Modesto, CA – May 18, 2011 –

Modesto Junk Company, Inc. once again shows its mettle as a leader in the scrap metal recycling industry.

• Caterpillar 365C rotating shear is first out West!

The downtown Modesto company has just purchased a brand new Caterpillar, Inc. brand ‘Scrap & Demolition 365C’ rotating shear. The shear is the first of its kind on the West Coast of the United States, a showcase installation for both Modesto Junk Company and Caterpillar, Inc (CAT).

The rotating shear provides for increased efficiency amongst Modesto Junk Company’s four on-site CAT excavators. It enables the operator to do more work in a faster time without having to reposition while cutting and handling scrap material. According to Juan Rodriguez, the Modesto Junk Company employee who operates the new rotating shear, it takes 50% – 75% less time to cut up material compared to the older (non-rotating) traditional shear, which has been replaced by this state of the art device.

The shear rotates a full 360º in either direction in under eight seconds, and attaches to a newer 70,000 pound CAT 330DL excavator, also purchased from CAT/Holt of California.

Video and more photos of the shear in action on site are available to media.

• Employee staff grows by 20%

Accompanying this latest equipment upgrade at its two acre site in downtown Modesto (9th and N Streets), Modesto Junk Company has been adding new jobs locally. Amidst some tough economic conditions during the past two years, the Company has increased it’s staff employment during this time period from twenty-five (25) to thirty (30) persons, resulting in a 20% staff size increase.

Accelerating its leadership in the scrap metal industry with the finest equipment and a customer-focused staff, Modesto Junk Company handles a growing variety of scrap items in the Central California marketplace, including: ferrous metals (iron/steel, tin and appliances); non-ferrous metals (aluminum, brass, copper, lead, stainless steel); California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers (aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles), auto batteries and cardboard.

• Local economic stimulus through Tractor Trade-in Replacement Program

In addition to the new equipment and hiring additions, Modesto Junk Company has been awarded rights to assist farmers, ranchers, and others in the agricultural business through the Tractor Trade-in Replacement Program, by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD).

The SJVAPCD works to improve air quality in the ValleMJC, Inc. Logoy, and reducing emissions is key to that end result. With the goal of the tractor replacement program to get older, higher air-polluting off road agricultural equipment out of operation, owners of these pieces of equipment are financially compensated by the SJVAPCD on the purchase of their new machines. The older units get scrapped, the new units are put in to use, and we all get to breathe a bit easier.

Modesto Junk Company checks identifying information on the old tractors, and ensures that they are fully and properly dismantled as scrap metal. Agents from the SJVAPD check and certify the destruction of the old tractors. Farmers and ranchers interested in participating in the program are encouraged to contact the SJVAPCD at (209) 557-6400 or at valleyair.org.