Tuffman takes on tough applications with conveyors and screens built to last

In 2018 General Kinematics acquired Tuffman Equipment in an effort to round out its equipment offerings for recycling systems. In the years following, GK further analyzed and upgraded the line of screens and conveyors to meet what one GK executive calls “the GK standard.”

Alan Grove, director of resource recovery with Illinois-based GK, says the Tuffman acquisition has helped the made-in-America equipment provider “offer as complete a catalog of equipment as possible” to its customers, many of whom are in the auto shredding and C&D materials recycling sectors.

“With Tuffman, we can offer our customers complete turnkey systems,” Grove says. “We can connect our GK core recycling technology with the Tuffman trommels, nonvibratory conveyor belts and pick stations for a one-stop shop, which will create a better experience for our customers.”

In supplying its legacy line of vibratory screens and conveyors and its newly acquired Tuffman products, Grove says GK strives to offer maximum durability designed to greatly reduce a leading challenge to recycling plant operators: downtime.

“Downtime is the No. 1 killer of profit margins for our customers—if your machine isn’t running, then you aren’t making money,” Grove says.

The original Tuffman equipment designs were scrutinized and upgraded “to meet our dependability requirements,” Grove says. GK vehemently protects its reputation as a provider of equipment with unmatched reliability and durability.

Grove says customers are well aware that when they shop for equipment to be placed in a harsh environment, sturdiness matters. “The best way to ensure your machine stays up and running is to choose equipment that is designed to take a beating and built to last.”

The director of resource recovery who serves the global recycling market says, “General Kinematics was founded on the ideal of creating dependable, robust equipment that can outlast the harsh environments in which they work.”

Even tough equipment needs proper maintenance, and Grove says GK also has “employees on staff whose sole job is to visit our customers and perform courtesy health inspections.”

Recommendations from those inspections serve to add even longer life to screens and conveyors Grove says are designed, built and installed to avoid downtime and help recyclers maximize profits. “A running system is everything,” he says. “We take that to heart when designing our equipment.”

Six years after the Tuffman acquisition, Grove says customer feedback on the additions to the GK product line has been positive, with recyclers seeing firsthand that “when they purchase Tuffman Equipment, they are buying equipment held to the same quality standards as General Kinematics has represented for six decades.”

He says GK’s core mission is tied to reliability and achieved with durability. “Our main goal is to make our customers profitable,” Grove says. “We believe this is achieved through great equipment and a robust maintenance schedule.”

More information about the General Kinematics Tuffman Equipment line can be found here, while other products for recycling plant operators can be found on the GK website.