Scrap Handling Equipment Focus: Keeping Busy

Sugar Creek Scrap Inc., West Terre Haute, Ind., is a third-generation, family-owned business that lays claim to being the region’s best recycling center with a focus on customer service and integrity. The company was formed in 1997 by David Levin after merging Dumes Salvage and Sussman Iron & Metal Co.

"We strive to be good corporate citizens and are involved in the life of our community," says Plant Manager Carol Briggs. "We’re proud to be a drop-off recycling site for Habitat for Humanity and a number of other local community organizations."

The company handles a variety of metals, including stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, tin and iron. Sugar Creek also accepts appliances and provides trailer and container services.

Sugar Creek Scrap’s two aging cable cranes were beginning to a negative effect on the business, resulting in costly repairs and downtime, which was not ideal for a company that puts its emphasis on customer service.

At the suggestion of Josh Farmer of Brandeis Machinery & Supply, based in Louisville, Ky., Sugar Creek’s Briggs and Purchasing and Sales Manager Margaret Morton visited a couple of local job sites to see Sennebogen purpose-built material handlers in action.

According to Morton and Briggs, they were impressed by what they saw. As a result, Sugar Creek purchased two 830 R-HD units manufactured by Sennebogen LLC, Charlotte, N.C., for the company’s 23-acre full-service scrap and recycling facility.

The machines are equipped with 56-inch magnets and interchangeable four-tine grapples. For eight hours every day, the two machines load and unload trailers and load trucks destined for local steel mills and transfer materials from one location to another in the yard.

Briggs and Morton say they have noticed a significant increase in the yard’s productivity and efficiency since the two Sennebogen units went into operation.

"Our production has increased tenfold," says Morton. "Our Sennebogen machines are very fuel efficient, easy to maintain and most importantly purpose-built for our application–unlike the modified excavators we were shown by other manufacturers when we were specing the purchase."

"We have a very uneven working surface. And depending on the weather, it can be very muddy," Briggs says of the company’s unpaved yard. She says the company opted for crawler-mounted material handlers "because of the stability offered by the wide stance and extra weight underneath, compared to the wheeled models." Briggs adds, "It’s worked out wonderfully—it was definitely the right way to go for us."

Morton says she also likes the ease of use the material handlers offer. "You have very few people who can operate cable cranes today," she says.

"Our Sennebogen scrap handlers are easy to operate and don’t have any computers to fuss with or break down. That’s a real plus when you’re trying to maximize your uptime," Morton adds.

"When you compare these machines to our old cable cranes, it’s no contest," she continues.

In addition to the ease of operation, Morton says the elevating cab on the company’s 830 R-HD material handlers is something Sugar Creek’s three crane operators really appreciate. "The visibility with our old cable cranes left a lot to be desired," she adds.

"The elevating cab lets our operators see where they place the magnets and grapple and cuts down on the potential damage to our trucks and those of our customers." Morton continues, "Having 360 degrees of swing also allows them to see the whole yard and make sure that everyone and everything is where it is supposed to be."

Briggs and Morton say they are pleased with the attention and service they continue to receive from Farmer, who is a machine sales specialist with the Indianapolis branch of Brandeis Machinery & Supply.

"Brandeis Machinery has been a great business partner and has always been there for us," Briggs says. "We signed a maintenance agreement with them, and they’ve done everything we expected and then some," she adds.

"Josh is a great salesman and business partner. When he showed us how Sennebogen material handlers were purpose built for our application, we knew that he was our man," Briggs continues. "We trust his equipment knowledge and business acumen,."

With Brandeis Machinery helping to keep the company’s equipment operating at peak performance, the staff at Sugar Creek Scrap can focus its energies on what it does best—providing custom designed full-service recycling solutions for area businesses as well as recycling services for the community of Terre Haute.