History of Allegheny

John Wagner standing in front of a large shredding machine in an industrial facility.

Allegheny’s story begins over 50 years ago when John Wagner began building an industrial shredder to out-perform the 7.5 Hp paper shredder that was the most powerful at that time. In 1971, he introduced the first heavy-duty industrial shredder in the paper industry—a 15 Hp—paving the way for increasingly powerful machines that led up to Allegheny’s current 300 Hp model. From those earliest days, Allegheny Shredders has been the icon of the paper and e-scrap shredding industry, widely acknowledged as the world leader in information destruction.

As the originator of the high-capacity industrial shredder and shredding system, Mr. Wagner has been instrumental in virtually every major development in the industry. His contributions include the revolutionary Auto-Feed System™, Allegheny’s high-impact-resistant T-18 tool steel cutters, and the industry’s first truly high-performance, complete destruction system—offering a capacity of over 25 tons per hour. Allegheny’s achievements:

  • The first Heavy-Duty Industrial Paper Shredder—a 15 Hp
  • The original Saw-Tooth Cutter – aggressively pulls material into the cutting assembly, making the industrial shredder much more productive
  • The Indestructible T-18 Cutter – made of the highest-impact-resistant tool steel, designed by John Wagner with expert metallurgists and milled only for Allegheny; withstands the heaviest shock loads and most abusive applications, essentially eliminating cutter breakage
  • The first Automatic Feeding System for high-volume, heavy-duty paper shredding systems – allowing one operator to do the work of two or three, reducing expensive labor costs
  • Complete Shredding Systems – capable of shredding up to 25 tons of paper per hour
  • Cross-Shredding Systems that utilize a two-stage shredding process (pre-shredder plus main shredder) to produce much smaller, more secure shredded output than conventional strip-cut paper shredding
  • Off-Loading System for Mobile Trucks ­­– an above-ground, two-conveyor system connected to a baler, allowing you to capture valuable recycling profits in one operation
  • Fast-Tip package for our HLS Tipper allows high-speed ‘dump and run’ of documents, saving valuable work time

Tens of thousands of customers worldwide, including the majority of contract shredding services, are enjoying the benefits of Allegheny’s superior equipment and affordable prices. Allegheny is the only company manufacturing an entire line of destruction equipment – Heavy Duty Industrial Shredder, Cross-Shredding Systems, Single Shaft Shredders, Product, Plastics and E-Scrap Shredders, Hard Drive and SSD Shredders, Horizontal Balers, and Complete Paper Shredding Systems. In addition to our precision, 100% American-made equipment, Allegheny offers expert consulting, from collecting to processing to recycling for a profit.

A division of Allegheny Shredders—Allegheny Records Destruction—has been providing secure document and product destruction in southwest Pennsylvania since 1989. The facility is equipped with one of Allegheny’s state-of-the-art, heavy-duty shredding systems.

The “Allegheny Way” of doing business has been a major factor in the company’s success these last 50 years. Many of the dedicated and knowledgeable employees—including members of the Wagner family—have been with Allegheny for over 20 years and are committed to providing and then exceeding satisfaction for their customers. Allegheny’s expert technicians and consultants offer the best service and support in the industry, building relationships with customers that are as solid and long lasting as their industrial shredder!

Visitors are welcome at the corporate factory in Delmont, Pennsylvania, where they can experience firsthand the rich history and strong commitment that motivate Allegheny’s employees to remain the “industry experts.” As the shredding industry moves into an exciting new growth phase, you can be sure Allegheny Shredders will be at the forefront.

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We Sell at Factory Prices

All Allegheny equipment is American-made, manufactured at our factory in Delmont, Pennsylvania. This allows us to sell our products without import or export charges. We sell at factory prices, ensuring that you receive maximum value on your investment.Your biggest savings, however, derives from the quality of our equipment. Ask any of our customers: Allegheny equipment is built to perform, year in and year out, without troublesome breakdowns and costly repairs.

We pride ourselves on providing cost-effective solutions to our customers’ shredding needs – from collecting to processing to recycling shredded materials for a profit.