Sierra Macpresse--A Reputation for Reliability

With 1,200 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) coming through their facility every day, Paul Richards and Dick Chatterton of Metro Waste LLC in Salt Lake City knew they needed equipment with a serious work ethic and reliability.

Paul Richards and Dick Chatterton

"When we researched placing a transfer station into the greater Salt Lake City area, we knew the equipment we selected had to work, and work hard," Richards says.

Sierra International Machinery’s Macpresse line of MSW balers hasn’t let them down. Two 112L Macpresse balers have worked at Metro Waste since April 2005.

In addition to baling commercial and household solid waste, the facility also separates and bales selected recyclables, including scrap metal, aluminum and old corrugated containers (OCC). Richards and Chatterton didn’t have to look far to find equipment to meet Metro Waste’s baling needs.

"In visiting other sites, we found Macpresse had a good reputation for reliability," Chatterton says. "Metro Waste is making a huge commitment to our customers and business partners, and we had to have proven, reliable equipment that we knew could do the job. Macpresse has done this in more than 100 locations all around the world—it took a lot of the risk out of our operation," he says.

The performance of the two Sierra Macpresse balers has matched and exceeded their reputation, Richards says. With the balers, the landfill can get 40 to 45 percent more material in the same space.

Richards says an additional advantage has been improved energy efficiency, which he credits to the balers’ roots in the European market. "In Europe, the cost of electricity is quite a bit higher than here in Salt Lake. The [balers'] European electrical and hydraulic systems are designed to save energy, so we have been on-plan with our electrical expenses," he says.

Chatterton also reports saving on labor costs. "One of the reasons we liked the Macpresse was it does not require an operator like the other style of balers do, so we don’t have an operator that just stands by the baler."

Richards, Chatterton and the rest of the staff at Metro Waste have been further impressed by the service and support the company has received from Sierra and how smoothly the equipment has run. "We have been pleasantly surprised," Richards says. "We turned on the Macpresse balers and just started baling—and we have been baling every day since then."