Network Security

Security and safety are two topics discussed frequently in the information destruction industry. A successful company’s reputation is built in part on being able to offer both to customers and employees. Reliable baling equipment can help destruction services providers deliver the safety and security their employees and customers require.

Mark Wilson, director of emerging business engineering for Cintas Corp., says, “Cintas looks for equipment that is extremely safe, reliable, consistent, easy to maintain and backed by an excellent support network.”

Wilson says Cintas, headquartered in Cincinnati, considers bale integrity a very important component of safety and security. Continuous process and safety improvements are core values for Cintas, which offers document shredding, document storage, document imaging, product destruction, X-ray destruction, compliance and employee training and, most recently, hard drive destruction as part of its records management division. When Cintas began to seek out a baler manufacture, it wanted to work with a company that held the same standards and progressive mindset, Wilson says.

“Our expectation is that suppliers be willing to make safety and operational improvements on a continual basis as suggested by Cintas engineering,” he adds.

With these standards in mind, Cintas turned to American Baler, Bellevue, Ohio, for its baling equipment needs and has been working with the firm since 2005.

Wilson says, “American Baler had the progressive mindset Cintas was looking for and has made numerous safety and operational improvements that Cintas suggested.”

He continues, “Most would say a baler is a baler, but the American Baler [baler] provides all of these features, and the people at American are always looking for ways to improve the safety and functionality of balers we purchase.”

Maximized Solutions
Sometimes, as the old saying goes, you can have too much of a good thing. Business growth is a positive development; but, as a company expands, it often finds that small issues that seemed manageable when the company was smaller become greater headaches. Many of Cintas’ document management division locations handle large quantities of paper each day, making operational issues such as bale tying and bale density things the company knew needed attention. Wilson points out that issues related to bale tying and bale density are manageable complications when the number of bales processed each day is relatively small. However, as a company’s volume grows, tie failure at any rate causes big problems.

“The bale chamber and hydraulic controls are designed to promote consistent tying and improved bale density,” Wilson says of the American Baler models Cintas uses. “These factors increase in importance as you grow and process more material. To explain, if a baler fails to tie off properly 10 percent of the time, it may be acceptable if you’re processing 10 bales per day; but, imagine how disruptive it would be when you have 10 times that volume,” he says.

Cintas also wanted to reduce the number of times its balers tie off a bale during the day, which Wilson says American Baler has been able to help with by maximizing bale size and density.

“For example, you can have 10 68-inch bales that weigh an average of 1,310 pounds each (28 pounds per cubic foot in terms of density) or seven 80-inch bales that weigh an average of 1,775 pounds each (32 pounds per cubic foot in terms of density),” Wilson says. “Bale integrity is tougher to maintain as a bale gets longer, but the American Baler baler continues to provide great results,” he adds.

Since Cintas began working with American Baler, Wilson says it has found that the company’s balers create a high-quality bale that maintains its integrity even when stacked and moved to a tractor trailer. He says this also is a criterion Cintas looks for because stacking solid, tight bales is easier and safer.

Beyond the importance of a dense bale that maintains its integrity to plant safety, Wilson says, loose or breaking bales cause a mess on the warehouse floor, “which requires a location to focus more attention on housekeeping in order to keep the working area safe.”

He adds, “American Baler provides tight, consistent bales that meet Cintas’ expectations and help promote a safe working environment for our partners and assures the confidential information of our customers is secure,” Wilson says.

Additionally, he says Cintas has found that American Baler’s maintenance screenings have been a great tool for reducing downtime and ensuring equipment is maintained properly. The information provided by the maintenance screenings enables Cintas’ partners to troubleshoot problems that may occur and notifies them of required service.

“This information helps Cintas reduce system downtime and improves the expected life cycle of the equipment,” Wilson says.

Support Network
In addition to a willingness to make safety and operational improvements on an ongoing basis, Wilson says Cintas also finds cooperation during the installation process an important factor in working with equipment suppliers. A one-size-fits-all approach to setup and support was not what Cintas was looking for in its search for an equipment supplier, Wilson says. Instead, Cintas wanted a company that was willing to listen to its unique needs and concerns.

Wilson says Cintas prefers to install its baling equipment using its own engineering team. It is important to the company that its equipment suppliers be willing to work with its engineers.

Following the installation process, American Baler sends a technician to the site to start up the baler. The technicians work to fine-tune the balers and ensure they perform to Cintas’ specifications.

Also, Wilson explains, American Baler has worked with Cintas throughout the two companies’ seven-year relationship to improve employee training. American Baler has made technicians available to address specific issues that have occurred in the past at Cintas’ locations, he says.

The qualities that initially drew Cintas to American Baler have continued to ring true through the years. The reputation American Baler has been cultivating since 1945 stood out to Cintas in the beginning and has thus far proven to be consistent.

Wilson recommends other operators looking for a baling equipment provider research companies’ histories to get an idea of what each has to offer. “I would recommend looking for a company that provides a great product and great customer service. I would also consider how long the company has been in business and how their product has changed or improved over the years,” he says.

The author is assistant editor of Storage and & Destruction Business magazine and can be contacted at kstoklosa@gie.net.