AAEQ Manufacturers and Recyclers Completes 5-Year Growth Plan
Pursues Aggressive Growth while Meeting Needs of the Community
(Las Vegas-NV) - AAEQ Manufacturers and Recyclers recently completed a $5 million capital improvement and expansion program. The capital investment by the company is the fulfillment of a five-year master plan to transform AAEQ into a full-service automotive salvage and scrap recycling business.
“For many years AAEQ was perceived as just a core supplier," said AAEQ president Scott Stolberg. “Our five year plan was developed in 2005 to change that perception. One of our efforts focused on establishing AAEQ as a major Las Vegas-based scrap metal recycling facility, which also included making substantial improvements to the appearance of our facility here. We also acquired Blue Island and expanded our Chicago facility to become a full-service vehicle processing and export company."
Situated on four acres in North Las Vegas, AAEQ pro-actively responded to concerns from neighboring businesses and residences by constructing a 16 foot high facade, along with new landscaping and a redesigned drive-in/out access to the acreage that is used to process scrap metals.
"We meticulously designed and constructed the facade so it would provide a visually pleasing barrier to our scrap yard," explained Stolberg. "We were able to meet and exceed that objective and at the same time, also reduce noise in the area. We were pleased to work with the community and government officials to accomplish this."
"In this day and age it is nice to have business neighbors who care about their image and the impact it has on the surrounding community and environment," said Chris Yankowski, general manager, BakeMark USA, Las Vegas. "Since our facilities border each other, we appreciate that the AAEQ operation has always maintained a good appearance. Scrap metal recyclers are often a major eyesore within the community, but AAEQ has done a tremendous job reversing that stigma."
AAEQ invested more than $100,000 for a point-of-purchase system called Scrap Manager at its Las Vegas location. This system videotapes transactions, takes digital fingerprints and gives separate IDs to each scrap seller. After a completed transaction, sellers receive a coupon which can be redeemed at an on-premise ATM, which also captures their image. With the rise of scrap metal theft in the area, the new system has helped AAEQ weed out legitimate scrap metal sellers from criminals. AAEQ put the state-of-the-art system in place to minimize the risk of purchasing stolen materials and to support local enforcement efforts to stem the tide of material theft.
“The next step in the AAEQ master plan is to significantly expand the processing of scrap vehicles in our Las Vegas facility,” said Stolberg.
In 2008, Chicago-based AA Midwest, a division of AAEQ Manufacturers and Recyclers, expanded its automotive recycling capacity by opening a new facility in Blue Island, Ill. The Blue Island facility significantly increases the capacity for AA Midwest to dismantle vehicles and export complete engine, drive train systems and body components to developing countries. Strategically located in the south suburbs of Chicago, the 80,000 sq. ft. facility allows AA Midwest to increase the number of vehicles processed from 40 to 500 per month.
"We also put up a screen around the facility in Blue Island so it would be aesthetically pleasing to the surrounding neighborhood. The facade not only blocks all work from public view, but it also has a special anti-graffiti coating so if we get tagged, we can quickly and easily clean it," explained Stolberg.
Vehicles that are brought into the company’s Blue Island facility are disassembled in accordance with local, state and federal regulations that apply to the proper recycling or disposal of all automotive related fluids and components. This includes gasoline, oil, Freon, antifreeze, brake fluid, batteries and transmission fluid.
With the completion of their master plan and capital improvements, AAEQ is poised for even more growth in the future as they lead the "green" revolution.
