Industry Guide
Scrap & Recycling
The machines that sort, feed, and move scrap run brutal duty cycles. This guide covers the equipment classes scrap and recycling operations run, and how yards keep them running.
Magnets, grapples, shears
Scrap-duty attachment classes
Any brand in the yard
Brand-independent service and rebuilds
Michigan City + Memphis
Shops behind four regional hotlines
Updated July 2026
A scrap yard only makes money while material moves. Inbound scrap gets sorted and processed, shredder and shear feed has to stay ahead of the machine, and finished grades have to load out on schedule. Every one of those jobs runs through a material handler, a loader, or a lift truck working in dust, debris, and cut hazards all day. This guide covers the machines scrap and recycling operations run and what that duty does to them.
Bulk Equipment Corp is an 80 year old, brand-independent heavy equipment uptime partner headquartered in Michigan City, Indiana, with a shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Bulk is an authorized Sennebogen service provider, rebuilds Sennebogen machines, and services scrap yard equipment of any brand whether Bulk sold it or not.
What We DoWhat Does Bulk Actually Do in a Scrap Yard?
Real machines on real yard duty. This is what we sell, rent, rebuild, and service for scrap and recycling operations.
Material Handlers
Authorized Sennebogen service and rebuilds
Material handlers swing magnets, grapples, clam shells, and mobile shears through sorting and feed work all shift. We are an authorized Sennebogen service provider and rebuild their machines frame-up.
Specialty Loaders
Purpose-built for the shredder line
Car body loaders are wheel loaders we rework with large fork attachments to move stacks of flattened cars from trailer to shredder, and mobile screening plants reclaim material anywhere in the yard.
Heavy Forklifts
Baled and bundled scrap on real capacity
Counterbalanced forklifts from 10 to 65 tons move baled scrap, dense grades, and mill-bound loads, spec bar: solid tires, guarding, and filtration built for yard debris.
Field Service
Machine down in the yard? We are already rolling.
Brand-independent techs from four regional hotlines work on any machine in the yard, any OEM, backed by rebuilds, fabrication, and certified welding and line boring.
OwnershipFour Ways to Work With Us, Built for What You Need
There is more than one way to put heavy iron to work, and the right one depends on your utilization, your budget, and how much downtime risk you want to own. These are the four.
Equipment as a Service
Full operational outcomes, not just equipment access. Bulk owns the fleet, carries the maintenance risk, and keeps you running.
- Predictable monthly cost. Zero CAPEX
- Bulk-owned fleet with dedicated backup units
- On-site technicians plus proactive PM
- Uptime-focused, not rental-day focused
- Long-term, site-specific structure
- Risk shifts from your operation to Bulk
Equipment Rental
Flexible fleet access when you need it, without the commitment of ownership.
- Flexible rental periods available
- Wide selection of heavy equipment
- Rapid deployment to your site
- Ideal for seasonal demand or project gaps
- No long-term obligation
Equipment Sales
Buy outright from an authorized distributor for the brands you already run, including Konecranes, Sennebogen, and KAMAG.
- New and used inventory available
- Konecranes, Sennebogen, KAMAG and more
- Spec’d to your application
- Financing and trade-in options
- Factory-backed support
Field Service
Brand-independent heavy equipment maintenance and repair. Call a regional hotline and we will have a technician on site fast.
- Brand-independent: any machine, any OEM
- Regional hotlines for rapid dispatch
- Parts sourcing and full complement inventory
- No need to keep a specialist on payroll
- Established in the steel mill environment
Not sure which way fits your operation?
Tell us your duty cycle and budget, and we will lay out whether buying, renting, or the all-in monthly package fits.
AnswersFrequently Asked Questions
What equipment does a scrap yard need?
A typical yard runs material handlers with magnets or grapples for sorting and feeding, wheel loaders for ground work, and heavy forklifts or reach stackers for load-out. Larger operations add car body loaders and mobile screening plants for specific reclaim tasks.
Who services Sennebogen material handlers in the US?
Sennebogen machines are serviced through authorized service providers. Bulk Equipment Corp is an authorized Sennebogen service provider and also performs full rebuilds on Sennebogen machines, working from shops in Michigan City, Indiana and Memphis, Tennessee with field techs dispatched by regional hotlines.
Magnet or grapple: which attachment moves more scrap?
They do different jobs. Magnets excel at ferrous sorting and cleanup because they pick without an operator positioning tines, while grapples move higher volumes of mixed and bulky material per cycle. Most yards run both across the fleet, along with clam shells and mobile shears for processing.
How much does a material handler or scrap-duty forklift cost?
Cost depends on machine class, capacity, and configuration. The heavy-capacity forklift guide and reach stacker guide cover what drives cost in each class, and Bulk quotes material handlers to the specific application.
Can Bulk service scrap equipment it did not sell?
Yes. Bulk’s field service is brand-independent: techs work on any OEM’s machine, whether Bulk owns it, sold it, or has never seen it before. That includes maintenance contracts, one-off repairs, welding and line boring, and rebuilds.
Browse all industries, or see the Metals Production and Waste & Environmental guides.
Talk to UsTell Us Your Yard. We Spec What Fits.
We sell, rent, rebuild, and service the machines scrap and recycling operations run, so the recommendation you get is based on your loads and duty cycle, not our inventory. Send your application below and a member of our team follows up with real options to buy, rent, or run it as a monthly uptime package.