What to expect on a yard tour

We do informal yard tours Tuesday and Thursday mornings, by email confirmation only. They take about 45 minutes and end with coffee in the converted-shipping-container office. Here's the route.

Stop 1 — receiving. Where inbound trucks unload. We show you the inspection process: prior contents documentation, photo logging, weighbridge ticket. Most tours linger here because it's the most tactile part.

Stop 2 — sorting. Five rows of totes, sorted by grade. You can put your hands on the difference between a food-grade reconditioned tote (clean, white, fresh sticker) and an industrial-grade reconditionable (scuffed, gray, gasket needs swap).

Stop 3 — wash bay. Two heated bays, the closed-loop water reclaim, the caustic and citric tanks. We'll explain the 7-step protocol and (if a batch is running) you can watch it cycle.

Stop 4 — cage shop. The hydraulic press, the welding station, the powder-coat hookup. Most people are surprised at how much manual labor cage refurb requires.

Stop 5 — fab shop. Whatever's on the bench at the moment. If you're lucky, there's an aquaponics rig or a sap evaporator hood mid-build.

Stop 6 — granulator line. End-of-life bottle processing. Loud — bring earplugs if you're sensitive. We'll show you the float tank and the pellet output.

Stop 7 — outbound. Loaded trucks, palletized inventory, the route board. This is where we show off the dispatcher's whiteboard.

Stop 8 — office. Container converted into the office. Wall-mounted Reclaim Counter dashboard. Coffee. Q&A.

Tour groups are usually 2-8 people. We've hosted everyone from procurement teams to high-school field trips to the local environmental sciences committee. Closed-toe shoes, please. The gravel is loose.

Email <a href="mailto:hello@ibccolumbus.com">hello@ibccolumbus.com</a> with "tour request" in the subject and a couple of date options. Confirmation usually within a day.