Strautmann vertical baler designed to ease recycling process

Glandorf, Germany-based equipment maker Strautmann Umwelttechnik GmbH is reporting its AutoLoadBaler is gaining favor with facility operators who want to more easily recycle old corrugated containers (OCC) and other materials. The firm says the vertical baler “has a unique selling point” on the form of a collection trolley that automatically empties into the baler.

“The uniqueness of the machine was the main factor in the purchase,” says Michael Hunstock, the head of a logistics center for Germany-based agricultural, energy and construction sector services provider Baywa AG. “Other competitors have disposal solutions with tilting systems. The AutoLoadBaler with the collection trolley is compact and unique. No other supplier could offer us that.”

Operators of facilities in the retailing, warehousing and logistics sectors “rely on the baler and can’t imagine [recycling] without it,” according to Strautmann.

“Now that we have the AutoLoadBaler we are significantly more effective,” comments Tobias Mettmann, assistant production manager at J.G. Weisser Söhne GmbH & Co. KG. “We have streamlined our disposal processes and saved a large amount of expense whilst allowing our business to focus on its core competency of mechanical engineering, making us more lean. We now save 4,000 hours whilst recycling,” he states.

The collection trolley filled with OCC has been designed to be pushed into the feed unit quickly. The automatic baling process starts with the push of a button, according to Strautmann. The bottom of the collecting trolley automatically lifts up and the cardboard is conveyed via rotors into the baling chamber, where it is compacted into 400-kilogram (880-pound) bales.

The company says the AutoLoadBaler’s small footprint also “impresses customers.” The baler has a footprint of 4 square meters (43 square feet), as little as one-third the size of comparable systems, according to the firm.