Tomra celebrates opening of test facility in Germany

Tomra Recycling Sorting, a Germany-based business unit of Norway-based Tomra AS, has opened a second test facility in Germany to meet growing demand for material trials. Tomra now operates one test center each for material recovery facility (MRF) and metal sorting applications at the same location.

In late February and early March, Tomra welcomed industry partners, customers and media representatives to celebrate the opening of a second test center at its headquarters in Mülheim-Kärlich, Germany. More than 200 participants from 26 countries attended the event and the company says attendees “enjoyed a diverse conference and event program.”

“With more stringent legislation and higher recycling targets, the demand to recover recyclables from waste is at a record high, and so is the demand for our sorting solutions and material tests,” says Fabrizio Radice, vice president with Tomra Recycling Sorting. “We’ve observed this situation over the last few years and came close to our test capacity limits in Germany. We had to act to ensure the best service for customers and partners."

“Apart from the increasing demand for tests, we are continuously developing new sorting systems that are all installed in our test center,” Radice says. “In the last few years, we have introduced multiple new products into the market and will roll out more in the future. Thus, we needed to make sure that we have sufficient space for our growing portfolio and decided to invest in an additional building."

Ralph Uepping, vice president with Tomra, says, “Until recently, we’ve combined both metal and waste sorting machines in one area. Now, each test hall will be dedicated to one segment only. While waste sorting trials are done in the first established facility, the focus of the new facility is on metal sorting.”

Tomra's metal sorting systems recover recyclable metals from mixed metal streams and enable plant operators to create pure material fractions, such as furnace-ready aluminum. As the industry strives for sustainable production and a reduction of CO₂ emissions, the global demand for recycled metals continues to surge and so does the need for accurate material recovery and processing, according to the firm.

“We have a long legacy in the metal industry, but, given current market trends and our customer’s requirements, we will concentrate even more on this area in the future,” Radice says. “With our expanded test capacities and the most advanced technology, we are well-equipped to support the industry in processing higher volumes and reaching the required qualities.”

The company says its original test center started as a mobile test station in Andernach, Germany, moved to Mülheim-Kärlich in 2009, and steadily grew in sophistication. Its test capabilities range from “the recovery of recyclable polymers from mixed and source-separated waste streams to flake sorting, the separation of wood by material type and many more,” according to Tomra.

On the first day of the recent event, participants listened to numerous presentations. On the second day, a presentation by Tom Eng, senior vice president and head of Tomra Recycling Sorting, explained the evolution of the site in Mülheim-Kärlich.

Then, the management team guided the participants to the new facility to cut the ribbon and declare the new building opened. Divided into different groups, the conference attendees were guided through the plant and saw live demonstrations for numerous applications. The tour was rounded off by presentations that emphasized how “Tomra and its technology support maximizing resource circularity in the plastic, metal and wood industries,” according to the company.