Inside the Innovation: How WM has Engineered Custom Solutions for MLB’s Official Bat Provider
A longstanding collaboration is helping power growth at Marucci Sports
Before a bat ever cracks against a fastball, its journey from Forest to Field begins as a block of wood—cut, cupped, sanded and shaped with painstaking precision.
At Marucci Sports, where craftsmanship meets performance, that process generates more than iconic bats. It produces massive volumes of fine wood dust that must be managed with the same care as the craft itself.
Since the early years, WM has provided Marucci with dependable hauling services. As Marucci expanded production across a growing campus, its dust‑heavy bat‑making process demanded a cleaner, safer and more efficient way to manage wood shavings and fine particulates. In 2025, Marucci engaged WM to develop a custom solution tailored to those demands.
“We’re not in the waste business,” said Marucci Sports CEO Kurt Ainsworth. “The best part of WM is that I don’t have to worry about it. They grow with us.”
The Challenge: Keeping up with Growth
Marucci’s original dust collection setup—two 30‑yard open‑top containers lined with plastic—could no longer keep pace with production. Dust drift affected indoor air pressure; liners required constant replacement and frequent container swaps interrupted operations.
At peak demand, the facility required multiple hauls each month just to keep pace. Employees also had to stop production at times to manually redistribute dust inside the containers to ensure even filling.
As Marucci prepared to move into a larger facility equipped with a new Nederman centralized dust collection system, the company turned to WM for an outdoor solution capable of matching its expanding production demands.
The Solution: A Custom System
With support from internal and external resources, WM led an effort to design and engineer a fully enclosed outdoor dust receiver system, tailored specifically to Marucci’s production volume, airflow requirements and facility layout.
Key features include:
- Custom‑cut inlet and outlet ports
- Specialty doors designed in collaboration with Wastequip
- Viewing windows for easy, on‑the‑floor fullness checks
- Airtight sealing refined on site by WM’s Baton Rouge hauling operations team
From concept through installation, the project required close collaboration, multiple design iterations and hands-on problem solving to ensure the system performed as needed.
The Impact: Cleaner Facility Air, Fewer Production Interruptions, Greater Efficiency
“Our goal was to double Marucci’s efficiency—but the results far exceeded that,” said Anthony Mason, senior account executive, WM of Gulf Coast Sales. “We designed a solution that helps to keep the facility’s air cleaner, reduces production interruptions and gives Marucci room to keep growing.”
The sealed receiver drastically changed day-to-day operations. The wood dust is now evenly distributed throughout the container without manual intervention, allowing production to run uninterrupted. Also, the system pulverizes shavings into a finer consistency, enabling more material to fit into each container.
As a result, container swaps dropped dramatically, and the reduced downtime delivered cost savings and smoother operations across the facility.
“It’s rare to lead an effort to build something this customized,” added Patrick Gordon Jr., manager of outside sales for WM of Gulf Coast Sales. “But that’s the nature of our work with Marucci. They trust us to evolve with them—and that’s exactly what we did.”
Marucci’s employees now work in a cleaner, cooler environment. The improved conditions have also helped Marucci open portions of its production facility for public tours.
“They’re ecstatic,” Mason said. “The system performs better than any of us projected.”
A Team Effort Built to Scale
From its early days as a backyard operation to a modern manufacturing campus producing thousands of bats each day, Marucci continues to rely on WM for flexible, scalable solutions.
This spring, elements of that nearly two‑decade collaboration will be highlighted during MLB Green Week, showcasing the efficiency, innovation and behind‑the‑scenes craftsmanship that power America’s pastime.
Want to see how Marucci Sports and WM grew together—from a humble backyard shed to a thriving working relationship?