Purchase adds hot-dipped galvanized products to Coastal’s portfolio.

Coastal Wire Co. Inc., Georgetown, South Carolina, has acquired all assets of Casa Grande Wire and Cable Inc. of Casa Grande, Arizona, including its 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with a galvanizing line, wire drawing machines and other complementary equipment. The transaction closed Nov. 30, 2016. 

The acquisition of the privately owned producer of galvanized wire products gives Coastal Wire a broader geographic footprint and an expanded product line. Coastal Wire will now manufacture a full range of low carbon black annealed wire, Kleengreen® wire and galvanized wire products, including high-carbon and hi-tensile, for a range of applications.

Coastal Wire President and CEO Doug Wendel Jr. says, “This purchase fits well with our strategic growth strategy of expansion—expanding not only our manufacturing capabilities but [also] expanding our geographic footprint. Casa Grande represents a unique opportunity as a fully functional, high-volume manufacturing line with an excellent existing customer base in both recycling and agricultural products.”

Jason Hendrix, chief financial officer of Coastal Wire, adds, “As a leading manufacturer of black-annealed wire products, we have been asked by many of our customers to expand our product offerings to include hot-dip galvanized wire. Coastal Wire Co. is dedicated to providing outstanding products, responsive customer service and competitive pricing to our partners."

As Coastal Wire approaches 40 years in the industry, founder and owner Michael Coward says he continues to look for opportunities to best serve Coastal Wire clients. “Partnering with our customers has always been vital to providing the highest level of service, and, by incorporating Casa Grande’s world-class galvanized products, we will be better positioned to meet all of our customers’ needs. We couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to fuel Coastal Wire’s growth and deliver increased value to our customers.”

Coastal Wire says it will take over the former Casa Grande's operations effective immediately and will manufacture and ship from its Casa Grande and Georgetown plants.

The technology is based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

The aluminium company Norsk Hydro, based in Oslo, Norway, has signed a cooperation agreement with the equipment company Austin AI Inc. (AAI), Austin, Texas, to jointly develop and test an advanced technology to sort automotive aluminium alloys. In a news release about the project, the companies state that new developments could bring a step change to efficient, robust recycling of manufacturing scrap and used cars.

The automotive industry has been increasing its use of aluminium to build lighter cars that emit less carbon dioxide. The auto press shops that supply the aluminum alloys to the automakers stamp different sheet components, which require the separation of production scrap, making recycling more complicated.

According to Hydro and AAI, the gap in clean fractioning of the 500 and 600 alloys for recycling can soon be solved through the use of AAI´s technology, which is based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). According to AAI, this technology brings advantages compared with other LIBS configurations and has shown good test results in sorting the alloys for clear separation and clean recycling.

To test the new technology, AAI will install a pilot scale sorting facility at Hydro´s research and development center in Bonn, Germany. At the center, Hydro scientists, along with representatives of AAI, will gradually advance the facility's processes and features. The goal of the test is to increase the effectiveness of the sorting system and to ensure high quality sorting results for the required throughput. Once it is determined that the new system can meet the demands, AAI will expand the equipment for full-scale industrial use.

Kjetil Ebbesberg, executive vice president of Hydro, who leads the Rolled Products business, says, “We are optimistic and hope this will close the loop with automotive fabricator scrap and end-of-life vehicle scrap for new car body sheet, substantially saving energy, resources and process effort – another push for sustainable light-weighting with aluminium. Thus, it is a next step on the way to make Hydro a preferred partner for carmakers and a carbon neutral company by 2020."

“By developing robust processes, based on LIBS technology, Hydro can accommodate the needs of our automotive industry customers for converting their production scrap today – and help to master future challenges in end-of-life recycling for cars with more aluminium in them,” says Klaus Vieregge, head of Hydro´s R&D Center. “We are pleased with the positive feedback and high interest from several of our key automotive customers.”

According to Hydro, AAI’s LIBS technology has been successful in several other scrap aluminium sorting challenges, such as separating wrought from cast scrap and removing scrap magnesium from a fraction shredded light metals.

The cooperation with Hydro officially began with R&D trials back in August 2015 and now is structured by a comprehensive work plan.

More than $700,000 has been awarded to schools, businesses and municipalities in the state.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, along with Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary David Small and Delaware Recycling Public Advisory Council (RPAC) Chair B.J. Vinton, have announced the recipients through the through the DNREC’s Recycling Assistance Grant Program.

A total of $714,076 was awarded to 24 recipients for this year’s grant program. Recipients, including schools, businesses and municipalities, will be using the grant money to either develop or expand waste reduction, reuse or recycling activities in the state. (Click here to see a full list of recipients.)  

The grants, in their sixth year, are a competitive, matching grant program. The program encourages recipients to provide at least 25 percent of the total project cost in either cash or in-kind services. Since the grant program’s inception, 112 grants, totaling more than $8.5 million, have been awarded to bolster recycling activities in the state.

“Delaware has made great strides in universal recycling – establishing a system that provides services that are cost effective and convenient for every residence and business, and that promotes jobs and economic growth,” says Markell. “As a result, in less than six years, we have gone from modest recycling statewide to diverting nearly 43 percent of recyclables from our landfills – ranking among the nation’s leaders in recycling. The grants we are announcing make it possible for us to increase diversion rates even more.”

“At the outset of his administration, Gov. Markell made recycling a priority for Delaware,” says Small. “I want to thank the governor, under whose leadership Delaware’s Universal Recycling Law, policies and programs have reduced landfill waste, conserved natural resources, saved Delawareans money, reduced greenhouse gases and improved the health of residents. As a result, 347,000 households receive curbside recycling service and an estimated 20,000 multi-family households receive recycling collection.”

Delaware’s RPAC is charged with advising the governor, DNREC and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority on all aspects of recycling, including developing grant criteria and selection of applications, the methodology for measuring recycling rates and outreach activities designed to achieve higher recycling rates.

Council Chair Vinton says, “The Universal Recycling legislation will benefit Delaware for generations to come. As a result of the law, more than $17 million in investments and over 120 direct jobs have been created in the state. If we continue on the track set for us by the law, we will more than double the useful life of our existing landfills and stave off the need for new landfills by decades.”

The 2016 grant awardees include 13 schools, nine businesses and two municipalities.

Revenue for the program comes from a 4-cent recycling fee paid by retailers to the state on certain types of beverages sold as well as the proceeds from the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

Envelope manufacture adds corrugated segment to its portfolio.

Supremex Inc., a LaSalle, Quebec-based manufacturer and marketer of stock and custom envelopes and a provider of packaging and specialty products, has acquired the assets of Lachine, Quebec-based Durabox Paper Inc., which manufactures specialty corrugated paper boxes, especially for the food industry.

"Through this strategic acquisition we gain not only a strong, vibrant and growing consumer packaging business with a positive outlook, we add complementary capabilities, cross-selling opportunities and vertical integration potential,” says Stewart Emerson, president and CEO of Supremex.

“The addition of the equipment and know-how allows us to efficiently produce and customize corrugated packaging, broaden the Supremex product offering and continue to diversify the business," Emerson continues.

Durabox Paper, an independent corrugator company, primarily services customers in Central and eastern Canada and the United States.

"We are excited to join forces with Supremex. We believe our manufacturing and customization capabilities are a synergistic complement to Supremex's packaging offering. Further, with their reach, sales network and financial support we now have the resources and network to grow our capacity beyond our existing customer base and deliver even more value to existing customers," says John Nickoletopoulos, president of Durabox.

According to Supremex, Nickoletopoulos and Durabox’s management team will remain with the company.

Recycling company now has six recycling plants in the Midwest.

Quincy Recycle, headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, has opened a new recycling facility in Marion, Iowa, just outside Cedar Rapids. With the addition of the new plant in Marion, the company now operates six recycling facilities in the Midwest in Alsip and Quincy, Illinois; New Haven, Indiana; West Bend, Wisconsin; and St. Louis.

In addition to providing recycling services for paper and plastics, Quincy Recycle also is involved in food waste recycling services.

Bryan Stokes, owner and president of Quincy Recycle, says, “The Cedar Rapids area was a natural location for us. Our plants in Chicago, St. Louis, Quincy and the Milwaukee area already service manufacturers in surrounding areas. The Cedar Rapids plant now reduces freight costs and expands our capabilities to provide value to manufacturing companies.”

The Marion plant is near several interstates, making it easier for manufacturers in some of the surrounding cities to be efficiently serviced.

The company, along with its subsidiary Quincy Farm Products, have been providing food waste outlets for many food processing and manufacturing plants in Iowa. Through this division the company works with food manufacturers to divert food waste from landfills.

Another Quincy Recycle subsidiary, On-Site Information Destruction (OSID), services the Cedar Rapids area from its locations in Waterloo and Des Moines, Iowa. OSID provides AAA National Association for Information Destruction- (NAID-) certified paper, hard drive and product destruction services.