Sims Group Terminal Officially Opened in UK

Andrew Davies, AM, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Economic Development & Transport, officially opened a metal recycling terminal at the Port of Newport, UK. The terminal is operated by Sims Group UK, part of the Australian-based Sims Group.

The terminal is equipped with the world’s largest industrial shredder, capable of processing 450 end-of-life vehicles an hour. A gantry crane will also ensure the facility has one of the fastest ship-loading rates for a metals-recycling terminal anywhere in Europe. The 9,200-horsepower shredding plant will be able to process 350 metric tons of metal an hour.

In addition, the terminal has a new rail freight facility, which has been partly funded by a Freight Facilities Grant awarded by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The grant was awarded to ABP and Sims Group in June 2003 and formed part of a major multi-million-pound investment program in which Sims invested some £10 million (US$18.564 million) in commissioning new equipment for the terminal, and ABP, for its part, invested some £3.5 million (US$6.5 million) in major infrastructure works at the port.

Tom Bird, Managing Director, Sims Group UK, explains: “The shredder is the latest design for this type of technology and allows for improved yield of all metals. The shredder will also contribute to the group’s ongoing investment in technology to recover non-metallic materials, such as plastics and glass, emphasizing Sims Group’s stance on a complete and legislatively compliant process for metals recycling and, more specifically, end-of-life-vehicle recycling.”

The rail freight facility will handle in excess of 60,000 metric tons of scrap metal transported from two other Sims locations

John Copping, Port Director, ABP South Wales Ports, said:, “Sims is an established and growing customer of ABP Newport. In the last two years alone, throughput at its facility has more than doubled. Our investment has laid the groundwork for Sims’ expansion and the establishment of a strong export trade at the port.”