Working overtime: America’s auto shredder capacity grows to feed a hungry global market
Brian Taylor
When Recycling Today last published its list of auto, shredding plants in the United States, in October of 2002, the ferrous scrap market was just starting to bounce back after a prolonged slump.
In the ensuing 24 months, the global steel industry has continued to prosper, feeding a hunger for the ferrous scrap grades produced at the nation’s auto shredding facilities.
Recycling companies have responded by upgrading existing plants, replacing some older shredder models and even with several new “greenfield” installations.
The list on the pages that follow is indicative of the renewed health of the auto shredding industry, as few plants are now in an idled mode (as had been the case with some in both the 2000 and the 2002 lists), and several new shredder locations can be spotted.
Among the new shredding locations is a plant in Lawrenceville, Ga., in suburban Atlanta, opened by Blaze Recycling. The newly-installed shredder competes for feedstock in the last-growing Atlanta region with the two Newell Recycling Atlanta shredder plants.
Economists may not think of northwestern Iowa as a fast-growing region, but Toby Shine of Shine Bros. Co., Spencer, Iowa, has enough confidence in the scrap market there to install a new shredding plant at his scrap processing from.
A California entrepreneur who owns auto dismantling locations and a rail car repair and dismantling firm is attempting to build it new shredder plant in Colton, Calif., east of Los Angeles. News reports from the area indicate that business owner Charles Siroonian is attempting to obtain permits for a shredding plant to be built on a 19-acre site in Colton.
In Ohio, a once-idle shredding plant originally located in Cleveland has been shipped downstate to a rural location neat Mansfield, Ohio. Grant Milliron, owner of Milliron Industries, says he expects the 6,000-hp shredder to be running by the end of the year.
The foundation for the shredder plant was laid in August, and the company has been procuring inventory–mostly auto bodies–to feed the shredder when it starts up.
Several scrap recyclers have made the decision to upgrade older auto shredding plants, sometimes purchasing larger models with more horsepower and larger rotors. SchnitzerSteel Industries, Portland, Ore., has been replacing and upgrading its shredder plants, with its Oakland facility having been upgraded in 2003.
Some ownership and management changes have occurred within the shredding segment, including an operating agreement between Chaparral Steel and Sims Group USA Corp. for Sims to run a Virginia shredding plant built by Chaparral several years ago.
SimsGroup will operate the 6,000-hp shredder in Petersburg Va., while Chaparral’s nearby electric arc furnace (EAF) mill is expected to remain a significant consumer.
Investments in shredding capacity have increased activity for industry suppliers, including shredding plant designers, fabricators, castings providers and engine and drive makers.
In the United States, the revival of the ferrous scrap sector has largely ridden the shoulders of the obsolete scrap supply, since prompt industrial scrap volumes are not increasing noticeably. Much of the obsolete scrap stream funnels through the shredding plants that are now humming along with as many operating hours as plant managers can sustain.
After the late 1990s and the early portion of this decade had shredder operators worrying about their ability to shred material and maintain a profit margin, the current environment is being enjoyed.
Most shredder operators have a scrap recycling background, making them all too aware of the boom and bust cycles that can affect scrap pricing. For now, though, shredder capacity is in line with a global demand picture that can soak up all the ferrous shred that U.S. plants can produce.
ALASKA
Anchorage
Alaska Metal Recycling
ALABAMA
Birmingham
ACIPCO (American Cast Iron Pipe Co.)
Decatur
Tennesse Valley Recycling (formerly
Denbo Iron & Metal Co. Inc.)
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Metal Management Arizona LLC
Tucson
Metal Management Arizona LLC
ARKANSAS
North Little Rock
A. Tenenbaum Co. Inc.
CALIFORNIA
Anaheim
Adams Steel
Bakersfield
Golden State Metals Inc.
Etiwanda
Pacific Coast Recycling Co, (formerly Simsmetal America)
Oakland
Schnitzer Steel Products Co.
Redwood City
Simsmetal America
Terminal Island
Hugo Neu-Proler Co.
COLORADO
Colorado Springs
Metal Management–Colorado Springs
Denver
All Recycling;
Metal Management Inc.–Denver; Western Metals Recycling
Pueblo
American Iron & Metal
CONNECTICUT
North Haven
Metal Management Connecticut Inc.
South Norwalk
LaJoie’s Auto Wrecking Co.
FLORIDA
Baldwin
Global Shredding Technologies/Gerdau AmeriSteel;
OmniSource Corp./Ameristeel
Jacksonville
Commercial Metals Co.
Miami
Ferrous Processing and Trading–Florida
Pensacola
Auto-Shred Recycling LLC
Pinellas Park
Acre Iron & Metal Co. (Trademark Metals)
Opa Locke
Everglades Recycling (Trademark Metals)
Orlando
Commercial Iron & Metals Co. Inc.
Rockledge
Yorke Doliner & Co.
Tampa
Trademark Metals Recycling LLC
GEORGIA
Athens
Carolinas Recycling Group LLC (formerly OmniSource)
Atlanta
Newell Recycling of Atlanta Inc. (2)
Norcross
Blaze Recycling and Metals
HAWAII
Kapolei
Hawaii Metal Recycling Co. (a division of Hugo Neu)
IOWA
Council Bluffs
Alter Scrap Processing
Davenport
Alter Scrap Processing
Sioux City
Sioux City Compressed Steel Co.
Spencer
Shine Bros.
Waterloo
Alter Scrap Processing (formerly Weissman Iron & Metal)
Wilton
North Star Recycling
ILLINOIS
Bourbonnais
Belson Scrap & Steel (operates a smaller steel shredder)
Chicago
Metal Management (4);
General Iron Industries Inc. (2)
East St, Louis
St. Louis Auto Shredding (a division of Pilot Brothers Trading)
Peoria
Allied Iron & Steel
Peoria
Behr–Peoria
South Beloit
Behr Beloit
INDIANA
East Chicago
OmniSource Corp.
Fort Wayne
OmniSource Corp.
Indianapolis
Capital City Metals Shredding
Yard
East Chicago
OmniSource Corp.
Evansville
J. Trockman & Sons Inc.
Kokomo
Mervis Industries Inc.
KANSAS
Hutchinson
Midwest Iron & Metal Co. Inc.
Kansas City
Galamba Metals Group LLC–Kaw River Shredding Yard
Wichita
Glickman Iron & Metal
KENTUCKY
Ashland
Mansbach Metal Co.
Henderson
River Metals Recycling LLC
Louisville
River City Shredding Co. (River Metals Recycling)
Newport
River Metals Recycling LLC
LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge
Southern Scrap Xpress Recycling
LaPlace
Mississippi River Recycling (a division of Bayou Steel)
Monroe
Auto Shred of Louisiana
New Orleans
Southern Scrap Material Co. LLC
MASSACHUSETTS
Everett
Prolerized New England Co. (a division of Hugo Neu)
Greenfield
WTE Recycling Inc.
MARYLAND
Baltimore
Baltimore Scrap Corp.;
United Iron & Metal (formerly The David J. Joseph Co.)
Capitol Heights
Joseph Smith & Sons Inc.
Hagerstown
Conservit Inc.
MAINE
Auburn
Maine Metal Recycling Inc. (operates a light iron shredder)
Topsham
Grimmel Industries
MICHIGAN
Detroit
Ferrous Processing and Trading Co. (2)
Grand Rapids
Louis Padnos Iron & Metal
Holland
Louis Padnos Iron & Metal
Jackson
OmniSource Corp, (formerly Jackson Metal)
Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo Metal Recyclers Inc.
Kingsford
East Kingsford Iron & Metal
Sturgis
Sturgis Iron & Metal Co. Inc.
Taylor
Fritz Enterprises Inc.
MINNESOTA
Anoka
Schwartzman Co. Inc.
Duluth
Bay Side Recycling Corp.
St. Paul
North Star Recycling
MISSOURI
Kansas City
Galamba Metals Group, Galamet Yard
MISSISSIPPI
Flowood
General Recycling
Greenville
Greenville Iron & Metal (a division of Morris Recycling)
NEBRASKA
Columbus
Columbus Metal Industries
NEVADA
Las Vegas
Silver Dollar Recycling
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord
Advanced Recycling
Madbury
New England Metal Recycling LLC
NEW JERSEY
Camden
Camden Iron & Metal Inc.
Clifton
American Shredding Industries;
Parkway Iron and Metal
Jersey City
Hugo Neu Schnitzer East
Millville
Cumberland Recycling Corp.
Newark
Metal Management Northeast Inc./NIMCO Shredding
Trenton
Mercer Wrecking and RecycleCorp.;
Trenton Iron and Metal Corp.
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque
Albuquerque Metals Recycling
NEW YORK
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Resource Recovery Inc.;
Gershow Recycling
Buffalo
Gerdau AmeriSteel Buffalo Metals Recycling (formerly Co-Steel Recycling/Advance Division)
Green Island
R. Kelly Freedman & Son Inc.
Lindenhurst
Gershow Recycling
Long Island
Hugo Neu Schnitzer East–Queens
Medford
Gershow Recycling
North Chill
Union Processing
Owego
Ben Weitsman & Son
Rensselaer
Rensselaer Iron & Steel Inc.
Syracuse
Roth Steel Corp.
NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte
Southern Metals Co. Inc.
Kernersville
Atlantic Scrap & Processing
Greensboro
D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co.
Smithville
Atlantic Scrap & Processing
Statesville
L. Gordon Iron & Metal Co,
OHIO
Akron
City Scrap & Salvage Co.
Canton
Philip Metals
Cleveland
Ferrous Processing & Trading
Columbus
American Car Crushing;
Philip Metals
Mansfield
Milliron Industries (coming online 4Q 2004)
Marietta
American Car Crushing
Toledo
North Star Recycling/Toledo Shredding LLC;
OmniSource Corp.
West Carrollton
Metal Shredders Inc.
Wooster
Wooster Iron & Metal Co.
Youngstown
Youngstown Iron & Metal Inc.
OKLAHOMA
Arkoma
Yaffe Iron and Metal
Oklahoma City
CFF Recycling USA;
Standard Iron & Metal Co. Inc.
Sand Springs
Yaffe Metals
OREGON
Portland
Schnitzer Steel Products Co.
PENNSYLVANIA
Beaver Falls
Philip Metals
Coatesville
Coatesville Scrap Iron & Metal
Erie
Liberty Iron & Metal Co.
Harrisburg
Consolidated Scrap Resources
Philadelphia
SPC Corp.
Pittsburgh
Neville Metals (coming online 4Q 2004);
Tube City Inc.
Schuylkill Haven
U.S.S. Achey Inc.
Temple
Royal Green Corp.
Wilkes-Barre
DMS Shredding Inc.
York
J & K Shredding
RHODE ISLAND
Johnston
Metals Recycling LLC (a division of Hugo Neu)
SOUTH CAROLINA
Darlington
Darlington Shredding Co.
Dillon
Lockamy Scrap Metal Inc.
Hemingway
Don’s Scrap & Iron
Lexington
Commercial Metals Co.
Spartanburg
Carolinas Recycliing Group
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga
PCS Metals
Harriman
PCS Metals
Jackson
The David J. Joseph Co.
Johnson City
Johnson City Iron & Metal Co.
Knoxville
PCS Metals
Memphis
Metal Management–Memphis (2)
Morristown
Morristown Shredder Inc.
Nashville
PCS Metals
Pulaski
Tennessee Valley Recycling LLC
TEXAS
Beaumont
Commercial Metals Co,
Corpus Christi
Commercial Metals Co.
Dallas
Commercial Metals Co.
Eagle Pass
Newell Recycling Co.
El Paso
Newell Recycling of El Paso
Houston
CFF Houston;
Northwest Recycling LLC;
Rose Metal Processing
Midlothian
TXI Chaparral Steel
San Antonio
Monterrey Iron & Metal;
Newell Recycling of San Antonio
Seguin
Commercial Metals Co.
Vinton
Commercial Metals Co.
Waco
M. Lipsitz & Co. Inc.
UTAH
Plymouth
Western Metals Recycling LLC
Salt Lake City
Metal Management West Inc.;
Western Metals Recycling LLC
VIRGINIA
Chesapeake
Simsmetal–Chesapeake (formerly
Bay Bridge Enterprises)
Lorton
Davis Industries Inc.
Montvale
Shredded Products Corp.
Petersburg
Simsmetal (formerly Chapparral)
Richmond
Simsmetal America
WASHINGTON
Seattle
Seattle Iron and Metal
Tacoma
General Metals/Schnitzer Steel
Vancouver
Pacific Coast Shredding
WEST VIRGINIA
Wheeling
Automatic Recycling
WISCONSIN
Fond Du Lac
Sadoff Iron & Metal Co.
Green Bay
Samuels Recycling Co.
Madison
Samuels Recycling Co.
Milwaukee
Miller Compressing Co. (2)
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