Services - Recycling
ACOUSTICAL PRODUCTS CONTRACTOR PROVIDES WELCOME LINK TO ARMSTRONG RECYCLING PROGRAM IN NORTH CAROLINA
Southeastern Acoustical Ceilings, Inc., a leading North Carolina acoustical and flooring products contractor, is offering an unusual new service that is likely to keep its ceiling tile customers coming back for more.
Not only will the company deliver and install new acoustical tiles, but for a modest charge, it will haul the used tiles to its warehouse in conjunction with a new Ceiling Recycling Program from Armstrong World Industries.
Jerry Milton, Vice President of Southeastern Acoustical of Buies Creek, North Carolina, said his company is the only acoustical contracting firm on the East Coast to offer the service, giving it a distinct leg-up on the competition.
"What's so nice about this program is that it's a win-win situation for everyone concerned," Milton explains. "My customers don't have to arrange for the old tiles to be hauled to the local land fill, and they feel they're doing their share to clean up the environment and reduce the buildup of solid waste. At the same time, Armstrong has free access to discarded tiles that can be recycled economically into new tile products."
To be eligible for the Armstrong program, a building owner, or Contractor must first verify that his old acoustical panels can be recycled. The old tiles do not have to be Armstrong; however, the new tiles must be Armstrong products to qualify. Armstrong will only dispatch a truck if there are enough used panels to equal 30,000-square feet, which when stacked and shrink wrapped, as is required by Armstrong, will fill a tractor-trailer.
What if the load doesn't fill a trailer? That's where Southeastern Acoustical comes in. The company will arrange for used tiles to be hauled to its own warehouse in its newly acquired 18-wheeler, which can store up to 120,000 square feet of materials. Some of the pickups amount to little more than two or three pallets of used tiles. Others virtually fill a trailer. When the inventory of used tiles builds to 30,000-square feet, Southeastern Acoustical contacts Armstrong. This occurs about once a month on average, according to Milton. When contacted, Armstrong dispatches an empty tractor-trailer to Southeastern's warehouse from its nearest manufacturing facility, and hauls away the used tiles at no charge to Southeastern.
Southeastern Acoustical, with annual sales of around $5 million, including $1 million in sales of Armstrong ceiling tiles, averages about 10 to 12 new ceiling tile jobs a month. When Armstrong announced its recycling program in early September, Southeastern eyed the development as an opportunity to generate additional income while enhancing service to its expanding customer base. "Everyone's very environmentally conscious in this part of the country," Milton said, "especially since many counties in North Carolina are now mandating recycling programs."
Southeastern Acoustical charges its customers $600 for each load of used ceiling tiles that is hauled to its warehouse. That won't help the company recoup its investment in its 18-wheeler, but it does cover the cost of palletizing, shrink wrapping and transporting the discarded tiles to its warehouse. "Sometimes, our charge is a few dollars more, sometimes a few dollars less than it would cost to ship and dispose of the old tiles at the local landfill," Milton said. "But, regardless of the cost, our customers-especially the big corporations-are convinced that it's the right thing to do."
None of Southeastern Acoustical's customers is more convince of the virtues of the Armstrong recycling program that Carolina Power and Light, the leading energy supplier in central North Carolina and a strong proponent of recycling and a clean environment.
The utility recently contracted with Southeastern Acoustical to install new Armstrong acoustical ceilings for its downtown Raleigh facilities. Under the agreement, Southeastern hauls the used tiles to its warehouse for re-shipment to Armstrong. Over the past two months, Southeastern Acoustical has transported some 120,000 square-feet of used tiles from CP&L facilities to its warehouse at a cost of $2,400. That's only $200 more than it would have cost to ship the tiles to a local landfill, according to Milton.
Milton believes the Armstrong recycling program has also helped Southeastern and Armstrong strengthen their foothold at Food Lion, a major supermarket chain serving the Carolinas. "We're doing replacement jobs in two Food Lion stores each month, and they love Armstrong's approach to recycling," he said. "Eventually, we'll install new Armstrong tiles in all of their area stores."
To obtain additional information on the Armstrong Recycling Program, call 1-888-CEILINGS (1-888-234-5464) or visit www.ceilings.com for complete product information.