What Lewis Salvage does

Lewis Salvage is a family-owned scrap metal recycling business founded circa 1925 in Northern Indiana, headquartered at 1961 White Industrial Drive, Warsaw, IN, with a secondary drop-off site at 1552 East Lucas Street, Rochester, IN. The company purchases, sorts, processes, and resells ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals — copper, brass, aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, cobalt, and steel — through retail drop-off lanes and a commercial container pickup service, with pricing tied to daily Midwest commodity rates disseminated via a 24-hour automated phone system.

Its differentiating capability is a proprietary, mechanical Implant Destruction System designed specifically for the orthopedic medical device cluster surrounding Warsaw, Indiana (marketed as the "Orthopedic Manufacturing Capital of the World"). The system unpacks and destroys cobalt, titanium, stainless, and UHMWPE orthopedic implants into unrecognizable fragments and issues certificates of destruction with photographic documentation, addressing regulatory and chain-of-custody requirements for device manufacturers and distributors. Supporting specialty services include Turnings Fluid Reduction Processing and a custom Bulk Recycling Cabinet System using gaylord boxes and 55-gallon drums. Electronics recycling (e-scrap) is also offered, with downstream routing restricted to R2 and RIOS certified recyclers and guaranteed data destruction.

Revenue is generated primarily through the spread between purchase and resale prices on processed scrap (transaction-fee model), supplemented by processing fees and metal purchase-back arrangements with orthopedic manufacturers and by container-pickup service fees for commercial accounts. Go-to-market is a hybrid of direct-to-consumer retail traffic at the two physical sites and inside-sales / field-style relationships with B2B accounts via phone (574-267-6781), contact forms, and dedicated container-pickup scheduling. The firm operates under three trade names — Lewis Salvage, Lewis Salvage Shred Services, and Downwind Recycling Services — and is independently owned by the Lewis family with no disclosed institutional investment.

Name

Lewis Salvage

Legal name

Lewis Salvage

Website

https://lewis-salvage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lewis Salvage is a family-owned Northern Indiana scrap metal recycler, founded circa 1925 and based in Warsaw, IN, serving individuals, commercial accounts, and — uniquely — orthopedic medical device manufacturers with a proprietary implant destruction system and certified downstream recycling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scrap Metal Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)

akta.pro primary industry

E-Waste & Electronics Metal Recovery (ITAD, Circuit Boards, Precious Metal Recovery) (IMAKAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction & Demolition (C&D) Metal Recycling (Structural Steel, Rebar, Roofing, Wire) (IMAKAMAF)

Keywords

• Scrap metal recycling
• Orthopedic implant destruction
• Electronics recycling
• Metal recycling services
• Industrial scrap pickup

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Scrap Metal Purchasing and Resale: Lewis Salvage purchases ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals from individuals and businesses, paying based on current commodity market rates. Materials are processed, sorted, and resold to certified recyclers and processors. Revenue is generated through the spread between purchase price and resale value of processed metals.
2. Orthopedic Medical Recycling Services: Specialized services for orthopedic device manufacturers including implant destruction with certificates, alloy metals purchasing (cobalt, titanium, stainless), turnings fluid reduction, and managed recycling programs. Revenue from processing fees and metal purchase/purchase-back arrangements.
3. Container Pickup Services: Commercial scrap removal service where Lewis Salvage provides containers to businesses for filling at their convenience. Once filled, pickup is scheduled. This generates revenue through service fees and the subsequent processing of collected materials.
4. E-Scrap Purchasing: Purchase of electronic waste including computers, cell phones, circuit boards, and wiring. Materials are purchased from individuals and businesses, processed, and sold to R2 and RIOS certified recyclers with data destruction guaranteed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lewis Salvage is a family-owned scrap metal recycling business operating in Northern Indiana with retail drop-off lanes and commercial services. The core offerings include retail scrap metal recycling, orthopedic medical implant destruction for manufacturers, electronics recycling, bulk recycle cabinet programs, and scheduled container pickup for industrial and commercial scrap generators.

Product overview

Lewis Salvage operates as a scrap metal recycling company with nearly 100 years of service in Northern Indiana. The company offers a portfolio of integrated services centered around metal recycling, including Retail Recycling for ferrous and non-ferrous metals (copper, brass, aluminum, stainless steel, steel), Orthopedic Medical Services for implant destruction and medical device recycling, and Electronics Recycling & E-Scrap for electronic components. Additional offerings include a Bulk Recycle Cabinet System for commercial customers and Container Pick Up services. The services are supported by recycling guidelines and operated from locations in Warsaw and Rochester, Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail Scrap Metal Recycling Walk-in retail service where individuals and small businesses bring ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals to either the Warsaw or Rochester, IN yard for weigh-and-pay recycling at current commodity prices. Serves individuals, households, and small local scrap generators.
• Orthopedic Medical Implant Destruction Specialized destruction service for orthopedic medical manufacturers and OEMs, using a proprietary implant destruction system to process out-of-spec and expired implants, surgical sets, and medical devices with documented chain-of-custody. Serves orthopedic manufacturers and medical device OEMs.
• Electronics Recycling Recycling service for end-of-life electronics, e-scrap, and IT equipment from commercial and consumer sources. Materials are received and processed for downstream separation and recovery. Serves businesses, schools, government entities, and individual consumers with obsolete electronics.
• Bulk Recycling Cabinet Program Provision of bulk recycling cabinets placed at industrial or commercial customer sites to consolidate high-volume scrap streams for scheduled pickup and processing. Serves industrial and commercial scrap generators with recurring, on-site collection needs.
• Container Pickup Service Scheduled roll-off container pickup service for commercial and industrial scrap generators, providing recurring collection of accumulated metal scrap from customer sites. Serves manufacturers, fabricators, contractors, and other commercial scrap generators in the Northern Indiana region.

Quantifiable outcome

• Implant destruction with unrecognizable small pieces and shapes that cannot be resold for use
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cohen Recycling: Multi-state scrap metal recycler with retail drop-off locations and commercial/industrial container services in the Midwest and Southeast. Closely comparable business model (retail lanes, container service, ferrous + non-ferrous) at a similar sub-scale.
• SA Recycling: One of the largest independent ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal recyclers in the United States, operating dozens of retail drop-off and commercial container locations across multiple states. Directly comparable as a multi-stream scrap metal recycler serving both retail walk-in customers and commercial/industrial accounts.
• PSC Metals: Mid-Atlantic and Midwest scrap metal processor with retail and commercial recycling operations across multiple yards. Comparable sub-scale regional recycler model with overlapping ferrous/non-ferrous service.
• Huron Valley Steel: Regional Midwest scrap metal processor operating yard facilities with retail drop-off and commercial container service, including specialty non-ferrous handling. Strong direct peer given similar regional Midwest footprint and service mix.
• Liberty Iron & Metal: Regional full-service scrap metal recycler with retail drop-off, commercial container service, and metal demolition. Comparable mid-sized regional peer with similar retail + commercial + demolition service mix.

Regional players

• Sierra Recycling: Regional West Coast scrap metal and e-waste recycler with retail drop-off, container service, and certified electronics destruction. Comparable multi-stream recycling model with R2/RIOS alignment, though operating in a different geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• David J. Joseph Company: One of the largest scrap metal brokers/processors in North America and a subsidiary of Nucor. Broad incumbent peer with overlapping ferrous and non-ferrous trading capabilities, though operates more as a broker than a retail yard.
• Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel): Publicly-traded scrap metal recycler with extensive ferrous/non-ferrous processing, retail self-service auto parts, and sustainability services. Comparable as a vertically-integrated scrap operator with much broader geographic and service reach.
• OmniSource: A wholly-owned subsidiary of Steel Dynamics and one of the largest processors and merchandisers of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap in North America. Broad incumbent peer with overlapping retail and commercial scrap operations across many geographies.

Emerging players

• ERI (Electronic Recyclers International): Largest e-waste recycler in North America with R2 and RIOS certifications, ITAD services, and downstream material recovery. Comparable on Lewis Salvage's electronics recycling and R2/RIOS-aligned downstream channel, though at much larger scale and ITAD-specialized focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lewis-salvage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lewis Salvage