Steelmakers in the United States produced 0.9 percent less steel in the week ending June 4 compared with the prior week, according to the Washington-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
In addition to the week-to-week decline, the weekly output of 1.78 million tons represented a 3.2 percent drop from the 1.84 million tons produced a year ago in the week ending June 4, 2021.
Year-to-date figures compiled by AISI show production through June 4 stands at 38,874,000 tons. That is down 1.6 percent from the 39,517,000 tons made during the same period last year.
Thus far in 2022, mills have been operating at an average capability utilization (capacity) rate of 80.6 percent. Despite the lower output figure, that is up from the 78.8 percent capacity rate averaged in the first five months and four days of 2021.
AISI has not published steel import figures for this May, but it has reported a trend of increased steel imports so far this year and over the course of the previous 12 months.
In the first four months of this year, total and finished steel imports are up 21 percent and 45 percent, respectively, compared with the first four months of 2021, says the association.
In the 12-month period from May 2021 to April 2022, total and finished steel imports are up 51.3 percent and 55.3 percent, respectively, versus the prior 12-month period, says AISI. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 27 percent this April and is estimated at 25 percent during the first four months of 2022.
In Memoriam: Theodore 'Tadj' Ondrick
The former owner of Ondrick Material & Recycling and longtime CDRA member has died at 80.
Theodore “Tadj” Ondrick Jr., a recycling pioneer and early Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) supporter, has died at 80 years old.
Known as a “true visionary,” Ondrick Jr. had a strong work ethic fueled by weekends and summers spent working at his father’s business. The Massachusetts-based company, known originally as Ted Ondrick Co., provided construction services to the local community.
After purchasing the family business from his father, Ondrick Jr. quickly expanded services to offer construction materials from the company’s sand and gravel pits, as well as its granite quarry. In 1973, Ondrick Jr. started what is believed to be the first drum mix asphalt plant in Massachusetts.
As the recycling concept developed, Ted Ondrick Co. became a resource to implement regional recycling by using recycled asphalt pavement. With these efforts, Ondrick Jr. went on to become an original board member of the CDRA and was an early inductee into the C&D Hall of Fame, receiving the honor in 2014.
Ondrick Jr. sold the business in 2014 to his oldest sons, Todd and Adam, who continue to operate the Chicopee, Massachusetts-based business (now under the name Ondrick Materials and Recycling). Together, the two brothers have further expanded operations to Ondrick Natural Earth, supplying hardscape supplies to the community.
“During the early days of the CDRA, there was no stronger supporter of the organization’s mission,” states the association. “The tradition of recycling lives on at Ondrick Material and Recycling through his two sons, Adam and Todd. The CDRA extends its condolences to the entire Ondrick family.”
Real-time reporting for scale, compliance and productivity
Eight questions to ask before moving forward with a software supplier to assure profitability.
Choosing the right software can be a complex and costly task. Operators can’t recoup time and costs associated with onboarding a new system or getting stuck in a long contract for a system that doesn’t meet expectations. Even a small hiccup in streamlining operations can set businesses behind competitors.
Here are eight questions to ask before moving forward with a software supplier to increase profitability.
Starlight Software Solutions
1. What do I need to accomplish with a software solution?
The first step in choosing a software system for an operation is to define its goals. For example:
improving efficiency to better manage dispatch, inventory and time;
key metrics for success across business lines; and
improve productivity per driver, per customer, route and business unit.
Once growth goals are defined, a business can better assess whether it’s time for a system upgrade.
2. Do I have quick access to critical business data so I can see in real time where I can reduce waste and improve productivity?
If real-time access to business data tracking profitability, growth, units, drivers and customers, is not currently available, companies are missing out on revenue and increased profitability. It’s important to ask software suppliers if they provide access to dynamic versus static data and the instrumentation to make live adjustments to driver routes, pricing, billing, inventory management and other daily activities that affect productivity and profitability.
3. Does my software allow me to dynamically analyze profitability per unit from every conceivable angle?
To identify where there are losses or gains in profitability, a system needs to show expense information. This includes truck and driver operating costs, fuel, disposal, insurance, maintenance, taxes and fees, overhead and debt service. If a system allows customization of expense inputs for data analysis, businesses can instantly compute profitability by truck, route, driver, hour, job and customer. The ability to adjust these variables simply and accurately, which can improve profitability, is a guiding principle upon which Starlight Software Solutions is built.
4. Can I access all my data directly and run my own reports?
A leading complaint among users of waste management software is the long wait for reports from suppliers. While some businesses wait days, or weeks to see where efficiency can be improved, competiting companies with access to its data in real time are speeding ahead.
Operators should ask every software supplier being considered about the ability to access the data it needs. They also should ask about running reports on their own versus paying software companies to run reports. Other questions to ask include:
Can you execute reports in a day or several hours yourself?
What data can you expect to see and analyze?
Can you integrate reports with your current enterprise management system to create a comprehensive business intelligence dashboard you can access anytime, anywhere?
Starlight Software Solutions
Starlight’s solution integrates the Exago reporting engine which allows users to drag and drop data from various sources into the reports they need, when they need them. Included is an example of our reporting system.
5. Can I see my inventory live and execute new dispatch directions instantly?
It happens every day. A customer needs a pickup earlier than planned and another customer needs a roll-off as soon as possible. If businesses can’t instantly transmit route and order changes to drivers, opportunities for serving customers and capturing new revenue are often lost.
If you can’t monitor your assets, trucks, drivers and containers in real time and manage operations across the entire fleet in one view, its difficult to find and correct inefficiencies quickly. The only way to maximize efficiencies is to have 100 percent visibility of all assets and complete, real-time control.
6. How should my software help me scale growth?
Without the cloud as a platform for operations and profitability data, businesses will be stuck while competitors cruise by them.
Starlight Software Solutions
Be sure any system being considered is easy to use across computers, tablets and smart phones. Suppliers being evaluated should offer a flexible integration framework and be committed to an open architecture approach so operators can integrate current applications and needed peripheral systems to support ongoing growth. Some suppliers require businesses to use just their peripherals, which can be far too limiting.
While many software programs designed for the waste management industry started on legacy platforms, most have transitioned to the cloud or will soon. Businesses should ask their current suppliers about plans to transition to a cloud-based environment, and how this move will impact operations. Below is an example of device responsiveness for Starlight’s solution.
7. What technology will help me scale quickly and efficiently?
There are three distinct technological advantages that drive scalability that should be discussed with potential software suppliers.
1. services microservices architecture
A modern, dynamic ERP system is built using best-in-industry microservices architecture which automatically scales with growth. Amazon Web Services, Starlight’s hosting platform is an example of a scalable infrastructure which provides endless opportunities.
2. Real-time design and real network intelligent endpoints
The software solution is the hub of the wheel that motors a company forward. A properly deployed cloud-based software system has intelligent endpoints, or spokes, that gather data and process it into actionable insights that can be used to assess and improve efficiency and best manage a company’s overall entire operation. Forward-thinking software solutions will offer real-time and network intelligent endpoints that also include customers in a business’s ecosystem. Customized apps that let customers engage a company for changes, pricing updates and new orders in real time are one example. Having live insight into locations and the status of assets will help manage jobs and inventory better to address demand immediately.
3. Open systems architecture
Businesses should also ask about third-party integration for the hardware and software used daily for in-cab systems, scale systems, accounting and other business functions. It’s importantsoftware suppliers support third-party endpoints in a network and integrate and support their own. This lets businesses be the driver, capitalizing on the investments you have and will make.
Starlight Software Solutions
8. What can I expect for onboarding and long-term service specific to my needs?
When considering new software suppliers, additional factors are key to keep in mind include:
Startup and conversion: It is key to ask suppliers about their processes for onboarding, conversion from existing systems and long-term support. During a vetting process, it is also important to ask their customers about their experiences and how quickly they resolve issues and training quality.
Partnership value and user-influence: It is important to know the partnership value provided beyond the products delivered. Do they involve customers in developing new features, functionality and processes to build a product users want vs. one they can easily profit from? Do they charge for extra training or trouble shooting? Do they provide insights and resources that will help you grow your business?
Finally, do their contract terms favor the business or them? Long-term contracts without termination clauses should be avoided. Getting stuck in a contract with a supplier that does not deliver on promises or update its system to keep up with industry changes can be costly.
A software decision is one a business will need to be happy with for a long time. Choosing a partner versus a supplier is critical to the outcomes you will achieve.
Starlight Software Solutions
Bill Bradley
Starlight Software Solutions, Denver, was founded by Bill Bradley, a roll-off container entrepreneur, who created his own system when nothing existed specific to his needs. Relying on his years as a software executive and a diverse user advisory council, he built Starlight Software Solutions with one goal in mind: drive efficiency, profitability and scale.
The goal of the entire Starlight team is to help customers gain maximum productivity from every asset. For waste management companies, that means removing old processes that drain time and bog down inventory management, order taking, reporting, billing, invoicing and other activities that build profitability and return on investment.
Waste companies using Starlight’s solution to manage inventory and assets in real time have increased revenue by about 30 percent within months. In addition, they have achieved higher customer satisfaction which enables them to achieve long-term loyalty and more recurring revenue streams.
United Kingdom-based Terex Finlay says it will rebrand to Finlay and has announced a new slogan it has selected “to update and refresh its image based on its traditional core values and future strategies.”
The business is to rebrand globally as Finlay and introduce a new logo, the new slogan and new marketing materials.
“Our founder, John Finlay, pioneered the concept of mobile screening equipment and his name has been iconic in the industry with a reputation built upon reliability and performance for over 65 years,” Finlay Global Business Line Director Matt Dickson says.
Dickson adds, “In the past decade we have implemented an aggressive growth strategy focused on the delivery of the most comprehensive range of tracked equipment on the market today along with the infrastructure to support the machines globally.”
He continues, “Our product offering will forever evolve and expand to meet the needs of our customers. We already offer an extensive array of machines powered by hybrid technology and in the coming years we will further develop hybrid and electric powered equipment through our product road map based on the ‘voice of customer’ feedback that we have received.”
Dickson says the new “Strong Heritage, Strong Future” slogan “reflects on the strength and depth of our heritage, which encompasses the attributes in our products such as innovation, performance and reliability, complimented by the service and support associated with our dealer network.’’
Finlay Business Development and Marketing Director Neil McIlwaine says, “Our bold, new identity is a visual signifier of our position as one of the world’s leading crushing, screening and conveying manufacturers and we are excited to deploy our products and services for the years ahead.”
Aston Martins, Bentleys, Bristols and MGs were all produced at the former Arnolt Corp. building.
Photo by David Slone courtesy of the Warsaw Times-Union.
Indiana factory demo awarded to low bidder
Chicago-based Green Demolition chosen to take down Warsaw, Indiana, building where sports cars once were assembled.
Chicago-based Green Demolition Contractors Inc. has emerged as the winning bidder to take down a former factory building in Warsaw, Indiana, according to a local media report.
An early June report by the Warsaw Times-Union indicates Green Demolition was one of seven firms that bid on the job to take down a building where British sports cars used to be assembled for the American market.
According to IndianaLandmarks.org, the building in Warsaw was constructed by a Chicago-based industrialist who won a contract to produce marine engines for the World War II production effort.
After the war, Stanley H. Arnolt turned to his “passion for Italian-bodied British sports cars” to turn the building into a hub for building “Arnolt-badged Aston Martins, Bentleys, Bristols, and, most famously, MGs,” according to IndianaLandmarks.org. The website says the Arnolt-MG effort helped that British carmaker stave off bankruptcy for many years.
Also according to IndianaLandmarks.org, the Arnolt building has been empty throughout this century, with the city of Warsaw taking possession in 2019.
According to the Times-Union, other bidders on the project included demolition firms based in Indiana, Michigan, New York and Ohio.
Several additional steps need to be taken before Green Demolition will start any work, including further resolution on environmental issues involving oil residues potentially found at the site.
Warsaw Community Economic and Development Director Jeremy Skinner is quoted by the newspaper as saying once further soil and concrete sampling is undertaken, Green Demolition can “can go in and demo the building down to the foundation [and] remove that concrete.”
Skinner and other officials quoted by the Times-Union say they were pleased to receive several bids, most of which came in at a price within the Warsaw budget. The Green Demolition bid came in at $178,800.
The city of Warsaw’s plans for the Arnolt land parcel involve building “affordable family housing,” according to Skinner, on a timeframe that entails starting construction on the redevelopment effort “yet this year.”
Brian Taylor
Posted by Haley Rischar
