Vaughn Ali has almost 20 years of experience working in the industry.

Connect Work Tools, a division of Exodus Global that is based in Superior, Wisconsin, has added Vaughn Ali to its team as a regional business manager for the Southeast. Ali has almost 20 years in the industry and most recently was the Southeast territory manager for Lockport, New York-based Moley Magnetics Inc.

“I have had the opportunity to work with Exodus Global’s team for several years as a vendor and have watched them grow,” Vaughn says. “Two things that have always stayed consistent are their positive energy and their reputation to exceed customers’ expectations. When the chance to work with Geordie Stewart and the Connect Work Tools group came to me, it was an opportunity that felt natural and like being home. I am truly grateful to have this opportunity. I am excited to be able to help this division grow and take care of our customers.”

Geordie Stewart, director of sales at Connect Work Tools, adds, “I have gotten to work with Vaughn on joint deals over the past years with mutual customers. Vaughn’s reputation for customer service, product knowledge and his drive to go above and beyond is exactly what Connect Work Tools is focused on to grow our business. Everyone who has dealt with Vaughn has nothing but great things to say, and we are beyond thrilled to get to add him to our team in the Southeast.”

Founded in 2015, Connect Work Tools offers attachments, including hydraulic breakers, compactors, rotating grapples and pulverizers for the construction, demolition, recycling and mining industries. The business division also offers rebuild services and reconditioned equipment.

Closed Loop Partners founder and CEO Ron Gonen will join the ITAD and electronics recycling company’s board.

New York-based Closed Loop Partners, an investment firm with circular economy objectives, has invested in Fresno, California-headquartered  ERI, which provides information technology asset disposition (ITAD) services, electronics recycling services and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction, through its Leadership Fund. Additionally, Ron Gonen, founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, has been elected to ERI’s board of directors. 

Closed Loop Partners’ Leadership Fund was established in 2019 and is part of the private equity group at Closed Loop Partners. The fund, investors in which include Microsoft, Nestlé and Unilever, as well as institutional investors and family offices, focuses on investing in and scaling businesses fundamental to keeping packaging, organics, electronics and apparel out of landfills and within a circular system, according to Closed Loop Partners.

John Shegerian, ERI chairman and CEO, says Closed Loop Partners is taking an ownership stake in ERI, though he declines to divulge the percentage breakdowns of the company’s ownership stakes. Its other investors include the Redwood Materials, a Nevada-based company that is working to create circular supply chains for lithium-ion batteries; South Korea-based LS-Nikko Copper, one of the world’s largest copper smelters; and aluminum producer Alcoa, based in Pittsburgh, which took a 10 percent stake in ERI in 2011. 

He says the funding from the Leadership Fund will help ERI meet its objectives “in numerous ways.” Shegerian adds, “Two companies already supported by the Closed Loop Fund, Amp Robotics and Retrievr, are already long-time partners with ERI, and we look forward to partnering and exploring other synergistic opportunities with other great shared brands as well as with the many terrific iconic companies that are Closed Loop Partners investors, who can become potential clients of ERI. Also, having Ron Gonen, one of the premier circular economy thought-leaders of our generation, sitting on our board is a tremendous asset in itself. And a dream come true for me personally.”

ERI’s areas of focus in terms of capital spending will include additional artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, expansion in North American and internationally and enhancements to the company’s proprietary online tracking software, Shegerian says. ERI has AI and robotics installations at its Fresno and Plainfield, Indiana, processing facilities.  

“ERI is the leading recycler of electronics in the United States, consistently demonstrating the viability of closed-loop systems for high-value materials,” Gonen says in a news release announcing the investment. “With Americans discarding $55 billion in e-waste annually, and the waste stream projected to grow more rapidly in the coming years, diverting these materials from landfills and back into manufacturing supply chains is critical. Our partnership with ERI will strengthen circular supply chains that ultimately benefit people, the planet and business.”  

In that same news release, Shegerian calls this “the perfect time for a partnership between ERI and Closed Loop Partners,” citing factors that include “the internet of things, cars essentially becoming computers on wheels, an increase in wearable tech, the 4G to 5G switchover, increasing consumption, data privacy issues and other factors, e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world—growing at a rate five times faster than any other waste stream.”

Shegerian says, “By partnering with our longtime friends at Closed Loop Partners, we are ideally positioned to play a meaningful role in accelerating change.” 

He adds that ERI’s relationship with Gonen extends back many years, with Gonen having introduced ERI to Amp Robotics. “He was also serving as deputy commissioner of Sanitation, Recycling and Sustainability for New York City when ERI teamed with the city to launch the city’s groundbreaking and award-winning residential e-waste pickup and recycling program, ecycleNYC.

“As a thought-leader, Ron has already provided tremendous guidance and insight in terms of the circular economy, and we are incredibly excited to be entering into this new level of collaboration with him and his team at Closed Loop Partners,” Shegerian adds.

Regarding its investment in ERI, Georgia Sherwin, director, Strategic Initiatives & Communications, at Closed Loop Partners, says, “As a leading circular economy investor, we saw immense opportunity in a strategic investment and partnership with ERI, the nation's largest electronics recycler, that continues to demonstrate the economic and environmental viability of diverting valuable electronics from landfill.”

She adds, “Together, building on Closed Loop Partners' network and expertise in the field, we can help lay the foundations for a truly circular economy for electronics at scale. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world; it's urgent that we address this challenge as we strive toward a waste-free future.”

The company says the new shredder is ideal for producing refuse-derived fuel.

Metso Outotec has introduced the M&J F320, a powerful flagship in the company’s new FineShredder series targeting the production of alternative fuels like refuse-derived fuel (RDF) or solid recovered fuel (SRF). Created in-house and equipped with an extra-long rotor, it can deliver 23 tons per hour (90 percent below 50 millimeters).

According to the company, the M&J F320 is particularly suitable to produce RDF and SRF in homogeneous sizes. It is built to perform with minimal downtime and has several advantages, including up to 35 percent lower operating expenses, low total installed power requirements and low operational energy costs.

Metso says the low operating costs are due to an innovative design, which features a unique cutting system that requires minimal daily maintenance. Once the rotor knives and static knives have been set in the initial setup, or after a change of knife holders, it does not require routine adjustment.

The M&J F320 also generates a limited amount of heat, so operators can avoid downtime due to materials such as molten plastic.

A unique feature of the M&J F320’s construction is the location of wear parts. The service team has easy access to everything and can replace all wear parts quickly to avoid lengthy maintenance. There is easy access to the shaft from both sides for servicing and cleaning—and the knife blocks have been designed for easy replacement.

Maintenance can be reduced by up to two-thirds with the M&J F320, according to the company, offering higher production yield and significant running cost benefits.

“The M&J F320 is the flagship of our new FineShred series. It delivers towering capacity and is extremely energy efficient. At the same time, you get thoroughly tested quality and a well-thought-out construction that makes servicing and maintenance easier than ever. It will set a new industry standard in the production of alternative fuels like RDF/SRF,” said Morten Kiil Rasmussen, commercial director for Metso Outotec Waste Recycling.

The sale will allow Fibertech founder Bill Scott to retire and provide growth opportunities for the company.

South Central Inc., Evansville, Indiana, has entered into an agreement to acquire Fibertech Inc., a leading manufacturer of custom-engineered, rotational-molded plastic products including bulk containers, plastic pallets, plastic lockers and more for a variety of industries including agriculture, health care, hospitality, manufacturing, maritime, recreation and recycling.

The sale allows Bill Scott, founder of Fibertech, to retire and provides growth opportunities and stability for the business and its employees. 

“Bill wanted to find a good steward for Fibertech who shared similar values, care for employees and commitment to the community. South Central Inc. and the Engelbrecht family check all of the boxes,” said Brent Rasche, chief operating officer of Fibertech Inc.

This acquisition will further expand and diversify South Central’s portfolio of investments across multiple industries including real estate, addiction treatment and private debt. 

“South Central Inc. was founded on the belief that business is an honorable calling and we can make a difference in the world by helping talented teams build great companies,” said JP Engelbrecht, CEO of South Central Inc., who today has been named CEO of Fibertech. “Fibertech Inc. is a solid company with a history of successful operations. We are thrilled to help take this local business to the next level by investing in new production capacity, talent and technology.”

Since its inception in Elberfeld, Indiana in 1999, Fibertech has become one of the industry’s preeminent plastics solution companies with a team that produces cost-effective and durable, 100 percent virgin polyethylene plastic material handling equipment.

The company says it’s offering a $500 bonus for new hires.

ERI, a cybersecurity and hardware destruction company based in Fresno, California, has announced that because of continued growth, it is looking to add 100 long-term employees to its staff this month. The company says it has immediate openings currently available at seven of its locations, including facilities in California, Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas and Washington state.

According to a news release from ERI, pay rates are competitive, positions are full-time and overtime opportunities are available. A $500 bonus is also being offered to new hires.

“As the world returns to a new better, we continue to grow exponentially and need new people to join the ERI family all over the country,” says John Shegerian, ERI’s chairman and CEO. “E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world today and the need to responsibly recycle electronics has never been greater. We’re very proud to continue offering great, green jobs across the nation. We know that many qualified people who may have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic are looking to ‘recycle’ their careers and grow with us and we welcome them.”

Those interested in positions can visit http://eridirect.com/about-us/careers for more information.