Improving operations, instilling confidence

Danieli Centro Recycling knows a major focus of its customers is continuous operational improvement, and recent installations at a metals recycling business in Dalton, Ohio, have provided just that. 

Installed at the same time over a five-month span, a Danieli ZDS preshredder and an inverter drive, paired with a new 6,000-horsepower AC squirrel cage motor, have reliably increased the business’s productivity while also enhancing the safety of its operating and maintenance teams. 

“Ultimately, it was reliability and safety that were the driving factors in us purchasing this equipment,” the business president says. 

Based in Italy, with North American headquarters in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, Danieli has the largest installation base in North America for preshredders, and its ZDS model has helped the Ohio business increase the throughput of its shredding operation while also helping to keep its other assets in better working condition over the long term. 

The business president says the facility has started processing all crushed, logged, and baled material in the preshredder, which has helped with throughput in the facility’s automobile shredder.

“The average time we’re running is approximately 30 hours per week when we process,” he says. “That’s really the key [with the preshredder]: the throughput. We’re really doing more with less. We’re able to shred the number of tons that we normally would have in a 40-hour work week in, basically, 20 [hours] now. 

“Long-term, it’s a much safer, more efficient operation. It’s really keeping our assets in a much better operating condition, and that drives down operational expenses, and that’s the key.” 

Danieli’s preshredders are particularly suitable for processing ferrous scrap found in vehicles, sheet metal, and waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), as well as more in bulk or baled form. They eliminate catastrophic unshreddables, extend rotor and casting life, and create a more homogenized mix of material that can be fed into a shredder to aid in full-box shredding. Additionally, they allow smaller shredders, which are incapable of processing end-of-life vehicles and baled scrap, to purchase and break down those items into a form that a smaller shredder can accept. 

Another important feature of the company’s preshredders is their ability to reduce energy discharges emanating from the material being processed. 

“That [feature] ultimately makes it much safer for our shredding crew operating the machine, working around the machine and feeding the machine,” the business president says of the ZDS model at his Ohio facility. 

Along with the preshredder, Danieli’s inverter, featuring a patented automation cubicle and a new motor, has allowed the Ohio facility to increase the tons it processes per hour by more than 220 percent. 

The inverter plays a key role in improving operations by limiting power absorption. It also reduced the Ohio facility’s electrical consumption—kilowatt hours per ton—by 15 percent. The automation solution has decreased the facility’s downtime by 75 percent and includes features such as a rotor quick stop, which can halt a rotor in less than five minutes. 

When integrating the inverter, in particular, the business president says Danieli’s training and after-sales support have been “excellent.” 

“[Danieli’s] continuous improvement mindset aligns with ours,” he says. “Their commitment to safety aligns with ours. Their customer-centric approach aligns with ours. Their commitment to safety, customer service and creating innovative solutions has been what ultimately stood out for us, and they treat our team with respect and listen to their concerns. There’s a trust factor in Danieli’s team because they do what they say they’re going to do and there’s no surprises. 

“Our bond states that our customers are our partners, and Danieli’s approach with us has been managed the same way—as a partner.” 

Between his maintenance and operating teams at the Ohio facility, the business president says their confidence in working with Danieli is high. He notes that in the event of a scheduled or unscheduled outage, his teams know they’ll be able to catch up when the system restarts, thanks to their collaboration with Danieli’s equipment experts. 

“Before, with older technology we used, they struggled trying to catch up, and then we had to add additional hours and additional weekend work,” he says. “[Danieli’s training] has really proved beneficial for our team and their confidence. Let’s say, for example, a downstream belt tears. They know they’re going to take out a half day. But they can make that up later that afternoon. They feel more confident they’re going to be able to catch up. That confidence was really brought forward with the Danieli team working with our maintenance and operating group.” 

The Danieli installations have helped the Ohio business keep its staff safe and focused on the tasks at hand and deliver the products its customers require. 

“The Danieli team brings real solutions to complex problems and they’re presented in a collaborative setting with our team,” he says. “Ultimately, it’s the relationship we have in working with Danieli’s executive team, the engineers, the field representatives. Danieli’s a world-class organization that provides these worldclass solutions at the very highest level.”