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It's been a problem for years. What to do with a pile of 4.2 million tires in Atwood that could catch fire and cause an environmental calamity.
Primix Corp., Warsaw, has a solution they've been working on in the developmental phase for the past four years.
Their solution? The tires will be recycled into engineered composite railroad ties. The ties and the process are patented.
The ties have a 1-inch thick outer shell, made of the crumb rubber of the old tires, that surrounds steel and concrete. The rubber acts as a shock absorber.
"We have ties in service (now). We have ties that have been in service in Goshen for three years," said Primix Corp. President and CEO Mark Shea.
He said Primix is committed to using the tires in the Atwood pile for their end-product development.
"We're an end user. We're not a tire recycling company. We plan on using the crumb rubber," he said.
The only parts of the tires Primix Corp. won't use are the steel and nylon. But, Shea said, those components can be sold and recycled.
By using the tires in the Atwood pile, Shea said, the company won't have to get crumb rubber from out-of-state companies. Discussions with the state on using the tires for the new railroad ties began six months ago.
"They've made an offer and we're probably going to take it," Shea said. He said at first they may outsource crumb rubber until the new facilities are completely ready and the state allows them to go ahead and use the tires from the pile. Within six months, the tire recycling at the facilities should be finalized and all equipment will be ready.
They are now in the process of converting Garry Baker's facilities into their manufacturing facilities. They were waiting to sign the final papers Monday for the purchase of Baker's property. The purchase includes only Baker's facilities. The tire pile and the land are owned by the state.
Building improvements will start in two weeks and be completed a couple weeks after that. Preproduction is being set up now, Shea said.
Royalite Thermoplastics and Burht Engineering are assisting Primix Corp. in the preproduction, Shea said.
"Once we set up our manufacturing facilities first," Shea said, "then we'll implement our plan to recycle. I think it's important for Atwood and surrounding area to realize we're not a tire recycling plant. We won't be taking in any other tires."
He said it will take less than five years to use the seven-acre Atwood tire pile. After that, he said, they will then begin outsourcing tires from local people and companies who recycle them.
"Our intention is to completely clean up the land," Shea said.
There will be no tire stockpiles outside the facilities. Once the pile in Atwood is gone and they begin outsourcing from other places, Shea said, tires that are delivered will be brought in the back and never seen by the public. Reserves will be held in a hopper or silo, providing state approval.
More than 20 million railroad ties are replaced nationally each year. Primix Corp.'s ties will not fail for more than 200 years, Shea said, and they have promises from several railroad companies to buy their ties. Should the ties be damaged by derailment or fire, they can be sent back to the company and recycled.
"It's a totally recyclable product," said Shea. And, he said, "We've got design flexibility to make them 500 percent stronger than the wooden ties."
The company wouldn't have succeeded thus far, Shea said, without the help of Lake City Bank, Garry Baker and state Rep. Dave Wolkins. Warsaw officials also have been a great help to Primix, Shea said.
"I'm tickled to death with Warsaw. I'm glad to be here. I like the size of the community," he said.
Monday, Wolkins said, "I'm very much behind them in a verbal sense. I've been trying to get rid of that tire pile for 11 years now."
He said they have a real good chance of being successful. Primix Corp., he said, didn't even know of the tire pile in Atwood when they first arrived in town. They were just going to set up shop but Wolkins contacted them as soon as he heard about their operation.
Their business, he said, will solve two problems. The first is to provide Primix Corp. with crumb rubber cheaper and the second is to clean up the tire pile cheaper than what the state is paying now.
Previous businesses wanted the state to put up all the money, Wolkins said, but Primix Corp. is different in that they are paying for everything themselves.
Primix Corp. is a publicly owned company and will be listed in the trading boards in the coming weeks. They are now taking applications and resumes for all positions beginning this week. They expect to hire 30 full-time employees. Applications may be sent to Human Resources, Primix Corp., 109 W. Market St., Warsaw.
Their website is at: www.primixcorp.com.
