M. Gervich & Sons, Inc.

M. GERV I CH & SONS , INC . can go overseas. So, we’re continually trying to expand that market.” Going forward, Doug says there are some purchases he would like to make, but the constant peaks and valleys that the business goes through, makes it sometimes hard to know when to make them. “Certainly, we have looked at acquiring an automobile shredder – a multi- million dollar piece of equipment. But when we’re close to making that purchase, the markets don’t look too good and it doesn’t make as much sense to us, nor the bank, as it did.” Of course, there have been some upgrades made at the company’s processing center in Marshalltown. “Anything that increases our ability to produce more scrap in less time,” Doug relates. “In the last five years, we have upgraded our shearing capability thanks to the innovation of high-speed hydraulics and newer and tougher steel. We have bought cranes or scrap handling equipment that are able to lift, or handle, more tons in one lift and swing those tons at a smoother, faster rate than any of the older style equipment we used, not all that long ago. So, the larger the magnet, the larger the grapple, the faster the machine might swing in order to load a railroad car – that’s where much of our focus has been.” In addition to an automobile shredder, Doug’s wish list includes a high-speed, non-ferrous baler. “One where you can take a Bobcat or skid loader, grab 1,500 pounds of aluminum scrap, set it on the conveyor, push a couple of buttons, and two minutes later, out comes a nice cube or bale of scrap,” he explains. “That would probably do the work of, at least, two-and-a-half employees and would add some marketability to our scrap packages in what’s become a wide and varied consumer landscape.” Speaking of employees, Doug reveals that