Fresh Perspective

Brandon Sacca

Metal Trader and Head of Export Sales at Axiom Metals

What started as a summer internship has become a career in metals recycling for Brandon Sacca, metal trader and head of export sales at Pittsburgh-based Axiom Metals.

Although he’s a second-generation recycler—with industry connections through his father—working in recycling wasn’t always on his radar.

“I never knew I was going to be in the recycling industry,” he says. “Like a lot of kids, I always admired my dad and I always wanted to be a businessman.”

Initially interested in finance and real estate, Sacca went to college for supply chain management logistics. He was tasked with finding a summer internship before graduation, and when his father reached out with an opportunity to work for one of his suppliers, Sacca accepted.

“My business internship was working in a scrapyard as a small-scale buyer three days a week. And I worked in the office, running the scale, learning about the business [and] the money aspect of everything, as well, two of the days,” he says. “My college professor ... told me it was the most unique internship he had ever had to approve because he’s never been to a scrapyard before.”

After that summer, entering the recycling industry just seemed like the right fit.

Sacca started in logistics at Axiom Metals in 2019 and eventually transitioned to trading. This January, he was named head of export sales.

“I already had a strong foundation, so the transition has been easy,” Sacca says, noting he worked under a mentor prior to the promotion. “But ... with everything going on in the world right now, I would say things today look way different than they did six months ago or even a year. So, it’s a lot of learning on the fly.”

In the following interview, Sacca discusses the current trade environment and advancements in recycling technology.

"I’m someone who likes challenges.”

Recycling Today (RT): How has the current trade environment affected your day-to-day work?

Brandon Sacca (BS): It’s affected the way you go about business, … the way you’re looking at markets and spreads. Six months ago, I don’t know if I’d have been able to spell the word arbitrage, whereas now I probably have it down pat because it’s become such a relevant term in the industry.

You’re converting metric tons and LME [London Metal Exchange] prices more now than we really have ever before. There’s different countries that are coming into markets for different material that they’ve never been an aggressive buyer of.

In the [U.S.], we use COMEX for copper and the [LME] for aluminum. But a lot of sales happening, especially in the export world, are only off LME right now. Outside the U.S., they are using LME for copper. So, understanding how to adjust your prices and where the market’s going [is important].

The markets are so hard to predict. I think if anyone knows where the markets are going, they’re probably not involved in scrap metal or recycled goods.

It’s been different, but it’s been cool to see the market change. I’m someone who likes challenges and I like not being bored. You could say with the ever-changing market, … it keeps you on your toes.

RT: What technologies do you see the industry embracing more?

BS: The industry is doing a good job of evolving and being more technologically savvy, especially on the yard level. You fight the jobs issue as far as not having enough personnel to do everything ... so, we’re going to have to find a way to be more automated, both on the manufacturing and on the supply side. … Finding ways to sort materials and upgrade packages autonomously is going to be a big factor in the next couple years.