Wendt Corp. reports 14 auto shredder sales and installations

Buffalo-based Wendt Corp. says its staff has been busy working on four sizable auto shredder plant projects, with three of the shredders being installed in the United States and the fourth in South Korea.

All four models are part of the company's Heavy Shredder product line, ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 horsepower (hp). “These are our most robust designs and incorporate many unique features and the latest in shredding technology,” the firm says.

“Over the last decade, the interest has primarily been focused on our smaller shredder product line as the demand for large shredders remained relatively flat,” says Ethan Willard, Wendt’s global director of business development.

“However, the interest for our Heavy Shredders has increased in recent years, which is indicative of a healthy metals market that is driven by a need for modern, clean, sustainable, and efficient shredder plants that operate at a lower cost and recover a greater percentage of valuable metals."

Wendt says it currently is installing an 82-inch Heavy Shredder for an undisclosed company in the U.S., with the project being the first of the four large shredders it has sold in the past 12 months.

The 82-inch-by-115-inch shredder includes Wendt's first 4,000-hp AC motor with variable frequency drive (VFD). “The VFD technology allows operators to maximize the shredder’s production while minimizing their operating cost by taking advantage of the drive’s ability to control the motor’s power consumption and peaks,” the company says.

The installation also includes a ferrous downstream system designed to produce high-quality, low-copper shred, plus a sound enclosure made by Germany’s ILG International GmbH. The 82-inch shredder also incorporates modular design features, including modular hydraulic and electrical control rooms.

The second among the four large shredders is a 98-by-104 shredder with a 5,000-hp motor destined for installation in South Korea, the first Wendt shredder sold into the Asian market.

Shredder components currently are in transit, with the shredder on track for commissioning in the second quarter of next year. “The entry into the Asian market not only expands Wendt’s global reach and strategic expansion but also reflects the trust and demand for Wendt’s advanced shredding technology in a dynamic and growing market,” the company says.

Also recently ordered are two Wendt 106 Heavy Shredders, with both installations taking place in the U.S. Both 106-inch-by-115-inch shredders will be powered by a 6,000-hp motor with VFD technology, according to Wendt.

One of the two shredders will represent Wendt’s third greenfield installation with a complete shredder emissions control system. That system includes an ILG emissions enclosure, an ultra high-efficiency filter (UHF) made by Virginia-based APC Technologies; a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO); and an acid gas scrubber (AGS).

“The emissions system represents Wendt’s second full-scale installation designed to meet the strictest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards,” the company says. The systems allow customers to comply with regulatory limits for particulate matter (PM) emissions (total, PM10 and PM2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and acid gases, according to Wendt.

The plant also will include downstream equipment to yield a low-copper shred product. “The state-of-the-art features incorporated into this Heavy 106 shredder plant, encompassing the shredder, downstream and emission control system, position this installation as one of the cleanest, safest and environmentally progressive shredder plants ever built,” Willard says.

In addition to the four large shredder sales, Wendt says it also has experienced success with its smaller shredder line, with models in the 500-to-2,500 hp range.

This year has included the sale and installation of 10 such shredders worldwide. “We have remained busy on our smaller shredder line with the sale and/or installation of two 40x50’s, a 50x50, a 60x60, five M60x90s [modular] and a T60x90 [tracked shredder],” Willard says.

The small-to-medium-sized shredders will serve in varying applications, including shredding aluminum sheet, extrusions, cast and automobiles. The sale of the tracked shredder marks a first for the company.

Wendt says its success in totaling 14 shredder plant sales demonstrates its “commitment to delivering innovative solutions” and says its strategic vision and pursuit of excellence continue to drive advancements in shredder technology.