Page 87 from: Recycling International May issue | 2022

TRADER

87recyclinginternational.com | May/June | 2022

‘Recycling is
good karma’

Recycling International regularly spotlights individual scrap traders from around

the globe. Here we give the floor to Dhawal Shah of Metco Ventures.

THE MARKET
‘Unprecedented, and unpredictable. Reminds
me of Mr & Mrs. Smith – a romantic film but
with constant changes of high octane action.
Everyone is on the edge of their seat – hop-
ing every decision made by them is largely
correct. Hyper volatility has become embed-
ded in daily business and we are required to
act, and react quickly, to every world event.
Long term, formula-driven transactions are
diminishing and are being replaced with
shorter duration contracts with adequate,
manageable risk cover.’

THE IMPACT OF COVID
‘One of the biggest learnings of the pandem-
ic has been to be resilient and adaptive to sit-
uations. I live in Mumbai where people spend
an average 2.5 hours on the daily commute.
When our offices were shut for about a year,
we invested our saved time in improving the
quality of our business. Profitability improved
– surprisingly with less business – as we
chased only specific portfolios, having better
risk management, and process controls.’

FREQUENT FLYER
‘I usually spend about four months of every
year travelling; two to three trips a month.
Covid came as a rude shock, as travel
stopped. This year, it’s been about one trip a
month, which is likely to increase if there are
no more big, global misadventures.’

FAVOURITE TRADE SHOW/
CONFERENCE
‘I think every trade show is unique in terms of
the experience. I like BIR conventions for their
intensity and business opportunities; ISRI for
its scale and knowledge; and MRAI for its
spirit and passion.’

BEST AND WORST EVER DEAL MADE?
‘The worst is easy to remember. It was in
2008/2009 when clients started walking out
of contracts as the LME had crashed big time.
One of my stainless scrap transactions hurt as
the buyer refused to bear any of the losses.
The best was a large purchase of brass mate-
rials from Eastern Europe, where shipment

was subject to personal inspection and quality
approval at the loading site. The day I arrived
for the inspection, it was minus 16 and I saw
only a big snow mountain, presumably cover-
ing my material. I took a leap of faith and let
the shipment arrive. Two months later, the
receiving plant signed an exclusive contract
for that snowy material because they loved it
so much.’

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY JOB
‘It’s been 25 years in this industry, and I have
seen a revolution. I come from India where I
think recycling activity is at helm of bringing
socio-economic transformation. I love the
idea of seeing discarded materials becoming
brand new. Skilled human hands and modern
machines like heavy media separators and
sensors working in harmony give me an
adrenaline rush. Beyond that, dealing with
super crazy markets and doing business in 40
different countries is also very exciting.’

FAVOURITE HOTEL
‘I am a big fan of Taj hotels – where the staff
are trained to go out of their way to keep
their customers happy. So whether it is India,
Dubai, Maldives or New York – a Taj hotel has
never disappointed me!’

NEXT TRIP
‘In May, to Barcelona, Spain for the BIR
Convention. Mission: to recycle more!’

KEY BUSINESS CHALLENGES
‘One of the biggest challenges for India’s
metal recycling industry has been constant
interference in government policies by prima-
ry metal producers looking to capture bigger
market share. They are pushing for the intro-
duction of standards for metal scrap which, in
my opinion, is stealing the vibrancy, efficiency
and real value for recyclers. Anyway, the
industry is relentlessly working with govern-
ment to have a realistic approach, and focus
on recyclables versus non-recyclables.’

A FINAL WORD…
‘Recycling is beautiful. Recycling is the solu-
tion. Recycling is good karma.’

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