equipment report

SGM Magnetics, Cleansort form strategic partnership

Italy-based SGM Magnetics, with U.S. operations in Sarasota, Florida, and Cleansort GmbH have announced a strategic partnership through which SGM will market and service Cleansort’s laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS, sorting technology in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, North America and selected regions in Asia.

SGM says it recognizes Cleansort as the leader in LIBS metal sorting. LIBs can detect lighter alloying elements such as those used in aluminum production. 

Germany-based Cleansort was founded in 2018 by the managing partners of Clean-Lasersysteme GmbH and the company’s Managing Director Philipp Soest to commercialize technology developed by Clean-Lasersysteme, a developer and producer of laser systems for industrial surface treatment. The German Federal Environmental Foundation provided funding.

Cleansort says its LIBS technology focuses a high-intensity laser beam on the surface of the material to be sorted, vaporizing a small amount of the metal close to the surface and creating a plasma light with a characteristic spectrum that signals the concentration of the alloying constituents even in heavily soiled, coated and painted materials.

The partnership represents a significant step toward expanding Cleansort’s global presence and provides its customers with access to SGM’s full range of complementary metal separation technologies, further enhancing sorting, according to an SGM news release.

Having celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2024, SGM Magnetics offers a comprehensive range of metal separation technologies, including magnetic ferrous separation, eddy currents, dry gravity separation, ballistic separation, induction sensors, color sorting, X-ray transmission as well as X-ray fluorescence technologies.

Tenamec adds Virginia dealership

Wisconsin-based Tenamec, parent company of recycling equipment makers Builtrite, DRKHorse, SAS Forks and Lemco, has added Jewell Machinery as a new dealer for the state of Virginia.

Founded in 2000 in Rocky Mount, Virginia, Jewell Machinery serves the forestry, construction, solid waste and metal recycling markets by offering several equipment brands.

Andy Waszil, Northeast regional manager at Tenamec, says, “Jewell’s experience in these markets and their willingness to customize their equipment to meet customers’ specific needs, along with their extensive knowledge of hydraulics and the electronics that run them, make them an ideal partner for us.”

Jewell will sell and service Builtrite stationary electric material handlers and its line of attachments; DRKHorse shears, concrete crushers and grapples; and SAS Forks’ line of heavy-duty loader forks, the SAS Extreme auto dismantling system and the SAS Scorpion engine puller.

“We are very excited to bring on the Tenamec line of products, which will help us expand our presence into markets we already serve,” Jewell Machinery President Mike Jewell says. “This partnership just seems to make a lot of sense for both companies.”

Sennebogen machinery keeps material moving at German recycling plant

Since the beginning of last year, the central German agency’s fleet has included a new 340 G telescopic handler, or telehandler, and a new 822 G material handler configured like a hydraulic scrap handler from Sennebogen.

The Rotenburg waste collection association was founded in 1957 and today consists of agencies in the towns of Rotenburg, Bebra and Ronshausen. The combined agency employs 27 people who process or handle approximately 13,000 tons of material per year.

“At the same time, we also took the opportunity to replace the old telehandler with the new machine, which offers more safety in the work area thanks to its elevating cab, so that we now have two machines from one manufacturer here on the company premises. We hope to gain synergy effects in terms of maintenance, etc., in the future.”

Photos from the site posted to the Sennebogen website show both machines handling recovered paper or loading it for outbound shipment.

The Sennebogen 340 G combines compact dimensions with an elevating Multicab that offers the machine’s driver a view from up to 4.1 meters (13.5 feet) high.

The Rotenburg agency says it is satisfied by the machinery and the service provided by Sennebogen and the Eschwege, Germany, location of equipment dealer Schlüter für Baumaschinen.

“From the introduction and presentation of the machines to the instruction, everything went very well,” Berger says of the acquisition of the new Sennebogens. “A huge advantage is the short distances to Schlüter,” he continues, noting that should the agency’s machines require off-site service, “you can also fall back on replacement machines.”

EMR adds electric material handler to Becker, Minnesota, operations

EMR’s Becker, Minnesota, auto shredding facility has invested in an 895e electric material handler from Sennebogen, which it commissioned in November 2023. Sennebogen LLC is the company’s U.S. subsidiary based in Stanley, North Carolina.

The electric material handler is a recent addition to the site, located in a state famous for its waterways, rural economy and the diversity of its natural landscapes. EMR Site Manager Jake Hansen and his team have developed to run on 100 percent renewable energy, producing zero emissions to air and water.

“By continually and objectively evaluating how we work, we find ways to reduce our environmental impact,” Hansen says. “It’s about looking at our business through the lens of sustainability. If we want to make really substantial improvements to our facility’s sustainability, technology can play an important role.”

The company estimates it is saving more than 250 gallons of diesel monthly with the electric machine.

The facility is fully enclosed, further reducing the chance that pollutants can run off material into the soil in the rain, contaminating the water table, EMR says. Being fully enclosed also means the site can operate at negative air pressure, treating the polluted air and stopping it from leaving.

“For people driving past, it may be hard to imagine there is such a complex and powerful network of cutting-edge machinery operating inside the warehouse building,” Hansen says. “For our team—most of whom live within a few miles of the site—it is, obviously, important that their employer is doing all it can to protect their community and the area’s natural beauty.”

EMR, which is headquartered in the U.K., has invested $2.5 million in a new rail line at the site to ensure the recycled metals produced there can be transported sustainably throughout the United States.

“We are continuously exploring ways to reduce our carbon footprint and investing in new technologies that allow us to accomplish our sustainability goals,” Hansen says.

Magaldi Group launches dry ash management system

Magaldi Group, an Italy-based company that designs and produces machinery and systems for handling materials under severe operating conditions, has launched Madam, or Magaldi Dry Ash Management system, which can recover raw materials, including copper, nickel and aluminum, from incinerator bottom ash (IBA) from waste-to-energy (WTE) plants.

Through its Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Union has identified these raw materials as crucial for the energy transition and in the development of key technologies in the electronics industry.

“To recover these raw materials, new extraction activities are needed, but it may be even more advantageous to invest in recycling,” Magaldi Group says. “Thanks to innovative technological systems, waste-to-energy plants can become authentic ‘urban mines.’”

Magaldi Group says the Madam is a comprehensive solution for the dry extraction and treatment of IBA from WTE plants. The Madam system combines two critical processes from advanced WTE plants: the dry extraction process and the IBA treatment process.

The company says its Madam system offers a sustainable and cost-effective solution for IBA treatment that could reduce landfill costs and enable the recovery of a larger quantity and a higher quality of metals found in IBA. It employs a “stepwise” implementation approach, reducing initial investment and mitigating uncertainty regarding IBA composition.

Magaldi’s ultrahigh-temperature material handling products are used in a range of industries, including steel mills and foundries, aluminum recycling plants, cement factories, coal-fired power plants and WTE and biomass plants.

Railinc Rate & Route tool seeks optimal rail freight paths

The TransmetriQ brand of Cary, North Carolina-based Railinc has launched a Rate & Route tool designed to improve performance and reduce expenses for rail carload shippers.

The firm says rail shippers often spend hours or days scouring industry websites, PDFs and other sources to understand their rate and route options for different origin/destination (OD) pairs.

“These options can be complex, with varying distance, cost, transit time, fuel surcharges and accessorial fees,” Railinc says, noting that the time and expense associated with these searches can be greatly reduced by using TransmetriQ Rate & Route.

Railinc brand TransmetriQ says it leverages direct access to the most accurate, up-to-date rail data and combines it with advanced data science and an experienced rail industry team to provide freight rail insights that make managing a company’s rail operations easier.

“Following an initial intake of a shipper’s contract and public rates via artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, Rate & Route stores and can instantly present complete OD-pair rate and route options for any carload shipment,” says Danny Dever, senior product manager at TransmetriQ.

With Rate & Route, shippers can view options that offer varying transit times, rates and other considerations to determine which option best satisfies their particular business needs, Railinc says.

The technology firm says the information provided by the Rate & Route tool makes it more efficient to serve existing customers and provides fast information when shipping to a new destination or quoting rates under a deadline to earn new business.

“Our development team listened to shippers and spent more than a year tackling the challenge of disparately stored rates,” Dever says. “Not only are we able to show public tariffs and contract rates, but we’re also able to show both the waybill and operational routes. This gives shippers a true idea of how they can expect a shipment to move in reality.”

“The release of this solution opens new opportunities for both existing and potential rail shippers,” adds Mika Majapuro, vice president at TransmetriQ.

“Rail provides the most efficient way to move freight over land as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent compared with truck,” he continues. “TransmetriQ’s Rate & Route makes this supply chain option more attractive than ever before by ensuring shippers have the visibility needed to choose the optimal rate and route for their needs.”

In addition to offering the Rate & Route tool, Railinc says it is the largest single source of real-time, accurate interline rail data for the North American railroad system. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Washington-based Association of American Railroads.