Never missing a beat

For most of Yorkville Recycling Inc.’s history, the company has relied on American Baler for its baling needs. Jason Needham, owner of the Tennessee-based recycling business, says he and his father, J.L., launched the business about 30 years ago when J.L. was working at a factory that was looking for a way to recycle its cardboard. The Needham family officially opened a recycling facility in 1992 in Dyer, Tennessee.

Needham says Yorkville Recycling first purchased an American Economy baler—a horizontal autotie baler—from American Baler, based in Bellevue, Ohio, in 1995.

Over the years, Yorkville Recycling has operated a few different baler makes and models, but Needham says he has found that American Baler always offered an outstanding customer service experience. So, when Yorkville Recycling was ready for an upgrade, they worked with AA Fluid Power and bought an American two-ram baler model N620-T50.

Needham says the installation of the new narrow-body two-ram baler was very easy. And once the new baler got going, he says it’s never missed a beat. The special stamper feature automatically activates any time material is not shearing. The stamper pushes the material below the shear and the baler keeps on baling. This works well with the application of baling postindustrial paper and plastic materials.

"I was pleased with how it performed and how it’s still performing.” – Jason Needham of Yorkville Recycling

“The second day after it was set up, we had 100 bales of old corrugated containers (OCC) go through it in an eight-hour shift,” he says. “I was pleased with how it performed and how it’s still performing. It’s increased our efficiency by a lot. Before we added this machine, we were working six days a week and 10-hour days to stay caught up. We’ve been able to cut our labor costs by about 20 percent.”

Upon installing the narrow-body two-ram baler from American Baler, Yorkville Recycling also parted ways with its 1995 American Economy model. Needham had done business with Ben Baldwin, president of Balcon Enterprises Inc., which owns Elk Point, South Dakota-based Helluva Container, in the past. When Needham learned that Baldwin was looking for a good baler to bale heavy-duty corrugated and multiwall material it was a perfect match and a good deal for both businesses.co

Baldwin says he had been using manual downstroke balers prior to purchasing the American Economy from Yorkville Recycling. He says the upgrade has served his business well for the past two years.

“Prior to having this machine, we had three people running around the clock on downstroke balers,” he says. “Now, with the American Economy, we no longer have to run a second shift. Jason put a new floor in it when he had it, and I brought it up to speed, got guides redone, wear parts redone on it and new cutting edges. Between preventive maintenance and changing oil on it, it’s kept running smooth. It will last us at least a decade if not much longer than that.” That’s pretty good for a 25-year-old baler!