Filling voids

“You live and learn” is a phrase used by many and one that DM Enterprises’ Foreman John Popa says led his company to where it is today. Popa’s learn-from-your-mistakes attitude is apparent when he discusses the scrap railroad contractor’s equipment used in everyday operations.

DM Enterprises offloads rail and other track materials (OTM), such as splice bars, rail tie plates, turnout plates and other railroad materials from rail cars. The company, which is based in Masury, Ohio, north of Youngstown, buys scrap from railroads, including CSX Corp., sorts the No. 1 heavy melting scrap (HMS) into separate piles, cuts it into 2-foot to 5-foot sections and sells the material to various vendors, from users who remelt the scrap metal into pipes, sign posts and bedframes to reroll mills that create new railroad tracks, Popa says.

He explains how DM Enterprises admittedly purchased the wrong material handler initially for its operations. While the company is still leasing that original material handler, Popa says the introduction of Liebherr’s 944 C Litronic material handler to its operations in August 2014 has “done the job we’ve wanted it to do.” The major difference between the two scrap handlers, he notes, is that the original machine is wheeled, whereas the 944 is track mounted.

“We got the wrong machine to start off with,” Popa says. From the time he bought the wheeled scrap handler two years ago to today, he considers this his “trial-and-error basis.”

“Now when I’m looking to get something, I know what equipment I want. I know what will do the job and what’s going to satisfy us,” he says, adding, “and that’s from experience.”
 

Efficient equipment

This experience is ultimately what led DM Enterprises to buy a new scrap handler. When Dave Ferroni joined RECO Equipment Inc., headquartered in Belmont, Ohio, as territory sales manager two years ago, he at first met with DM Enterprises to address the company’s need for a loader.

“Then they realized they were going to need another large machine on track,” Ferroni says.

He describes how instead of having a number of loaders inefficiently move material on-site, he recommended the 944 material handler as a solution. Loaders, Ferroni says, can’t properly move the OTM, which is flowing into DM’s operations in increasing volumes.

“Instead of having the loader move the rail, they wanted to get a new machine to move material more efficiently because the loader couldn’t help with the OTM,” Ferroni says.

He adds, “They were filling voids.”

Along with the Liebherr 944 scrap handler, Ferroni sold DM Enterprises a Liebherr 538 wheel loader.

Having the right equipment has served the company well. As general manager of operations, Popa says DM Enterprises is becoming more efficient each day as material volume increases.

“We’re growing tremendously,” Popa says. “We’re getting the equipment that can handle everything, and that’s why we’re growing.”

Ferroni says that while DM Enterprises had just purchased a material handler when he met Popa, “Unfortunately, they were having reliability issues, and it wasn’t the right machine for the application.

“We had several conversations over the next few months and collectively decided to try the 944,” he adds. “The machine has performed very well, and they are pleased with RECO’s service department. It has been a win-win for both parties.”

Popa says it is only a matter of time until DM replaces its leased scrap handler with another new Liebherr machine.

He says the initial material handler the company purchased has had many problems, including the quality of the magnet.

“We’ve been spending all kinds of money on that machine. As soon as I can get rid of it, I’ll get rid of it. A Liebherr will replace it,” he says of the first material handler DM purchased.
 

Simple switch

The 944 scrap handler appealed to DM Enterprises for a number of reasons, he says.

First, a tracked machine was more appropriate for the work site. Working in an old rail yard, DM Enterprises backfilled much of the property with large pieces of slag, creating a surface that is difficult for wheeled material handlers to navigate.

Popa says the wheeled scrap handler has gotten stuck at least once. “We had to have a wrecker come pull it out; but, if I had tracks on this one, I think it would’ve been OK,” he says.

Popa continues, “You live and learn. When we were talking about getting another machine, I said, ‘We’re definitely getting one with tracks.’”

In addition, Popa says the latest scrap handler DM Enterprise uses is much simpler to operate than the machine the company originally purchased. With a wider base, more stability and less electronic buttons and switches to manage, the 944 material handler appeals to DM’s operators, Popa says.

He explains, “It’s just easier. It’s just a simpler machine. Anybody in this kind of work wants the simplest machine to run.”

Ferroni agrees. “At the end of the day, that operator better be comfortable,” he says. “This [machine] provides a soundproof cab, the machine is not as jerky, and the visibility is better because of the way the glass is designed. When you get a comfortable operator, he’s going to work that much better.”

Ferroni says another important aspect of the 944 scrap handler is the fast cycle time, which helps DM Enterprises to better manage its growing operations.

“The key is how much [can] you pick up with one shot and how quickly can you do it? DM can offload their rail cars much faster with their Liebherr than with other machines,” Ferroni suggests.

The 944’s magnet attachment can pick up from 1,500 pounds to 3,000 pounds each lift, Popa says, resulting in load times per truck of just more than 10 minutes.
 

Recommended relationships

Since DM Enterprises purchased the 944 tracked material handler, Popa says the company has used the machine daily in its operations. “Whether it’s two hours or all day,” he adds.

DM Enterprises initially looked into switching scrap handler manufacturers after a company acquaintance who uses Liebherr machines recommended the brand to the company, Popa explains.

He says on factor that helped to make the sale, and why DM is planning to purchase another 944 from RECO Equipment, is the relationship Ferroni has maintained with the company.

“With RECO, I’ve fulfilled a trust in them. Whoever is going to take good care of us is who is going to be selling us equipment,” Popa states.

He continues, “Next year this time, we may have three more Liebherr machines and a couple more loaders. Our material [volume] is growing, productivity is more, and we’re trying to do more each week. I’ve been very happy with this machine as it is able to do more things that the other machine wasn’t capable of doing.”

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