Eriez® Achieves Recycling Milestone with 50 Shred1® Ballistic Separator Sales

Erie, PA — Eriez®, a global leader in recycling solutions, announces the sale of its 50th Shred1® Ballistic Separator. Since its debut, Shred1 has been embraced by leading scrap yards around the world, with early adopters such as OmniSource LLC. leading the way. 

This sales milestone holds special significance for Eriez as OmniSource, a prominent North American processor, distributor, and manager of scrap and secondary metals wholly owned by Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI), not only purchased the 50th Shred1 unit ever sold but was also one of the first companies to integrate Shred1 into its operations. 

Mike Shattuck, Eriez-USA Recycling Market Manager, explains that OmniSource played a pivotal role in the early stages of Shred1’s development by providing crucial analytical feedback through online real-time analysis of the separated metal fractions from the machine. He says that this performance analysis truly provided Eriez with the data they needed to bring Shred1 to market. 

With more than a decade of market presence, the Shred1 Ballistic Separator has garnered international acclaim for its pioneering use of permanent magnets and ballistics to facilitate the efficient separation of copper-bearing materials from shredded steel recovered by scrap drum magnets. This revolutionary technology yields two distinct fractions: a high-quality low-copper ferrous product (typically containing 0.16-0.20% copper) and a traditional #2 shred. 

Jon Kunze, Project Engineer at OmniSource, highlights Shred1's exceptional reliability, stating, "Shred1 empowers OmniSource to consistently produce a higher quality and more dependable product that SDI can confidently utilize. While shredded ferrous generated using conventional technology often exhibits significant variability in chemistry and recovery, Shred1 ensures superior consistency." 

Kunze elaborates on why OmniSource prefers ballistic separators over traditional methods like polishing drums and X-ray systems. He says, "We recognized that a new process was essential to achieve optimal ferrous product quality and quantity for steel mills. Relying solely on reading the chemistry levels of the product was insufficient. With the power of ballistics, we can deliver the clean shredded product we desire, regardless of changes in weather or feedstock.” 

Kunze notes that his team appreciates the straightforward design of Shred1, describing it as a "plug-and-play" piece of technology. He further underscores Eriez' dedication to top-notch customer service and the cultivation of a seamless partnership. "Our collaboration with Eriez is effortless," he notes. "Whenever we require assistance, the Eriez team is readily available.” 

With the increasing demand for low copper shred from steel mills, Eriez anticipates a sustained and robust interest in Shred1, both domestically and internationally. Shattuck says,” We sincerely value the support for Shred1 from OmniSource and other innovative partners, and we are excited to further promote awareness of this game-changing technology on the international stage." 

Established in 1942, Eriez is a global leader in separation technologies. Our commitment to innovation has positioned us as a driving market force in several key technology areas, including magnetic separation, flotation, metal detection, and material handling equipment. The company’s 900+ employees are dedicated to providing trusted technical solutions to the mining, food, recycling, packaging, aggregate, and other processing industries. Headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA, Eriez designs, manufactures, and markets on six continents through 12 wholly owned international subsidiaries and an extensive sales representative network.