Metro Metals buys Tacoma yard to grow ferrous exports

Metro Metals Northwest has acquired Simon Metals as part of its strategy to double export volumes from its Vancouver, Washington, facility.

The addition of the Simon Metals facility in Tacoma, Washington, will allow the Portland, Oregon-based scrap processor and exporter to take advantage of its location and access to rail, cutting down on trucking.

The company currently runs 12 trucks each day between Seattle and its Portland facility, an approximately 144-mile trip.

Financial details of the transaction were not released.

Metro Metals operates a shredding facility in Vancouver called Pacific Coast Shredding.

Ferrous scrap exports from the port of Vancouver between 2015-2018 have averaged 354,000/t, according to the US Department of Commerce. In 2019, ferrous scrap exports between January-August totaled 237,000/t, up by 6pc from average import volumes of the same period between 2015-2018.

Bangladesh has been the top destination for ferrous scrap exported from the port so far this year, having received 93,700/t, followed by Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea, which have each imported approximately 30,000/t between January-August.

Metro Metals Northwest processes ferrous and nonferrous material at its headquarters in Portland. The company also operates a mega shredder in Denver through wholly owned subsidiary All Recycling.