Worldwide, many companies supply scrap metal shears, but only one literally tailor makes each shear for each customer. This approach sets Vezzani S.p.A. apart from other industry suppliers and delivers a unique quality of shear that provides unmatched efficiency, production and reliability.

“We are not suppliers,” says Mario Pastorino, managing director of Vezzani. “We are partners. We are totally focused on our customers.”

Since 1962 Vezzani has been building scrap processing machinery. The company offers a range of ferrous shears and balers, but it is famous worldwide for its incline shear, which the company invented and introduced in the late 1970s.

Humble beginnings

Vezzani began as a manufacturer of horizontal shears, primarily serving customers across Italy. The shears were a great success and, by the early 1970s, the line had expanded to include Vezzani’s unique basket press that allowed steel mills to substantially increase their production.

By the late 1970s, the craftsman in the Vezzani shop were looking for a better way to process scrap. The idea was to increase production, reduce wear and tear on the shears and decrease power consumption.

By fundamentally rethinking the shear’s operation, they began to see they could lower their customers’ operating costs, extend the life of their machines and increase production all at the same time. The birth of the first gravity-fed incline shear followed.

In 1977, Vezzani introduced the world’s first incline scrap shear, it was a truly revolutionary invention.

Going global

As scrap processors and steel mills across the globe became aware of the tremendous efficiencies these unique shears offered, demand grew. Vezzani first began selling shears across Europe and then to the USSR in the mid-1980s.

International demand for Vezzani shears grew rapidly, however, and by the early 1990s the company was supplying machines to Korea, China and North America. Today, Vezzani shears operate in more than 50 nations.

Because of their unique quality, precision craftsmanship and superior designs, some of these shears have been operating for 50 years, still producing high-quality scrap for their owners day in and day out.

A different approach

“We do not have standard or production machines,” says Gabriele Merlo, Vezzani’s commercial director. “Each shear is designed and built around the customer’s requirements. It is literally tailored to their needs and specifications. It’s a totally different approach than other suppliers.”

Vezzani has never been focused on mass production. This allows the craftsmen and engineers at Vezzani to take the time to understand customers’ requirements and the nature of the scrap they will process and to design and build shears especially for their operations.

This approach also has allowed the craftsman at Vezzani to continuously increase the production and capabilities of their shears. “Today, we can do with a 1,200-ton shear what used to require a 1,600-ton shear,” Pier Luigi Sambolino, Vezzani’s sales manager, says. “It’s the result of continuously refining the hydraulics and the interaction of the shear blade with the material.”

“Our engineers are continuously looking for new ways to increase the efficiency of our shears. In the early days, we had a movable side wall that coaxed scrap down into the throat of the shear,” Merlo says. “Today, the box is so advanced that is not required, and even the lightest of scrap will slide right into the shear.”

He adds, “We have also added a transversal ram and unique clamping system that ensures all scrap easily clears the box while also enhancing density. Steel mills love the density of the scrap that comes from our shears, with some even creating a specification for ‘V’ grade material.”

In response to customer requests, Vezzani also has engineered and delivered downstream systems that clean the prepared scrap and remove contaminants. “Steel mills, in particular, love these systems because they reduce slag production in the furnace while also reducing the tap-to-tap time in their production schedules,” Merlo says.

Modern designs

Over the decades, Vezzani has continuously refined its hydraulics and operating systems to deliver maximum efficiency.

All the hydraulic cylinders and manifolds are custom crafted by seasoned tradesman and their apprentices in Vezzani’s Ovada, Italy, factory.

“We have developed proprietary ways to enhance oil flows and pressures that enhance the shear forces while reducing the power requirements of the equipment,” Merlo says. “This delivers a lower cost-per-ton processed, which gives our customers a unique advantage.”

Vezzani also has incorporated state-of-the-art electronics and PLC controls. This allows autonomous operation, and each customer can create specific recipes for the various grades of scrap processed.

Each machine also has remote-control operation. “There is no longer the need to have a control tower and a dedicated shear operator,” Sambolino says. “The machines are fully automatic, truly operating like robots. The crane operator feeding the shear is armed with the remote control and can address any issues that may arise during production,” he adds.

Even the infrastructure requirements of Vezzani shears have been modernized. While significant civil works and footers used to be required, many of the company’s shears can be installed today with minimal requirements.

“Eliminating the need for much of the civil work while also increasing the shearing ability of our machines has reduced the capital requirements for our customers,” Merlo says.

Old world craftsmanship accessible to all

Like all equipment manufacturers, Vezzani has evolved tremendously over its nearly 60 years serving customers. This has resulted in high-production machines that are more efficient and available for a lower capital outlay than used to be required.

The unique quality, precision and true old-world craftsmanship with which they are built, however, has not changed.

“Because we view ourselves as long-term partners with each of our customers, we take the time to build each machine with exacting care,” says Pastorino. “It’s an obligation we take seriously. I have been with Vezzani since 1967—a long tenure like many of those working at Vezzani. Therefore, we will always take an approach based upon the long-term success of our customers. Our approach is perhaps different than other equipment suppliers, but, then again, we are Vezzani.”

Vezzani S.p.A., Vezzani.biz info@vezzani.biz, +39 0143 81844

Scrap processing company Metalico Inc., headquartered in Cranford, New Jersey, has been owned by Total Merchant Ltd., a Malaysian company affiliated with China-based secondary aluminum producer Ye Chiu Group, since 2015. Before the purchase, Metalico was a public company. As a public company, data integrity was a key requirement of its operations software. That remains the case under Total Merchant, which is why Metalico continues to rely on software from Shared Logic, Holland, Ohio.

Metalico was founded in 1997 and went public in 2005. David DelBianco, the company’s vice president of business development, joined Metalico in 2004 and was tasked with assessing operating software. “We had a lot of growth planned,” he says. “I went with Shared Logic because it preserved data integrity for accounting more than any other program.”

During its time as a public company, compliance with Sarbanes- Oxley (SOX), the federal law establishing auditing and financial regulations for public companies, was a key consideration for Metalico. DelBianco says Shared Logic’s software provided the data integrity required under this law as well as the “bells and whistles” that scrap yard operators find beneficial, such as capturing images of material coming over the scale.

Metalico also looked at large SAP and Oracle software providers for accounting and determined that Shared Logic’s accounting module had everything the company need, he says.

While Shared Logic’s software would assure SOX compliance, Metalico’s auditors had some special requests for the company. DelBianco and a Metalico auditor visited the Shared Logic offices near Toledo, Ohio, to request the implementation of key controls that would allow the auditors to make certain assumptions about the data security, he says.

“Our auditors export our data and do everything electronically,” DelBianco says. “Their approach is based on examination and manipulation of raw data.

“The structure of Shared Logic fits perfectly with what they like,” he explains.

Metalico has grown in part by acquiring a number of recycling operations, including those of Annaco Inc., Akron, Ohio, and Youngstown Iron and Metal, Youngstown, Ohio. These two operations and others the company acquired already used software from Shared Logic for their day-to-day operations, which made integration “seamless,” DelBianco says.

He says Perry Jacobs, president of Shared Logic, helped Metalico convert the data from the acquired companies to provide consistency with account numbers and material codes that Metalico uses. This conversion gave Metalico “instant history that we could look up” in the general ledger and for customer accounts, DelBianco adds.

Today, Metalico operates 20 facilities that use Shared Logic software, which is run off six physical servers. A seventh server is cloud-based, replicating all the data contained on the other servers, DelBianco says.

“It allows management located anywhere to have live consolidated information and automated reporting,” he says of Shared Logic’s software. “They are able to streamline and standardize how information looks and mine the information to learn about the company and make improvements.”

DelBianco adds that Metalico has been able to work with Shared Logic to make adjustments to the software as needed. He says these custom changes become part of the overall package that Shared Logic offers its clients.

“The support is great,” he says, commenting on the accessibility of Jacobs and the Shared Logic staff. “It is as if they are local. I don’t think you could get that from a bigger house.”

DelBianco says he has and will continue to recommend Shared Logic software to other recyclers. “If you grow with this software into a larger private or publicly traded company, it has all the data integrity and bells and whistles you need.”

Shared Logic, 877-865-0083, info@sharedlogic.com

Pellenc ST, based in Pertuis, France, has been designing and manufacturing robust, innovative, high-performance sorting equipment for the waste and recycling industries since 2001. The company has more than 1,600 machines installed worldwide. Its U.S. subsidiary, Pellenc ST America, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was established in 2008 to provide reliable service and support to the U.S. market.

To better acquaint the U.S. market with its technology, Pellenc ST America hosted an open house May 30 at its offices in Charlotte. The company’s partners, clients and friends attended the event, which included lunch from a local food truck, two hours of technical sessions and an outing at Top Golf followed by dinner.

“The open house event allowed us to share with our industry partners and friends all the new innovations in our technology and equipment,” says Jean Henin, CEO of Pellenc ST.

The technical sessions featured four 30-minute modules on the Mistral+ optical sorting machine, project management, service and Harvin Augmented Reality (AR) technology. These sessions allowed Pellenc ST America to introduce its technology and team to attendees, helping them understand the value and level of service the company brings to the waste and recycling industries.

“We are constantly finding more ways to bring higher value to our customers through smarter Pellenc ST machines and services,” says Jeff Fountain, Pellenc’s business unit manager for America.

One such innovation is the company’s new Mistral Compact optical sorter, a compact unit that lends itself well to retrofits and large projects alike.

The main issues with plant retrofit projects are the difficulties associated with implementing new equipment. The Mistral Compact addresses this, having been specially designed to eliminate the headaches often associated with modernizing existing plants. Two possible configurations mean the Mistral Compact can be integrated easily into existing facilities, replacing old equipment regardless of the width, model or brand previously installed.

The Mistral Compact delivers the same versatile high-performance sorting of Pellenc’s Mistral+ range of optical sorters and is backed up by Pellenc ST America’s outstanding technical support.

Contact Pellenc ST America today to learn more about the Mistral Compact and the benefits it can bring to your recycling operation.

Pellenc ST America 5241 Old Dowd Rd, Unit 15, Charlotte, NC 28208, contact.usa@pellencst.com, www.pellencst.com, +1 803 396 3990,

Having been in the recycling business for 40 years and no longer able to market certain aluminum grades globally, Rob Weber, owner of Garden Street Iron & Metal in Fort Myers, Florida, wanted to find another option for selling 6063 aluminum alloy.

Florida generates a large volume of scrap extrusions from fabricated screen enclosures for pools. To make the best return on an abundantly available material, Weber decided to purchase a system to further clean the contaminated extrusions, with the goal of providing a clean product for local mills. “Being from south Florida, we probably handle more extrusions than about anything. It just seemed like the right decision to make,” Weber says.

He determined that installing a system that includes a High-Frequency Eddy Current Separator manufactured by Eriez, Erie, Pennsylvania, would not only serve as a business opportunity to sell a cleaner product but also create a competitive edge over other scrap processors and aluminum dealers in the area. “I’m making a product that generally was going overseas, and [I am now] able to make a product for mills right here in our own state,” Weber explains.

Garden Street uses a few processes to liberate the extrusions into smaller pieces that then cycle through the system that includes the Eriez equipment. The eddy current is the “failsafe” for separating the aluminum to ensure that stainless screws, spline, trash, plastic, wood, dirt, sand, glass or “anything that wouldn’t belong in aluminum” are not in the final product, he says. The eddy current separates the fine nonferrous materials so that, per Weber, “all we’re getting at the end is a good, clean product.”

Having installed the eddy current separator in April, three local mills have been running sample loads and trying out the clean product from Garden Street. The initial results are good. Using the Eriez eddy as a final step in the process is essential, and the three mill customers “have all given high marks,” says Weber. “One to 2 percent” of additional nonferrous material is separated from the aluminum in Garden Street’s system, but “that 1 or 2 percent could really make a difference” in the purity of the mill’s final product.

Weber’s customers then melt the aluminum to make a 6063 or 6061 alloy. The additional purity of the material allows the mills to decrease melt time and reduce emissions, making the process easier and requiring less energy, he explains.

Ultimately, Weber says he is satisfied with the results because, in the changing aluminum market, “we’re still able to go out and create a home for this material.”

For more information on Eriez High-Frequency Eddy Current Separator, visit http://eriez.recyclingtoday.com or call 814-835-6000.