Scrap metal recycler expanding to Markle

Source: Inside INdiana

Fort Wayne-based Sortera Alloys Inc. is continuing to grow in northeast Indiana. The company, which sorts and recycles industrial scrap metal, announced Wednesday it is expanding into a 200,000-square-foot processing facility just outside the town of Markle, and creating about 80 jobs.

Sortera says it uses artificial intelligence, data analytics and advanced sensors to sort, capture and recycle high-quality aluminum from streams of mixed alloy. The aluminum is then recirculated back into the manufacturing industry.

The facility is located off Interstate 69, about 25 miles southwest of Fort Wayne. Sortera says the plant will have the option to expand to 400,000 square feet.

“The new facility represents a significant milestone for Sortera as we look to scale our operations and capture a large chunk of the 4 billion lbs. of scrap alloy that is currently sent overseas,” Sortera CEO Michael Siemer said in written remarks. “This will allow us to fill the increased demand for high-quality recycled alloys in the domestic market, specifically with automotive customers.”

Sortera declined to provide a dollar figure for its investment in the facility. The building is currently being constructed and the company plans to begin initial processing at the plant in the first quarter of 2023.

Once operational, the facility will have about 110 employees, including 30 coming from the company’s Fort Wayne location.

“On behalf of the Town of Markle we are extremely excited to have Sortera choose and invest in our local community,” Markle Council president Matt Doss and vice president Nick Lund said in a joint statement. “Their impact on our community will be very significant with little impact on our local environment.”

The news of the new facility is the latest in Sortera’s growth efforts. The company has closed on two, $10 million rounds of funding over the last year, including one in November and another in July.

Also in July, Sortera announced, a strategic partnership with Novelis Corp. in Atlanta, in which Novelis will use Sortera’s technology to increase the amount of recycled content that can be re-used for automotive manufacturing components.