Sierra Macpresse--Upgrade Helps Contain Costs

When Steve Sutta decided to purchase a new high-volume baler for his company, he realized he had not bought a major piece of equipment in 10 years. The president of The Sutta Co., Oakland, Calif., visited seven scrap paper dealers in and near Tokyo in four days to research equipment.

"We vetted the six or seven manufacturers of the equipment we saw and narrowed the field down to three potential suppliers," says Sutta.

At that point, the Macpresse from Sierra International Machinery was still one of several possible candidates being considered. After seeing an installation in Texas, however, Sutta made up his mind. "It turned out to be No. 1 in performance, design and price," he says.

For a company with six sites that process 30,000 tons of paper combined per month, controlling costs is a big concern. Sutta says that collection costs are escalating; competition is squeezing margins; insurance costs are skyrocketing; and labor costs are increasing.

With the Macpresse, though, he’s been able to control overtime costs. The baler processes 32 tons of OCC per hour and 60 tons of news grades per hour. Sutta might buy a second Macpresse to keep up with production needs.

"My goal is to be the lowest cost provider in any market I’m in. There’s just no other way to go," he says. He estimates the Macpresse will deliver a full return on investment in 14 to 16 months.

Sutta credits Terry Mohr and Richard Harris of Sierra with assisting him in the latest stage of his company’s progress.

"Everything’s been terrific. The Macpresse is just amazing. I’m very happy that I bought it," Sutta confirms.