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
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