SWEED Talks

SWEED is proud to partner with a variety of different companies looking to make their recycling lines more efficient. As one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world, National Grid was a natural fit for our line of scrap choppers. At National Grid, they are committed to recycling scrap metals and materials and take great pride in their recycling initiatives. So, when it came time to update their recycling system, they chose SWEED to upgrade their wire and cable chopping line for copper and aluminum recovery. “Seeing the outstanding men and women that work for SWEEDand the ingenuity they have, it was really outstanding,” says Michael Stanistreet, Senior Analyst at National Grid.

At National Grid’s Investment Recovery Center, workers recycle decommissioned utility cable in a wire chopping line that recovers the scrap copper and aluminum from all types of cable, including bare aluminum wire, ACSR, jacketed aluminum and copper cable, URD, MCM, green wire, and #1 and #2 ICW. “SWEED was uniquely able to adapt to our needs, put it into engineering, and deliver the product we wanted,” Stanistreet says. From National Grid’s specifications, we were able to craft a system that is materially better than their previous system. “The new system can take in a much higher capacity of pounds per hour and give them a very clean product coming out,” says Brad Thomas, SWEED’s Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager, involved in the design and integration of the chopping line. “It also allows them to separate multiple products at one time, when they were limited to one at a time before.”

One of the advantages of National Grid’s system is that it features three main input options for feeding the chopping line. The first is SWEED’s CA8000 cable cutter, which has a built-in 2,000-pound cable puller, boasts 10,000 pounds of cutting capacity, and can cut through 4” thick cable in one pass. Sweed’s Model 5703 XHD scrap chopper is also connected to the system, de-spooling and removing steel from the aluminum chop with a powerful magnetic in-line belt. Finally, the workhorse of the line is the Sweed – SSI Shredder, which is capable of shredding 3-ton bales of mixed cables and handles the materials generated from the system’s other two inputs. “This setup takes their system to the next level,” says Brad. “They clean the material and get higher product purity out at a more substantial pounds per hour.”

Throughout the whole process, the partnership with National Grid went very smoothly. “Through partnering with SWEED, we found a natural relationship of willingness to make a better product, and a desire to do the best we can for the environment,” says Stanistreet. “Each and every step of the way, they were there with us shoulder to shoulder, helping us to get the best product we could.” This even includes specialized custom additions such as a custom cable slitter system that efficiently separates the cable to recover copper and an explosion suppression system that helps National Grid adhere to regulations.  “It’s definitely a step up from what we had before,” Mike says.

All in all, National Grid has been very pleased with what we were able to create for them. Stanistreet elaborates, “We’d work with SWEED again in a heartbeat. The quality of the service, engineering and people is really second to none. They worked diligently to give us the best product, and it’s been a win-win situation for all of us.” With National Grid’s new wire processing systems in place, they’re paving the way for like-minded utility companies looking to recycle their decommissioned wire and cable. Know that if you decide to work with SWEED, you’ll have the same relationship with them that we have.”