Electronic Recyclers International further expanded its business yesterday afternoon with a ribbon cutting at the new 125,440 square foot facility, located less than a mile away from its Fresno headquarters.
VIPs that included Fresno Mayor Alan Autry and Fresno City Councilmember Cynthia Sterling were on hand to celebrate the opening of the new plant, which boasts the largest electronic waste shredder in North America. It also created 60 new jobs, with ERI employing about 225 just in Fresno.
“This is one of the most exciting business moments of my life, in that we worked so hard to get here, and this day has finally arrived where we have the best technology in the world in the electronic waste recycling industry,” said John Shegerian, chairman and CEO of ERI.
The company’s new shredder can handle over 15,000 pounds of e-waste hourly, and is made up of about 45 different parts. The seven-feet wide and six-feet long throat is capable of handling batch-fed consumer and commercial electronics scrap.
Project manager for ERI Peter Printz was responsible for designing the shredder, ordering the parts and assembling it. He is now instructing employees on how to run and maintain it.
“It came in 45 pieces from Germany, parts from Holland, and all over the United States,” Printz said.
Autry said that Shegerian and his wife Tammy had a strong plan and vision for the addition to the e-waste giant.
“They came in prepared, they knew where they wanted to go, they had the eye of the tiger in their eyes in getting there,” he said. “And sometimes the best thing government can do is just get the heck out of the way of this vision.”
The new facility has even gotten some international approval. Shegerian said that last week one of the biggest buyers from Asia got a look at the machine.
“They said this was the best shredder that produced the best commodity that they’ve ever seen in all their travels being in the smelting business,” he said.
In a time where economic woes come up frequently in the news, it seems like ERI is prospering. Chief Marketing Officer Kevin Dillon said that in the past 60 days, sales for the company have risen, due to the fact that many of ERI’s competitors are failing because of lack of strong economic models. Many customers, he said, are turning to the proper recycling methods that ERI employs.
“So our 100 percent recycling process has now come aboard to more of a platinum standard, which everyone realizes now and appreciates now, and our sales have actually increased about 30 percent in the last 60 days,” Dillon said.
Shegerian realizes the importance of keeping up with the change of technology in order for his business to remain as strong as it is.
“Technology keeps evolving, and that’s what we’re about here, continuous improvement,” he said. “Continually improving the ERI brand so we can serve all the electronic waste needs across the United States and across the world.”