The RS40 shredder will produce a 40-millimeter particle size, with the ability to get down to a 6-millimeter size for high-security jobs.

Revive IT’s headquarters in Leeds, England, has commissioned a shredder in preparation for increasing its business in 2021, according to the company.

Revive IT specializes in securely refurbishing and recycling a range of electronic devices, including computers, laptops, mobile phones, hard drives, tablets, printers, servers and networking hardware.

The company’s investment in a containerized RS40 shredder from Untha Shredding Technology GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, represents its move to bring its waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) shredding services entirely in-house for what Revive IT says is added peace of mind when it comes to secure data destruction.

The four-shaft shredder initially will be used to process 5,000 redundant hard drives and 5,000 media tapes. Revive IT says it then plans to routinely shred 1,000 more of each unit type per week to meet rising demand. Engineered specifically for this application, the company says the shredder has the capacity to process three times this volume should the company continue to expand.

With data destruction requirements varying from one customer to the next, 90 percent of the WEEE Revive IT processes will be processed down to a 40-millimeter (roughly 1.5-inch) particle size, according to the company with 10 percent of the incoming WEEE being reduced to 6 millimeters (roughly 0.25 inch) to satisfy the highest government security standards.

The segregated plastics and metals will then be sent for recycling and reinsertion into the value chain, Revive IT says.

“Our customers turn to us for a fully-insured secure data destruction service, complete with the reassurance that all environmental—as well as compliance—obligations are being upheld,” says General Manager Oliver Bedford. “GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the increasing volume of data exchanged digitally means demand for our services has continued to rise, and that was before Covid-19.

“Managing the WEEE shredding ourselves—rather than relying on third parties, however experienced—means we have complete quality control over our service provision from end to end,” he continues. “We’re also better positioned to support more customers, including far larger organizations with ultra-sensitive security requirements.”

The shredder was purchased through Untha Finance and includes a service and maintenance package, Revive IT says.

“I’d read about Untha’s DIN- (Deutsches Institut für Normung-) compliant shredding technology and the more I explored the RS40’s capabilities, the more I realized this was by far the most superior machine on the market for our secure data destruction brief,” Bedford says. “The level of knowledge within the Untha team reflects this too.”

Nation’s president announces public-private partnerships designed to spur highway and rail spending.

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has announced a series of financing arrangements designed to invest nearly $14 billion in highway, rail and utility projects in the nation.

The set of projects resulted from negotiations with corporate stakeholders designed in part to strengthen relations between the Obrador administration and Mexican corporations, according to a late October Reuters report.

A passenger rail project and planned spending on oil and gas assets of Pemex are among the metals-intensive activities that could take place if the planned spending occurs.

Some of the projects already are underway, according to Reuters, but the government and corporate involvement could ensure a stable climate for them to stay on track.

Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to contract by 9 percent in 2020, according to a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessment.

The nation’s own National Institute of Statistics and Geography calculates an 18.7 decline in GDP for the second quarter of this year.

Canada-based ScotiaBank, in an Oct. 26 LatAm Daily analysis and write-up, says Mexico’s August financial data showed recovery from that second quarter is continuing, but “progress had decelerated” in wholesale and retail sales activity.

The bank’s Paulina Villaneuva writes, “Until an effective stabilization and perhaps reduction in the number of Mexico’s COVID-19 infections is achieved, full recovery of the commercial sector is likely to be delayed.“

The bank's economist adds, “With slow progress in the labor market and gradual gains in domestic consumption, commercial activity is likely to remain weak, at least for the rest of the year.”

The consortium seeks to offer solutions and provide education to enable matrix and release liner recycling.

Avery Dennison Corp., Glendale, California, says it has joined other leaders in the pressure-sensitive label industry to form the Circular Economy for Labels (CELAB) consortium, which aims to offer solutions and provide education to enable matrix and release liner recycling.

According to a news release from Avery Dennison about its participation in the consortium, only 52 percent of matrix and liner scrap is recycled globally. CELAB seeks to accelerate matrix and liner recycling industrywide, which aligns with Avery Dennison’s sustainability commitments, including 2025 targets to ensure its operations will be 95 percent landfill-free, that 75 percent of its waste is repurposed and that the company helps customers reduce waste from Avery Dennison products by 70 percent.

“Collaboration is at the heart of our sustainability vision,” says Renae Kezar, senior director, global leader, sustainability, label and graphic materials, Avery Dennison. “This marks our first industrywide effort to work together, and we're learning a lot. In a competitive environment, this isn’t always easy, but CELAB is the embodiment of how shared goals can reach across an entire value chain to push the industry forward towards circularity.”

She adds, “Our commitment to forming CELAB further underscores the complementary efforts we are undertaking throughout our global operations to reduce our environmental impacts and engage in and influence sustainable, circular practices throughout our value chain.”

According to Avery Dennison, CELAB is guided by four principles:

“This consortium is a timely and much-needed resource to help address one of our industry’s most difficult challenges,” Kezar says.

Avery Dennison says other actions it’s taken to advance circular approaches globally to its matrix and liner recycling through its AD Circular Program include launching a scalable matrix recycling program in North America with RoadRunner Recycling in September to help label converters achieve their zero-waste-to-landfill goals.

In the Asia Pacific region, the company has partnered with EcoBlue, a Thailand-based company that specializes in recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) label liner for use in other polyester applications, to add PET label liners to its liner recycling program. In China, Avery Dennison has launched a PET liner and matrix scrap recycling program in partnership with Lvhuan.

In Europe, the company says it has piloted a liner collection program in selected countries. Among its partners was Romei Replastics, which converted scrap material from the labeling process into new raw materials. The process includes collecting PET liner from customers, reshaping it into flakes and high-performance compounds and producing new products. Avery Dennison says it plans to extend the liner collection activities to other countries in the near future.

In Latin America, Avery Dennison Brazil’s Programa Circular collects PET and paper label liners and film label matrix from converters and end-users in collaboration with the São Paulo-based Boomera, which specializes in repurposing waste material. The paper liner is processed by Polpel to make cellulose pulp for tissue paper manufacturing. This program received a Label Industry Global Award in September.

Mike Moehnke rejoins the company.

Cast steel replacement wear parts manufacturer Columbia Steel Casting Co. Inc., Portland, Oregon, has announced the return of former employee Mike Moehnke to the role of sales and marketing director.  

Moehnke started his career at Columbia Steel as a product engineer and quickly worked his way up to engineering manager, the company says in a news release about his new role. He spent his last nine-plus years at the company serving as a district manager before serving as vice president of engineering and sales at VR Steel, where he worked for seven years.

In his new role at Columbia Steel, Moehnke will lead 10 district managers as they service current and potential customers while also overseeing marketing initiatives.

“I am already feeling welcome as I work towards extending the tribal knowledge about the foundry and all parts of Columbia Steel that I accumulated over the 17 years I worked here,” Moehnke says. “Beyond offering a helping hand to many different departments, I aim to increase the success of both our customers and the company by serving as the communication link between our headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and our 10 district managers who are geographically dispersed.”

Columbia Steel is a family-owned and operated business founded in 1901. The company’s 86-acre facility is home to an on-site product design and engineering department, pattern making capabilities, a machine shop and a full-service steel casting foundry. The company currently employs 256 people, including many second- and third-generation employees.

Jeff Pople is a 21-year employee of Exit 40 Truck and Trailer Services, which is a subsidiary of Page Trucking in Weedsport, New York.

During the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ (ISRI’s) 2020 Virtual Awards Ceremony Oct. 21, the Washington-based association presented its Golden Wrench Award to Jeff Pople of Exit 40 Truck and Trailer Services, which is a subsidiary of Page Trucking based in Weedsport, New York. ISRI says the award is given to the individual who has exhibited outstanding efforts, achievements and contributions during a career in vehicle maintenance.

Pople is a 21-year employee of Exit 40 Truck and Trailer Services. In addition to his recognition as ISRI’s Golden Wrench Award winner, Pople was previously honored for his truck maintenance skills and experience, ISRI states in a news release on this award. Pople won first place in the annual inspection procedures category and second place in the written exam category of the Trucking Association of New York’s 2019 SuperTech competition.

“Jeff shows a continual pursuit of perfection in his field and his award-winning performance is a huge contribution to our continued success here at Exit 40 Truck and Trailer Service,” says Roy Gregory, who is the former regional safety manager at Exit 40 Truck and Trailer Service.

“ISRI is very proud to honor Jeff with its Golden Wrench Award,” says ISRI Senior Safety Director Commodor Hall. “Jeff’s commitment to ensuring vehicles are safe on the road is paramount to the overall success of his company and positively impacts the recycling industry as a whole.”

According to ISRI, Golden Wrench Award nominees must be full-time employees of an ISRI member company for at least one year and be responsible for maintaining commercial motor vehicles. ISRI says nominations must be made by someone who is familiar with the nominee’s work history, such as a supervisor or safety director. Nominees also must meet the minimum requirement of five years of verifiable employment as a commercial motor vehicle maintenance technician and must have a minimum of 40 hours qualified medium/heavy or auto/light truck maintenance training within the last three years. Additionally, a nominating company’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) vehicle maintenance performance score cannot exceed the CSA threshold of 80 percent, and companies should not have any record of CSA intervention letters or alert notices from within the past 24 months.

For the award, ISRI says it also considers the contributions the individual has made to improve his or her company’s vehicle maintenance program, letters of appreciation, deeds of heroism on or off the job and his or her involvement with civic and fraternal organizations.