For a large scrap recycling yard, baling is only one part of the daily operation.

Scrap may be stored in different areas of the yard, and the location of incoming material can change depending on deliveries and daily processing requirements.

If all loose scrap has to be transported to one fixed baling station before it can be compressed, additional internal handling may be required.

This project involved a scrap recycling customer in South Africa who purchased two hydraulic metal balers from Wanshida.

Rather than choosing two identical machines, the customer selected two different operating configurations:

One baler was intended for relatively fixed-area production, while the other was configured as a mobile baler integrated with a scrap grab.

This gave the customer the flexibility to assign the two machines according to the location of the scrap and the daily workload.

What Was the Customer Looking to Improve?

Scrap Was Distributed Across Different Areas

Large recycling yards do not always have their material concentrated in one location.

As new scrap arrives, different areas may need to be processed at different times. If the baler remains permanently in one location, loose scrap may have to be moved to the machine before processing.

The customer therefore wanted greater flexibility in internal material handling.

Different Areas Required Different Working Methods

The customer was not simply looking for two additional machines.

Some areas could support continuous baling, while other areas might temporarily receive a larger amount of scrap and require equipment to move closer to the material.

The requirement was therefore:

Different equipment for different working conditions.

The Customer Wanted the Equipment to Move with the Scrap

A key advantage of a mobile configuration is that it changes the traditional approach of always bringing the scrap to the machine.

When scrap accumulates in a particular area, the mobile unit can move closer to that location.

The scrap grab picks up loose material and feeds the baler.

This gives the customer more freedom to decide where the equipment should operate according to actual yard conditions.

Our Solution

Based on the customer's requirements, Wanshida supplied two balers, including one mobile baler integrated with a scrap grab.

Baler 1: Fixed-Area Baling

The first machine is used primarily for baling in a relatively fixed working area.

When a steady supply of scrap is available in one location, the machine can maintain a consistent operating routine.

This configuration is suitable for:

• Concentrated scrap supply areas

• Relatively fixed production locations

• Regular baling operations

• Work requiring stable production routines

Baler 2: Mobile Baler with Integrated Scrap Grab

The second machine was configured according to the customer's requirement as a mobile baler integrated with a scrap grab.

The value of this configuration is not simply putting two machines together.

It gives the customer greater flexibility in the yard.

When scrap accumulates in a particular area, the equipment can move there:

Move to the scrap area → Grab loose scrap → Feed the baler directly → Complete the baling cycle → Move according to the next material location

The machine can therefore be reassigned between different areas as the working conditions change.

For recycling businesses with large yards and changing scrap locations, this type of flexibility can be practically useful.

Why Didn't the Customer Choose Two Identical Machines?

This is one of the most useful aspects of the project.

The customer needed flexibility under different working conditions, rather than simply increasing the number of identical machines.

Two identical machines would provide similar operating functions.

By using two different configurations, the customer could create a complementary setup:

This allows the customer to organize equipment according to the actual distribution of scrap instead of forcing every batch through the same fixed route.

What Can Other Scrap Yards Learn from This Project?

For companies planning to purchase hydraulic metal balers, this project offers a practical point to consider:

Equipment configurations do not always need to be identical. They should reflect the yard layout and material flow.

If scrap is consistently concentrated in one area, a fixed baling solution may be straightforward.

If scrap is distributed across a larger yard and the workload changes between areas, mobile equipment may deserve consideration.

For operations that need to combine scrap grabbing, material handling and baling, integrating a scrap grab with a mobile baler can give one machine a broader range of on-site functions.

However, whether this approach is suitable still depends on the customer's actual yard layout, scrap type, daily volume, existing equipment and material flow. One project's configuration should not simply be copied to another site without evaluation.

Why Did the Customer Choose Wanshida?

For scrap recycling equipment, customers are not simply purchasing a machine.

Different yards can have very different material flows, site conditions and operating requirements. The supplier's ability to adjust the solution according to the actual application can therefore be important to the success of a project.

Jiangsu Wanshida Hydraulic Machinery Co., Ltd. has around 40 years of experience in hydraulic machinery manufacturing, supported by a professional manufacturing facility and engineering team.

According to the customer's application, our team can provide customized technical support covering:

• Equipment requirements based on scrap type

• Equipment planning based on the actual workflow

• Configuration adjustments according to site conditions

• Hydraulic and electrical technical support

• Customized equipment solutions

• Manufacturing, commissioning and technical support

In this project, the customer selected two different baling configurations because the machines were intended to perform different roles. This also reflects our approach of matching equipment to the customer's actual operating requirements rather than simply supplying standard machines.

Our products are supported by CE and ISO 9001 certifications, with an experienced engineering team providing technical assistance throughout equipment manufacturing, commissioning and project support.

Project Summary

The key point of this South African project is not simply that the customer purchased two balers.

The more important point is that the customer selected one baler for relatively fixed production and another mobile baler integrated with a scrap grab for flexible operation across the yard.

This configuration allows the customer to organize equipment according to where the scrap is located.

When material is concentrated in a fixed area, the customer can maintain regular baling operations. When another section of the yard requires attention, the mobile integrated unit can move to the working area and use the scrap grab to feed the baler.

For large scrap recycling businesses, equipment planning should therefore go beyond pressing force and nominal capacity.

Before making a purchasing decision, it is also worth asking:

Where is the scrap located? How far does the equipment need to move? How many times does the material need to be handled? Do different areas require different operating methods?

These questions can have a direct impact on whether an equipment configuration is truly suitable for the site.

This project demonstrates that a practical equipment combination does not necessarily mean “buy two identical machines.” In many cases, a better approach is to assign different equipment to different tasks according to the actual material flow and yard conditions.