework. Get to know the basics about the equipment before investing your hard-earned money. If you’re looking at used equipment, ask about the age and history of the baler. Get the make, model, serial number and specifications. Manufacturers’ product literature and photographs are helpful. Make sure that the equipment owner’s manual will be provided and that the manufacturer will fully support the equipment going forward. Make sure you understand the warranty limits. Know what costs are covered in the purchase price: items such as freight, unloading, installation, electrical work, start-up and operator training often are not included in the purchase price of a baler unless they are negotiated up front.

Insist on having your personnel trained in the safe and proper operation and maintenance of the baler. Make sure a local resource is available that is trained to provide technical support and field service.

When it comes to used equipment, deal with an equipment provider that specializes in baling equipment. Many sources, such as brokers, online auctioneers, liquidators and even Ebay can sell you a baler. However, these sellers may not be able to tell you if the equipment suits your application, has been tested for proper operation or meets current safety requirements.

An experienced baling equipment sales professional will know how to match a baler to your specific application, have the resources to repair and rebuild baling equipment in accordance with the best industry practices and support the installation and service of the equipment.

New equipment is generally available through manufacturers’ representatives or dealers. The representative or dealer usually has a long-standing relationship with one or more manufacturers and can provide all of the services required to make sure you get into the baling business the right way as well as provide support to you along the way.

Ideally, these representatives will be familiar with your business model and know what is important and relevant to your application. They should be able to supply ancillary equipment, such as conveyors, shredders and related equipment. An equipment dealer also should be willing to provide a fair trade-in value for existing equipment.

If a dealer is not local enough to provide timely field service, it should identify and train a local resource to provide these services. It is very helpful if the dealer can provide evening and weekend telephone support, as these are the times that you will most likely be baling, and the equipment manufacturer will not be available to take your call.

Baling is an integral part of successful secure destruction businesses. It brings value to the bottom line in many different ways. Making the proper equipment selection does take some effort and, when properly done, provides a valuable return on investment for many years. n