Shear Success

Beacon Metal Co. is celebrating its 40th anniversary in August. The company has been accepting scrap metal from residential, commercial and industrial accounts since 1971 and now has locations in Freehold and South Amboy, N.J. The purchase of a PCM-500 portable shear baler from IMABE in February has allowed the company to easily shear material to any specified size.

“The main reason for purchasing the PCM-500 from IMABE was because it was fully portable,” explains Clyde Cameron, head of research and development for Beacon Metal. “We move the machine between our two locations and other job sites frequently, making the wheels a necessity.”

Prior to using the IMABE PCM-500, Beacon Metal was using excavators fitted with shears to size scrap metal. Clyde says three excavators could not keep up with what one IMABE PCM-500 has been able to produce.

“Before, we were producing 2 to 5 tons per hour with each excavator. Now we are producing 10 to 15 tons per hour with the IMABE  PCM-500,” he says.

In addition to being mobile, many other factors led to the decision by Beacon Metal to purchase a PCM-500, including the amount of power available in such a compact machine, wider box dimensions than the competition and the fact that all electronics and hydraulics are made by IMABE and not an outside company.

Beacon Metal is the first company in the U.S. to purchase a portable shear baler from IMABE. Representatives from IMABE flew Beacon Metal executives to Spain to see firsthand how the machines have held up against years of abuse in a scrap yard environment along with a tour of the factory where the machines are manufactured.

“We would recommend any piece of IMABE equipment to other recyclers because we have seen the quality and dedication that they put into their products,” says Clyde.

Beacon Metal has recommended IMABE to many other recyclers in the U.S. While IMABE has sold other portable shear balers in the U.S. since Beacon Metals’s flagship purchase, the company is still the main demonstration site IMABE uses for prospective buyers.

“We are very happy with our machine and its performance and would be glad to share our experiences with anybody looking for a shear baler,” says Clyde.