Untha America, Hampton, New Hampshire, has released a two-shaft shredder, the ZR, engineered for multishift, continuous preshredding – even when handling difficult materials some would consider economically unshreddable, the company says. Its debut follows 24 months of research and development, including prototype trials in Europe.

According to the company, the shredder promises the lowest life cycle costing (LCC) for waste, wood, electronics and metal shredding in its class.

Untha says the machine’s low-speed, high-torque drive can handle severe-duty applications with a high level of shredder and, ultimately, plant availability. Its modular, quick-change cutting table design also offers versatility.

The ZR2400H has been engineered for high throughput when rough shredding a variety of bulky material, commercial and industrial material, wood scrap, municipal solid waste, mattresses, carpets, railroad ties, bales and rolled goods. Available as a static or mobile machine with crawler tracks, the goal for this model is volume reduction, material breakdown for further treatment and alternative fuel production, Untha says. This cutting system is suitable for cement plants, the biomass and energy recovery industries, material recovery facilities (MRFs), sorting and waste disposal firms.

The ZR2400W is designed for metal scrap shredding and also processes e-scrap and large domestic appliances for downstream sorting. The company says it is ideal for metal processors, recyclers and aluminum and metal manufacturers.

The ZR preshredders feature independent, bidirectional shaft rotation to grab, shear and liberate material in forward and reverse.

Photo courtesy of Untha America

Both preshredders also are supplied with the Untha Eco Power Drive with water-cooled synchronous motors, which the company says can reduce energy consumption by up to 75 percent.

Sales Director Peter Streinik says, “With the ZR, we’re talking a reliable powerhouse that pays for itself. Like all our shredders, the innovation is engineered for long service intervals, easy maintenance, safe operations and high uptime. But what will really make it stand out in its class is the ability to tackle difficult materials, at low cost.

ZR shredders are supplied with Untha Genius, the company’s condition-monitoring system that provides operators with access to their shredder’s performance data, in real-time, from any device.

Hubert A. Schwarz, head of processing and process development at the Austrian tooling company Schaufler, which trialed the ZR prototype for 12 months during the machine’s R&D phase, says, “The most important advantages of the ZR are versatility—the unit can shred both large, coarse [nonferrous] metals and composites; fast, easy and efficient cleaning and maintenance; and low energy consumption—compared to other manufacturers, we’re saving $82,000 in energy costs a year as a result of using the ZR.”

Shred America, Fort Mill, South Carolina, has acquired Shred One KC, an Independence, Missouri-based National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) certified company. The purchase marks Shred America’s second acquisition.

“Shred America was such a natural fit, and their offer, combined with their culture and track record of growth and customer service, made the decision to sell Shred One KC an easy one,” says Job One/Shred One KC CEO Aaron Martin.

Shred One KC’s mission-based operation is a division of Job One, which employs adults with disabilities. The social enterprise grew steadily from 2004, the year it was founded, to serve over 250 commercial customers and one of the largest government organizations in the nation, according to Shred America.

Shred America is a veteran-owned document and information destruction company that has offices in South Carolina (Carolina Shred), Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania. The company also provides national coverage through its Shred America Partner Network and has grown from one truck to more than 20 trucks in four years and has clients in more than 40 states.

“We are very excited about expanding our service area into Kansas City and partnering with Job One KC moving forward,” says Ray Barry, a Shred America partner. “We love the mission of Job One, and we look forward to continuing the great service Shred One KC’s clients have come to expect while aligning with the mission and community involvement.”

Shred America partner Ryan Richard adds, "Shred America is excited to expand into the Kansas City market. ShredOne KC/JobOne built a great business, and we're looking forward to expanding the customer base and continuing exceptional customer service. Partnering with JobOne and its amazing mission of supporting and employing adults with disabilities is also a very rewarding perk!"

Luxembourg-based Befesa S.A. has joined the MDAX stock index, which has been designed to include the 50 largest companies in terms of market capitalization just outside of Germany’s DAX index, which contains the 40 largest market cap companies.

Deutsche Börse AG in Frankfurt made the announcement welcoming Befesa in early September, following a review of the index composition and after considering “the positive effects” of Befesa’s acquisition of United States-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steel dust recycling services firm American Zinc Recycling (AZR).

Befesa overall describes itself as a leading provider of hazardous waste recycling services, “enabling the circular economy within the steel and aluminum industries."

After its IPO in 2017, Befesa has grown to reach the MDAX index thanks to its strong market capitalization growth over the course of the past three years, the firm says. “This, in turn, was driven by the company’s resilient business model, provision of sustainable environmental services and consistent delivery of strategic goals and milestones,” Befesa says.

“Befesa’s inclusion in the MDAX is a significant and encouraging step for us,” says Javier Molina, CEO of Befesa. “We continue expanding our globally balanced footprint. We have grown to recycle more than 2 million metric tons of hazardous waste per year, contributing actively to the protection of the environment by offering state-of-the-art environmental services to our customers in the steel and aluminum industries.”

In addition to the acquisition of AZR (now known as Befesa Zinc US Inc.), Befesa’s expansion in China includes the development of what it calls the first two EAF dust recycling plants in that nation. Construction of the first plant in Changzhou (in Jiangsu province), was completed earlier this year. The second plant, located in Xuchang (in Henan province), is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

Third-quarter sales rose for Greif, Delaware, Ohio, compared with the third quarter of 2020. The packaging producer reports that it achieved record net sales of $1,490.8 million in the third quarter of the year compared with $1,083 million in the third quarter of 2020. The company also achieved record adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $237.8 million in the recently completed quarter compared with adjusted EBITDA of $159.4 million in the third quarter of 2020.

Greif decreased its total debt by $370 million to $2,267.6 million in the third quarter of the year as well, according to the company’s third-quarter earnings report. Net debt decreased by $371.3 million to $2,167.8 million and decreased by $35.2 million sequentially from the second quarter of the year.

“The Greif team delivered an exceptional third quarter,” says Pete Watson, president and CEO. “In addition to strong operating results, we achieved record financial performance, reduced our debt and made meaningful progress towards achieving our targeted leverage ratio. While we continue to face significant inflationary conditions, COVID-19-related constraints and labor availability challenges, our underlying end markets are strong, and we are executing with discipline to offset challenges and deliver on our commitments. Looking ahead, Greif is well-positioned for success as we continue to partner closely with our customers and drive enhanced value creation for our shareholders.”

During the company’s earnings call Sept. 2, Watson said Greif's Global Industrial Packaging segment faced tight supply chain conditions in the third quarter. “While we have not experienced any significant raw material shortage, some of our customers have, which has negatively impacted our demand in certain regions," he said. "Labor availability is becoming more challenging, which is not unique to Greif, and has impacted the productivity of some plants in both [Global Industrial Packaging] and paper packaging.”

Watson reported that the company’s Paper Packaging segment third-quarter sales rose by about $120 million compared with the same quarter in 2020. He attributed the increase to stronger volumes and higher selling prices due to increases in published containerboard prices and boxboard prices. Adjusted EBITDA in that segment rose by about $18 million compared with the same time in 2020 due to higher sales. He noted that the Paper Packaging segment’s EBITDA was offset by higher transportation and raw material costs, including an additional $24 million spent on old corrugated containers (OCC).

The company says it anticipates OCC could cost roughly $183 per ton in the fourth quarter of the year.

“Since early June, we’ve announced five price increases, including a total of $100 a ton on [coated recycled board or CRB], $120 a ton on [uncoated recycled board or URB] and $70 a ton on containerboard,” Watson said. “As of August, the published indexes recognized $50 a ton on the CRB increases, $50 a ton on the URB increases and a $50 and $60 a ton on linerboard and medium, respectively.”

Executive changes

Watson

Watson also plans to retire Feb. 1, 2022, and will be succeeded by Greif Chief Operating Officer Ole Rosgaard.

“Until that time, Ole will serve as chief operating officer and work closely with me and our executive leadership team on his transition,” Watson said during the company’s earnings call Sept. 2. “Ole is a servant leader and a proven team builder with demonstrated commitment to customer service excellence and disciplined operational execution. Those attributes, along with his extensive manufacturing and industrial packaging experience, makes him the ideal leader to take Greif forward.”

Rosegaard added, “As head of global industrial packaging, my focus was on driving and delivering the operating and business results that our customers and shareholders expect. As COO, that focus continues across the wider Greif portfolio. As Pete said, I’m working closely with the executive leadership team on our fiscal 2022 business plan and will share more about my priorities for the future after I assume my new role.”

Michael Gasser, chairman of the board of directors at Greif, will not stand for re-election at the company’s 2022 annual meeting of stockholders; Watson will step in as executive chairman of the board, and Bruce Edwards will become lead director of the board at that time.