Material handlers

[Jeremy Rowland]

Another trip to Atlas metals and I found their O&K RH6 being pressed into service on the demo front!

[Nick Drew]

Hi Jeremy,

That O&K looks to be in very good condition mate

IMO it would look even better with a proper dipper arm and bucket on the end!!

Great pics

Nick

[Jeremy Rowland]

On me way back from shopping today I always take a back route excursion to see the various scrap metal yards in that area.
EMR (formerly Coopers Metals) has the added advantage of its own railway siding.
You can often see one of their machines loading scrap into the railway wagons ready for....... probably export to China these days, anyway I stopped off today and snapped one of their Liebherr 934 machines loading railway wagons with scrap.
Note the EWS class 66 loco awaiting to take the loaded train, I don't know where the scrap goes to but I have been in Birmingham Snowhill station when one of these trains comes thundering through, quite impressive.
Jeremy

[IBH]

You can really hear and feel the power of those diesel freight trains when they go through a station- I experienced one freight train and its wagons going through a station at some speed and it seemed to take about 3 minutes for it to clear through.

Nice shots of the Liebherr too

[Jeremy Rowland]

Now the demolition of the former GKN offices of Atlas metals has been completed, the land now has a new use.
Incidently Atlas metals are now owned by Dunn Bros.

[IBH]

There seems to have been a lot of consolidation in the scrap metal industry over the last few years. Nice photos too

[Jeremy Rowland]

There seems to have been a lot of consolidation in the scrap metal industry over the last few years. Nice photos too

Yes IBH you are quite right there has been a lot of consolidation in the scrap metal business over the last couple of decades or so and I fear that although this line of trade would appear to be quite prosperous at the minute I cannot see it lasting because we don't manufacture and process as much metal as we used to.
The chap who collects the scrap from my current place of employment tells me that things aren't so good in the scrap trade anymore and he now struggles to find scrap because companies are no longer manufacturing metal components.
Another friend of mine who works in engineering/manufacturing tells me that his company are now struggling to find steel to produce components from and that the price of steel is rising faster that that of oil
With China buying everything and our steel industry and foudries nearly dead the only scrap that will be over here will be old cars, trucks etc... and the only scrap processors who survive will be the ones who are capable of processing this type of scrap.
Scrap theft is another real problem in this area and where I work we now keep the scrap skip inside the works to prevent theft, before now we have caught tatters with a Ford Tranny and a small Hiab type crane on the back lifting heavy scrap objects out of our skip cheeky bees or what.
I think that EMR and Dunn Bros are the biggest yards in the West Midlands, of course EMR bought what was Coopers Metals in Smethwick, I have been in Coopers yard when I was a kid at C Penns scrap yard I seam to recall that Coopers used Priestman and Poclain machines in those days, all Cat and Liebherr now though.

[Jeremy Rowland]

Three pics I clicked today of a Cat M325C MH equiped with a magnet and stacking baled cuttings ready for loading onto an artic.

[IBH]

Cracking shots as usual

[Jack]

M325C At finnings





Jack