Screen Machine keeps Nebraska customer’s product clean

Etna, Ohio-based Screen Machine Industries LLC says the new permanent magnet option on its Spyder screening models was developed to help a Nebraska-based contractor boost the quality of its recyclable road material.

Screen Machine says the new permanent magnet option for its Spyder 516T, Spyder 514TS and Spyder 514TS3 screening plants makes it the only United States-based manufacturer to offer that option on mobile screening units.

Permanent magnets have been a fixture on mobile crushing plants for decades, says the firm, to remove rebar, tramp iron and other metal items from freshly crushed materials. Adds Screen Machine, “But they have rarely been an option with mobile screening plants, until now.”

The equipment maker says the “back story” on the innovation involves its customer JKN Concrete Crushing in Kearney, Nebraska. As a recycler of road material, the firm was in pursuit of the cleanest material possible.

JKN wanted to purchase a Screen Machine Spyder 514TS screening plant to pair with its Screen Machine 4043T impact crusher and asked if a magnet could be placed on the 514TS.

“There are very few mobile screening plants on the market that have a permanently affixed magnet,” says John Lamprinakos, president and CEO of Screen Machine. “But when JKN Concrete Crushing posed the question, our team mobilized to meet its request. The sales team gathered all the details, and then met with our engineering and production teams to ensure we could do it and do it in a timely manner. JKN Concrete Crushing has a lot of product to process and wanted to move fast.”

When JKN Concrete Crushing asked another manufacturer if it could affix a magnet to its screening plant, the answer was a flat “no,” according to Screen Machine.

The Screen Machine engineering team, meanwhile, was able to create and fabricate a magnet attachment that could be affixed to the Spyder 514TS. It was then tested before being shipped to Nebraska, all within a few weeks.

“At JKN Concrete Crushing, we utilize American made products whenever we can,” says James Nickman, CEO of JKN Concrete Crushing. “Screen Machine allowed us to maintain our commitment to the ‘Made in USA’ philosophy because they are one of very few manufacturers of quality crushing equipment in the U.S.”

Continues Nickman, “We were able to meet and convey our ideas for the magnet we wanted based on our past designs, and they quickly implemented production. Within a few weeks we had the 514TS up and running. Screen Machine’s accessibility, collaboration and interaction are huge factors of why we chose Screen Machine.”

Lamprinakos praises the efforts of “Team Screen Machine” in putting the needs of the customer first and delivering a quality product. “All of this took place over the holidays,” he said. “It would have been easy to put off the request until after New Year’s Day, or to simply turn it down entirely. But that is not how we operate. Our strength is our willingness to take on new challenges and be responsive to our customers. This is a perfect example of what Screen Machine provides that our competition can’t and won’t.”

As the Spyder 514TS made its way to Kearney, Screen Machine Product Support Specialist Scott Wagner boarded a plane to head there as well. He helped the JKN Concrete Crushing crew finetune the 4043T and 514TS pairing as the firms went forward with full-scale production. The result, says Screen Machine, has been virtually metal-free product in a variety of sizes, which JKN provides for road resurfacing.

“This was a win-win situation for JKN Concrete Crushing and for Screen Machine,” says Lamprinakos. “JKN got the setup it wanted and needed, and they are very pleased with the productivity they are experiencing. Screen Machine was able to showcase how we can pivot to accommodate our customers’ needs, and further diversify our product line.”