Zimmer America and Stadler Partner to Form Stadler America LLC
Zimmer America, Spartanburg, S.C., and Stadler, based in Altshausen, Germany, have partnered to form Stadler America LLC, based at Zimmer America’s corporate headquarters.
Zimmer America is a supplier of machinery and sorting systems for the textile, recycling, industrial cleaning and solar power industries. Stadler is a manufacturer of sorting systems for the waste and recycling industry.
“To partner with Zimmer America is the best thing we could have done to get a strong foothold in the American marketplace,” says Gerben Nijland, vice president of sales for North America. “We can now offer complete and local engineering and sourcing for our customers who are interested in complete Stadler MRF (material recovery facility) or PRF (packaging recovery facility) solutions, commingled recycling lines and all other Stadler products for the waste recycling industry.”
Nijland relocated to Spartanburg from Germany in November 2012.
Stadler is a worldwide supplier with a manufacturing base in Germany and installations of turn-key waste and recycling systems in many countries.
“We are proud to have formed this partnership with Stadler in Germany, a very strong and stable company in existence since 1791,” says Roland Zimmer, CEO of Zimmer America and Stadler America. “This will allow us to expand our activities in this industry and become a major player in the North American marketplace.”
Metso to Install Biomass Plants in Russia, Sweden
The equipment company Metso, based in Finland, will supply the Russian firm Bioenergeticheskaya Kompaniya LLC with a complete biomass-fired combined heat and power plant at its facility in Syktyvkar, the Komi Republic, Russia. The power plant is scheduled to be in operation in 2014.
Metso’s delivery will include process equipment and technical advisory services for installation, commissioning and training. A Metso belt dryer and a Metso DNA automation system also will be included in the delivery. The power plant will use bark and wood residues from the Syktyvkar sawmill and other biomass. Power output will be 4 megawatts of electricity.
“We are convinced that cooperation with Metso will provide a means to use the sawmill residues from the Syktyvkar sawmill to produce power,” says Alexander Gibezh, deputy minister of industry and transport of the Republic of Komi. “This is an important issue for the government of the Komi Republic.”
Vecoplan Names New Vice President of Operations
William Davison has been promoted to vice president of operations at High Point, N.C.-based Vecoplan LLC, a manufacturer of shredding, recycling and processing technologies for the production of alternative energy from waste and biomass. Davison will oversee all aspects of production, after-sale service and daily facility operations at Vecoplan’s High Point headquarters.
Formerly service director at Vecoplan, Davison brings more than 25 years of practical experience in the supervision of personnel in mechanical and electrical production and maintenance for the industrial sector, Vecoplan says.
“Bill has proven his leadership abilities, and his unique skill set will be a real asset,” says Len Beusse, COO of Vecoplan.
Shanks Waste Management Selects Machinex
Shanks Waste Management Ltd. has chosen Machinex Industries Inc. to provide sorting equipment for residual waste and recyclables at its new residual waste treatment facility in South Kirkby, United Kingdom. The custom-made sorting systems are due to be completed in 2015.
When completed, the Shanks facility will process up to 230,000 metric tons per year of residual waste from homes in the Wakefield District. In this project, Machinex will design, manufacture and install two state-of-the-art sorting systems.
The first system is a mixed dry recyclables (MDR) sorting plant that will segregate and process around 36,000 metric tons of plastic, glass, metal containers, paper and old corrugated containers (19 metric tons per hour) per year. Machinex notes that the system will allow for a purity rate of 95 percent. The equipment to be installed will include Machinex screens, optical sorting and a glass clean-up system, an air capture system for plastic film, ferrous magnets and nonferrous eddy current.
The second Machinex system will segregate a variety of materials from residual waste at a rate of 30 metric tons per hour. The main goal of this system is to obtain a final fraction that meets the standards to produce refuse derived fuel (RDF). The priority is to remove RDF contaminants by maximizing organics recovery and ferrous and nonferrous metals recovery. The organic fraction will be segregated from other waste using a trommel and then will be treated using an autoclave before it is sent to an anaerobic digestion plant.
Recycling Technologies Lands Financing Deal
United Kingdom-based Recycling Technologies, which was spun off from the University of Warwick, has completed an equity financing deal with a syndicate of private investors called Wroxall Investors Group (WIG), also based in the U.K.
Recycling Technologies manufactures equipment that the company says enables mixed plastic scrap to be converted into electricity and heat. The company was formed to commercialize the process, which was developed at the University of Warwick. The company was spun off in 2011, with assistance from Warwick Ventures, the university’s research commercialization arm.
Adrian Griffiths, managing director at Recycling Technologies, says, “We are really pleased with this deal. It not only secures the funding we need at this stage in our growth, but simultaneously has expanded the experience that we can draw on as we develop the business.”
The modular plastics recycling system will be able to handle around one ton of plastic scrap per hour. Companies also can add more systems, depending on the volume of plastic scrap the company handles.
Recycling Technologies also announced that it has named Martin Lusby, a private equity investor, chairman of its board.
“Recycling Technologies is at an exciting stage in its development,” says Lusby. “The concept of a machine that can be installed into existing recycling facilities to turn what most people still regard as waste plastic into electricity and heat in a CHP (combined heat and power) plant is timely given the increasing costs of landfill and energy prices. With the first machine due to go into production in 2014, the WIG investment will allow the team and company infrastructure to be expanded at the Swindon base to ensure this commercial opportunity is fully exploited,” Lusby says.
The company recently received an order for one of its systems from a U.K.-based packaging firm. According to Griffiths, the system is being designed to handle all grades of plastic scrap. The system is unique, he adds, because it is modular in design and can be located at the site of a waste management or recycling facility to provide the energy needs for the individual company.
“Our system is easy to ship, install and operate,” Griffiths says. It can be installed at the back end of a system to allow a company to take in all the plastic material after other recyclable materials are extracted.
BHS Acquires Nihot
Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), based in Eugene, Ore., has acquired Nihot Recycling Technology BV, an Amsterdam-based company that designs and manufactures air sorting and separation equipment for the recycling, solid waste and other industries.
“We are very excited to welcome Nihot to the BHS family of companies,” says BHS CEO Steve Miller. “Having partnered with Nihot for a number of years, I have great respect for the company’s people and product quality. They are the best at what they do, and our new relationship will strengthen the integrated solutions that BHS offers its customers.”
“BHS and Nihot are similar in that both companies manufacture equipment to the highest levels of quality,” says Cees Duijn, director of Nihot. “Combining our technology, product offerings, global resources and expertise will enhance every function of our business. BHS has positioned itself as the premier systems provider. Nihot is excited to be joining this team and is looking forward to a prosperous partnership.”
Nihot, which was established in 1945, has more than 500 installations worldwide. Its air separation technologies can sort a wide variety of material, including municipal solid waste (MSW), fuel generated from waste, construction and demolition materials and biomass.
BHS designs, engineers, manufactures and installs sorting systems and components for the solid waste, recycling, waste-to-energy and construction and demolition industries.
Maren Engineering Adds to Sales Staff
Maren Engineering, based in South Holland, Ill., has added Michael Blais to its sales staff. Blais brings more than 20 years of recycling industry sales experience.
“Blais was most recently with Republic Services/Allied Waste for over six years,” says Todd Wondrow, president of Maren Engineering. “His wealth of experience and knowledge of the industry make him a valuable addition to the team.”
Founded in 1962, Maren Engineering designs and builds balers, shredders and related equipment for the recycling, paper converting, boxboard, plastics and solid waste industries. The company says a highlight of its product line is Maren’s exclusive gear-driven tying system. The company offers distribution and service throughout North America, offering customers maximum machine uptime.