CP Manufacturing celebrates 40 years in the recycling industry

It all began with a can flattener for the now highly diversified equipment and technology provider.


CP Manufacturing, headquartered in San Diego, is celebrating 40 years of supplying equipment and processing solutions to the recycling industry in 2017.

“At CP Manufacturing, we’ve always been driven by the simple goal of providing high-performance recycling machinery that lasts,” says Bob Davis, second generation and owner of CP Manufacturing. “For 40 years, CP has been a pioneer in the recycling industry, and we will continue to drive the industry forward for the next 40.” 

CP Manufacturing, a family-owned business, was born out of the scrap metals industry. CP’s sister company, IMS Recycling, was founded in 1954 by Charles M. Davis, who invented the world’s first aluminum can flattener in the early 1970s. Later, the CP2000 Can Flattener transform the scrap industry, the company says.

CP Manufacturing was formed in 1977 in response to growing demand for aluminum can flatteners and densifiers. Since then, the company has developed dozens of patents and expanded its equipment and solutions portfolio as recycling and waste handling evolved.

In the 1980s and 1990s, CP recognized the growing trend of curbside recycling. As the United States and other countries worked to increase the effectiveness of recycling by making it easier for consumers to participate and more cost-effective to implement, CP says it dedicated its research and development efforts to assist in this effort.

Since 2003, CP Manufacturing has acquired several other recycling equipment manufacturers and solutions providers, including MSS Inc., Krause Manufacturing and Advanced MRF. This family of companies, known as CP Group, was founded to provide one-stop-shop turnkey recycling systems for a variety of recycling and waste diversion operations.

Today, CP is an award-winning provider of some of the largest and most advanced material recovery facilities (MRFs) in operation. CP says it has built more than 450 MRFs worldwide and continues to invest in R&D and automation technology to stay ahead of the changing material streams. The company still offers the original can densifier product lines.

“We are and always have been a family-owned and operated company,” says Ashley Davis, a third-generation family owner and sales and marketing director of CP Group. “What sets us apart is that we treat our customers like family. Their success is our success. We’re with them for the long haul.”