In March, Viably’s Sales and Marketing team took a trip to Lakeland, Florida, to visit our OEM partner, MGL Engineering. This visit was more than just a business meeting—it was an opportunity to deepen our understanding of MGL’s innovative equipment and witness firsthand how their machines help drive efficiency in waste and recycling operations.
MGL Engineering: A Legacy of Innovation
MGL Engineering has been in business since 1998. The 70-employee company operates from an 11-acre manufacturing facility, producing material processing and handling systems for projects throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. MGL Engineering designs and builds various waste and recycling equipment for Viably, including track and wheeled conveyors, picking stations, and mulch coloring machines called the Color Max.
On the first day of the visit, the Viably team arrived at MGL Engineering’s headquarters in Lakeland, Florida, just an hour inland from Tampa Bay. Owners and brothers Gary and Nigel Love kicked things off with a deep dive into MGL’s product line, followed by a factory tour and an up-close look at some of the waste and recycling machines on site.
Kate Brookes, Digital Marketing Manager, was particularly impressed by the factory tour, “I really enjoyed exploring MGL’s facility. Seeing where these huge machines are built, everything from welding to painting and assembly was really impressive. For instance, the picking station; the parts were like puzzle pieces across the site, and then you could see the pieces come together into a complete machine.”
A Closer Look at the Color Max
A highlight for the Viably team was seeing the Color Max mulch coloring machine up close and learning about its innovative features. Gary Love from MGL Engineering shared its inception, “We’ve been in the industry for a long time, and when we looked around, we realized no one was really coloring mulch well. So, we engineered a better solution ourselves. That’s how we created the Color Max and its automation.”
Unlike traditional mulch coloring machines that rely on an operator’s judgment, the Color Max smartly adjusts the amount of colorant being added to mulch, based on the machine’s belt speed and material depth. This automation saves mulch producers money on dye while ensuring product consistency, reducing waste, and increasing efficiency.
Plus, the Color Max allows for on-the-fly “recipe” adjustment, allowing operators to switch mulch colors instantly, eliminating costly equipment downtime. With a fuel consumption rate of only 2 gallons per hour, the Color Max is designed for all-day operation, and an electric version is available for even greater efficiency. Stationary Systems Engineer Brad Check shared, “I thought the design of the Color Max dye dosing system was very well executed. It enables customers to preserve and fine-tune the dose of their most expensive consumable, the dye.”
Seeing the Machines in Action
The second day of the trip brought even more hands-on experience as the Viably team joined MGL at American Mulch & Soil for live equipment demonstrations. American Mulch & Soil has been a longtime MGL customer and was one of the first to purchase a Color Max unit. Their facility showcased both an older model (the Color Max 725) and the latest Color Max 250 model, offering a side-by-side look at MGL’s refinements and technological advancements.
The team watched and learned during the machine start-up process, which took about 10 minutes. This included attaching the water and colorant to the machine, turning it on, and selecting the coloring “recipe” on the user-friendly control panel. As mulch material was loaded into the Color Max’s hopper and sent down the belt to be colored, it was apparent that the automation was creating a consistent, high-quality end product.
Working in tandem with the Color Max was an 842T track conveyor, which transported freshly colored mulch to its designated location. Seeing the two pieces of machinery together highlighted how MGL’s designs integrate flawlessly for a streamlined production process, as well as how they can complement Viably’s entire portfolio of mulch production technologies.
Stronger Partnership, Better Mulch Solutions
Viably’s visit to MGL Engineering reinforced the strength of our partnership and deepened our understanding of their advanced equipment. Seeing the machines in action provided invaluable insights for our Sales and Marketing teams, equipping them with firsthand knowledge of conveyors, picking stations, and mulch coloring machines.
As we continue to deliver innovative solutions in waste and recycling, partnerships like the one with MGL remain crucial to helping our customers operate more efficiently and shape the future of waste processing and recycling.
Connect with a Viably expert and learn more about our lineup of mulch processing and coloring
