Metro Metals Northwest acquires Simon Metals

The acquisition will allow the scrap processor to double its export volumes in the state of Washington.


Metro Metals Northwest, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, has acquired Simon Metals, Tacoma, Washington, as part of its strategy to double export volumes from its facility in Vancouver, Washington. Simon Metals operated a 11.5-acre scrap yard in Tacoma, which processed both ferrous and nonferrous metals. The acquisition went into effect on Oct. 1. 

Matt Haslett, spokesman for Metro Metals Northwest, says the acquisition “is a strategic move for us. It will allow us to ship out more bulk cargo ships, and it will reduce trucking between Portland and Tacoma. We’ll now be able to pick up for customers in the Seattle-Tacoma area and ship it to our Tacoma yard instead of Portland.” 

Metro Metals Northwest already operates a shredding facility in Vancouver called Pacific Coast Shredding, and the company currently runs about 12 trucks per day between that facility and its facility in Portland.

The acquisition also included Simon Metals' electronics recycling operation at a 50,000-square-foot facility in Vancouver. Prior to the acquisition, Haslett says Metro Metals Northwest did not offer electronics recycling services, so this transaction will expand the company's services into that sector of the recycling industry.

Haslett says 78 employees at Simon Metals have stayed with Metro Metals Northwest since the acquisition.

Financial details of the transaction were not released. Metro Metals Northwest processes ferrous and nonferrous material at its headquarters in Portland. It also operates a mega shredder in Denver through its subsidiary All Recycling.