Page 42 - Plastic News November 2023
P. 42
Inside the Florida Recycler Gearing Up to Take on Scrap at NPE2024
to satisfy them. I try to find that point Pamela Morales. Photo Credit: CPR
that makes them happy,” Benvenuti Inc.
says.
Sometimes, that’s as simple as pay-
ing suppliers promptly, every time.
“Some people want to squeeze every
penny, others want to know that they
can depend on you to provide the
very best customer service,” Benve-
nuti adds. “Everyone wants to be paid
on time.”
undreds of tons of demonstra- It was only six months before business
Htion products will be created at expanded and CPR was able to move CPR’s operations rely on flexibility
NPE2024 next spring. Commercial to a new facility with an office. Today, and a variety of talents from its em-
Plastics Recycling strives to recycle all CPR has additional locations in North ployees, in the sales and purchasing
of it. Carolina and Mississippi. It has also office in addition to out on the pro-
become an international business, cessing floor. International business,
Successful recycling businesses must for example, is conducted in Spanish
find not one but a variety of niches supplying about 10% of its product by Eva Hernandez and in Mandarin
of opportunity and have flexibility to to customers in Central and South and Cantonese by Helen Iao.
adjust as those opportunities shift. To America, and China.
execute successfully on a variety of A Versatile Approach to Processing This flexibility helps CPR pivot when
operations, it’s helpful to have a team and Distribution market conditions change, by adapting
that brings a diverse set of skills to the The operation of a plastics recycling to higher prices in the U.S. or abroad,
table. Ben Benvenuti, CEO at Tampa, facility defies the common narrative of for instance. “I know when I drive in
Florida-based Commercial Plastics monotony and repetition in manufac- and see the gas pump if we are go-
Recycling Inc. (CPR), has assembled turing. This is especially true at CPR, ing to have a tough time, because the
such a team. where material resin types, product price of oil is tied to the price of plas-
tic,” Benvenuti says.
Building a Customer Base in Regrind format and purity change continu-
and Off-Prime Resin ally, requiring constant adaptation. CPR is both a redistributor of mate-
rials like off-grade resins from major
Beginning with a small office and a Materials often arrive with unwanted producers, and a recycler of industrial
7,500-square-foot warehouse, Benv- contaminating items, which must be and construction scrap materials. As a
enuti started CPR in 1996. The office sorted out by hand at receipt. Large recycler, CPR focuses on postindus-
was 15 minutes away from the ware- scrap of awkward shapes and sizes trial materials and construction waste,
house, so in those early days he was must be cut down using hand tools to specializing in size reduction.
driving back and forth, making phone something that can fit into a shredder.
calls from the office and commuting CPR also maintains its own shop, ena- Two large pipe shredders, supplied
to the warehouse to receive and re- bling blades to be sharpened on-site, by Genox USA and Zerma, can han-
package material. thereby reducing turnaround time. dle pipes up to four feet in diameter
and 20 feet in length. By investing in
Benvenuti attributes the success of CPR staff bring a wide range of talents a second shredder, CPR was able to
the venture to customer focus and to their work. From left to right, Tam- dedicate one to process PVC, elimi-
delivering on commitments. That can pa location staff members: Gustavo nating the need for meticulous clean-
mean something different for each Morales, Ben Benvenuti, Bernadette ing before changing materials. “It
relationship. “It's a matter of under- Billups, Dave Hovey, Stephanie Lewis, would be four or five days to break
standing the client’s needs — and Daniel Resil, Donna Baum, Ryan Bro- down every piece of equipment pip-
whether they are a supplier or a cus- dowski, Eva Hernandez, Mike Gris- ing, every blade had to be removed
tomer, they are a client, and we have som, Helen Iao, Jeff Barksdale, and and cleaned, because just a little bit
42 PLASTICS NEWSASTICS NEWS November 2023
42 PL