Van Dyk News

Creativity and Experience Drive Growth

During 2018, Van Dyk Recycling Solutions has enjoyed continuing growth thanks to the support of long-time customers and new ones.

With a unique focus on the long-term success of its customers, Van Dyk is delivering more creative approaches to ensure its customers have the efficiency, technology and support they need in today’s challenging market.

The customer-first approach has created significant opportunities for the company, says Pieter van Dijk, the company’s president. “Over the past two years we have been able to create unique solutions for several large systems being built in North America. With a focus on the future, we can prepare our customers for changes that may come to the industry over the next decade.”

Two of those systems are using optical sorters at the front to positively shoot on fiber and make cleaner paper. One system has non-wrapping ONP screens to prepare the material for optical sorting, and the other uses a unique new separation technology at the outset, with no starscreens at all. With the flexibility of the opticals to change course with the push of a button, these plants can drastically change their sorting strategies two, five, and 10 years down the line.

“One system has four fiber bunkers instead of the more standard two. This allows the operator to easily change the fiber grades they are making based upon markets or inbound material,” says Mark Neitzey, sales director for Van Dyk. “A system design like this has a modest impact on the investment but adds flexibility from the outset that would be difficult to add later.”

But this doesn’t mean existing systems have no options to advance their operations in the changing market. Van Dyk is committed to providing valuable and cost-effective retrofits.

“We have a customer who replaced a traditional news screen with our non-wrapping starscreen. The retrofit was done over a weekend in 36 hours. There was no downtime and the retrofit increased production by four tons per hour, radically reduced maintenance and allowed them to slow the plant down to increase outbound quality while maintaining the throughput they required,” van Dijk says.

Another retrofit completed this year saw a 2004 optical unit replaced with a new, state-of-the-art model. The new model retained the same footprint, so there was no structural work. “By updating the technology, this 22-tons-per-hour plant increased PET recovery by 2.5 tons per day,” Neitzey says. “This significantly increased overall revenues while also reducing contamination in other materials.”

We can prepare our customers for changes that may come to the industry over the next decade.

Van Dyk also helped a large operator processing 60 tons per hour through its plant to remove their polishing screens, replacing them with optical sorters to positively sort on the paper. It created a very clean mixed paper that was instantly more marketable and lowered operating costs.

Van Dyk offers a unique value proposition. The company has three decades of experience installing and servicing more equipment than all other suppliers combined. This experience allows Van Dyk to help increase production, purity and plant flexibility for the smallest and largest operators alike.

Total Commitment

Van Dyk’s new test facility and training academy complement one another to underpin the company’s commitment to its customers and the industry.

This fall, Van Dyk Recycling Solutions unveils its new 49,000-square-foot technology center. The facility includes an impressive test center that is combined with classroom and conference facilities.

“When we began this project, we did so with a commitment to support our customers,” says Erik van Dijk, the company’s executive vice president. “The test facility assists machinery specification and purchasing decisions while Van Dyk University programming is offered to help them become self-sufficient on equipment maintenance.”

We view this test center as an investment in our customers’ success.

“We took a very long-term view on this project,” says Pieter van Dijk. “Like many of our customers, we’re privately held and debt free. This allows us to think and make investments for the long term. The technology center represents a unique facility that our customers will benefit from for a very long time. It is very much an investment in their success.”

Comprehensive Test Capabilities

The 18,000-square-foot test facility is the industry’s largest and most sophisticated. It is outfitted with two processing lines capable of replicating in-plant operations.

The processing line boasts two separate infeed conveyors that feed different lines armed with four TOMRA optical sorters (each with different technology), various screens, an elliptical separator and an air system. “This is the largest testing facility of its kind in the world,” says Pieter van Dijk. “It’s designed to allow our customers the opportunity to test any equipment configuration on their material to precisely know the results that can be achieved.”

The test facility is complemented by an 18,000-square-foot receiving and storage facility for material to be tested. This allows customers, brand owners and others wishing to conduct tests to have their material delivered to the test center. Once materials are onsite, tests can be run to demonstrate results.

Typical tests might be to understand how SOP (sorted office paper) can be made from mixed paper; to understand the recoverability of certain CPGs (consumer packaged goods) packaging from the recycling stream; to validate the purity levels of PEF fuel products; to perform glass cleanup from contaminants; and many other possibilities.

Van Dyk Direct

This unique online portal is transforming the ordering of recycling equipment parts.

Built exclusively for the recycling industry, Van Dyk Direct is an online portal that empowers recycling system operators to manage their parts needs.

The system contains more than 13,000 separate SKUs, with each part meticulously documented and photographed. This helps to ensure that when you order a part, the correct part arrives.

Van Dyk has worked closely with its shipping partners to provide detailed and specific shipping options and costs. This means that when you enter an order and select the shipping option that best suits your need, the total cost of parts and freight will immediately appear on your screen.

Van Dyk manages the largest OEM parts warehouse in North America. Its 50,000-square-foot facility maintains a $18 million inventory to ensure the parts you need are available when you need them.