A transfer station success story in New Jersey

Lemcor operates its waste transfer station in Newark, New Jersey, permitted to accept roughly 870 tons per day of commercially generated waste.

At the location, which handles 400 to 500 tons daily on average, inbound waste comes in via truck and is weighed on a scale.

After the material is tipped, Lemcor’s electric-powered SENNEBOGEN 818E goes to work. It loads the waste into trucks that have entered through a load-out tunnel. After the trucks are full, they are weighed and head to regional landfills.

Why SENNEBOGEN?

“We were very interested in SENNEBOGEN because the equipment we’ve always had, particularly excavators, are really expensive when you are looking to rebuild an engine after 10,000 operating hours,” says Armand Lembo, president of Lemcor.

Unlike excavators, SENNEBOGEN’s material handlers are designed to pick up rather than dig into the ground. “SENNEBOGEN engineered their machines to pick up and spin, redirecting their hydraulics,” Lembo says, adding that specific design feature offers a necessary solution.

Lemcor owned diesel SENNEBOGEN models in the past and was very satisfied with how well the machines fit into its operation. The firm’s location in Newark, however, provided a push toward the emerging battery electric power option.

“There was a big environmental justice movement in New Jersey, which got us curious about electric,” Lembo says. “The lead catalyst to why we considered electric equipment was that we are in Newark, the birthplace of the environmental justice movement, and so we have been very sensitive to that. We are here all day, too, and we want to be in a safe environment.”

Once Lembo heard about the opportunity to receive a grant through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Lemcor contacted SENNEBOGEN to move forward.

“We were pleasantly surprised when we got the call from our legislative council who said to us, ‘You got ’em,’” Lembo explains. “That was a really cool call and a really scary call because, quite frankly, we thought it was a long shot. Now we had to sit down and figure it out.”

The result was the deployment of the SENNEBOGEN 818 E, a compact material handler used to load and sort in many different industries. Its robust construction, ease of maintenance and simple handling made it an ideal choice for Lemcor.

Engineering Electricity

Lemcor’s power room is roughly 100 feet from where its SENNEBOGEN 818 E operates, so the most challenging aspect of going electric was getting the proper amount of electricity where it needed to be. “We brought it in underground and constructed a concrete pedestal to protect it,” Lembo says.

The electric cord that goes into the machine is protected by rails. These were installed so the machine could move east to west but never across the cord itself, which could endanger the operators.

“So far, we love it. It’s just enough power, and it’s very efficient,” Lembo says.

Wilbert Torres, one of Lemcor’s operators, adds, “There is no need to wait and warm up the machine; you just turn it on and get to work.”

“The biggest thing for me from owning an industrial business has been the cumulative effect on my hearing,” Lembo says. Going electric meant that the noise from a diesel engine was eliminated. “I can tell you that replacing those decibels has made a difference. It’s that much more noticeable that we don’t have a machine growling out here for 16 hours a day.”

He adds that in regard to maintenance, “it’s been a whole other world.” Lemcor’s electric SENNEBOGEN 818E features a 70,000-hour engine, which has been a big step up from having to rebuild every 10,000 hours.

“A huge bonus is having a pony engine on the back of the machine for emergencies. If you had to get the machine out of the building, you could quickly disconnect, fire it up and drive away.”

Going electric hasn’t only been beneficial for Lemcor’s operation but for the company’s future. “We’ve been in business here for a very long time. We are here every day, our employees are here every day, and a lot of them live in the community,” Lembo explains.

“We just wanted to do the right thing, and it makes it easier to do the right thing when it is economical and operationally efficient.”