A family business which was founded right after the First World War, is today run by three young and dynamic cousins Matthew Fenech Magrin (37), Andrew Cremona (29) and Mario Cremona (32).
The company known as MetalCo Limited, was originally founded by the three cousins’ grandfather Antonio Cremona, in 1918. Ahead of his times, Cremona saw a clear potential for recycling hides, glass and metals, which he started exporting to Italy, under the company name Malta Scrap Iron and Metal Company.
When he passed away In 1963, his widow Lorenza made her brother Joseph Fenech a partner in the business and together they established Fenech & Cremona. The firm grew from strength to strength and in 1988, Metalco Limited began operations as an offshoot of Fenech & Cremona.
The third-generation family business today employs 25 people, including four managers.
Matthew, Andrew and Mario reflect on the Incredible journey of the family business and the visions of each of the three generations which ran it. “Statistically the second or third generation of family-run companies kill the business. We are making it a point to break this cycle with Metalco,” Mario stressed. Today, the company exports and recycles ferrous and non–ferrous metal scrap such as copper, brass, lead and aluminium. The material usually originates from companies, factories and individuals wanting to dispose of scrap metal.
Metalco Limited has also expanded its operations into the shredding and destruction of a vast array of materials. The main clientele for this service is composed of IT companies, offices, banks and other businesses. “Metalco Ltd is dedicated to being one of the leading producers and exporters of recycled scrap materials by using the most effective and innovative methods in scrap recovery. We are very keen on maintaining our operation as a fully-compliant environmentally friendly waste management facility,” Matthew explained.
Metalco Limited has also expanded its operations into the shredding and destruction of a vast array of materials
Operating five collection trucks on a daily basis, the company now offers services to construction sites. “When working on large scale projects we can collect the dismantled material, such as aluminium, wiring, metal beams and air conditioners and recycle or dispose of them accordingly. Alternatively, the client can bring us the material, which we then weigh and pay for, depending on market prices,” Mario said. One of the large-scale projects which remains a feather in the company’s hat is the scrap collection of the material at the Delimara power station.
photo: taken on site at the Metalco facilities in Luqa
“While remaining true to the company’s original ethos, our fathers identified a serious issue with regards to the disposal of tyres on the Islands. They came up with the idea of shredding tyres, taking it one step further to repurpose them for use under football pitches, running tracks, playground and horse tracks,” Andrew said.
Operating five collection trucks on a daily basis, the company now offers services to construction sites
The current directors’ fathers invested in purchasing the machinery required to implement this plan and started shredding used tyres – some of which now form part of Manchester City’s side football track.
The directors expanded on what their grandfather and fathers built. “We ventured into the destruction of confidential documents and we can shred anything from files to counterfeit shoes, hard drives and servers. Each item has its own laborious process, with specific security protocols. In addition, we pay great attention to protecting the environment from any toxic waste which can be generated through the destruction process,” Mario added.
“the hard drive is the first item to be destroyed. As soon as it is removed from its casing, the hard drive is bagged, sprayed and signed”
He recounted how Metalco was approached by the US government to destroy 20 containers of bullets and mouldings that had been confiscated. The job was required to be carried out under very stringent security protocols and the directors were proud to note that Metalco passed the test with flying colours.
photo: taken on site at the Metalco facilities in Luqa
Clients all over the Islands regularly request Metalco’s services for the destruction of old servers. This includes dismantling the server, and separating the remaining materials into different waste categories. With servers, especially due to the sensitivity of the information contained, the hard drive is the first item to be destroyed. As soon as it is removed from its casing, the hard drive is bagged, sprayed and signed. Massive hydraulic alligator shears then cut up the hard drive, at specific points in its structure and break it into smaller parts, ranging between 4 and 80 pieces, depending on the sensitivity of the data it contains. The rest of the server’s components are then destroyed and separated according to the waste material, in full compliance with EU standards.
photo: taken on site at the Metalco facilities in Luqa
“Clients often bring their own IT security on site to witness the destruction of servers – and we prefer it this way as it gives both us as well as the end client greater peace of mind. We also provide CCTV footage of the entire destruction process of the actual items we are contracted to destroy, as well as a proof of destruction certificate,” Matthew explained. One of the three Metalco directors is always on site throughout the entire destruction processes, to ensure that the stringent protocols are followed to the tee. “Most electronic products make heavy use of ABS plastics, which we send to third party ERA-approved waste management facilities for processing, after which we sell this overseas,” Andrew said. Metalco monetises all phases of the recycling process, when possible. Metal is exported and sold overseas, mostly to Italy, where processes are also EU compliant.
“Metalco is responsible for recycling around half of all the electronic waste on the Islands, including white goods, watching machines, fridges, printers, TVs and PC towers”
Metalco is responsible for recycling around half of all the electronic waste on the Islands, including white goods, watching machines, fridges, printers, TVs and PC towers. The company estimates that it will be recycling 270,000 kgs of old CRT TVs and around 90,000 Kgs of flat screen TVs. “We are aware of the value of brand reputation to our overall business success and we want to ensure that the waste we are exporting is processed according to EU standards. This is very important to us, considering that in a year Metalco processes and exports an estimated five thousand tonnes of waste,” Mario added.
photo: taken on site at the Metalco facilities in Luqa
In terms of health and safety, Metalco is very eager to protect its employees as well as the environment. The company directors consider this to be a priority and have recently reinvested EUR 150,000 in the organisation’s health and safety equipment and processes. “One of our team has been working with us for 30 years. His parents, as well as his brothers were clients of ours. “Another employee has been with us for 19 years,” Andrew said, adding that taking care of the team remains a priority for Metalco.
Covid turned out to be an eye-opener for the company. “The pandemic has encouraged us to maximise on the use of technology and we are at a point where we have organised our manufacturing and processing operations so that we can view the entire destruction process from home from A to Z,” Matthew explained.
“it is very important that we keep in touch with the operations themselves … We are either on site, with our clients or with our team”
All three directors operate with an all-hands-on-deck approach, where they work together across the board. They make it a point to never be at the company premises at the same time, but to instead focus on on-site supervision whilst a Director remains at base. “For us it is very important that we keep in touch with the operations themselves and keep our finger on the pulse of the entire process. We are either on site, with our clients or with our team,” Andrew said.
photo: taken on site at the Metalco facilities in Luqa
Mario detailed the company’s plans for the future. “We have some interesting projects in the pipeline and we are currently busy preparing the groundwork for a massive investment, in the near future. We also have some other projects, which set us branching out in new territories on the books for next year,” he concluded.
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