Caroline Allman

Compliance officer at Apto Solutions

Caroline Allman says luck led her to the electronics recycling and information technology asset disposition (ITAD) industry about 11 years ago. Previously, a career in the ITAD industry was not part of her plan.

“I had gotten my degree in horticulture and psychology,” she says. “My goal was to find a horticultural therapy job, but it was during the recession, and there was no way I would find that.”

In 2010, Allman was planning to relocate to the Atlanta area to move closer to her then fiancé, and she says someone had recommended she apply for a quality control position at Apto Solutions, which is based in Atlanta. The company hired her as a quality control analyst and deputy ISO officer.

When she started her role at Apto Solutions, Allman says she didn’t intend to stay in the electronics recycling and ITAD industry for long. She wanted to eventually find a job in horticulture and psychology. But, over time, she says she was impressed by the projects and work being done at Apto Solutions and chose to stay with the company.

"That’s one thing that [Apto Solutions has] proven in the last 20 years—they are pretty darn good at adapting to the changes in the world and in the industry.”

“I was just really taken by the industry,” she says. “And there was a lot of change happening when I got hired. [Apto Solutions] kept giving me different opportunities to learn new things. And 11 years later, I’m still learning.”

Allman is a compliance officer at Apto Solutions, where she oversees operational processes and procedures and ensures the company’s certifications are in place.

She shares what it’s like to work at Apto Solutions, how the company has addressed hiring-related challenges and the ways she’s gotten involved in the industry in the edited interview that follows.

Recycling Today (RT): What are operations like at Apto Solutions?

Caroline Allman (CA): The word “apto” in Latin means to adapt. That’s one thing that the company has proven in the last 20 years—they are pretty darn good at adapting to the changes in the world and in the industry.

Recycling has always been a necessary part of the business but was never something that we really focused on. If something couldn’t be reused, then naturally it would get recycled responsibly. Now, we’ve kind of turned the tables. We still have a focus on reuse because, of course, that’s the most beneficial for the environment and everybody involved financially, but we’re trying to look at the recycling side differently.

That’s been translated into our program that we’re calling Circular Transformation. So, we’re doing a lot more tracking of downstreams and really focusing on what things are being turned into.

RT: Hiring is a big issue right now. Could you speak to how Apto Solutions has addressed hiring lately?

CA: One thing we’ve actually had a lot of luck with is the e-Stewards Advance Plus Program, which we asked to be part of it. It helps us partner with groups or staffing agencies that focus on placing individuals who are on the autism spectrum. So, we’re able to get people from those agencies.

RT: Since working at Apto Solutions, have you gotten involved in any industry associations?

CA: When e-Stewards started working on transitioning from their version 3.1 to version 4 certification standard, I volunteered to assist with that process by just reviewing the changes. We went through and just made sure that the changes that were being made were beneficial to the e-Stewards-certified companies and would hopefully bring in new companies.

CP Group OCC Auger Screen

San Diego-based CP Group’s OCC Auger Screen is designed to separate midsize to large old corrugated containers (OCC) at material recovery facilities (MRFs). The screen:

• uses a series of cantilevered tri-lobe augers to create agitation to liberate material
• creates a clear OCC fraction for MRF operators
• does not require material to be presorted; materials can go directly after the infeed conveyor
• features self-cleaning shafts and rotating screws to prevent material from wrapping
• can be used in commercial and single-stream MRF applications

Visit www.cpgrp.com/occ-auger-screen for more information.

Accent R400 wire tier

Accent Wire Tie, Tomball, Texas, has introduced the Accent R400 wire tier for two-ram balers. The R400 wire tier:

• offers rotary tier technology in a compact design
• can be installed or retrofitted on two-ram balers
• features a knotter that performs a nonreciprocating four-twist rotary knotting sequence, allowing operators to use less costly, finer gauge baling wire
• requires reduced maintenance, with fewer moving parts and a time-saving, quick-change patented removable parts cartridge

Visit www.accentwiretie.com for more information.

Eagle Edge 350

Eagle International, Lyons, Nebraska, has debuted the Eagle Edge 360, which is designed to produce high-quality mulch from the treads and sidewalls of off-the-road tires. The Eagle Edge 360:

• is suitable for tires ranging from 33 inches to 63 inches in rim size
• features rasp heads in three locations at varying angles to increase the surface area that can be claimed as mulch and that speed up cycle time
• allows operators to shred rubber from the tread and sidewall simultaneously
• uses semiautomation with programmable logic controllers that adjust for speed and rasp pressure
• offers remote control for the rasp angle and depth
• can be operated with a high-efficiency vacuum, cyclone, magnet, conveyor, hopper and bag stand
• comes apart in sections to facilitate transport

Visit https://eagle-equipment.com for more information.

Kripke Enterprises shifts officer roles

Toledo, Ohio-based Kripke Enterprises Inc. (KEI) has announced several promotions and what it calls “a new corporate structure as it looks to the future of the 28-year-old company.”

The metals brokerage and recycling firm’s executive roster now includes CEO Matt Kripke, President Chad Kripke, Chief Operating Officer Eric Phillips, Chief Strategy Officer Andy Golding and Senior Vice Presidents Marvin Finkelstein and Alan Sallee Jr.

“I am proud of KEI’s executives,” Matt Kripke says. “Their hard work and vision allowed us to grow exponentially over the years. I am excited to watch this team as we continue to be on the forefront of the aluminum recycling and usable coil industry,” he adds.

Founded in 1993, in addition to its Toledo headquarters, KEI has a trading office in Coconut Creek, Florida, and its Mid-South Aluminum operation is in Jackson, Tennessee. The company’s annual revenue totals $200 million.

In memoriam: Ralph Velocci

Velocci

Waste Pro, Longwood, Florida, has announced that Ralph Velocci died July 15 at age 72. 

Velocci most recently was a senior vice president at Waste Pro and a member of the company’s board of directors.

He grew up in Long Island, New York, where he got his start in the industry by working on his father’s garbage trucks.

Waste Pro says Velocci first worked with the company’s founder, John Jennings, in the 1990s at USA Waste when the company acquired Waste Management. He later reconnected with Jennings at Waste Pro in 2009.

Velocci led Waste Pro’s commercial sales and oversaw the company’s landfill and recycling operations.

According to a statement from the company, “Velocci made a difference in the lives of people around him. He acted as a mentor to many in the company and industry, generously offering his time, knowledge and expertise. He was beloved and respected by his family, friends, all of his Waste Pro family and will be greatly missed.”

“Ralph was an exceptional businessman,” Jennings says.

He adds, “He loved the simple things around him and never took for granted how fortunate he was. He was the son of Italian immigrants who lived the American dream with a strong personality whose impact will last a long time.”

Iron Horse Logistics Group appoints director of sales

Rail and barge logistics provider Iron Horse Logistics Group (IHLG), Aurora, Ohio, has appointed Joe Chrien as its director of sales. He comes to the company with more than 20 years of professional experience in sales.

According to a news release from IHLG, Chrien will develop and implement the firm’s overall corporate sales strategy, managing the sales team and engaging prospective clients.

“Joe brings an expertise in sales that perfectly complements IHLG’s core values,” says Dennis Wilmot, president and CEO of the company. “Our sales vision will be carried by his rare skill set and capability, and we’re very excited to have him on our team.”

Previously in his career, Chrien worked in sales at IHLG.

He can be contacted by email at joe@ihlogistics.com or by phone at 330-222-8240.

Connect Work Tools adds regional business manager

Ali

Connect Work Tools, a division of Exodus Global, Superior, Wisconsin, has added Vaughn Ali to its team as a regional business manager for the Southeast. Ali has almost 20 years in the industry and most recently was the Southeast territory manager for Lockport, New York-based Moley Magnetics Inc.

“I have had the opportunity to work with Exodus Global’s team for several years as a vendor and have watched them grow,” Ali says. “Two things that have always stayed consistent are their positive energy and their reputation to exceed customers’ expectations.”

He continues, “When the chance to work with Geordie Stewart and the Connect Work Tools group came to me, it was an opportunity that felt natural and like being home. I am truly grateful to have this opportunity. I am excited to be able to help this division grow and take care of our customers.”

Stewart, director of sales at Connect Work Tools, says, “I have gotten to work with Vaughn on joint deals over the past years with mutual customers. Vaughn’s reputation for customer service, product knowledge and his drive to go above and beyond is exactly what Connect Work Tools is focused on to grow our business. Everyone who has dealt with Vaughn has nothing but great things to say, and we are beyond thrilled to get to add him to our team in the Southeast.”

Connect Work Tools offers attachments, including hydraulic breakers, compactors, rotating grapples and pulverizers, for the construction, demolition, recycling and mining industries, as well as rebuild services and reconditioned equipment.

Eriez appoints managing director for Eriez-Germany

Eriez President and CEO Lukas Guenthardt has announced that the Erie, Pennsylvania-based company has selected Eric Adams to serve as managing director for the newly established Eriez Deutschland GmbH, based in Recklinghausen, Germany.

In his new role, Adams will lead efforts to increase Eriez’s presence throughout central Europe, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“Eric has been working closely with our executive team at Eriez-Europe to craft and execute a comprehensive business plan that addresses the needs of the German market,” Guenthardt says. “We recognize that this area of Europe is far too important to properly serve via an independent agent or distributor and, therefore, requires a direct and constant presence in the form of Eriez-Germany, guided by the strong leadership of Eric.”

Adams will report to Jaisen Kohmuench, vice president of international at Eriez.

“Eric’s three decades of experience in technical sales of capital equipment has been integral to the ramp-up of Eriez-Germany,” Kohmuench says. “Eric is already proving to be a tremendous asset to the company, and we are fortunate to have him on our team.”

Adams started his career as a sales engineer supporting deep drilling and mining support systems. Prior to that, he worked for Fördertechnik and Noell Service und Maschinentechnik, a provider of microtunnel technology. He continued in this area, eventually becoming a sales executive at Herrenknecht AG.

More recently, Adams served as general sales manager with Germany-based Steinert Elektromagnetbau and then as the managing director of H+E Logistik, a subsidiary of Herrenknecht AG, a manufacturer of belt conveyor systems for tunnel construction.

Eriez’s magnetic separation, metal detection, material handling, fluid recycling and advanced flotation technologies have applications in numerous industries, including mining and recycling.

A few years ago, Hong Kong-based Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Co. Ltd. announced plans to expand its footprint in the United States through ND Paper LLC, the company’s Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois-based subsidiary.

In June 2018, ND Paper purchased paper mills in Rumford, Maine, and Biron, Wisconsin, from Canada-based Catalyst Paper. Later that same year, ND Paper purchased a mill from Canada-based Resolute Forest Products Inc. in Fairmont, West Virginia. In October 2018, ND Paper acquired a kraft pulp mill in Old Town, Maine.

ND Paper set its sight on revitalizing these four mills.

“We have four mills, three of which were built more than 100 years ago,” said Ken Liu, chief executive officer at ND Paper, in a 2019 news release from the company. “By focusing on high-return strategic investments, we are building world-class, first-quartile mills that deliver innovative, high-quality products for our customers.”

The company finalized most of the construction on the rebuilds and conversion projects for these four mills in 2020.

“Trying to do a major rebuild during a pandemic where you have issues with getting contractors and vendors into the mill and assist you to put things together was not fun,” says Eric Bauer, director of business operations at ND Paper. “But we worked through it.

“Everything is fully operational now, running at capacity,” he adds.

Perfecting recycled pulp

Of its four locations, ND Paper has two pulp and two paper mills. The company’s Biron mill operates two machines, one that makes recycled containerboard and one that makes coated groundwood.

The company also operates a mill in Rumford, which operates three machines that make coated printing papers, uncoated printing papers and virgin brown packaging grades.

Of ND Paper’s pulp mills, Fairmont focuses exclusively on making recycled pulp. The company’s Old Town mill operates an unbleached virgin kraft mill as well as a recycled pulp operation. The company announced in April that it was launching a recycled pulping operation at the Old Town facility. That new production line makes about 200 metric tons of unbleached recycled pulp per day.

ND Paper is one of a few companies in North America that is making recycled pulp. ND Paper’s Biron facility produces recycled pulp that is consumed internally to make containerboard and linerboard, while recycled pulp produced at Fairmont and Old Town is sold to the open market as well as to ND Paper’s parent company in Asia.

Bauer says the company is on track to produce a combined total of 313,000 tons of recycled pulp at its Fairmont and Old Town facilities.

ND Paper consumes regionally sourced recovered paper, mostly old corrugated containers (OCC) with some mixed paper, as its primary feedstock for its recycled pulping operations. Bauer says the amount of OCC and mixed paper used in each batch of recycled pulp varies depending on whether the pulp is being sold to make containerboard or away-from-home tissue.

“Depending on what grade you’re making, you use different feedstocks,” he says. “From a containerboard side, we start with OCC, and we supplement like anybody else [does] with mixed paper. When you get to away-from-home tissue, it might be mixed office waste, news and those kinds of things, since they need a brighter, cleaner fiber in some cases.”

Recycled pulp can be used to make containerboard, away-from-home tissue products and for molded fiber applications. Bauer says ND Paper has sold some of its recycled pulp to domestic buyers at mills that manufacture away-from-home tissue products.

“Obviously, last year, the away-from-home tissue market was a very, very different world,” he adds. “A lot had gone away, but that [demand] is starting to come back.”

“With the new tariffs that China put on in terms of waste product, there is need for recycled pulp to go to China, where we can actually produce it here, clean it here, make a bale, put it in a container and send it,” Bauer says.

Aside from shipping some of its recycled pulp to Nine Dragons, Bauer says the company prefers to sell its recycled pulp to domestic buyers, particularly this year as shipping has been more challenging.

Bauer adds that he expects to see more paper mills adding the ability to make pulp from recovered paper rather than buying recycled pulp to make containerboard or away-from-home tissue products. “They’re going to be more apt to say they’ll use the tons on their own versus go to the outside and find someone to buy recycled pulp [from],” he says.

Focused on operational enhancements

While ND Paper prioritized acquiring, rebuilding and converting its four U.S. mill operations in the last three years, Bauer says the company will focus on enhancing these operations rather than investing in or acquiring new facilities in the near-term future.

Bauer says, “Now, we’re just honing in on our processes and output capacities. We want to make operational adjustments to modify systems. We’re doing that across the board, not just with our recycled pulp mill. For example, in Old Town, we’re bringing online some other aspects to supplement and increase operations by a few thousand tons per year.”

He adds, “Now we’re going to hone in more to increase output and capacity, ideally for domestic markets and to support our own initiatives in other spaces.”

The author is managing editor of Recycling Today. Email her at msmalley@gie.net.