Secured scrap

For the past several years, recyclers have known that the price of commodities and the number of scrap metal thefts have a direct correlation. As prices for copper and brass have increased, scrap metal processors say it has become necessary to expand security measures at their yards.

To protect their bottom lines, as well as their employees, processors have had to explore ways to secure not only the acquired materials at their-yards but also the trailers that store those metals at customers’ sites and even the fuel in their fleets’ tanks.

Metal Exchange is a trader, manufacturer, scrap processor, distributor and transporter of nonferrous metals. The company has nine processing facilities and two scrap yards in the United States. Scott Bichel, director of manufacturing services for the St. Louis-based company, says thieves were after the company’s copper scrap stored at its St. Louis yard and something had to be done. Break-ins occurred daily; Metal Exchange had 32 arrests on that property in one month, he says.

“Where we really saw the need to upgrade our system was when the price of copper hit $4 a few years ago. We had intrusions daily; it was a free-for-all,” Bichel adds. “We increased security not only to protect our assets but also to protect our employees.”

While contract security services that provide security guards have been widely used at scrap yards for years, processors are relying less on people and even more on technology these days. They also are working more often with police to combat theft.
 

Partner with police

In late January, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, D.C., announced the creation of a Law Enforcement Advisory Council, which it says is a select group of experienced law enforcement officers, prosecutors and security personnel from around the country with an understanding of the metals theft issue. The council will advise ISRI in the development of a program to address metals theft.

ISRI President Robin Wiener says the Law Enforcement Advisory Council is part of an even more advanced approach by the industry to address the problem of metals theft through training and outreach efforts.

Wiener says, “The recycling industry has long been on the front lines as part of the solution to metals theft, working closely with law enforcement and prosecutors to deter crime and creating a nationwide scrap theft reporting system to help in the investigation and capture of thieves.”

David Guz, president of H&H Metals, based in Inkster, Mich., near Detroit, says working diligently with police is part of the answer to combatting theft. After 36 years in business, Guz says he has just about seen it all, while the “state-of-the-art” security system he had installed three years ago helps him to really see everything that goes on in his 15-acre yard at any time.

Southfield, Mich.-based Watchdog Security supplied the 30 video cameras located around H&H Metals’ yard. The cameras include motion detection and virtual monitoring, which Guz says are key to catching criminals because they automatically alert police if the alarm is triggered. The Watchdog Security system turns on lights at the yard, and a loudspeaker warns trespassers that police have been dispatched to the yard; nine times out of 10, the potential robber leaves, Guz says. Backing up such a system with a close relationship with law enforcement is the way to go, he says.

“If you back up the system the first five times with police, the word gets out on the street that the police back up the place, and you won’t have any problems. If you work with police diligently, this will solve all of your problems,” Guz explains.

“This system is cheaper than having a guard because he can’t watch everything at once,” he adds.
 

Caught on camera

Guz says he used to hire security guards to look after his scrap metal processing yard; but, in addition to being costly, they were not trustworthy. He says his surveillance cameras caught security guards loading trucks with metal and driving away, which made the decision to invest in an advanced camera-based security system a “no brainer,” Guz adds.

While the system can cost tens of thousands of dollars, Guz says the expense is still cheaper than paying a security guard. And he says he has had zero problems since H&H Metals had the system installed.

“The guard was very expensive, and he wasn’t working. Your monthly fee to monitor the system is much cheaper than a guard; you will make the money back,” Guz says. “These cameras are unbelievable.”

As technology has improved, City Scrap & Salvage, an Akron, Ohio-based scrap metal recycling company, has incorporated more sophisticated solutions into its security measures, says Plant Manager Ron Jones. City Scrap & Salvage’s newest camera system offers better resolution, stores activity for a longer time and the pan, tilt and zoom features enable workers to zone-in on areas of interest, Jones explains.

He says most of the materials collected by the company are at risk for theft. City Scrap & Salvage’s camera system distinguishes between false alarms and real threats, which are handled immediately.

Jones says the company works together with local police, and, when thefts occur, information about stolen materials and suspects is distributed to other yards in the area, “which makes it more difficult for the materials to be sold at another yard.”

He adds, “Our yard was designed with security in mind. In the past, security guards were common. Today, camera systems seem to be a more widely used security solution.”

As at some scrap yards, Bichel says Metal Exchange Corp. does have security guards watching both of its yards; a guard is on-site at one yard 24/7, while the other yard is guarded on the weekends when workers are not present.

However, at Metal Exchange, Bichel says, cameras also are used. In the last year, the company installed an IP (Internet protocol) camera system, which allows for unlimited cameras on a server and access from any device with an Internet connection. The wireless cameras detect motion, take a 10-second video clip and send the video to a security company’s monitoring system; if the security company’s personnel see a threat, they contact police; if not, they ignore it, he explains.

The cameras are installed in all of the company’s facilities along with proximity card access systems at each entrance. “If you look back eight years ago, most of our facilities didn’t have closed-circuit TVs or proximity card access,” Bichel remarks.
 

Secured systems

After experiencing a month straight of intrusions, Metal Exchange made a significant change, which Bichel says has been the most effective deterrent at the company’s scrap yards: electrified fences. He admits they are an “aggressive measure” that may not be permitted in some municipalities. But, Bichel says, electric fences are effective, adding that since the fences were erected, Metal Exchange has had no known intrusions.

“The biggest deterrent quite frankly is the electrified fence. It is not a great application for everyone, but from a scrap yard standpoint, it can be a very, very good deterrent,” Bichel says.

He adds, “Outside intrusion today is almost nonexistent because of the systems we’ve put in.”

The author is associate editor of Recycling Today and can be reached at mworkman@gie.net.