WEIMA America

 

WEIMA America will be expanding its South Carolina headquarters in order to accommodate the ever-increasing demand for shredding and briquetting.

Located just south of Charlotte, NC, WEIMA America’s headquarters currently houses two functional showrooms as well as the company’s parts and service department and administrative offices. The extra square footage will allow the size-reduction company to meet the needs of this growing market by stocking more shredding and briquetting machinery and providing extra room for on-site customer trials.

“Our customers are looking for immediate solutions to their size reduction problems,” says Madison Burt, WEIMA America’s Vice President of Sales. “We want to have the equipment available to meet those needs now!”

The additional space is on schedule to be completed by mid-Summer.

For more information or to schedule a trial, contact WEIMA America toll free at (888) 440-7170 or by emailing info@weimaamerica.com.

 

Construction & Demolition Recycling magazine recently released the results of its inaugural State of the Industry Report, which appeared as an insert in the September/October 2011 issue. Among the key findings:

• A lack of construction activity was most often cited as the leading concern, but respondents also pointed to energy costs and the regulatory climate as issues that will affect them in the near future.
• 40% of respondents said their equipment budget would increase in 2012.
• The national economy is of greater concern than regional economic issues.
• Lack of bid activity has been the leading factor in limiting company revenues.

To stay informed of issues impacting the recycling industry visit Weima America's web site and blog.

When hurricane Katrina shut down a Ford Motor Company's resin supplier's factory, the company engineers learned an important lesson about using recycled materials in vehicles: plastic laundry bottles don't work. The company tried using recycled Downy fabric softener bottles in car parts. But using these materials delivered a smell like you were doing laundry.

As part of its sustainability drive, Ford aims to build vehicles that reduce the materials that end up in landfills. Its latest efforts are apparent in the 2013 Ford Escape crossover. The carpets of each 2013 Escape will contain about 25 20-ounce PET plastic beverage bottles. This results in keeping about 4 million bottles out of landfills annually.

The recycling doesn't stop there - the interior of the new Escape also contains a number of other sustainable materials including soy in the seat cushions and fiber from the kenaf plant used in the door inserts. Altogether, 27 percent of the seat fabric comes from "post-industrial recycled content".

WEIMA America's shredders play an important role in recycling plastics. To learn more about our vast capabilities, visit our web site at www.weimaamerica.com.

What is your role at WEIMA America?

I am a service technician-- I repair and modify machines based on our customer's needs.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

There is something new to do every day. Each machine is different.

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA America's technical department apart?

All of the guys in the shop work together really well to solve problems and get the job done.

What is the coolest application you've ever encountered?

What is your role at WEIMA America?

I am the Marketing Coordinator. I organize all trade shows, handle our advertising, maintain the content that goes on the website and write this blog!

What is your favorite thing about your job?

My job is 50% creative and 50% administrative-- I get to play around in Adobe Photoshop and then fill out paperwork. Believe it or not, I really enjoy both roles and the variety of the day!

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA America apart?

I work with really talented people. Each member of the WEIMA America team has different strengths. Our skills flow together nicely, and our goal is to make sure you receive top notch customer service.

What is the coolest application you've ever encountered?

I love watching our hard drive shredder in action. Maybe I've had too many hard drive crashes in my life, but there's something about watching those hard drives being torn to shreds that makes it allllll better.

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) recently released its recycling data for PET bottles for 2010, and after staying flat for two years, the volume of PET bottles recycled in the United States increased by 113 million pounds last year, which brought the recycling rate close to 30 percent for the first time since 1996.

Last year, the amount of recycled PET used in manufacturing increased by 7 percent and broke the 1-billion pound level for the first time, at 1.002 billion pounds. That’s nearly 43 percent more recycled PET than was used in manufacturing in 2001. In addition, the 2010 rate was up from a low of 19.6 percent in 2003, and is only 2.6 percentage points lower than the current high of 31.7 percent rate recorded back 1996. 

Located in Sonoma, CA, NAPCOR is the trade association for the PET plastics industry in North America, and compiles annual industry data that can help manufacturers and recyclers anticipate shortages and make better investment decisions.

According to the report, the continued expansions in capacity, despite the supply shortage of recycled PET, reflect the increasing use and demand for recycled PET, which has prompted companies who anticipate a long-term need for RPET supply to either quietly back new merchant reclaimers or to do it themselves.

What is your role at WEIMA America?

I handle everything except sales and accounting, but I do play a support role for those positions.


What is your favorite thing about your job?

There is always much to do and every day brings a new challenge.


In your opinion, what sets WEIMA equipment apart?

WEIMA machines are innovative, well made, and flexible.


What is the coolest or most bizarre application you've ever encountered?

The coolest application I've seen was bowling balls. The most bizarre application was household trash. We see everything around here, though.

I am the Office Administrator and I do a little bit of everything. I mainly focus on accounts receivable and accounts payable.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love the variation my job supplies-- I never know what my focus for the day will be until the day comes.

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA's customer service apart?

We like to be quick to answer your questions if possible, and when we can't, we make sure to get you in contact with the correct person to address your needs. 

What is the most bizarre application you've ever encountered?

Cow manure was quite unique!

Environmental initiatives like recycling may seem incompatible with a sport based on driving powerful cars at fast speeds for long periods of time, but NASCAR has begun to address its environmental impact in some interesting ways.

By working with its partners, Coca-Cola Recycling and Coors Light, NASCAR has educated fans on the benefits of recycling and installed thousands of bottle and can recycling centers at speedways. In fact, in 2009, NASCAR recycled more than 2.5 million beverage containers, which is more than 80 tons of material. 

Recycling efforts are also focused on the one thing NASCAR really depends: tires. A single NASCAR race can result some 600 heavily used or damaged tires that can never be reused. Each tire can weigh over 20 pounds, which adds up to 12,000+ pounds of tire waste per race. With 41 races in the 2011 season, that comes to 24,600+ tires (492,000 pounds) that will sit in a landfill for the next 400 years. 

Which is why Goodyear, a major corporate sponsor of the sport, sponsors a program that recycles all of NASCAR’s tires by transporting them to Charlotte, N.C., where they’re shredded and used for a variety of purposes, including asphalt mixtures and composite material for children’s playgrounds.

What is your role at WEIMA America?

I am the Regional Sales Manager for the Central, Mountain & Pacific region.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

What I enjoy most is the daily challenge of providing the correct solution for our customers. Since almost every application is unique, I have the ability to customize the equipment to fit the application, achieve and surpass the customer's goals and expectations, while providing the most functional solution. This makes it all worthwhile.

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA equipment apart?

Our equipment speaks for itself with its quality engineering, components, functionality and reliability. It's not just the equipment that stands out, but also everyone who is a part of the WEIMA team from our knowledgeable and experienced sales force, service department and our administrative employees. As a whole, WEIMA provides the best equipment for the industries we serve.

What is the coolest / most bizarre application you've ever encountered?

That is hard to say, because I get a variety of bizarre applications. I believe it is because my territory is so large, and my customers are diverse to say the least. In conversation with people outside of my industry, the application that sparks the most interest  (especially within California) is a project where a certain government agency needed to shred confiscated bales of marijuana.

What is your role at WEIMA America? 

Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast USA

What is your favorite thing about your job?

Every project is different. I have been with WEIMA America since 2007, and every customer's application has been unique. I like that!

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA equipment apart?

The people. I am very fortunate to work with great people. At the end of the day, it's a machine. But the service and people behind the machine are what you are really investing in.

What is the coolest/most bizarre application you've ever encountered?

I could tell you, but I had to sign an NDA! Ahhhh, the life of a machinery salesman...

On the way to work this morning, I heard a news report on the radio that really got me thinking...

This report by National Public Radio stated that the U.N. estimated that today the population of the earth would reach seven BILLION people.

I started thinking about how much trash and other waste seven billion people can generate on their own. Then I started thinking about how much waste manufacturing plants would have to produce to keep enough of this or that on the shelves for those seven billion people. And then I thought about how the majority of those products had to be packaged somehow. Waste, waste, waste. It's the nature of the beast.

The only thing I could think about while listening to this report was this:  There will never be a better time than right now to establish environmentally-friendly manufacturing technologies within your operation-- within your daily life in general!

I love that what we do here at WEIMA America really matters.

What is your role at WEIMA America?

I am the receptionist-- more than likely it is me that you will speak with when you call into our office. I also handle the accounts receivable department and keep the filing for the machines in order.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I enjoy being in contact with people on a daily basis and making sure that the numbers (invoices, etc.) add up correctly.

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA America's customer service apart?

We pride ourselves in providing prompt, detailed, patient and friendly service here in the office!

What is the coolest/most bizarre size reduction application you've ever encountered?

All in all I am amazed at any application-- learning what our customers accomplish with their WEIMA equipment is great! Still, it is incredible to watch whole plastic trash receptacles being shredded-- powerful! I also love to see how two different materials are shredded and then separated for further use.  We have direct ties with the recycling industry, and that positively impacts both our society and environment.

The big advantage of “GREEN MARKETING” is the competitive posture your sales team has approaching new opportunities. If you are proposing jobs against a competitor that already has an efficient waste reduction system in place, they are receiving revenues for their waste stream that you are not. This provides for more attractive pricing as they can work off slimmer margins due to higher waste paper revenues. These revenues represent dollars that should not be ignored!

Proper waste management systems have been operating throughout the printing industry for years. Those companies are proud of their secret. They often beat the competition with aggressive pricing not afforded by all.

Destruction of printed material is more prevalent now than in the past. This forces the printer to provide proper chain of custody. If in fact the incumbent already can provide that service "in house", this builds a barrier for your sales team that is almost impossible to overcome.

A number of factors come into play when determining how extensive of a waste handling system should be designed for your facility. Your existing process dictates what equipment should be part of the new design. Is my present air system at maximum capacity? Does my present and future customer base suggest pre-shredding and baling of material? Is my present recycling hauler yielding the highest dollars per ton in the form I tender it to them? What if I prepare my waste to enable a “Mill Direct” program? What is my waste revenue then?

We are fortunate to be in a market in North America that provides quality vendors of waste management systems. The overworked cliché of "Do your Due Diligence" stands paramount in this process as well.

What is your role at WEIMA America?

I am the Inside Sales Manager, the Regional Sales Manager for the wood industry in Canada, and the on-site Trial Coordinator.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I get to do a little bit of everything. One day I'm at my desk, then maybe the next day I'm running a customer trial, and the next day I'm changing a screen on a machine in our on-site showroom. It's never boring and there is always something to be done.

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA equipment apart?

Experience is the main thing that comes to mind. Also, the people-- we have a great TEAM, which results in great service for our customers.

What is the coolest/most bizarre application you've ever encountered?

Our Regional Sales Manager for the south-east, Bill Zoller, ran chicken manure through a briquette press. Needless to say, it didn't work out as planned!

Last week WEIMA America welcomed John Pahl, a new addition to our technical department! He wrote the following post. Welcome aboard, John!

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Who is the King of Shred?
You might get different answers to this question depending on who you ask.

If you are a manufacturer in need of waste reduction equipment, we at WEIMA America are confident that we are at the top of your list.

If you are a fan of guitar virtuosos in the rock and metal vein, your answer might be Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngqie Malsteen or John Petrucci. These guitar "shredders" have built a name and reputation on being the very best at what they do... that is, soloing in an often fast and furious style at a technical level far beyond their peers. Those raised on top 40 and Kenny G may not be familiar with the shred genre of music, and that's OK. To each his own. For those who want a more challenging musical experience, check out any of the above names via YouTube to see what technical prowess, exotic scales, and genuine genius looks and sounds like. While many new shredders lie in wait for a chance at the crown, being fast is not enough. Innovation and a reputation for consistently surpassing your past achievements is the only way to deliver a superior product that both surprises and delights both fans and peers. 

It's the same with WEIMA America. It's not enough to build quality machinery; our innovations lead the industry as our products stand the test of time. 

So who is the King of Shred?
You tell me.

 
Meet Brian Brown!

What is your role at WEIMA America? Project Coordinator, which means I am responsible for processing machine orders and all that entails, including shipping.

What is your favorite thing about your job? I enjoy working on CAD drawings.

In your opinion, what sets WEIMA equipment apart? Our ability to customize the machines to better match our customer's needs is unique.

What is the coolest/most bizarre application you've ever encountered? Shredding the brass alloy skeletons and reject cymbals for Zildjan in our ZM series shredder.