Behr Iron & Metal Launches $30 Million Expansion

Behr Iron & Metal, headquartered in Rockford, Ill., is expanding its presence in the Midwest at what the company says is the fastest pace in its 105-year history. To meet the demands of its customer base, Behr recently embarked on a $30 million plant expansion that will put modern scrap processing technology into its Peoria, Ill., and South Beloit, Ill., yards. The company adds that the new equipment will expand its overall capacity and help position Behr for significant growth going forward.

Mike Schwebke, Behr vice president of operations, says, “We’re just doing what Behr Iron & Metal has always done in uncertain economic times – invest big in the future.”

The expansion includes the installation of a Metso shredder a Behr’s Peoria facility. The shredder started operating in March 2012.

The 104-inch, 5,000-horsepower shredder is expected to increase the capacity of the facility from 60 tons per hour to 120 tons per hour, the company says.

In addition to the shredder, Behr also invested in a host of other equipment, including the installation of an $1.1 million metal recovery system that includes a Steinert US DMS Separator to recover ferrous nuggets and ferritic dirt, according to Ridley Stone of Wendt Corp., as well as a Wendt Titech Finder. This is the first time the DMS and Titech Finder have been used in combination on the ferrous downstream to mine the metal from the fluff recovered by the pre-magnet air system, Stone adds.

He adds, "This project is the first of its kind and it was completely tested, engineered and designed by Wendt using our experience, processes and technology."

“Until now, the technology didn’t exist for us to efficiently, or economically, recover the relatively small amounts of copper wire, light tin and other ferrous and nonferrous materials that remained in what we call fluff, Schwebke says. He adds that the equipment will enable Behr to sort, separate and recycle an additional 2 to 3 percent of material that would have gone to landfills. "This may seem relatively inconsequential, but it’s really quite significant when you consider we produce some 200 tons of fluff each day," Schwebke adds.

Behr’s Sough Beloit facility also is undertaking a similar expansion, with a DMS Separator on order to sort auto shredder fluff coming out of one new line, and two existing lines of eddy current separators and air separators.