I
MILL
By Gert Van der Have
SERVICES
Harsco: delivering efficiency through know-how The business proposition of Harsco Meta ls is a unique comb ination of metal lurg ica l know ledge and an unpara ll eled globa l commercial footprint. In this article, Recycli ng Internationa l spotlights the activities of an innovative corporation which assists stee l mi ll s with their scrap supply efficiencies and with their on-site environmenta l improvements.
TJlere have been times when 'outsourcing' I was a dirty word, mostly used as a means to reduce labour costs by hiring lower-wage workforce alternatives. But 'outsourcing' for Harsco Metals entails something entirely different: apart from hiring human resource capacity, it means that mill operators are acquiring the knowledge and expertise of a global specialist in metal recovery and steel mill operations. Headquartered in the UK, Harsco Metals is often described as a 'company within the company' and functions as a link between the scrap supplier and the ladle furnace, depending on its contract with the client. The company, which used to be branded as Multiserv until January 2010, is a unique firm operating on site at the works of scrap metal consumers such as steel mills and non-ferrous metals manufacturers.
Harsco's history The core of the company's main competences dates back almost a century. It is the story of a Dutch immigrant to the USA named Eric Heckett: as an engineer, he was responsible for installing scrap metal reclamation sites from 1920 onwards in Europe, and two decades later in the USA. His biography shows that he held several patents on metal reclamation technologies in the early 20th century. In 1956, his company- known as Heckett Engineering- was acquired by the Harrisburg Steel company (Harsco) and continued under this umbrella as one of its divisions. In 1989, Heckett acquired and merged with the European leader in mill services- France-based Multiserv - and formed Heckett Multiserv. 'Multiserv was strong in metal recovery in
Europe and Asia; says Steve Baines, Marketing Manager for Harsco Metals. 'while Heckett was leading in the USA at that time ..' Harsco used to be a holding company for many firms but, under the leadership of current CEO Salvatore Fazzolari, it brought all of these together under one integrated company - hence Multiserv became Harsco Metals. Today, Harsco Metals operates service centres at 160 metal manufacturing sites around the globe, the lion's share of which are steel mills. The division accounts for one third of Harsco's revenues and employs 10,000 people; the other divisions cover infrastructure, rail, industrial services and minerals. 'For example, we have a fleet of 3000 vehicles on site; notes Mr Baines.
Expanded portfo lio The company has grown into a diversified stock exchange-listed entity turning over US$ 1.1 billion in 2009 and US$ 1.5 billion in the previous year. Throughout this development phase, however, Beckett's metal slag reclaiming technology has retained its position as one of the company's core activities. Over the decades, Harsco Metals and its predecessor Multiserv expanded its steel mill service portfolio to include on-site logistics, material handling, quality and radioactivity inspections,