PROFILE
AS
the Australian economy stretches
and retracts to conform to the
ever-changing constraints of the
iron and steel industry, companies
involved in metal recycling are
showing that by implementing an entrepreneurial focus
it’s possible to achieve new goals that benefit both the
industry and the environment.
IMMIX Integrated Metal Management describes itself as
providing a solution to metal retrieval, and by doing so it
has been able to significantly streamline the conventional
approach to dealing with scrap metal.
Based in Albury, IMMIX investigated the constraints
of the metal recycling industry on a global basis, rather
than working to a local domestic application. In this way
the company developed a global approach to how metal
recycling should operate as an adjunct to the iron and
steel industry.
What set the company apart from other established
metal recycling businesses was how IMMIX researched
the background to metal manufacturing and formulated a
process to interact in all areas, from collection to buying
and selling and then to exporting.
In the production of every tonne of steel there is a
requirement for 33 percent of material content to be
comprised of scrap metal. The iron and steel industry
needs scrap metal to make steel, and IMMIX set out with
the objective to create and develop a more sustainable
supply chain that could operate globally, rather than
just domestically.
Markets vary daily. Companies using metal for
production were buying and importing steel, and much
of the requirement for scrap metal came from recycling
operations based overseas. As IMMIX investigated further,
the company gained a deeper understanding of the market
through which it created its own relationships with the
offshore recycling industry.
A MATTER
OF TASTE
IMMIX metal recycling shows its environmental credentials
32 PowerTorque ISSUE 68
A MATTER OF TASTE
DAF trucks are proving an important part of the IMMIX approach to present the metal recycling
industry as a responsible environmental partner to the community.
“We collect all modern non-ferrous and ferrous
metals with the aim of maximising the returns for our
clients. If they have different commodities we put in
more bins to each location to enable the customer to
pre-sort their scrap prior to collection. It’s easy for the
company and they gain financially from higher returns,”
said a company spokesperson.
“On arrival at our processing plant we have a
baling machine that cuts and presses the material and
puts it into individual bales. These are then packed in
containers for shipment to foundries in Australia, NZ and
offshore such as Indonesia and Malaysia and India,”
the spokesperson added.
In entering the market the company knew it had to
operate totally differently from the existing standards,
creating a cleaner, more environmentally conscious
approach and then build on that expertise through
brand development and customer service.
IMMIX applied the same approach to its vehicle
fleet, choosing the DAF product as its public image,
and capitalising on the truck brand tag line of “DAF
with a difference.”
From very small beginnings of a Mazda light truck
with ten scrap metal recycling bins, IMMIX has
grown to operate a fleet of five late-model DAF trucks
covering the four states of Victoria, NSW, ACT and
South Australia, with subcontractors operating in
Tasmania and Queensland.
“We came up with the colour scheme orange,
grey and white. The IMMIX orange colour represents
molten metal during a pour, and the grey colour for
the bins came from the base colour of iron and steel.
The combination of these colours has played a significant
part in our overall corporate branding, plus we have
the advantage that grey bins are very serviceable,”
the spokesperson said.
“The reasoning behind our operation has had a flowon effect. There is another key player with the paintwork
provider, Chris Burke of Rutherglen Complete Bodyworks.
He has demonstrated a real passion for our vehicles.
“The DAF product has been very good for us. It became
a head-turner and as we put the brand and the product
together to create a unique point of difference we used
the emergence of the brand in Australia to blend the two
benefits together.
“The first truck got Truck of the Year recognition from
DAF, and since then the branding has advanced, through
our intention to do things differently in the industry,”
added the spokesperson.
IMMIX operates five DAFs, all bought from Twin City
Truck Centre of Albury/Wodonga, with one DAF FAP LF 55,
two FAD CF85 Day Cabs, one FAD CF85 Sleeper Cab and,
the latest unit, a FAD XF105 Comfort Cab, which is the first
8x4 twin-steer, hooklift to come into Australia from the DAF
factory in Holland.
The new DAF XF 8x4 rigid is powered by the 12.9-litre
PACCAR MX13, six-cylinder engine. With maximum
power of 510 hp (375 kW) produced at 1,500-1900 rpm,
and peak torque of 1850 lb-ft (2,500 Nm) rated at
1000-1410 rpm, the GVM of 34,000 kg is complimented
by a GCM of 70,000 kg.
In its role as a hooklift with IMMIX, the DAF XF105 is
coupled to a six-axled dog trailer, uniquely designed under
PBS confirmation with Freighter Trailers, a division of
MaxiTRANS. The combination has a net weight of
45 tonnes with an overall gross weight of 68 tonnes
(see TrailerTorque P96 for further details).
PowerTorque ISSUE 68
33
PROFILE
With its Euro 5 emissions credentials, the DAF XF105
features a ZF-AS Tronic, 16-speed automated manual
transmission with a tandem-drive Meritor MT23-165 rear
axle that incorporates inter-axle and cross-axle differential
locks. The rear bogie rides on Airglide 400, eight-bag air
suspension with shock absorbers and stabiliser bars.
The front suspension features parabolic leaf springs.
Fitted with dual-circuit, air-operated disc brakes
throughout all axles, the XF105 features EBS (Electronic
Braking Systems) as standard, resulting in a fully compliant
EBS truck and trailer combination.
As might be expected from one of Europe’s leading
brands, the DAF XF105 matches ABS braking with EBS,
ASR (anti-slip regulation) and Hill Start Assist. The PACCAR
MX engine brake and exhaust brake produces a retardation
power of 320 kW at 2100 rpm.
In order to achieve Euro 5 emissions compliance,
the PACCAR MX13 engine features Selective Catalytic
Reduction (SCR), using AdBlue/DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid)
as part of the exhaust treatment. Further optional safety
items in the DAF XF105 include Adaptive Cruise Control,
Lane Departure Warning, side-view camera system and
Xenon HID headlamps.
“We built the new DAF XF105 to achieve what we
wanted for this industry as the first of its kind in
the country. The ability to couple to an extendedlength six-axled dog trailer with a lift-up axle on
each tri-axle set (leading axle and trailing
axle) enables the trailer to carry two
six-metre skip bins. There’s never
been a unit designed to carry
two, and we did it to remain
competitive,” a company
spokesperson added.
“We set about providing
a service to meet specific
individual needs. If a
customer wanted a unique
bin developed we built it.
34 PowerTorque ISSUE 68
This gives us an edge to provide a solution to their recycling
needs, and as a result we brought in more cost savings for
our customers. It had a lot to do with work health and safety
legislation and enabled us to reduce their risks.
“We will provide materials-handling equipment into
customers’ locations for use and operation by their
staff, and if needed we can provide training. By bringing
our investment into their workplace it builds customer
relationships. If we can put in a solution that reduces
their risk and improves their efficiency we hope to have
a customer for life.
“The industry is recyclable and we move a truck product
that is Euro 5 or Euro 6 compliant. That’s the philosophy
of our work, and that is what stands out. We extend that
philosophy to minimise the fatigue involved in driving
trucks by having the most comfortable and environmentally
compliant trucks on the market.
“We extend that philosophy with our tyre maintenance
programme operated by Tyrepower to provide national
support. We do not want our drivers to have to
do the job. In the event of a vehicle breakdown,
the Twin City Truck Centre network will get there
rapidly,” the spokesperson added.