After nearly 60 years in the scrap industry, Jim Wilkinson, owner of Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal, is still excited about coming to work.
“I don’t miss very many days,” Wilkinson stated. “I am proud to be a part of the Wilkinson family that has been in the scrap industry since the early 1930s and has several yards along the U.S. and Mexico border in South Texas. I love coming down here, buying and selling, making a profit. That’s the name of the game.”
Wilkinson added that profit is largely driven by how quickly his business can move scrap metal through Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal’s yards in Brownsville, Texas, and Mercedes, Texas, where crews handle everything from aluminum cans to car bodies. Wilkinson said equipment, such as the Atlas material handlers Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal uses, have significantly sped up how quickly his team can process scrap.
“Back in the day, we cut up a lot with cutting torches, and we don’t do that anymore because the equipment has made it so much easier and more efficient,” reflected Wilkinson. “We started using Atlas material handlers about 10 years ago as we started to replace some other machines. We were looking at various brands. Some friends of mine in the industry recommended Atlas. We talked to our local dealer rep from ROMCO, Adrian Olvera, and he offered us a great deal with a solid warranty.”
Tracked and wheeled
Olvera and ROMCO Equipment Co. helped Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal obtain four Atlas material handlers, including a 245-horsepower 340 LC, one of only a handful of Atlas tracked machines in the country. Equipped with a heavy-duty undercarriage, operators use it with a grapple at the Brownsville location to sort and load material.
“The nature of scrap metal is tough, with terrain being a significant factor,” indicated Said Mroueh, Chief Purchasing and Sales. “There is metal all over, which is not ideal for tires. The 340 gives us the ability to travel over anything and not worry about cutting or ripping tires or getting stuck. Tracks are all terrain, which is a big advantage.”
Mroueh added that Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal generally purchases material handlers for particular working areas in its yards, such as the wheeled 245-horsepower Atlas 350 MH with a total reach of 53 feet that is used to feed the shredder at the Brownville yard. Like the 340 LC, it’s equipped with a grapple.
“The shredder is stationary, so we want a machine that can basically sit in one spot and handle everything that is shreddable and have the capability to feed the conveyor belt at 15 to 20 feet off the ground,” Mroueh explained. “The 350 MH is the perfect fit, and we have the ease of mobility to move it when needed.”
Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal utilizes a second 350 MH, equipped to quickly change between grapple and magnet attachments, to handle material at a satellite site at the Port of Brownsville. It relies on an Atlas 270 MH, which has a total reach of 46 feet, at its Mercedes location for loading, unloading and sorting.
Production Manager Juan Hernandez said that the Atlas material handlers offer several advantages such as elevating cabs that give operators optimal views of the materials they are handling during loading and unloading. He added that operators are impressed with the hydraulic system that delivers good power and quickness, and he emphasized that the material handlers sped up operations.
“We are unloading rail cars, loading trucks faster and feeding more material into the car shredder faster with the Atlas machines,” said Hernandez. “They are just that quick. Anybody out there searching for equipment to help in the scrap industry, I have to say that we are very pleased. I think it’s something to look into, and you will be happy with the way it’s designed to help deal with scrap. I think it’s the right equipment.”
Jim Wilkinson, Owner, Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal
Said Mroueh, Chief Purchasing and Sales, Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal
Juan Hernandez, Production Manager, Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal
Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal utilizes one of the only tracked Atlas 340 LC material handlers in the country.
Equipped with a grapple, an operator uses an Atlas 350 MH material handler to feed the shredder at Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal’s Brownsville, Texas, yard.
At the Port of Brownsville, an operator uses an Atlas 350 MH material handler equipped with a grapple and a magnet to unload, sort and load material.
Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal relies on an Atlas 270 MH material handler to unload, sort and load material at its Mercedes, Texas, facility.
ROMCO Equipment Co. Territory Manager Adrian Olvera (right) talks with Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal Production Manager Juan Hernandez at Wilkinson Jim Iron & Metal’s Brownsville, Texas, location.