Car Recycling Machinery Case study – ATF Molloys

Molloy Metals

With growth ATF Molloy Metals was struggling to optimise profits from the cars it recycled. It asked McIntyre to help rev up it’s operation.

Meet Molloy Metals

Family-owned Molloy Metals has not only survived The Troubles, and the biggest recession in living memory but, with a progressive approach to technology, has managed to expand continuously since 1981.

Today the company provides a broad range of waste and metal recycling services to consumers in the North and South of Ireland. It is also a registered Mercedes Benz breaker and a major dealer in Mercedes Benz parts. It’s biggest growth area, though, is it’s End-of-life vehicles (ELV) operation.

Growing Pains

Molloy Metals is a registered Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) which can issue a Certificate of Destruction for vehicles – the only legal option for car owners other than registering their vehicle for road tax or a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN).

This requires compliance with stringent EU ELV regulations, which include increasingly high de-pollution quotas, superior site management and special facilities and equipment.

As demand for its ELV services grew, Molloy Metals’ old systems struggled to cope.

Gerard Molloy, Proprietor, Molloy Metals said ‘Our systems required too much time-consuming manual intervention. So, to cope with the vloume of cars, we had to compromise on how thoroughly we extracted and separated all the recyclable elements, so losing potential profits’.

Seriously impressive

Having used McIntyre’s catalytic converter shears and been impressed with their quality, Molloy again approached McIntyre for help.

McIntyre manufactures all Vortex systems at its ISO 9001-certified facility in Nottingham, and its range of de-pollution products are renowned for performance. Once Molloy Metals had seen the Vortex Combi System, it knew it had found what it needed. Comprising a full gantry and storage unit with fuel, oil and coolant extraction systems, it can process up to 60 cars a day.

‘McIntyres Vortex system is seriously impressive’ said Mr. Molloy. ‘It has all the bells and whistles our operation needs to become really efficient’.

Faster Throughput

The Combi system helps increase throughput with an intelligent layout that puts tools at the operators’ fingertips.

Plus, it is designed to be blockage-free – with easy-clean strainers, magnets and oversized pipes that reduce downtime, and over-specified pumps with filter protected 1″ double diaphragms that enable the tanks to drain at an unrivalled 35 litres per minute.

More Thorough Extraction

Molloy Metals also wanted to better exploit the potential revenue from recycled oil, fuel, coolant and wash water. McIntyre’s Vortex system aids this by tilting vehicles to the optimum angle for fluid extraction throughout a vehicle, from sump and radiators to gearbox – and then having pump-assisted extraction systems that suck the fluids cleanly into separate containers.

Minimal maintenance

All of McIntyres equipment is designed to work hard with minimal maintenance, and has fewer moving parts that can fail. For example, while most de-pollution systems have a multi-part drill with a flexible drill shield that commonly splits, the Combi has a punch with just one moving part which is guaranteed one million actuations.

Cleaner, safer yard

What’s more, its hydraulic jack automatically makes a vapour- and liquid- tight seal against the fuel tank before the fuel tool punches a hole in it.

Additional unique features address other common causes of spillage and contamination. For example, it’s pump-driven systems and funnel manoeuvrability make fluid extraction more accurate and thorough. Further, because McIntyre’s Vortex system handles all key de-pollution processes, it minimises the need to lug heavy oil drainers around the yard – a typical cause of spills.

This difference is critical not only for employee welfare but complies with EU directives.

 Happy client

Mr. Molloy said, ‘McIntyre was responsive from the very first, really helpful during the installation and provides an attentive after-sales service.

Their Vortex system has really boosted our operation, too. There’s nothing it’s designers haven’t thought of. It’s much speedier, and we can process vehicles about three times as fast now, and more thoroughly, which lifts our revenue potential.’

Interested in discussing McIntyre’s Vortex car de-pollution system? Go to our ‘Contact us’ page.