Newsworthy

> METALS

Nucor to Boost Tennessee Presence
The steel company Nucor Corp., headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., has announced plans to significantly increase its Memphis, Tenn., steel operations. The company says its Tennessee facility will be part of its two-year, $290 million effort to expand its production of special bar quality steel and wire rod. The company says it hopes to complete the expansion by 2013.

The company’s Nucor Steel Memphis Inc. division has requested and was awarded a 15-year tax freeze from the Tennessee Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) board to aid with the expansion.

The $113 million investment will allow the company to increase its manufacturing output of high-quality carbon steel by up to 25 percent, while bringing 27 new jobs to the mill, Nucor says.

Nucor is seeking to acquire 42 acres adjacent to its existing building from the Tennessee Port Commission to expand its rail infrastructure so the company can have more rail cars on site. The Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development (ECD) has offered as much as $359,991 in Tennessee Fast Track Infrastructure funding to assist with the new rail infrastructure.

In addition, ECD has indicated that Nucor is also eligible for the Tennessee Jobs Tax Credit with a potential value of $121,500; an Industrial Machinery Credit with a potential value of more than $3 million and a Sale/Use Tax Exemption with a potential value of more than $9.5 million.

Mike Gurley, vice president and general manager, Nucor Steel Memphis, says, “We believe the engineered bar markets will continue to be strong into the future, driven by energy, automotive, heavy truck and heavy equipment manufacturers. This investment in our Memphis mill will position Nucor to meet the growing demands of our engineered bar customers.”

 

> METALS

SDI Announces Plan to Expand Capacity at Indiana Plant
The board of directors for the steel company Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI), headquartered in Fort Wayne, Ind., has approved the expansion of its Engineered Bar Products Division in Pittsboro, Ind. The expansion is intended to increase the steel mill’s capacity to produce special-bar-quality (SBQ) steel and to expand the mill’s product offerings of high-quality small-diameter SBQ bars, the company says.

When the expansion is complete, the mill’s annual production capacity is expected to increase from 625,000 tons to 950,000 tons, a 52 percent increase.

The project is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2013 and to cost $76 million.

The principal modification to the mill is the planned addition of a second rolling line that will permit the concurrent production of small-diameter precision and larger-diameter bars. SDI says it believes the expansion can be accomplished with no disruption to existing operations, as the new line is essentially separate from current operations.

Mark Millett, SDI CEO, says, “This investment will allow us to further expand and diversify our value-added product portfolio in a capital efficient manner. Our customers have encouraged us to expand our product offerings as a means of further establishing the Pittsboro facility as a one-stop shop for all of their SBQ needs.”

 

> METALS

ASC Files Complaint over Russian Government Scrap Shipment Restriction
The American Scrap Coalition (ASC), Washington, D.C., says it has submitted a letter to U.S. Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk concerning the Russian government’s recent administrative measure to restrict the export of ferrous scrap from a number of Russian ports in the eastern part of the country.

According to the ASC, a Russian Customs regulation, adopted Feb. 13, 2012, prohibits the export of scrap from Russia’s two most widely used ports for shipments to the Far East. The two ports, in Vladivostok and Nakhodka, account for roughly 90 percent of Russia’s scrap exports to the Far East.

According to the Russian regulation, the only port in the east that would be allowed to ship scrap is in Magadan, in the far north of Russia.

Also, according to the ASC, the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation has released a draft decree restricting export of steel scrap and other scrap material to certain ports in Russia’s Northwest Federal District.

Significantly, the letter states, the draft decree does not authorize scrap exports through St. Petersburg, the largest shipping point for Russian exports of scrap from the northwestern part of the country, which accounted for around 87 percent of scrap exports in 2011.

The ASC writes: “The exclusion of Vladivostok, Nakhodka and St. Petersburg from the list of permissible shipping points represents a clear effort by Russia to erect yet more administrative barriers to exports of steel scrap, to the benefit of its domestic steel producers.”

Ultimately, according to the ASC letter, scrap prices throughout the rest of the world would increase, leading to higher scrap exports from the United States and higher costs for U.S. consumers of scrap.

 

> ELECTRONICS

Groups Continue to Debate Electronic Export Ban
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has released a new report confirming that The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (RERA, S. 1270, HR 2284) violates international trade law, according to a news release from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), Washington, D.C.

However, the Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN) has released a statement on ISRI’s interpretation of the report, claiming “ISRI has dramatically overreached.” Ban says that “nowhere in the CRS report is it stated that the RERA violates international trade law. And nowhere does the CRS even mention the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act or review that legislation.”

The report’s researchers have found that the total export ban contemplated in RERA would be “difficult to reconcile with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), one of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and could be susceptible to challenge before a WTO panel,” ISRI says.

“This report objectively confirms what ISRI, Republican and Democratic trade experts and the USTR (Office of the United States Trade Representative) have been saying for quite some time now,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “An export ban bill is nothing but a disguised measure that will fail to put an end to irresponsible recycling around the world and will in fact take us backward by violating our trade obligations.”

Barbara Kyle, director of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, claims, “the CRS report provides us with additional information that bolsters our certainty that this bill is in conformity with WTO rules.”

According to ISRI, the report finds that the U.S. cannot unilaterally impose restrictions on electronic exports without risking repercussions in the WTO system. “U.S. GATT obligations prohibit any government actions that impose or result in bans or other quantitative restriction of exports and imports destined to WTO members,” according to a portion of the CRS report ISRI cites.

ISRI also says the report claims that invoking one of GATT’s general exceptions to protect human, animal or plant life or health would be “difficult,” as the U.S. would have to demonstrate that RERA’s export ban produced a “material contribution” toward ending illegal pollution in developing countries.

However, BAN points out that the report states, “...a WTO panel will uphold export restrictions that are inconsistent with Articles XI:1, XIII:1 and/or I:1 of the GATT if they fit under one of the expectations listed in paragraphs (a) to (j) of Article XX and satisfy the requirements imposed by the Article XX chapeau.”

BAN continues, “This statement clearly asserts that despite the general GATT rules against discriminatory trade, exemptions exist to protect the environment. The report also notes that other international law further bolsters the use of such exemptions.”

Jim Puckett of BAN says, “The banning of hazardous e-waste exports has been the law of the land in Europe for 14 years now. If there was a problem with the WTO, don’t you think that in all that time one country might have challenged it?”

However, ISRI says if the U.S.-imposed export restrictions were deemed inconsistent with the GATT, the U.S. would be expected to lift or modify these restrictions or it could face WTO trade sanctions.

The CRS report, “Issues in International Trade Law: Restricting Exports of Electronic Waste,” can be viewed at www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42373.pdf.

 

> PAPER

International Paper Completes Acquisition of Temple-Inland
The forest products company International Paper Co. (IP), based in Memphis, Tenn., and Temple-Inland Inc. (TIN), based in Austin, Texas, have jointly announced that they have reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division in regard to IP’s acquisition of Temple-Inland. The transaction is valued at $4.5 billion.

Following the Department of Justice’s consent, IP completed the deal for Temple-Inland Feb. 13. TIN is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Paper.

Under the terms of the consent decree, the combined company will undertake the post-close divesture of 970,000 tons of containerboard mill capacity within four months, with the possibility of two 30-day extensions. The company agreed to divest Temple-Inland’s facilities in Ontario, Calif., and in New Johnsonville, Tenn., as well as International Paper’s facility in Hueneme, Calif.

John Faraci, IP chairman and CEO, says, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the [Department of Justice] that addresses their concerns and preserves the value in the combination of these two fine companies.” He continues, “As we take the final steps to closing, we look forward to a smooth integration and to realizing the substantial benefits this transaction provides our customers, employees and shareholders.”

International Paper has operations, including pulp and paper mills and converting and packaging plants, in North America, Europe, Latin American, Russia, Asia and North Africa.

 

> ELECTRONICS

GSA Announces New Federal Guidelines for Electronic Scrap
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has released new guidelines that ban all federal agencies from disposing of electronic scrap in landfills. The new guidelines were announced by GSA Administrator Martha Johnson March 1, 2012. While the guidelines do not prohibit the export of electronic scrap, the GSA says federal agencies may require additional reporting from recyclers to satisfy the agencies’ tracking requirements.

In addition to restricting the landfilling of all electronic scrap, the new guidelines direct all electronics to be delivered to electronics recyclers that are either certified to R2 (Responsible Recycling Practices) or to e-Stewards standards.

Recyclers will have to perform downstream monitoring in accordance with the certifications they hold, the GSA says.

Johnson says, “The federal government as a whole is the nation’s largest consumer of electronics and through this policy it will now be a more responsible user of electronics. We are ensuring that electronics from federal agencies will be reused or sent to certified e-waste recycling plants. These steps are protecting human health and the environment while supporting jobs in the growing e-waste industry.”

The GSA is asking that federal agencies track the destinations of their discarded electronics. The destinations will be available to the public at www.data.gov.

 

> METALS

Scrap Dealers File Lawsuits Against City of Cincinnati
Garden Street Iron & Metal, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based scrap metal recycling facility, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati after it passed a law, originally slated to go into effect March 16, designed to crack down on scrap metal theft.

Additionally, Cohen Brothers Inc. and American Compressed Steel challenged the law in state court.

The lawsuits claim the law runs counter to the U.S. Constitution’s interstate commerce clause.

Earl Weber with Garden Street Iron says one of his biggest concerns with the law, passed Feb. 14, 2012, it that it requires criminal background checks for people who wish to sell nonferrous material, excluding aluminum beverage cans, as scrap. Sellers also would have to purchase a license to sell material to scrap yards.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), the trade association for the scrap recycling industry, says it submitted an amicus brief in support of the motion, further expounding upon the constitutional questions involved.

A judge ruled March 15 that the plaintiffs had demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their claims and that irreparable harm would result if the preliminary injunction was not granted.

 

> METALS

Proler Steel International Signs Letter of Intent to Acquire Texas Recycler
Proler Steel International, Houston, has signed a letter of intent to acquire the business assets and operations of Hastings Salvage and Recycling, a scrap metal recycling company that has been in business in Shepherd, Texas, for more than 24 years.

John and Lynn Hastings own and operate Hastings Salvage. The company processes ferrous and nonferrous metals and also provides transportation services for nonmetallics.

Shane Leonard, Proler Steel International COO, says the move demonstrates the company’s commitment to expanding its operations in Texas.

“The Hastings project is a logical next step for us,” Leonard says. “The reputation and integrity of Mr. and Mrs. Hastings, coupled with their strategic location, make this a very appealing expansion. The move simply makes solid business sense for all parties.”

Cris Proler, Proler Steel International president and CEO, says respect for the Hastings and their success is evident when he speaks of this pending expansion. “This means more to me than just a bigger operational footprint in Texas,” he says, “although that is a notable achievement for our company. I’m humbled and honored by the trust that Mr. and Mrs. Hastings have placed in me and the full resources of Proler Steel International will work to ensure that their legacy of honesty and fair business practices continues for decades to come. The Hastings way of doing business is the Proler way of doing business, too.”

Completion of the Hastings transaction was expected on or about April 1, 2012, pending further due diligence.

As a part of the proposed agreement, John will stay on to assist in the transition post closing. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

> PLASTICS

CarbonLite Opens PET Recycling Facility
The plastics recycling company CarbonLite, a Los Angeles-based producer of bottle-grade material, has held an official grand opening for what the company says is the largest bottle-to-bottle plastics recycling facility in Riverside, Calif.

California Gov. Edmund (Jerry) Brown Jr. attended the grand opening.

“Companies like CarbonLite are revolutionizing the recycling industry and dramatically reducing the huge amount of plastic dumped in California landfills every year,” said Brown.

When fully operational, the 220,000-square-foot plant is expected to process more than 2 billion PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles per year from California’s curbside and redemption programs, CarbonLite says.

“CarbonLIite is using high-tech innovations to bring used plastic back to food grade quality,” said Jared Blumenfeld, regional administrator for Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Southwest. “By recycling 2 billion PET bottles every year, this cutting-edge facility is helping America save 48 million gallons of gas. This is a model of resource recovery and economic development,” he added.

Leon Farahnik, chairman of CarbonLite and parent company HPC Industries, says the project has been greatly helped by partnerships with Pepsi and Nestle, which will consume the pellets produced at the new facility.

The Federal Drug Administration has signed a letter of nonobjection for use of the material in food-contact applications.

 

> METALS

Timken to Invest $225 Million in its Faircrest Steel Plant
After securing a new five-year labor agreement, officials at The Timken Co., Canton, Ohio, have announced that they will move forward with a $225 million investment at the company’s Faircrest steel plant in Stark County, Ohio. With this investment, the specialty alloy steel manufacturer says it will improve productivity, expand its product range and increase capacity to serve growing demand for Timken specialty alloy steel bars.

“This is a good day for our customers around the world, for our company and for the local community,” Salvatore J. Miraglia Jr., Timken steel president, says. “We’ve received great support for our steel expansion from state and local officials and suppliers, and now our employees have put the last element in place to make this project a go.”

The Feb. 21, 2012, ratification of a new extended labor agreement between Timken and members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1123 establishes workforce stability through project construction and startup in 2014, the company says. The labor agreement covers four facilities in Stark County through September 2017 and replaces an agreement that would have expired in the midst of the project’s startup in 2013.

“We are seeing growing demand for Timken specialty steel to support the most demanding energy and industrial applications,” Miraglia says. “This is the right time to make the kind of investment that will improve our operating performance while also expanding our capacity and size range for these products. Combined, that will strengthen our ability to serve these important industries and position the business for continued profitable growth and greater shareholder value.”

A new ladle refiner and large-bloom continuous caster are central to the productivity gains from the investment, The Timken Co. says. The company says its expects the new equipment to increase the Faircrest operation’s shippable capacity by 25 percent and enable the production of a broader range of large-diameter bars.

“We have a highly skilled, capable workforce committed to continuous improvement,” says Thomas D. Moline, vice president of steel manufacturing. “Our team understands what it takes to make custom-melted, high-quality alloy bars and tubes that meet our customers’ exacting metallurgical requirements. This investment, which is the largest since opening the plant in 1985, builds on those skills to improve our productivity while giving us the ability to offer even more to the customers who rely on us for their own success.”

In 2011, Timken’s steel segment melted 1.7 million tons of raw materials to generate $2 billion of sales of its custom-designed steel, according to the company. To further productivity and growth, the company invested more than $200 million in its steel operations in northeast Ohio in the last five years. The most recent of those investments included a $35 million high-volume in-line forge press at the Faircrest rolling mill, which is under construction, and $50 million in capital improvements at its Harrison and Gambrinus steel plants in Stark County.

The Timken Co. is one of the world’s leading producers of highly engineered anti-friction bearings and related products and services as well as of alloy steel and components.

 

> MUNICIPAL

RethinkWaste Reports Increase in Curbside Recycling
According to San Carlos, Calif.-based RethinkWaste, residents in its service area set out record amounts of recyclables and compost through its CartSmart weekly collection services in the first year since its launch in partnership with Recology of San Mateo County.

Total tons of residential recycling collected jumped 25 percent in 2011 compared with 2010 (40,655 tons versus 32,507 tons, respectively), RethinkWaste reports. Compost collection increased 29 percent for the same period (75,373 tons in 2011 compared with 58,306 tons in 2010), and garbage decreased by nearly 18 percent (59,300 tons in 2011 compared with 71,840 tons in 2010).

2011 was the first year when residents set out more compost (food scraps and yard trimmings) than garbage. More than 16,000 tons were collected for composting compared with landfill-bound trash.

The data comes from comparing the 2011 tonnages reported by Recology San Mateo County, the service provider as of Jan. 1, 2011, with the 2010 figures submitted by Allied Waste of San Mateo County. Allied Waste was the previous service provider whose contract expired Dec. 31, 2010.

San Mateo County Supervisor Carole Groom says, “The residents truly deserve a lot of credit for utilizing the upgraded recycling program.”

The CartSmart program is a three-cart system, with a blue cart for recyclables, a green cart for compost and a black cart for garbage. RethinkWaste says a significant contributing factor to the increase in residential participation in 2011 was switching to a larger cart for recycling collection and to weekly collection for all three carts.

“The year-over-year increases in recycling and compost collection and the decrease in garbage are unprecedented,” Kevin McCarthy, RethinkWaste executive director, says. “These new collection services and our new Shoreway Environmental Center in San Carlos together comprise one of the biggest environmental success stories in years.”

While all communities in the service area experienced increases in residential recycling and compost amounts, those with the most significant changes in their respective recycling and composting levels are:

• East Palo Alto, with an 80.47 percent increase in recycling;
• North Fair Oaks, with a 56.31 percent increase in recycling;
• Hillsborough, with a 34.77 percent increase in recycling;
• Atherton, with a 49.87 percent increase in composting;
• Burlingame, with a 48.15 percent increase in composting; and
• West Bay Sanitary District, with a 43.39 percent increase in composting.

RethinkWaste, whose legal name is the South Bayside Waste Management Authority, is a joint-powers authority of 12 public agencies in the communities of Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, the County of San Mateo and the West Bay Sanitary District in San Mateo County, Calif.

RethinkWaste owns and manages the Shoreway Environmental Center, which receives the recyclables, organic materials and solid waste collected in its service area.

 

> PAPER

Waste Management Acquires Chicago Recycling, Secure Destruction Firm
Houston-based Waste Management Inc. (WMI) has acquired Recycling Services Inc. (RSI), a Chicago-based paper recycling and document destruction firm.

Bill Plunkett, Waste Management Chicago region spokesman, says the acquisition of RSI gives Waste Management a strong presence in the Chicago area offering commercial and office recycling programs.

“They have an outstanding business model,” Plunkett says of RSI. “We intend to use their strengths with customers, including some of the largest property managers in the city of Chicago. Their expertise will be of great value to Waste Management.”

Along with operating very effective office recycling programs, he says RSI also conducts waste audits for customers, something that WMI plans to leverage as it seeks to triple the recycling volumes that the company handles.

“The value to Waste Management is the experience and knowledge that Recycling Services has with office recycling programs,” Plunkett says. “It is our expectation that we will learn a lot from RSI.”

RSI will maintain its name and will continue to operate from its location in South Chicago.

Waste Management also plans to retain RSI’s staff, including its top officials. “They have great leadership,” Plunkett says.

 

> PAPER

RockTenn Announces Permanent Closure of Quebec Mill
RockTenn, Norcross, Ga., has announced plans to permanently close its Matane, Quebec, containerboard mill.

RockTenn had acquired the mill as part of its acquisition of Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. in 2011. When fully operational, the mill was able to produce approximately 176,000 tons per year of recycled corrugated medium per year.

RockTenn had ceased production at the mill in late January 2012 in an effort to bring its overall containerboard mill system capacity in line with demand.

According to RockTenn, the Matane mill was the highest cost mill in its containerboard mill system after accounting for all expenses, including freight and overhead. The company says it believes it will save approximately $16 million per year from the mill’s closure.

RockTenn plans to work with the city of Matane and other interested parties to find the best alternative use for the site.

 

> MUNICIPAL

New Jersey Announces $5.5 Million in Recycling Grants
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced $5.5 million in grants to all 21 of the state’s counties to help them enhance local recycling efforts.

The grants range from $11,100 to $485,100 and are allocated to New Jersey’s counties based on population.

DEP Commissioner Bob Martin says, “We are working hard to find ways to improve recycling rates and re-energize recycling efforts across all sectors of our state. These Recycling Enhancement Act grants are an important part of this effort.”

County agencies can use the funds for a variety of activities, including public education, purchases of recycling containers, e-scrap collection and education programs, household hazardous waste and scrap tire collection programs, inspections and mini-grants to municipalities, according to the DEP.

New Jersey celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act this year.

 

> METALS

Gerdau to Restart Iowa Auto Shredder
The steel company Gerdau, headquartered in Brazil, has announced plans to restart auto shredding operations at its Wilton, Iowa, steel mill by mid-2012. The company idled the shredder nearly three years ago.

“The restart and upgrade of the Wilton shredder is part of our commitment to captive scrap utilization throughout North America,” Matt Yeatman, Gerdau vice president of raw materials, says. “Utilizing the synergy of scrap production and steel making on one site is core to our business model.”

Gerdau began installing new equipment at the site in late 2011, including a new infeed system for the existing shredder and updated automation and controls. The company has targeted May 1, 2012, as the project’s completion date.

 

> METALS

Scrap Metal Services Opens Ohio Facility
Scrap Metal Services LLC (SMS), Chicago, has opened a new scrap metal processing facility in Warren, Ohio. It is a greenfield commercial operation on approximately 8 acres.

Jeffry Gertler, Scrap Metal Services CEO, says, “This new facility, located in the Ohio Valley region, allows Scrap Metal Services LLC to expand its scope to serve our customers’ locations in the eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania region. SMS will continue to expand its footprint through acquisitions or by opening greenfield operations as strategic opportunities present themselves.”

SMS, which operates facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Alabama and now Ohio, provides full-service scrap management, consulting and purchasing services to industrial scrap generators and demolition contractors. The company handles ferrous and nonferrous metals.

In addition to scrap yards, SMS operates steel mill service facilities in Pennsylvania and Indiana.

 

> PLASTICS

Preserve Launches iPhone App to Increase Recycling of No. 5 Plastics
Preserve, a consumer goods company based in Waltham, Mass., has launched a partnership with Recyclebank, a New York-based company that rewards consumers for recycling with discounts from local and national businesses as part of the Recyclebank Ecosystem.

Preserve says the partnership will help accelerate awareness and participation in its Gimme 5 program—a recycling system that provides expanded recycling options for No. 5 plastics (polypropylene). Through Preserve’s program, shoppers can bring yogurt containers or other No. 5 plastics to participating retail locations nationwide for recycling.

Preserve is also launching a free iPhone app that allows users to find the nearest No. 5 collection site. The Gimme 5 app will allow participants to formally join the Preserve Gimme 5 program and Recyclebank, enabling participants to earn rewards for their recycling efforts. It also offers Facebook and Twitter sharing and real-time recycling activity check-ins.

Each time a user checks in his or her No. 5 recycling at participating retail locations, he or she can earn Recyclebank points that can be redeemed for discounts and deals at local and national businesses. Users also can earn points for mailing in their No. 5 plastics or for purchasing Preserve’s products at www.preserveproducts.com.

The Gimme 5 community also is accessible through www.mygimme5.com.

According to Preserve, Gimme 5 consumers have dropped off more than 200 tons of yogurt cups, hummus and cottage cheese containers at more than 240 Whole Foods Market stores and cooperating independent markets across the U.S.

Preserve COO Ben Anderson says, “Working together, Preserve and Recyclebank will empower consumers to make a difference with their recycling and the companies they support with their purchases.”

 

> METALS

Outokumpu Board Approves Acquisition of ThyssenKrupp’s Stainless Steel Division
Finnish stainless steel manufacturer Outokumpu’s board has approved the purchase of Inoxum, ThyssenKrupp AG’s stainless steel group. Outokumpu says the combined companies will control about 14 percent, or 3.5 million tons, of annual stainless steel cold rolling capacity.

Following completion of the transaction, Outokumpu says it expects to have the scale and financial strength to take advantage of a range of global growth opportunities. These opportunities include an expansion in the United States through its Calvert, Ala., production facility that is scheduled to be fully commissioned in December 2012 with a 1 million metric ton melt shop and a 350,000 metric ton cold-rolling mill.

The transaction also will allow Outokumpu to expand its existing presence in China, one of the fastest-growing regions in the stainless steel industry. At the same time, Outokumpu will continue the upstream integration at its Tornio, Finland, facility, doubling its in-house production of ferrochrome by 2015, which is expected to provide a considerable profit opportunity for the combined business.

The transaction is designed to enable a strategic optimization of production capacities and locations and supply routes, Outokumpu says, which would permit higher usage rates at its two mills in Tornio, Finland, and in Terni, Italy. Also, the combined entity says it plans to expand cold-rolling capacity in Krefeld, Germany, while reducing thin cold-rolling capacity in Sweden in 2014.

The combined company also plans to reduce its melting capacity by about 1.4 million metric tons, closing melt shops in Krefeld by end of 2013 and in Bochum, Germany, by the end of 2016.

 

> ELECTRONICS

SRS Receives DOD Contract Extension
Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS), a global leader in electronics reuse and recycling with North American headquarters in Chicago, has announced that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has agreed to renew a five-year continuation of service contract with the company. SRS has been the sole provider of electronic demanufacturing services for the DoD for 13 years, the company says.

The DoD based this decision on the company’s “excellent” rating in overall past performance, which included security protocols and environmental standards, according to SRS.

SRS owns and operates 50 sites across the globe. In North America, the company operates 14 sites in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Ontario, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

 

> METALS

TMS Expands Taiwan Scrap Yard
Glassport, Pa.-based TMS International Corp., the parent company of Tube City IMS Corp., says it has expanded its scrap yard in Taichung, Taiwan, to accommodate the company’s growth opportunities. The Taiwan plant, which opened in early 2011, is the company’s first in that country.

The Taichung operation supplies raw material to steel mills in Taiwan. The new location remains strategically located near these steel mills and complements TMS’ procurement operations in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Singapore.

The new yard has almost double the production capacity and enables the company to meet increasing demand for steel making raw materials in the region, TMS says.

David Aronson, TMS International raw material and optimization group president and COO, says, “With the increased demand it became clear that we would need to expand our yard operation. Our business continues to grow in the Taiwan region due to the quality and effectiveness of our team.”

 

> ELECTRONICS

Maxxum Recertifies to NAID Standards
Maxxum Inc., Rush City, Minn., an IT asset disposition solutions provider, has been recertified by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), Phoenix, for plant-based computer hard drive sanitization operations and on-site and plant-based physical hard drive destruction.

The NAID AAA Certification program establishes standards for a secure information destruction process, including such areas as operational security, employee hiring and screening, documented processes, responsible disposal and insurance.

NAID is the nonprofit trade organization of the secure destruction industry. Founded in 1994, its mission is to promote proper destruction of all forms of discarded media containing personal and proprietary information.

Rich Woodward, president and owner of Maxxum, says, “Data protection and destruction is an increasingly significant and complex issue for our clients, and with NAID AAA Certified asset disposition services and other leading-edge data security services, Maxxum is well-positioned to help these organizations protect their sensitive information while satisfying rigorous regulatory requirements.”

According to the company, its client base has grown some 30 to 40 percent in the last two years as organizations look for help not just with satisfying data destruction requirements but also with establishing sound policies and procedures to keep sensitive data secure throughout the information technology life cycle.

Maxxum’s service area also has increased in the last two years. “Where two years ago most of our clients were based in the Upper Midwest, today we work with organizations throughout the United States and even into Canada, providing a variety of value-added services to help them efficiently and effectively solve diverse data and IT equipment protection needs,” Woodward says. “We’ve also hired additional personnel to help keep pace with the growing demand for service.”

 

> METALS

SA Recycling Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Terminal Island Operations
The scrap metal recycling firm SA Recycling, headquartered in Orange, Calif., is celebrating the 50th year of operations at its Terminal Island, Calif., location in 2012.

SA Recycling has operated the Terminal Island facility for nearly five years. Prior to SA Recycling acquiring the facility, the Terminal Island location was operated by a number of different companies.

David Thornburg, a spokesman for SA Recycling, says that since the company acquired the facility it has transformed the location to one of the “greenest” recycling yards in the country. The company has state-of-the-art stormwater systems and other programs to reduce the facility’s impact on the environment, he says.

To commemorate the anniversary, SA Recycling held a celebration at its Terminal Island site Feb. 27, 2012.

During the anniversary celebration, the company singled out Francisco “Pancho” Rojas, who has worked at the location for 44 years and now serves as a maintenance manager.

Francisco is not the only Rojas family member working at SA Recycling. Frank Rojas, Francisco’s son, has worked for the company for the past eight years.

SA Recycling also pointed out other families who have a history of employment with the company. Five members of the Vizcarra family work for the company; Antonio Cuevas, who has served at the Terminal Island facility for 33 years, works at the facility with two sons; and Francisco Tinajero and his son Francisco Jr. both work at the port facility, according to SA Recycling.

“Yes, it’s a family business, and not just in the literal sense,” SA Recycling CEO George Adams says. “I think this attitude sets us apart from some organizations that do not include loyalty and putting family first as key values.”

SA Recycling’s Terminal Island facility employees nearly 150 people in total.

 

> METALS

USM Acquires Premier Metals Recycling of Chicago
Universal Scrap Metals (USM), Chicago, has acquired the assets of Premier Metals Recycling, another Chicago-based scrap processor.

According to a news release, with the acquisition, USM adds extensive copper recycling capabilities to the ferrous, nonferrous, electronics and composite scrap recycling activities conducted by its current companies: Universal Scrap Metals, USM Processing, USM Recycling and USMe Electronic Assets Recycling.

“We are excited about the benefits we will gain from the synergy between our two companies’ operations,” says Jason Zeid, USM vice president and president of the other USM companies. “The addition of Premier’s knowledgeable employees, specialized technology and copper recycling equipment will bolster our existing copper recycling operation and add significantly to our ability to serve our customers’ comprehensive needs.

“We are also pleased about the benefits that USM’s electronics recycling division will realize—namely expanded capability to process electronic scrap through the copper processing line,” he adds.

Todd Fingerman, former president of Premier, will head the expanded USM copper operation. Fingerman’s title will be USM director of copper processing. The Premier chopping operation, enhanced with new equipment, will be located in a newly built dedicated copper processing space at USM’s headquarters facility in Chicago, the company says.

“We can assure Premier customers that the excellent service they received in the past will continue,” Fingerman says, “and is now backed by USM’s considerable size, stability and many years of experience in the recycling industry.”

 

> MUNICIPAL

Indiana Agency Releases Funds to Boost Recycling
The Indiana Recycling Market Development Program (RMDP) has been authorized to release $500,000 in grant funds to assist recycling businesses and to boost economic development in the state. Recycling businesses have until June 11, 2012, to apply for the grants, which are designed to help purchase equipment for manufacturing recycled materials into new products.

The program’s grants are awarded for business recycling projects that reduce solid waste disposal, increase Indiana’s capacity for recyclable material manufacturing and increase the use of recycled content products.

Grants will range from $25,000 to $200,000 with a required 50 percent match by the individual company.

Businesses that have current RMDP projects are not eligible to apply for this round of grants. The RMDP says it will make final funding determinations of eligible projects by August.

More information is available by calling 800-451-6027 or by visiting www.recycle.IN.gov/5745.htm.

 

> GLASS

Regency Technologies Opens CRT Glass Recycling Facility
Regency Technologies, an IT asset recycling company headquartered in Twinsburg, Ohio, has opened a new plant to handle CRT (cathode ray tube) glass in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, adjacent to the Dlubak Glass facility. Dlubak is the largest recycler of CRTs in the United States.

The new plant will allow Regency to break down, dismantle and recycle devices containing CRT glass, the company says.

Dlubak Glass will receive the separated CRT glass and recycle it into a furnace-ready cullet.

In addition to its Ohio plant, Dlubak has plants in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona. The company says it recycles more than 600,000 tons of glass yearly across its facilities.

Regency Technologies is affiliated with Reserve Management Group (RMG), an Ohio company involved in recycling and scrap metal processing.

 

> METALS

LKQ Acquires Canadian Automobile Recycler
LKQ Corp., based in Chicago, has announced that one of its subsidiaries has acquired Lecavalier Auto Parts Inc., an automotive recycling company headquartered in Quebec, Canada.

LKQ provides aftermarket and recycled collision replacement parts and refurbished collision replacement products. The company operates more than 430 facilities, including facilities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico and Central America.

Lecavalier Auto Parts has four recycling facilities in Quebec. The company’s main facility is in Sainte-Sophie, with its other locations in Sainte-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Laval and St-Apollinaire. The facilities process salvage vehicles to provide replacement automotive parts to mechanical repair facilities, body repair facilities and direct consumers.

LKQ says Roger and Philippe Fugère, the former owners of Lecavalier Auto Parts, will continue to manage the company following the acquisition.

“It’s an opportunity for our business and employees to grow in a market that is being highly consolidated. For our customers, they will have more availability of products and services in one call,” the Fugères say.

LKQ has operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and Central America.