Equipment report

Departments - Equipment Report

March 9, 2018

Zanker Recycling to install ZenRobotics units in California

Helsinki-based ZenRobotics Ltd. and Plexus Recycling Technologies, Westminster, Colorado, have announced they will deliver robotic recycling systems to Zanker Recycling in San José, California.

The two ZenRobotics Recycler units will be operational by fall 2018.

Zanker Recycling handles 2,600 tons of construction and demolition (C&D) debris daily, processed through three recycling systems. By adding a fourth processing line featuring ZenRobotics systems, Zanker Recycling will increase its recovery rate and processing capacity.

“The ZenRobotics brain will control the plant to allow for a smooth-running operation—automatically maximizing recovery, capacity and efficiency. The advantage of deploying AI (artificial intelligence) robotics to recycling differentiates Zanker from our competitors,” Michael Gross, director of sustainability at Zanker Recycling, says.

ZenRobotics Recyclers will operate 20 hours per day with total system production at 150,000 tons per year. The robots will reduce the company’s cost of manual labor and will increase total daily operating hours. The two ZenRobotics Recyclers will be installed on the bulky material sort line. Each of the four arms will be picking objects weighing up to 60 pounds.

“Robots are now proven technology and the growth potential in the U.S. market is substantial,” says Marcel Vallen, CEO of Plexus. “We expect that virtually all new plants will be based on robotic sorting, and existing plants will be upgraded with robots. Robots are the most dramatic paradigm change in the recycling industry in decades.”

Founded in 2007, ZenRobotics previously has delivered material sorting robots to sites in Switzerland, Sweden, Japan, Australia, China, the Netherlands, Singapore, Finland, France and the U.S.

Zanker Recycling is a solid waste and recycling company that operates four recycling facilities, diverting more than 80 percent of waste from landfills.

Plexus Recycling Technologies supplies waste processing technologies by ZenRobotics, Komptech, Matthiessen, Andritz and Waste Treatment Technologies (WTT).

Cat extends compact equipment warranty

Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar (Cat) announced it has extended its machine standard warranty to 24 months or 2,000 hours for skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, multi-terrain loaders and mini excavators sold in the U.S. and Canada by authorized Cat dealers. The enhanced warranty terms apply to new machine purchases starting Jan. 1, 2018.

“Our mission is to help customers succeed,” Korey Coon, Caterpillar BCP product general manager, says. “We design and build Cat compact machines to be productive, reliable and durable, and Cat dealers offer unmatched service capabilities. The enhanced warranty builds our support of customers’ businesses even further.”

The enhanced standard warranty also gives customers peace of mind by helping protect their budgets from unforeseen expenses created by repair costs and/or downtime, the company says.

The company also says that when it’s time to trade in a machine, warranted, dealer-serviced machines command greater value.

For more information about Cat compact equipment, contact your Cat dealer or go to www.cat.com.

Fuchs strengthens distribution coverage in North America

Fuchs, based in Bad Schönborn, Germany, has announced that W.I. Clark Co., Wallingford, Connecticut, will be supporting existing Fuchs owners in Connecticut, Rhode Island and portions of southeastern New York.

Founded in 1925, The W.I. Clark Co. is a fourth-generation family business offering sales, service, parts and rentals. The company represents several groups of manufacturers with products for general construction, landscaping, highways, and scrap and recycling.

Under the agreement, W.I. Clark will now support existing Fuchs owners in Connecticut, Rhode Island and the following counties in New York: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

“We are excited to represent the leader in material handlers for the scrap and recycling industries,” Rick Parks, vice president and sales manager of The W.I. Clark Co., says regarding the partnership between the two companies.

Fuchs also announced that Leslie Equipment Co. has been appointed as one of the new Fuchs distributors in North America. With its headquarters and five locations based in West Virginia, Leslie Equipment Co. will now meet demand for Fuchs equipment throughout the entire state.

“We feel that there is a demand in our region for the products offered (by Fuchs), and that we’ll have a successful partnership serving our customer base,” John Leslie, president and owner of Leslie Equipment Co., says.

Bandit announces facility expansions

Bandit Industries, Remus, Michigan, has recently announced two major building additions to expand production capacity and add a new parts and service facility.

Bandit will invest $1.4 million in the two expansions. Both are expected to come online in 2018. This is the second round of expansion in many years.

“We added manufacturing space 18 months ago and revamped our assembly lines in anticipation of the increased demand,” Jerry Morey, Bandit president, says. “We continue to invest in our future, not only in facilities and gear, but in our workforce, including training. We added 38 people in 2017 and plan to add another 50 employees in 2018. Our employees are what set us apart with the pride we take in the equipment built and in the way we take care of our customers. We are proud of what they do and accomplish.”

The new parts facility will also house a central receiving and distribution area, improving the flow of parts and materials to the six major manufacturing facilities. This will free up extra manufacturing space to further increase Bandit’s production capacity. Bandit has added more than a dozen dealers with more than 30 total locations in the last two years.

“As our dealer network expands, the need for parts expands right along with it,” Jamie Morey, Bandit parts manager, says. “This new facility will allow us to respond rapidly to our dealers’ and customers’ parts requests, limiting their downtime and delivering on the promise that we stand behind every Bandit machine sold.”

The parts and service expansion is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018. As soon as that facility is completed, the second expansion will start, which will add production space for new products Bandit intends to introduce in the third quarter of 2018.

“Our new dealers are reaching more customers than ever before, driving demand for our products,” Jason Morey, Bandit North American sales manager, says. “Producing enough new units to meet that demand has provided Bandit with a welcome challenge—one that we’re more than ready to meet.”

Bandit added $750,000 of new cutting and steel processing equipment in 2017 to keep up with the demand for parts.

Bandit also introduced several new products in 2017, including an entry-level stump grinder, new models of hand-fed chippers, a large-capacity self-propelled whole tree chipper, an intermediate model horizontal grinder and a forestry mower carrier.

Hyundai touts wheel loader safety feature

Norcross, Georgia-based Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas has announced the availability of an all-around view monitoring (AAVM) system on new factory orders of Hyundai HL900 series wheel loaders, which are available in the U.S. and Canada.

The new system was displayed publicly for the first time in January at the 2018 World of Concrete Show in Las Vegas on a Hyundai HL955 wheel loader. AAVM has been available as an option on Hyundai HX series excavators since October 2015.

Equipped with four cameras, including one each mounted on the left- and right-side mirrors, one on the front of the cab, and the standard backup camera mounted to the rear hood, the monitoring system has been designed to provide a 360-degree operating view of the job site.

“Safety on the job site is a necessity,” Corey Rogers, a marketing manager with Hyundai, says. “Now with the new wheel loader AAVM system on our HL900 series, Hyundai provides owners and operators a safer solution than other options on the market.”

Included in the AAVM system is the intelligent moving object detection (IMOD) system that senses and warns the operator with on-screen flashing arrows and an alarm when objects come within either 6.5 feet or 22.9 feet. The image is integrated into the Hyundai seven-inch color touch-screen cluster-monitor in the cab.

The AAVM system displays multiple 3D and 2D views of the operator’s working environment. “Exclusive features like AAVM and a long list of standard features are combined on the Hyundai HL900 series wheel loaders to give our customers what we call ‘the Hyundai edge’—performance, convenience, serviceability and, of course, safety,” says Rogers. “The Hyundai edge is the result of innovation, world-class engineering and manufacturing, and components and systems sourced from trusted global suppliers.”

Case makes Michelin tires a factory option for its skid-steer loaders

Case Construction Equipment (Case CE), Racine, Wisconsin, has announced the availability of Michelin X Tweel SSL all terrain airless radial tires as a factory-approved/supplied option on all skid-steer loader models the company offers. Airless radial tires perform just like a pneumatic tire, but without the risk and costly downtime associated with penetrations and impact damage, Case says, noting it is the first skid-steer loader original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to offer the Michelin X Tweel SSL from the factory.

The Michelin X Tweel SSL is one single unit, replacing traditional tire/wheel/valve assemblies. No complex wheel/tire mounting equipment is needed, and no air pressure must be maintained once each tire is bolted on. The AT models feature a deep open-tread design to provide cleaning and traction and a deep layer of undertread, allowing the core to be retread many times, according to Case.

“Case offers a broad range of skid-steer tires to meet the needs of a variety of applications, from general dirt work and landscaping to road-building, excavation and mining/aggregate environments,” George MacIntyre, product manager of skid-steer loaders at Case CE, says. “The addition of airless radial tires to our lineup of factory-available options expands our current offering and shows our commitment to advanced technology, as well as our dedication to providing our customers with a growing array of machine options that can have a positive impact on total cost of ownership.”

The Michelin X Tweel SSL provides stability and enables a skid-steer loader to work rapidly with more comfort for the operator, reducing driver fatigue while improving productivity, Case says. It delivers a consistent footprint with strong wear life that is two to three times that of a pneumatic tire at equal tread depth. The proprietary design provides great lateral stiffness while also resisting damage and absorbing impacts. Additionally, the energy transfer within the high-strength polyresin spokes reduces the “bounce” associated with pneumatic tires, according to Case.

More information on the Michelin X Tweel SSL is at www.michelintweel.com. More information on Case skid-steer loaders can be found at www.casece.com.

Getting noticed

Columns - Editor’s Focus

March 9, 2018

Adam Redling

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Nashville for the 2018 C&D World conference. The conference, put on by the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA), brought out representatives from the C&D recycling industry for four days of educational events, awards and fundraising in the Country Music Capital of the World.

One of the events I had the opportunity to sit in on was titled “Social Media and Marketing in C&D.” The session generated a lot of dialogue from the audience and just as many follow-up questions. Just like the countless music acts that come to Nashville to launch their careers, the session’s attendees seemed to be looking for one thing: the right recipe for getting noticed in a competitive landscape.

With this in mind, I thought I’d share a few best practices I’ve found that can help you engage your audience online.

Build up your website: Having a bare-bones website is like owning a brick-and-mortar business and keeping the “closed” sign up 24/7. The majority of people look online before making a purchasing decision today, which is why you should invest time and money to ensure your site is optimized. If you don’t have the tools or expertise to build up your site in-house, consider making the investment in a web designer or SEO expert. You should also make sure your business’ information is updated on Google My Business and other search engines so customers can easily find you.

Content is king: Rather than revolving all your marketing efforts around your specific products and offerings, consider introducing a blog section on your website to produce articles that are interesting and helpful to the industry. You can disseminate these articles and other newsworthy content you find on your social media channels. While you might feel spending your time producing nonsales-related content is a waste, it can help your customers get to know what your business is all about and boost your site’s ability to be found on search engines.

Put others to work for you: Not all businesses have the resources for a full-fledged marketing department, but there are still things you can do to promote your company for little-to-no money. News outlets are always looking for content. Consider writing up a press release for new products, projects or community outreach events you’re involved in. You can also reach out to industry publications like this one to see if there are opportunities to contribute submissions or participate as a source in an article that relates to your business. Being recognized as an industry expert is a great way to help promote your company and land you new business.

Finding new ways to get in front of your customers is never easy. The good news is that the internet has leveled the playing field for businesses of all sizes. There might not be one quick fix that can solve all your marketing problems, but rethinking how you engage customers online is a good place to start.

Riding the wave

Features - Regional Spotlight // Midwest

Demolition contractors and construction and demolition (C&D) recyclers throughout the Midwest say that business is booming like never before.

March 9, 2018

Adam Redling

Demolition contractors and construction and demolition (C&D) recyclers throughout the Midwest are riding a wave of strong business that shows no signs of slowing. This wave of positive momentum, which started to pick up steam in 2017, has manifested itself in opportunities just now coming to fruition. Four companies doing business in the region spoke of the growth taking place in the Midwest and other factors affecting the C&D recycling industry.

Understanding the Uptick

While the C&D market has been showing signs of growth for several years, business began to really pick up in 2017. Jobs that were on the backburner finally began to get approval to move forward in the early half of the year, which has resulted in a steady stream of work.

“It seems as though as soon as President Trump got into office, a lot of jobs were released and things got approval to move forward,” Brian Baumann, president of Cleveland-based B&B Wrecking & Excavating, says. “Some jobs that we had done budget for a year or two previously finally came into fruition in 2017.”

New opportunities in the demolition and C&D markets have been fanned by growth in the construction sector, which continues to be bullish and promote healthy volumes.

“There remains a strong business climate for commercial and residential construction in this market. The C&D activity over the past few years, and especially here in 2018, has exceeded our expectations, and volumes are higher than anticipated,” Jason Haus, CEO of Dem-Con Cos. in Shakopee, Minnesota, says.

Jason Salisbury, who serves as president of Landfill Reduction and Recycling Inc., Appleton, Wisconsin, says recent growth has translated into an abundance of opportunity that is keeping industry participants busy.

“It seems the Midwest had very strong volume growth from 2016 to 2018,” Salisbury says. “We have been very pleased with the amount of C&D work we have been able to capture, and it seems that a lot of contractors’ work backlog extends well into 2018.”

Looking at Commodity Pricing

An increase in jobs isn’t the only thing that has demo contractors and recyclers in the Midwest feeling positive. Strong commodity pricing has also helped businesses stay profitable.

“What we saw in 2017 was the price of steel and scrap metal steadily rose from March through the summer,” Baumann says. “It fell back a bit in September and October, but we had a strong finish and finished December at the highest price of the year for scrap metal sales, and most steel mills in the Ohio Valley area were buying every month, so you could get sales off. Steel and copper prices have steadily risen, along with brass, which have all been up 10 to 15 percent.”

According to Bart Carmichael, president of Cleveland-based WasteTran Recycling Services, the commodity markets last year were strong overall but did face some challenges that temporarily hurt pricing.

“The markets were definitely on the uptick midsummer last year, and then they did fall off,” he says. “China quit buying a lot of paper cardboard, and that affected that industry but also runs right down to us. Ferrous metals seemed to follow the same trend. It seemed like midsummer we were in a great position, and then as fall hit, China quit buying, and it went downhill a bit.”

Carmichael continues, “One other thing that affected the metal market was the hurricanes last fall. There was such an influx of metals that it drove the market down.”

While metal prices have been strong overall in the Midwest, wood markets haven’t been as robust, mirroring what is taking place around the country. This has forced some businesses to rethink how they handle these materials.

“On the back end, wood markets have been challenging. Much of our boiler fuel markets have gone away, similar to the rest of the country,” Salisbury says. “The shift in wood markets has pushed us into mulch, animal bedding and erosion control product. Our way to combat changes in end markets is quality. If you can produce a very high-quality product with very little contamination, you can sell it. Recyclers that haven’t been able to achieve high product quality (especially in wood products) will likely be forced to send theirs to a landfill.”

Hiring Challenges

The steady amount of employment opportunities throughout the Midwest has resulted in a worker shortage that is forcing businesses to rethink ways of attracting new talent.

“Labor continues to be a struggle for a lot of facilities across the country,” Haus says. “Unemployment in our market and our finite location is 2 percent, which makes it very challenging to find labor as well as retain labor.”

Haus says this shortage has resulted in an increase in wages across most positions, which has added an additional cost to recycling.

“It has been difficult finding the right people; we’ve just had to look to different avenues,” Carmichael says. “We’re now willing to pay a little bit more to find qualified people. I want to make sure the people we have on the ground sorting through items are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and paying the bare-bones minimum isn’t conducive for that.”

Carmichael notes that his company has begun to use a temp service to do the groundwork in finding new employees. This allows his company to simply sift through potential candidates rather than do all the legwork, which has made the hiring process more efficient.

Salisbury acknowledges that while the Midwest is starting to see the results of low unemployment overall, the personnel shortage isn’t affecting all job functions in the region.

“We recently posted a position for a logistics manager and received over 200 applicants in only a few weeks,” he says. “And despite the well-known driver shortage, we have hired some really good drivers this year.”

Salisbury says he has had particular difficulty filling positions among his sorting staff. He attributes this to the negative stigma surrounding the job and the fact that workers have more attractive options. Salisbury says that while this shortage could be disruptive in the short term, it could help spur the further development of robotic sorting technologies over time.

Future Projections

While the current rush of activity won’t last forever, it appears that the demolition and C&D recycling industry will remain strong for the foreseeable future.

“All indicators point to a strong 2018 and, likely, the next 18 months,” Haus says. “I don’t think we have enough information to look much beyond that. We have carryover from the 2017 season related to the storm damage that will add to the 2018 season; but, beyond that, it looks like construction will remain strong in this market for the foreseeable future.”

Just how optimistic are recyclers and demo contractors about what’s taking place in the Midwest? A couple industry veterans say they are more enthusiastic now about the business than at any other time in their careers.

“I have never had more of a backlog of work than I do going into 2018,” Baumann says. “B&B Wrecking probably doesn’t need another job for five to six months based on what we have started or what we are about to start. We are expecting to grow our gross sales roughly 20 percent in 2018, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that we have a lot of contract work, but also that the price of scrap is trending upwards.”

Carmichael echoes Baumann, saying that attitudes among demolition contractors and C&D recyclers in the Midwest, and especially northeast Ohio, are positive for 2018.

“There are so many positive indicators in 2018,” Carmichael says. “With all the building and projects going on in northeast Ohio, it’s like I’ve never seen it before.”

The author is editor of Construction & Demolition Recycling and can be reached at aredling@gie.net.

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