Matthew Smith isn’t accustomed to being a trade show exhibitor. His days are spent mostly at Hill Country Recycling Corp.’s facilities in central Texas, where metal, paper, plastic and other recycling services are offered.
But there Smith was in Austin, Texas, for the U.S. Composting Council’s (USCC) Annual Conference, exhibiting on behalf of Arjes, a German company that manufactures an assortment of portable shredders. Arjes (pronounced like the zodiac sign “Aries”) is still relatively unknown here in the United States, but Smith is slowly getting the word out about the company.
Yes, Smith is a recycler by trade. But he’s now pulling double duty as Arjes’ only U.S. dealer.
“They needed a U.S. representative, and who better to be a rep than the guys running Arjes equipment,” Smith says.
Hill Country bought its Arjes shredder one year ago, and Smith’s road to Arjes was a lengthy one. He spent a few years exploring shredders, and he discovered Arjes late into his research. Smith and his dad, Bruce, even visited Arjes last year at its headquarters in Leimbach, Germany. The visit cemented Matthew’s belief in the company.
Hill Country bought a shredder around that time, and it’s now running scrap metal through its new VZ 950 shredder. Arjes shredders are just as capable of processing organic materials, and the equipment is also portable.
“The portable models are pretty simple to move depending on which one you get,” Smith says. “You can load the smaller models up on a trailer.”
As a recycler, Smith says he was attracted to Arjes’ shredders because the style of the company’s equipment intrigued him. The blade design is one example that attracted Smith to the VZ 950. According to him, the company’s blade design is unique and something he didn’t find elsewhere in his research.
“Arjes has a slow-speed and a high-speed shaft that alternate,” he says. “All of their machines are that way, and they alternate automatically. One shaft may run faster than another shaft, and then they’ll switch.”
Hill Country’s shredder arrived in September. The machine runs on electric power, so converting the unit to AC power was one challenge faced.
“Overseas they run on DC power, and we’re AC here,” Smith says. “Having to flip everything around was interesting, but there are always things that are different and quirks in everything that you do.”
According to Smith, one advantage of being an Arjes dealer is that parts are readily available to his company. As a dealer, Hill Country not only stocks parts for itself, but it stocks them for customers to come.
Still, taking on dealer duties as a recycler has its challenges.
“There’s a learning curve with being a dealer,” Smith says. “I’m still learning more about the machine and all of the different aspects of it. It takes a little bit longer to answer questions about composting and wood shredding. I’m having to learn those aspects of this business.”