Better together

Alpine Industrial Services brings the combined expertise of American Industrial Motor Service (AIMS) and Pinnacle Engineering together to support the demanding requirements of auto shredder operations.

Both companies have long histories in the recycling industry, and under Alpine they deliver integrated motor repair, power system solutions and engineering services. The goal is simple: help recycling companies make informed decisions and avoid costly mistakes in critical shredder systems.

AIMS contributes decades of experience in industrial electric apparatus repair, design, maintenance and refurbishment, with a specialty in shredder motors. The company provides responsive field support, precision component replacement and preventive maintenance with a focus on reliability, risk reduction and minimizing downtime.

Pinnacle Engineering has been an industry leader in process control and industrial automation since 1995 and has specialized in the recycling industry since 1999. Over that time, Pinnacle has delivered more than 500 control systems for shredders, nonferrous plants, balers and shears.

Recognizing the interdependence of motors, drives and controls, Alpine Industrial Services was formed to unify these capabilities while preserving the legacy and expertise of both.

“We saw a consistent problem across the metal recycling and shredding industry,” says Marc Goldstein, president of Alpine Industrial Services. “Motor issues, controls issues and system-level challenges were being addressed separately and inconsistently, even though these factors are fundamentally connected. Bringing together the expertise of both AIMS and Pinnacle Engineering under Alpine allows us to solve those problems in a streamlined and coordinated way.”

That coordination is especially important when evaluating variable frequency drives (VFDs) for automobile shredders.

Justin Jindrich, a sales engineer with Pinnacle Engineering, notes that VFDs can offer significant advantages over traditional liquid rheostat systems, including improved efficiency, increased production, lower operating costs, reduced maintenance and a smaller footprint. However, he cautions that not all shredder motor VFDs are built the same, and that makes selection critical.

“Recycling companies need to understand what questions to ask before making a purchase,” Jindrich says. “Duty rating, lifetime cost of ownership, maintenance requirements and support all matter, and those factors vary widely between drive manufacturers.”

Drive construction is one of the most important and often overlooked differences. Some medium-voltage VFDs rely on stacks of low-voltage IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors) to reach required voltage levels, increasing the component count and long-term maintenance burden. Alpine-supported VFDs use medium- voltage-rated IGBTs, which reduces the number of components as well as failure points, simplifying ownership.

Power cell design also plays a major role. Power cells designed for quick change-out significantly reduce downtime and maintenance costs. Alpine drive systems use a quick-change power cell that turns changeout into an hour-long process instead of a day.

“Cost of ownership isn’t just about the purchase price,” Jindrich says. “The complexity of owning, maintaining and supporting the drive can change dramatically from one manufacturer to another.”

He adds that features such as regenerative braking can increase cost without delivering practical value in automobile shredding applications, underscoring the importance of matching the technology to the actual use case.

Support also should be a factor in purchasing decisions. Access to 24/7 technical support and replacement parts available from a U.S.-based manufacturer minimizes downtime.

When pairing a VFD with a shredder motor, “there’s a sweet spot,” says Scott Tauke, vice president of Pinnacle Engineering. “You want a partner who understands the shredder, the motor, the VFD and the abuse shredding puts on all three. It’s critical to work with someone who helps you ask the right questions and make the right decision, not just sells you a drive.”

That emphasis on informed decision- making, asking the right questions and working with a trusted partner defines the Alpine approach, bringing AIMS and Pinnacle together to help recycling companies invest with confidence in systems built for long-term performance.