Focus Enviro becomes Untha distributor in Australia

Focus Enviro, a waste and organic equipment specialist headquartered in New South Wales, Australia, has secured an exclusive agreement with Austria-based Untha, making it the distribution partner for Untha’s shredding technology in Australia. 

In Australia, Focus Enviro has a presence in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the West. Through the partnership, Focus Enviro will provide Untha’s static and mobile XR shredders for process engineered fuel (PEF) production. According to a news release from Untha, this agreement to integrate Untha into its suite of solutions reflects Australian operators’ interest to turn waste into new resources.

“Untha’s waste shredding technology has been on our radar for the last decade,” says Robbie McKernan, director of Focus Enviro. “We’ve been intently watching the number of RDF [refuse derived fuel] and SRF [solid recovered fuel] plants that have come online in the UK, and places like Austria, Germany and Denmark, and 10 years of industry analysis means we’re now armed with best-practice advice to pass on to clients in Australia. 

“We’ve seen what has and hasn’t worked, how the market has changed and how alternative [process engineered] fuel production lines can be optimized for maximum product quality, bottom-line impact and environmental gain. But as the Australian PEF market is now gaining traction, we need best-in-class technology as robust as our knowledge. We wanted to integrate Untha into our offering, but to represent them on an exclusive basis here, is a real honor.”

According to a news release from Untha, the company’s XR shredder is able to process an array of input materials to meet defined fuel specifications for cement plants through to biomass burners. 

McKernan adds that he hopes Untha’s introduction into the market will help drive quality.

“We’ve always had the capacity to produce process engineered fuel as it is known here,” he says. “The challenge has been driving acceptance and securing outlets for the resource. Some Australian waste management companies are producing and exporting fuels, but the specifications remain extremely varied. As the market matures—and more small-medium businesses enter with their eyes on best-practice—I would hope Untha can help drive standardization when it comes to fraction sizing, product quality and calorific value.” 

Gary Moore, Untha’s director for global business development, adds that Australia has one of the most exciting energy from waste markets in the world at present.

“Alternative fuel production is in its infancy here, in comparison to parts of Europe for instance,” he says. “But landfill rates are rising, environmental pressures are mounting, China’s landmark movement has forced a new direction for the country’s waste framework, and a number of international waste operators, with a presence in Australia, are driving a global knowledge transfer programme to strengthen resource security. 

“We know of Robbie’s work—from supplying individual pieces of equipment to completely integrated waste facilities—and feel that Focus Enviro has the right technology and service ethos to represent the Untha brand in Australia.”