A site for sore eyes

Such is the rising profile of the reclamation and recycling industry that this year's SED saw the sector's plant equipment being given its own site.

Connected to the main area by a pedestrian bridge, the site incorporated a dedicated working space where visitors could see some of the machines in action. CJ joined the steady stream of visitors to see what manufacturers had to offer the industry.

BL Pegson from Coalville in Leicestershire brought along an 1100x650 Premiertrak primary crusher, a Metrotrak crushing plant and a 428 Trakpactor featuring a 10-10-4 multi-stage reduction impactor - examples of machines for processing quarried materials and inert waste.

"We offer both tracked and wheeled versions," says Martin Yarde, SW dealer for BL Pegson. "Features which differentiate our machines from our competitors include the main part of the tracked crushers.

"They have an I-beam chassis, whereas our competitors use a box section. Its major advantage is that it is stronger and more durable, with much-reduced stress points throughout the chassis. A box section will tend to crack along the jointed sections."

With the implementation of a quarry tax next year, Yarde believes interest in sophisticated recycling systems will grow.

"At present, quarries are selling aggregates at a comparable price to that of recycled materials. Once the new tax is imposed, the balance will be in favour of recycled materials."

However, some customers do not want to wait until then. "We should have had our latest machine, the 428 tracked impactor, at SED, but we couldn't bring one as a demonstration model as the two we had have been sold," says Yarde.

UK and world debuts were to be found at Powerscreen's stand, where visitors could see the crawler-mounted Turbo Chieftain 1400 for the first time, along with the company's SW70 Powerscrub.

"In the Chieftain 1400 Powerscreen has introduced a 4-bearing self-balancing screen box which we believe gives the machine a very high efficiency rating," says Eugene Donnelly, managing director of Powerscreen's London region.

The company has also changed. "On dry screening, we have introduced a wide range of tracked machines," says Donnelly. "For example, a first ever is our tracked trommel 511, which we believe is unique and is making its world debut at SED."

Donnelly was also pleased with the quality of visitors coming to the Powerscreen stand.

"There has been a fantastic reaction," he says. "The strength of a good show is in the quality of people and there has been a lot coming over the bridge to see us in this new format."

Another piece of equipment Donnelly was keen to focus on was the SW70 Powerscrub.

"It has been redesigned for the recycling market," says Donnelly. "This has been achieved by giving it flexibility in its operation in stockpiling along with the swivel discharge conveyor which folds over hydraulically for transport."

Powerscreen is not the only company to have taken a note of customers' growing interest in tracked machines.

Erin, from County Offaly in Ireland, launched a track-mounted version of Erin Fingerscreener 165 at SED 2000.

"We have a wheeled version that has been selling for two-and-a-half years,"says Ciaran Ryan, sales manager. "Most of our customers have wheeled machines and the demand for the Fingerscreener 165T, the tracked version, is so great that six were ordered before we had even built them."

With a set-up time of less than 10 minutes, the fully remote controlled machine has hydraulically folding fines and overs conveyors, as well as an on-board middles conveyor while working in three-product mode.

"Erin was bought by a Canadian company two years ago and we're actually manufacturing in Canada, in Brunswick," says Ryan. "The factory employs 100 people and there's a great enthusiasm for the product."

Having attended five shows all over Europe in as many weeks, Ryan says he is very impressed with SED 2000.

"We do IWM and Hillhead and although we visited SED on the last two occasions this is our first time as an exhibitor," says Ryan. "What prompted us to come was the specially designed recycling area and the opportunity of working the machines. Also, it makes a change for the customer to come to us instead of us going to them."

A company that also felt exhibiting at SED 2000 was worth the effort and that has been producing crushing machines for nearly 90 years is Parker, based in Leicester. "We have a selection of machines, from mobile and static asphalt plants to mobile and static washing plants, as well as turn key waste recycling projects," says Anthony Donnelly, a salesman with Parker.

Machines on the Parker stand were the Trackranger Model RT0960, which has a hydro-static drive system, heavy duty vibrating grizzly feeder and out-of-balance motor drive system, and the larger RT1165.

"Parker maintains its customer base by using the best available components regardless of cost," says Donnelly. "The company adage is: 'The bitterness of poor service and quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten'."

A company with a shorter track record of trading in the UK but with high expectations of overtaking its competitors is Doppstadt, from near Dusseldorf in Germany.

"We have been trading in the UK for seven to eight years," says managing director Robert Beveridge. "We are glad of the opportunity to introduce the company name at SED. The trouble with Doppstadt is that people have difficulty pronouncing the name."

However, Beveridge does not see that being a long-term problem. "We reckon we are different from our competitors as we offer quality, robustness and durability. Doppstadt is the Mercedes of the shredding and screening world."

Two of the machines on show at the German company's stand were the AK 420, a 315kW shredder equipped with patented load-sensing feed control, and the SM414, a multi-purpose trommel screen with a 4m drum.

"A lot of people make claims on machines they can't substantiate," says Beveridge. "We have six years' commercial experience of running these machines."

So confident is Beveridge of the company's products that he says he is happy to see visitors going round competitors' stands at SED.

"If they are looking for quality and reliability, they are bound to come back to Doppstadt," says Beveridge. "The company is pushing forward the boundaries of performance and we find this is a good opportunity to talk to people who want to get into the recycling business."