A BALE WITH INTEGRITY

Iowa-based Document Destruction & Recycling Specialists ramp up production and improve bale handling with IPS.

When Document Destruction & Recycling Specialists (DDRS), based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, decided to upgrade its shredding equipment last year, a baling equipment update also proved necessary. With a two-fold increase in production, the company’s existing baler was unable to keep up.

That’s when Chris Ockenfels, DDRS division manager, turned to IPS Balers, Baxley, Ga. Ockenfels was well-acquainted with the baler manufacturer, as City Carton Recycling, a sister company of DDRS, employs three IPS two-ram balers in its operations.
Ockenfels selected the AT-838-HS-50 Auto-Tie Hinge-Side baler for DDRS. The baler has had no problem keeping up with the shredder’s output of 6 tons per hour since it was installed in March 2009, he says. Using its IPS baler, DDRS processes 200 to 300 tons per month of shredded paper and 5 to 10 tons per month of OCC (old corrugated containers), largely derived from file storage boxes.

“The baler produces a brick-like bale,” Ockenfels says. “It is as solid as a concrete block.”
He adds, “They are safe to handle and to stack. There is little fall out, so we have less cleanup.” Ockenfels adds, “The integrity of the bales holds up even after handling them multiple times.”

The bales DDRS produces measure 44 inches high by 30 inches across by 75 inches long and weigh approximately 1,400 pounds.

“It has allowed us to load rail cars and semis more quickly with more weight,” Ockenfels says of the company’s IPS baler. “In one rail car we are now getting 50 to 60 tons instead of 40 to 45 tons. We put in about five fewer bales [than in the past] when we load a truck.”
Ockenfels says the baler’s hinge-side design is responsible for the bale density and integrity. It also has helped to increase throughput on OCC, he says.
The baler’s performance was not the only factor that drew DDRS to IPS. Ockenfels says City Carton’s long-standing relationship with IPS was also a factor, as was the company’s reliability and support.

Based on his experience with IPS, Ockenfels says he doesn’t hesitate to recommend the company to other recyclers and document destruction firms. He adds, “The baler is extremely easy to use and low maintenance.”

AUTO-TIE 838 “The baler produces a brick-like bale,” Ockenfels says. “It is as solid as a concrete block.”
He adds, “They are safe to handle and to stack. There is little fall out, so we have less cleanup.”