Stadler acquires majority stake in weeeSwiss Technology AG

Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH, Altshausen, Germany, has announced it has acquired a majority stake in Zurich-based weeeSwiss Technology AG, which specializes in designing, constructing and operating turnkey waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling plants.

WeeeSwiss has more than 25 years of industrial experience in WEEE recycling technology. The company offers WEEE recycling operators full engineering, procurement and construction services, including a detailed analysis of the customer’s requirements, process design and factory layout, installation and startup. The company delivers specially developed training programs to ensure its customers’ staff can operate their plants to the highest standards, according to a news release from Stadler regarding the investment.

WeeeSwiss’ support extends to marketing plant output, including market research and feasibility studies, with visits to prospective clients and evaluation of their e-scrap. The company also provides off-take agreements for precious metals, nonferrous and ferrous metals and plastics.

“WeeeSwiss is a perfect fit for Stadler,” says Willi Stadler, CEO of Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH. “Through this partnership, we are extending further our product line to include electronic waste, which is set to become an increasingly important sector in the recycling industry. Our customers will benefit from the expert know-how of weeeSwiss in WEEE recycling facilities together with the benefits of Stadler’s worldwide sales and service network, our strong project management capabilities and experience in building large sorting plants.”

Jochen Apfel, CEO of weeeSwiss, adds, “With the growing needs of the market for metals that are directly involved in the evolution of our technologies, e-waste recycling is gaining importance by the day. It is a business with great opportunities because the demand is driving commodities prices up so that they quickly pay back the investment in a plant. Countries across the world are seeing the environmental benefits of e-waste processing and its business potential.

"Together with Stadler, weeeSwiss is in the ideal position to meet the requirements of this challenging market with market-leading WEEE recycling plants," he continues.

Stadler says the two companies will harness their combined know-how in the joint development of new solutions, processes and technologies for WEEE recycling using the resources of Stadler’s innovation and test centers in Altshausen and in Krsko, Slovenia. They also will build on the existing collaborations that weeeSwiss has established with Swiss universities.