Metalex Products LTD

Metalex Products Ltd. is a secondary lead smelting and refining facility located in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. We’re carrying on a company legacy that goes back more than 50 years. Our team of about 20 employees offers our customers essential services.

Metalex has a combined battery recycling and lead smelting facility that is run according to strict BCMOE guidelines. Our business helps preserve and reduce impacts on our region’s environment.

After reclaiming materials from our battery recycling process as well as other lead sources, we smelt and refine lead to into a range of types depending on our customers needs. These lead alloys can be re-used in a wide range of products, such as for ballast, ammunition, power cables, stained glass and, naturally, battery manufacturing.

The outer battery shells are processed into polypropylene components. The plastic is processed further and then the materials are later used to make plant pots, door plugs, core caps, concrete form knock-outs to name a few. Our industrial process safeguards the health of our workers and the public while ensuring we reclaim materials efficiently.

As the only combined secondary smelting and lead recycling operation in Western Canada, we’ve developed many partnerships with manufacturers and scrap battery suppliers.

History

Metalex Products Ltd. has been in business for over 50 years. But we weren’t always a lead smelting and recycling company. Like many longstanding Canadian companies, Metalex was founded by an ambitious entrepreneur who came to a land of opportunity, always adapting the business to suit economic needs.

Metalex was incorporated by Mr. Carl Alston, a refugee escaping Germany before the outbreak of the Second World War. Carl initially started building outboard motors for the weekend fisherman in Richmond and Steveston area. He also started a sign painting business.

But Carl had bigger plans and recognized the need for someone to recycle the old car batteries that were being discarded in ditches, along roadways and the local landfills. Even back then, the benefits of a green business were clear to this plucky entrepreneur.

Carl had built Metalex into a large and successful business, but he was now looking to retire. Samson Ocean Systems, based in Boston, bought out Canada Ropes Limited in1970 and they approached Carl to buy out Metalex. This move would also secure the company’s lead supply. The buy-out went ahead.

The company invested in modernization, replacing the blast furnace for a cleaner Short Rotary Reverbatory Furnace. It also installed a lead oxide mill machine to manufacture litharge for the three battery companies.

Metalex ventured into the Nuclear Waste shielding business. Our biggest job involved casting 75 tons of lead shielding into three casks (The stainless steel casks alone weighed 25 tons each). We developed many other nuclear casks for General Electric and Westinghouse.

Another part of Metalex’s business was providing lead keels for the sailing boat industry. One project we’re particularly proud of was producing the 25-ton Canada One winged keel.

Carl had built Metalex into a large and successful business, but he was now looking to retire. Samson Ocean Systems, based in Boston, bought out Canada Ropes Limited in1970 and they approached Carl to buy out Metalex. This move would also secure the company’s lead supply. The buy-out went ahead.

The company invested in modernization, replacing the blast furnace for a cleaner Short Rotary Reverbatory Furnace. It also installed a lead oxide mill machine to manufacture litharge for the three battery companies.

Metalex ventured into the Nuclear Waste shielding business. Our biggest job involved casting 75 tons of lead shielding into three casks (The stainless steel casks alone weighed 25 tons each). We developed many other nuclear casks for General Electric and Westinghouse.

Another part of Metalex’s business was providing lead keels for the sailing boat industry. One project we’re particularly proud of was producing the 25-ton Canada One winged keel.

BATTERY RECYCLING

We process lead-acid batteries to reclaim lead, plastic, and acid. And we refine battery lead and other types of scrap lead into alloys required by our industrial customers.

LEAD ALLOY SALES FOR INDUSTRIAL USE
Our company aims to provide the best quality lead in British Columbia.

OUR COMMITMENT TO GREEN SUSTAINABILITY

Metalex proudly works for a greener environment. We recycle about 300,000 automotive batteries annually. And we saved the equivalent of nearly 2,000 barrels of oil last year just from recycling plastic alone. Reclamation and recycling of lead, acid and plastics plays an important part in achieving a more sustainable community.

Metalex supplies many companies with secondary lead from our Richmond facility. We sell refined lead and various antimonial lead alloys in any quantity you need for a range of applications, including:

• Battery Manufacturing
• Radiation Shielding
• Ballast
• Wheelweights
• Fishing Tackle/Weights
• Ammunition
• Power Cables
• Physical Exercise Equipment
• Stained Glass Works

METALEX BATTERY RECYCLING

We take used lead-acid batteries and recycle the lead, acid and plastic so that these materials can be re-used for a wide range of applications. This helps contribute to a greener and more sustainable community.

Used batteries are broken apart and separated into components. The lead is smelted and processed into ingots that will be shipped to a range of industrial and corporate customers. The plastic is re-used as a raw material in other plastic products. The acid is reclaimed and shipped to a depot for environmentally-regulated uses.

Most of the batteries we recycle are automotive batteries, but we’re happy to take any shape or size of lead acid batteries off your hands.