PSC Refurbishing Nashville Dock Facility

As part of servicing steel mills across the nation’s intercontinental river system, PSC Metals, Inc., has announced plans to extensively renovate the former M. Cohen barge dock facility in Nashville, Tenn.

Greg Gillespie, a spokesman for PSC, said that once the now-decommissioned dock is refurbished the facility would have the capacity to support any steel mill on the intercontinental river with additional ferrous and non-ferrous scrap and other commodities.

Before the construction of the Gateway Bridge, PSC had two barge loading facilities. The one we utilized was taken through imminent domain for the construction of the new bridge. The other one had been previously decommissioned. At the time we lost our active barge loading facility our company was having financial troubles and we could not approve the capital required to refurbish our decommissioned facility. We now are a very financially viable company and have justified and approved the capital required to refurbish this barge loading facility. This is obviously dramatically less expensive than relocating our entire operations.

This is the core of the renovations to this facility. The old facility required the material to be staged at the dock and loaded by a magnet crane (tremendous handling costs). The direct dump allows staging trucks to dump directly into the barge.

The barge facility will offer direct-dump capabilities and greater loading capacity, Gillespie said, as well as providing PSC Metals with other cost and logistical efficiencies.

 “When you factor that into our growth throughout the region, it will enable us to be a primary source of multiple commodities of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap.”

Under the previous setup, material needed to be staged and the dock and loaded by a magnet crane, which cost a significant amount more money. However, with a direct dump area the company will now be able to allow trucks to dump directly into the barge.

Additionally, the site will enable PSC Metals to offer total scrap management, processing and transportation capabilities. The site has about 125 hourly and salaried employees.

While the city has been clamoring to renovate the riverfront area, PSC feels that the company does offer value to the neighborhood.  

"We offer a comprehensive metal recycling service to the Nashville community and surrounding counties. A benefit to the community is an efficient opportunity to keep scrapped metals (e.g., cars, refrigerators, aluminum cans, etc.) from piling-up in local neighborhoods and requiring additional metro costs for cleanup and saving local landfills from filling with valuable resources."