Western Pulp, a manufacturer of molded fibre products, is now handling high- tensile bale wire scrap more safely and efficiently by recycling it at its point of generation with heavy-duty Sweed scrap …
Western Pulp, a manufacturer of molded fibre products, is now handling high- tensile bale wire scrap more safely and efficiently by recycling it at its point of generation with heavy-duty Sweed scrap choppers.
“The primary driver for us was safety, to reduce the risk of pokes and cuts posed from loose, tangled bale wire,” says Terry Glasgow, maintenance supervisor at Western Pulp’s Corvallis, OR plant. “We didn’t want anyone poked in the eye. Because the Sweed chopper will help to eliminate poke, cut or trip incidents due to loose bale wire in the production area, it should simplify meeting OSHA requirements.”
Glasgow likes a number of the safety features in the heavy-duty bale wire chopper, such as a large opening for smooth feeding of the wire, along with an anti-kickback funnel infeed. He feels its “safety face” makes an easy target should a user need to stop the machine quickly. “Since the operator can hit the entire front of the machine with a shoulder, elbow, or body part, it’s a failsafe emergency stop that enhances safety.”
By handling the bale wire once, instead of multiple times, after it’s cut from incoming bales of paper, the company is saving a significant amount of labour. “We’ve cut bale wire related-labour tremendously,” says Glasgow.
Glasgow acknowledges another economical, ecological plus: “Instead of paying to haul unmanageable bale wire to a landfill, a scrap dealer is now paying us for the chopped, more easily processed bale wire.”
Sweed is an Oregan-based manufacturer of linear material reduction equipment. The company has designed its bale wire chopper specifically for the rigors of high- tensile steel, which is more demanding than steel banding or plastic.
Sweed Machinery Inc. 866-507-3667, www.sweed.com
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