The Sierra scrap yard entrance in Bakersfield.
23recyclinginternational.com | July/August | 2019
John Sacco (right) is having a chat with
one of company’s employees.
Sierra is a strong advocate of safety.
see a run on generators. That’s why
we always have a couple of genera-
tors in stock…. you simply don’t want
to say no to a customer,’ she explains.
A SPARE PARTS PARADISE
With hundreds of machines in opera-
tion at scrap yards in every corner of
COUNTRY REPORT
SEPTEMBER 23–25, 2019
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
at the HILTON ORLANDO
e-scrapconference.com
the US, a well-organised spare parts
department is crucial. In Bakersfield,
the company has a huge storage hall
with everything ‘from pumps to cylin-
ders worth some US$ 15 million,’ says
Sacco. ‘Some parts have been laying
on the shelves for two years or longer,
waiting for that moment when a
machine breaks down and replace-
ment is needed.’
A STRONG FAMILY BUSINESS
Sierra International Machinery was
born out of a need for a solution to
compact piles of scrap at the business
started by John’s father, Ben, who
emigrates from south Italy tot he US
shortly after World War II. An impres-
sive photo album on display in Sierra’s
management office next to the site
entrance is a reminder of the early
days and shows how the family busi-
ness has evolved ever since.
CLEANING UP OIL FIELDS
More than 60 years on, John Sacco
says Sierra is still using its own recy-
cling business as a machinery testing
ground. Sierra Recycling & Demolition
processes some 70 000 tonnes of fer-
rous and non-ferrous scrap per year.
Approximately 30% of the total volume
is sourced from the oil fields scattered
around central Califiornia, all within a
160 km radius of Bakersfield. Four full-
time dedicated crews from Sierra
demolish these installations and trans-
port discarded pumps and tubes to the
Bakerfield yard for processing.
20-21-22-23_countryreport-sierra.indd 23 08-08-19 11:07
