 Fulton |
W
hen Edwin Fulton, owner of Fulton Supply and Recycling Inc., opened his first scrap yard in Denton, Texas, in 1969, he was just going into the scrap business to make a living. Today, Edwin’s business is thriving.Since he opened his first yard in the late ’60s, Edwin has added a second yard, as well as Fulton’s Metal and Hardware, a retail store in Denton where he sells new building materials.
Through the years, Fulton Supply and Recycling has remained committed to quality and fair business practices, but lately, the company has had to adapt to a whole new set of rules, Edwin says. As local and federal government guidelines and policies have changed, so have the Fulton family’s business practices.
STUMBLING INTO SUCCESS
Edwin opened his first scrap yard in Denton, Texas, not because he foresaw the future potential in scrap metal recycling, but because he needed, quite simply, to "make a living," he says.
"I’ve been in the scrap business all of my life. I started from scratch," Edwin says.
From scratch, he’s managed to build a nice little empire for himself, including the original scrap yard in Denton, another yard in Gainesville and a retail store in Denton. And for Edwin, the best part is the security he can offer his family. "All of my kids work for the company, and now they can make a living, too," he says.
But Fulton Supply and Recycling has become more than just a way for the Fulton family to make a living. It’s now a major operation. The company employs a total of 48 people at its Denton and Gainesville yards, which both have railroad access for easy transportation of materials. These materials are ultimately shipped to an array of U.S. and overseas businesses that rely on Fulton Supply and Recycling for scrap metals.
| Loyal to Quality |
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Fulton Supply and Recycling Inc., Denton, Texas, values quality above all else; whether it’s the product it puts out or the equipment it uses to create that product, the team at Fulton Supply and Recycling is interested in the best. As the company has grown, it has looked to Sierra International Machinery LLC, Bakersfield, Calif., to provide the most of-the-moment technological advancements to support its needs and to ensure that its product will be top quality. Edwin Fulton, owner of Fulton Supply and Recycling, understands the value of Sierra equipment. "They’re economical and efficient. I’ve had three of them now," he says of Sierra‘s T500. Edwin purchased his first Sierra Sierra T500 shear/baler/logger for his Denton yard in 1995. Pleased with the unit’s performance, Edwin bought a second Sierra T500 unit for the company’s yard in Gainesville, Texas, in 2001. In 2004, Fulton Supply and Recycling replaced the unit it purchased in 1995 with a new Sierra T500 model. "Same machine," Edwin says, "different technological advances." The efficiency of the machines is important to Edwin, whose business processes approximately 40,000 tons of scrap metal annually, including No. 1 and No. 2 ferrous metal. He suspects that the Sacco family’s experience operating a scrap yard directly affects Sierra’s equipment quality. "That may be why their new machines have improved so much. They know what you need." He says the Saccos can relate to their customer’s needs, providing the best equipment for the job and the best service when something goes wrong. "You can call out there, and they can pretty much tell you what’s wrong with the machine," he says. When the problem can’t be fixed with a phone call, Sierra will send a technician to the site to resolve the issue. |
The company handles ferrous and nonferrous materials at its yards, including tin, No. 1 and No. 2 ferrous metal and wire. Cast iron also comprises a large percentage of the company’s business. Edwin says that the company’s increased dealing in cast iron "just developed over the years." He adds, "We hand process a lot of it for foundries that are really critical on their chemistry."
Peddler traffic and individuals provide the company with the majority of its scrap materials. Additionally, Fulton Supply and Recycling buys from some dealers. "Most everything we buy is unprepared, so we have to process all of it," Edwin says.
To process the materials it collects, the company employs a variety of equipment. At its Denton yard, Fulton Supply and Recycling has a 330-ton shear, which it has operated since 1974, and three shear/baler/loggers, one of which is a Sierra T500. The company operates another Sierra T500 unit and a second baler at its Gainesville yard. Furthermore, Edwin reports that approximately eight cranes are in operation at all times at both locations.
With all of this machinery in use, Fulton Supply and Recycling can process approximately 40,000 tons of ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal annually. Once the material is processed, the company sells the scrap metal to various markets. Most of the ferrous material Fulton Supply and Recycling processes is sold domestically, with a small amount going to Mexico. US Steel, which is based in Pittsburgh, is among the company’s domestic customers, Edwin says. The company also sells to customers in China. Fulton Supply and Recycling ships its cast iron to a variety of customers, many of which are local foundries.
While the scrap industry has been enjoying surging markets in the last year, Edwin recognizes a change in market conditions for the scrap metals his company handles. "They’re deteriorating right now in ferrous materials," he says of the current market conditions. "They were the best they’ve been, and now they’re adjusting themselves."
However, Edwin is unalarmed because throughout this fluctuation, Fulton Supply and Recycling has remained successful. Edwin credits the company’s success to quality. Fulton Supply and Recycling pays close attention to its customers’ needs and specifications and takes measures to ensure that those needs are met. "We’re making a product, and quality is important," he says.
THE TIDES OF CHANGE
Today’s industrial markets are subject to ever-increasing legislation, and that legislation has changed the way scrap yards do business. Fulton Supply and Recycling understands the need for such legislation and continues to implement the changes required by local and federal legislation at its yards.
"Most of the people who write the regulations mean well, but they don’t realize there are two sides to every story." Edwin says.
While Edwin and Fulton Supply and Recycling has no trouble complying with regulations established with the best of intentions, he’s sometimes frustrated by the red tape involved. He says, "If you have any kind of inspectors come around, they’re more interested in you having your paperwork done instead of what you’re doing. If you don’t have your paperwork done, you’re in violation."
At Fulton Supply and Recycling, implementing the changes is the staff’s first priority, with paperwork coming after the job is done, Edwin says. "You need the paperwork," he adds, "but they can walk around and see that you’re in compliance."
Edwin’s frustration with what he says he views as an out-of-whack system that places more importance on the paperwork documenting change instead of actual operational changes and improvements does not consume him. He chooses instead to take things as they come and understands that it’s all just part of the business.
"Something they write affects us, and the changes we make end up affecting them," he says.
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