The Houston-based Recycling Technologies Division of Industrial Service Solutions (ISS) has been selected to design and help manufacture a shredder downstream nonferrous separation plant for L. Gordon Iron & Metal in Statesville, North Carolina. The system will be installed to operate online with the existing 80/104 shredder or as an offline operation.

Along with obtaining the highest recovery rate possible, ISS says it was challenged with placing the system in a predesignated area. According to ISS Vice President of Recycling Technologies Bill Tigner, “We worked closely with L. Gordon Iron & Metal to achieve the goals established in an area where we had to be mindful of the ferrous operation and truck traffic. Part of that solution was working with [Newburg, Oregon-based] Action Conveyors.”

The planned system will incorporate Action’s Sub Pan-free Taper Slot Screen. For the required tons per hour of Gordon’s system, the Taper Slot Screen replaces the traditional layout of initial trommel separation with a vibratory screen. “It is a unique piece of technology and equipment that is the best in the industry,” says Tigner.

Other supply partners in the system from ISS include SGM Magnetics for three eddy current separators and Denver-based Fluent Conveyor. Platforms, support towers and structures will be built at the ISS facility in Houston.

“After many years of evaluating similar projects, we were able to find the right solution for today’s market,” comments Richard Gordon, CEO of L. Gordon Iron & Metal. “The ISS team was able to design a state-of-the-art recovery system that will work seamlessly with our current operation. We are excited to be able to upgrade the nonferrous streams from our shredder and begin recovering all of the metallics that may have previously been lost in waste disposal.”

With roots tracing back to 1917, fifth-generation family business Gordon Recyclers Inc. and its L. Gordon Iron & Metal division serves customers in a wide geographic area and adjoining states with multiple locations, including its flagship 17-acre location in Statesville.

L. Gordon Iron & Metal employs roughly 100 people and operates an 80/104 automobile shredding plant, plus an 800-ton shear and several nonferrous balers. The company ships ferrous and nonferrous scrap via truck, rail, and cargo ship to numerous consuming mills worldwide.

ISS operates from more than 45 locations and has 2,500 employees offering field, shop and supply services. In support of the scrap metal industry, ISS offers stationary shredders including their castings and wear parts, AmeriMex motors and controls, emission controls, shredder explosion mitigation, the Taurus US line of scrap shears and balers and ZB Group’s Thor mobile shredder line.

The new Cat M320 wheeled excavator optimizes performance and efficiency at the job site with up to 9 percent more swing torque than the Cat M320F to get work done faster. Its longer wheelbase increases operating stability and improves machine ride at speeds reaching 21.7 mph. From dirt to asphalt, this wheeled excavator is designed to meet operators’ needs for efficient operation in a range of applications, the manufacturer says.

The company adds that improvements to the hydraulic system increase machine efficiency when working with a range of Cat attachments. Upgrades in machine design reduce the time needed for daily maintenance, while extended filter life and longer service intervals maximize machine uptime availability at the job site while lowering ownership costs.

The new M320 is powered by a 129.4-kilowatt (174-horsepower) Cat C4.4 engine that meets EU Stage V and U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final emissions standards. Efficiency increasing standard features like one-touch low idle with automatic engine speed control, auto engine idle shutdown and on-demand electric cooling fans combine to conserve diesel and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to lower operating costs, Cat says. The machine also can run on B20 biodiesel.

The new M320 features a dedicated swing pump to provide consistent power. The advanced hydraulic system is designed to automatically balance power and efficiency to give operators more machine control for precise working requirements. Its unique heavy-lift mode feature boosts lifting capacities to efficiently handle heavy loads, increasing machine flexibility, Cat says.

The new M320 design saves owners up to 5 percent in maintenance parts with its new, longer-lasting filters, Cat says. Offering a 50 percent longer service life than previous filter designs, the new hydraulic oil filter with anti-drain valves to safeguard from contaminating the oil during replacement delivers improved filtration performance and a 3,000 hours replacement interval. Two fuel filtration levels protect the engine from dirt particles in the diesel.

The M320 features centralized grease points with an available automatic lubrication system option for the implement and swing system. All SOS ports are positioned at ground level. The operator tracks machine maintenance intervals and filter life from inside the cab on a touch-screen monitor to improve maintenance planning efficiency.  

Standard product link technology on the M320 is designed to improve fleet management and excavator servicing by recording and reporting critical operating data and machine fault codes to key personnel. New Remote Troubleshoot allows the dealer to run diagnostic testing of fault codes from the office while the machine is operating, potentially saving a trip to the job site.

Two larger next-gen cab designs–deluxe and premium–are available for the new M320. All controls are positioned in front of the operator, within easy reach.

Operators intuitively navigate through machine functions with the new large 10-inch touch-screen monitor with jog dial.

Advanced viscous mounts found on the M320 cab decrease machine vibration feedback, reducing operator fatigue

Standard rearview and right side cameras, along with large cab windows with small cab pillars, help to improve job site visibility for the operator, according to Cat. An optional 360-degree visibility system combines input from multiple cameras around the machine to give operators an unparalleled view of their surroundings. The excavator’s new flat engine hood design also improves visibility.

The Aurubis locations for sale employ about 360 people. With plants in Germany, France, Italy, China and the U.S., KME is a manufacturer of copper and copper alloy products.

Aug. 9, the companies signed a corresponding term sheet that will serve as the basis for preparing a purchase agreement, Aurubis says in a news release. Aurubis says it assumes that the purchase agreement can be signed within the next two months and that the sites will be transferred following the approval of the sale by the responsible competition authorities. While both parties initially agreed to keep the sale price of the transaction confidential, Intek Holding has released additional information about the purchase price in line with the requirements of the Italian stock exchange supervisory authorities. It is expected to be approximately 8 million euros plus the value of the net working capital at the time of closing (which as of June 30 totaled about 67 million euros).

“Aurubis will be focusing even more strongly on its core business: primary copper production, recycling and our multimetal portfolio,” Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis AG, says. “With the planned partial sale, we’re now reducing the scope and complexity in the FRP segment as well.

“Intek Holding and the KME Group have profound international market knowledge,” he adds. “As a result, we view the next steps toward closing the contract very optimistically.”

In a news release issued by Intek, the company says the purchase is part of KME Group's strategy to focus on its core business of rolled products in copper and copper alloys and to further develop its manufacturing know‐how and product portfolio. The company’s goal is to produce operational efficiencies and to provide the best service to the customers.

Aurubis says despite negotiations with different interested parties, the plants in Stolberg, Germany; Pori, Finland; and Buffalo, New York, will remain in the Aurubis Group to be developed further. Strict restructuring and optimization programs have run successfully, and the markets for the entire segment are showing very promising development during the pandemic, according to the company.

In its quarterly earnings announced Aug. 5, Aurubis said the FRP segment generated operating earnings before taxes of 10 million euros in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. The outlook for these plants is positive, according to the company.

*This story was updated Aug. 11 to include the value of the transaction.

Dallas-based Re-Teck, an e-scrap recycling company, has announced it is developing a video game aimed at educating the public about the importance of recycling end-of-life electronics. The company intends to launch the game in the Apple iOS and Google Android markets in the fourth quarter of the year before Black Friday in the United States.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this educational effort to encourage and incentivize players to engage in activities that help clean up our planet,” says Tony Wang, CEO of Re-Teck.

According to a news release from Re-Teck, the game will introduce players to a planet covered with electronic scrap and broken electronics. Players assume the role of the main character and create a robot that recycles the scrap into new electronics. As the players engage, they can collect parts and tools that will help them advance in the game.  

Players will complete tasks along the way so they can earn coins that they can use in the store to purchase new tools and parts. Additionally, as they engage in these activities, a progress bar will show the planet becoming “green” again. 

The game is being developed by Triodocix Digital Studios, an entertainment company based in Mumbai. The game’s concepts were created by high school students as part of a company-sponsored competition.

Triodoxic’s list of credentials includes film and movies, children’s animation, educational programming, virtual reality, health care applications and gaming. The company was chosen from developers domestically and internationally.  

“In the end, we were most impressed by Triodoxic’s vision for the game and understanding of the U.S. market,” Wang says.

Currently, Re-Teck is working with its Dallas-based marketing firm, The Time Group, to develop the onboarding process for sponsors with plans to announce those sponsors as they sign onto the project. 

Re-Teck provides reverse supply chain management solutions for original equipment manufacturers and businesses in the technology, electronics and telecom sector. The company offers reverse logistics, data sanitization, certified destruction and recycling services.