Sennebogen--The Strong Survive

After 43 years in the business, Steve Garber of Global Shredding Technologies has bought, sold, operated and maintained just about every brand of scrap handling equipment. When it came time to replace his aging fleet, he didn’t mess around.

"Being in the business as long as I have, I try to stay up to date on what is available and what the industry is saying about scrap handlers. SENNEBOGEN came to my attention a number of times through trade events, magazines and from talking to other people in the industry," says Garber.

Global Shredding Technologies is a car shredding facility that operates within the Gerdau Ameristeel steel mill in Baldwin, Fla. The company operates on eight acres where it processes up to 30,000 tons of scrap monthly. Global acquired three SENNEBOGEN 850 M Series green machines in the summer of 2005.

There are three rubber-tired SENNEBOGEN machines on site. Two are equipped with grapples, the third with a magnet. One grapple machine is kept busy feeding the shredder at a rate of 1,200 to 1,500 tons per 10-hour shift, up to six days a week. The shredder must run 10 hours a day to maintain the company’s production schedule.

Keeping up with the busy demands of the company was a top priority for Global.

The other two SENNEBOGEN machines in the yard are used to unload all the ferrous materials arriving for processing, to stack materials and to perform other general yard work as necessary.

"These two machines are kept busy receiving about 2,000 tons each day and run at least 20 hours a day, six days a week," says Garber.

"We can’t have machines out there that need attention every other hour. We knew we needed something reliable, heavy-duty and dependable. Otherwise, the machines become a liability," he says. "That’s why we went with SENNEBOGEN. It’s a proven asset."

Another important factor in choosing the right machinery was service.

Global has had a long service relationship with Briggs Equipment. Known as the largest Case equipment distributor in North America, Briggs Construction Equipment Division first took on the SENNEBOGEN line in 2003. It was Briggs that proposed the green machines to Garber when Global expressed its interest in replacing its scrap handling equipment.

"Some of the main criteria when we went looking for replacement machines was that they would complement well what we were doing, the availability when we needed them, but most of all the service," says Garber. "It doesn’t make any sense for us to invest in machinery of this magnitude and not have the service to back it up. The dealer has to be there, and Briggs is," explains Garber. "If we can’t get the service we need when we need it or the parts, it doesn’t matter how good the machine is. If it doesn’t run, we don’t run," Garber continues. "The relationship with Briggs has been great for us. And now it continues with SENNEBOGEN."