Removing Ferrous Debris from Port Roads, Yards & Bulk Handling Sites
Ferrous metal debris on port roads, yards and bulk material handling sites is removed using a heavy-duty magnetic tow sweeper — a trailer-mounted magnetic sweeper that collects nails, wire and scrap metal across large paved areas in a single pass. Loose ferrous debris on operational roads is a real safety and equipment risk at scale, and manual collection can't realistically keep up with large sites. Below is how one PML customer solved exactly this.
Why It Matters
- Tyre and vehicle damage — loose nails, wire and scrap metal on operational roads cause punctures and equipment damage.
- Worker safety — ferrous debris on walkways and work areas is a genuine injury risk at high-traffic industrial sites.
- Manual collection doesn't scale — large port and yard areas need mechanized, large-area coverage that walking a site by hand can't match.
Which Equipment Fits Your Site
Magnetic Sweepers — PML's standard range covers walk-behind, hang-type and forklift-mounted sweepers for factory floors, driveways and yards. For port-scale operations and large paved areas specifically, PML also custom-engineers heavy-duty, trailer-mounted tow sweepers — see the case study below.
Where This Has Already Worked
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited
- Problem
- Adani Ports needed an efficient way to remove ferrous metal debris from operational port road surfaces. Manual collection was slow and ineffective for small ferrous particles, and the site needed a robust, towable magnetic sweeper capable of covering large areas efficiently while improving cleanliness and safety.
- Solution
- PML engineered a heavy-duty, custom-built Magnetic Tow Sweeper for port infrastructure conditions. Two magnetic configurations — NdFeB and Ferrite — were developed and evaluated, in a trailer-mounted design with an easy unloading system for efficient large-area collection with minimal manual effort.
- Result
- Both configurations proved effective at ferrous metal collection under real operating conditions, improving debris recovery and enabling reliable, mechanized sweeping across the port's road network. PML has since supplied this custom Tow Sweeper design to multiple Adani port facilities, including Adani Vizhinjam Port. See the full case study →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a custom sweeper design available for large industrial sites?
Yes — PML has custom-engineered heavy-duty, trailer-mounted tow sweepers for port infrastructure, in addition to the standard walk-behind and hang-type range.
What size areas can a tow sweeper cover?
A trailer-mounted design is built for large-area, mechanized coverage — PML's Adani Ports installation covers operational port road networks across multiple facilities.
What magnet type is used for port and yard sweepers?
PML has developed and evaluated both NdFeB and Ferrite configurations for heavy-duty tow sweepers, matched to the specific site and debris conditions.
Do I need a custom design, or does a standard sweeper work?
Standard walk-behind and hang-type sweepers cover most factory, driveway and yard cleanup. Large paved areas and port-scale operations typically need a custom heavy-duty design — tell us your site and we'll advise.
Need to clear ferrous debris from a large industrial site? Enquire now and our engineering team will discuss a custom solution.