Intelligent recycling - modern technology - Case Study

• Recycling areas: Tyre
• Company name: ESTATO Umweltservice GmbH
• Located: Weiden and Werl, Germany.
• Founded: 1998
• Employees: 94

ESTATO Umweltservice is responsible for each and every kind of waste in the A.T.U garages. They have two recycling centres, one in Weiden and one in Werl. The waste of every A.T.U branch in Germany and Austria and also parts of the waste from branches in other European countries are disposed and above all recycled in these plants (recycle used tires, paper, shock absorbers, oilfilters, batteries, steel and sheet metal parts etc). A.T.U has been active within the recycling industry for almost 20 years by separating the usable materials from the unusable, and then reusing them in a suitable way. Making use of the materials benefits: “Intelligentes Recycling – Modernste Technik” (Intelligent Recycling – Modern Technology). In 2009 the name was changed from ATU Umweltservice to ESTATO Umweltservice. Turn over: EUR 38 million (2009). A.T.U Auto-Teile Unger Handels GmbH & Co. KG Located: Headquater in Weiden, Germany with 645 branches in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy and Switzerland Established: 1985. Employees: 13 000. 2009 sales: EUR 1.24 billion A.T.U Auto-Teile-Unger Handels GmbH & Co. KG, is a German company specializing in auto retail stores and integrated, brand-independent workshops. In addition to this their Subsidiary is also active within tyre recycling. The company operates its own technical and commercial training centres. The company is based in Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Germany. In 2008 the number of shops had increased to 600.

A.T.U Auto-Teile-Unger is a German company specializing in auto retail stores and integrated, brand-independent workshops. Parent company is the A.T.U Auto-Teile-Unger Handels GmbH & Co. KG and for the environmentally friendly disposal of the garage waste A.T.U has an own subsidiary, the ESTATO Umweltservice GmbH. A.T.U has been active with recycling for almost 20 years.

Since 1992 A.T.U has been separating the usable materials from the unusable, and then reusing them in a suitable way. In 2000 ESTATO built up a 50.000 m² big recycling plant with modern recycling technology to make further use of the materials benefits: “Intelligentes Recycling – Modernste Technik” (Intelligent Recycling – Modern Technology). They recycled for example metal scrap (catalysers, brake discs, batteries and so on for sale to scrap dealers), oil filters (for shredding, de-oiling and take out the ferrous-scrap), draining shock absorbers and pressing the package with a baling press to sell the paper to the paper industry. An additional part of the environmental concept was the truck washing machine which works only and solely with rain water. But definitely the biggest part of the waste ESTATO had to deal with were tyres. They already sorted out the good from the bad ones, and resold the good, and burned the bad in the cement industry. In 2001 they became interested in a better solution and began looking for a way to recycle the bad tyres themselves.

When getting in contact with Eldan Recycling they did not have any special requirements, as they where new within tyre recycling. After discussions they set the input requirement as about 3 tons per processing hour, and the output as different kinds of clean rubber ready to sell. The price level of the equipment should be lower than the larger competitors.

Eldan Solution

Eldan Recycling first got in contact with A.T.U in 2000. It was then owned by Mr. Peter Unger and had about 8.000 employees and 300 shops.

In 2001 A.T.U bought its first tyre recycling plant from Eldan Recycling. It was a standard plant (type E4000T) including among others, a Super Chopper, a Tumble Back Feeder, a Silo V4, two Fine-Granulators and an Aspirator.

In 2002 a second Super Chopper was purchased for the new ssorting centre in Werl. The Super Chopper reduced the tyre volume before transport to Weiden, and thereby also reducing transporting costs. During this year the company also purchased a second tyre plant (type D4000T) from Eldan, additional to plant 1. The difference between the first and second plant was basically that they did not need one more Super Chopper, since the first one had the capacity to supply both tyre plants with shredded tyres.

In 2004 the third Eldan tyre recycling plant was purchased. This time they chose the plant including the Super Chopper since the first Super Chopper could only supply two Tyre Plants if maximum capacity was desired.

From 2004-2006 additional cleaning equipment for the plants where purchased. The cleaning equipment consisted of a Gravity Separator (C26), a sorter (PC 1000), a Cyclon cleaner (KIA 20 or 60) and an Aspirator (type 1250). “Since the customer desired higher quality of the rubber granulate we developed additional cleaning equipments (C26, PC1000, KIA, ASP) together with A.T.U.” says the A.T.U responsible agent at Eldan, Mr Dieter Ickenroth.

In 2006 A.T.U felt that the first tyre recycling facility was becoming overcrowded. A new building was build in close proximity to the first one. In 2006-2007 three new tyre recycling plants (D4000T) were purchased from Eldan for the new building. In 2006 A.T.U also purchased wire cleaning equipment (TBF, MPR 120 and Vibro-Separator Magnet) from Eldan. “A.T.U also desired cleaning equipment for wire scrap (TBF, MPR120, Vibro–cleaner, Magnet) which we also developed together with them” says Dieter Ickenroth. “All product development made at Eldan is based in what our customers need. This is the reason why we develop them together with the customers. That way they get exactly what they want and need” says Bjørn Laursen, product manager for tyre recycling at Eldan Recycling.

During 2010 additional wire cleaning equipment will be installed. From 2001 until 2010 A.T.U has acquired six tyre recycling plants and cleaning equipment from Eldan Recycling.