The truth lies somewhere in the middle for me. I do cherish being out of the office to refresh my mind and have uninterrupted time to focus on parts of our business that I’d never have time for at work (like this Blog). But there is nothing relaxing about a rain-delayed 7 PM departure from Salt Lake to Houston. There is nothing exotic about having to collect luggage and beat some poor dude to the Hertz station because you know there is only one car left – and you both need it – and he doesn’t know it.

For me, travel is all about anticipating problems and avoiding them. Its about having low expectations about how the trip will go so that I am always happy when things go my way. Its about shoes that slip on and off. This perspective pays off most of the time, and allows me to enjoy the real point of the trip in the first place. This week I visited our supplier in Houston
- Market Street Recycling. Upon arrival at their yard – my first ever visit
- Gene Wilkenfeld looked me in the eye and said, “I really appreciate you making the effort to come see us. I do, really and truly appreciate it.” I knew he was sincere – Gene doesn’t make small talk. Suddenly the rain in Salt Lake didn’t matter.

– Chris Greenfield

– Chris Greenfield

“For the last several years we have seen increased demand for engineering alloys,” says Rik Kohn, Vice President of Sales. “This demand has sometimes pushed our production capacity to the limits, forcing weekend work and many six day weeks. By going twenty-four-seven, we want to be in a better position to stock the right inventory, gain on our backlog, and allow our sales force to offer shorter lead times, a key advantage in this competitive environment.”

“I was thrilled when I found out the workforce and management jointly developed a plan to properly staff the furnaces for continuous operations,” says Terri Kelsey, a company salesperson. “We work really hard to solve problems for our customers, and so many times those solutions have to do with our ability to respond quickly.”

Mike Buyarski, Vice President of Technical Services, credits the company’s emphasis on product quality and improved inert melting process for the need to expand the production workweek. He says it also helps that there is a focus on the need to keep operating costs competitive. “We can only sell product if we can produce it quickly and to exacting specifications. Our productivity is at historically high levels, and our scrap rate is at its lowest level in the company’s history,” he said.

“Moving to continuous operations is a real credit to our hourly workforce and front-line supervisors, who continue to play a key role in helping us meet customer requirements,” says Plant Manager Leo Pinkard.

Chris and the panel will share their thoughts on the near-term future of the copper market as prices have fallen through the summer months to record lows. Will prices rebound? The panel with tackle that question and more with frank discussion of trends and the anticipated price influx of copper in the third and fourth quarters of 2010.

Providing key leadership throughout our procurement process, Chris manages the majority of our supplier relationships, determines market pricing and negotiates contracts.

– Peter Nagusky

– Peter Nagusky

Henry Koplin, Macon Iron and Chris Greenfield, The Federal Metal Company

I am a junkie.  That is all there is to it. Visiting scrap metal operations – seeing the buzz of activity around the scale, watching the trucks drive about, and meeting workers is the favorite part of my job.

This recurring blog post – On the Road, will chronicle my experiences and observations from visits to some of North America’s greatest scrap metal operations.  I will revisit this topic from time to time as reader interest and travel allows.

We will start in Macon, GA, the home of Macon Iron.

You know you’re in Macon Iron territory the moment you exit I-16 just east of downtown.  After a quick duck under a railroad bridge, you see a big Macon Iron lugger box next to a warehouse.  The Chamber of Commerce would love this advertising.  Soon thereafter, you see your first “The Scrap Market” sign offering directions to the main Macon Iron facility. The use of the phrase “The Scrap Market,” which is also the Macon Iron URL, is the first indication that the company aspires to be more than the local scrap yard, but rather the local/regional portal into the global scrap trade.  I am certain other companies have similar aspirations but I have not seen it articulated as clearly.

Macon Iron is owned by the Koplin brothers – Evan, Chip, and Henry.  My point of contact is Henry, as he markets the brass and bronzes we purchase.  Warm in conversation and comfortable in person, Henry greats me at the door with, “Son, its headed to 110 with the heat index today so lets get you turned around and out of here before you melt.”  Its 8:30 AM and Henry has been at work for 2 hours.

Breakfast is the first order of business, so Henry and I go through the buffet left from the in-service with employees earlier that morning.  Four words – chicken, fried, steak, amazing.

Macon Iron is, for lack of a better term, full service. They handle the municipal recycling for the county, cans, paper, stainless, red metal, iron, the works.  They have a well situated and nicely organized retail facility, a steady stream of industrial accounts, and most importantly, a staff of pleasant and knowledgeable employees.  They also own a lot of Ford pickup trucks.  Their affinity to Ford apparently goes back a ways, as Henry’s father – now in his 80’s – drives a model from the Reagan administration.

On a per acre basis, Macon Iron probably has more sculpture than any yard in the world.  This comes from their 11-year sponsorship of the Middle Georgia Art Association’s Junque Yard Art Sculpture Contest.  College students from the region take material donated by Macon Iron and turn it into fine art and sculpture.

At the end of our tour, Henry points me in the direction of the water fountain as we walk back to his office.  The office walls are adorned with special acknowledgments from civic organizations – including a plaque signifying his receipt of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship from the Rotary Club.

And that’s when it hits me.  The reason I love visiting scrap operations has nothing to with pawing through boxes of red brass and looking at cranes (as fun as that is).  Meeting suppliers on their turf to see the impact they have on their community is the most rewarding part of the journey.  Through the sponsorship of art contests, receipt of awards from the rotary club, and marketing their business as “The Scrap Market,” Macon Iron is indeed integral to the community fabric in Macon, GA.
 

Within the past two weeks, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee passed H.R. 5320 (the “Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2010,” aka “AQUA”), which included the previous H.R. 5289 (the “Get the Lead Out Act”), introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA).  http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100524/HR5320_cpt.pdf  This proposed legislation updates the national lead content standard in faucets and fixtures to 0.25%, similar to AB 1953 in California.  It next goes to a full vote of the US House of Representatives.  If enacted into law, the changes would take effect as of January 1, 2012.