LEFORT TRAX, bringing efficiency to our yard !

Scrap metal recycler Kroon of the Netherlands has used Lefort equipment for more than 20 years. The latest purchase: a 1 000 tonne cutting force Trax mobile shear baler.

In the wider world of ferrous scrap processing, ‘mobility’ is the new buzzword with more and more mobile machinery popping up at yards around the globe. Demand for such solutions is growing, confirms recycling equipment manufacturer Lefort. Lefort’s latest offering in this field is its Trax series of shear balers. Claimed to be the first of its kind, this self-propelled machine runs on tracks, making it robust but easy to manoeuvre at many yards. The Trax is delivered with a minimum of 600 and up to a 1 200 tonne cutting force shear. Dutch metal recycler Kroon of Wilnis near Amsterdam has recently welcomed a 1 000 tonne Trax unit at its yard. Since its installation, operations have changed for the better, according to company owner Alexander Looij. He praises the machine’s ‘high productivity’ because ‘it’s bringing more efficiency to our yard’.

SAVING TIME AND MONEY

The shear can move easily and safely around the site, bringing it closer to the various scrappiles. ‘Mind you, our yard is 400 metres long. Before, we had to bring the scrap to a stationary shear. Now we move the shear to the scrap, saving much in time and costs. At the end of the day you have processed everything The shear can move easily and safely around the site, bringing it closer to the various scrap piles. ‘Mind you, our yard is 400 metres long. Before, we had to bring the scrap to a stationary shear. Now we move the shear to the scrap, saving much in time and costs. At the end of the day you have processed everything and the yard is clean and ready to take in new scrap loads the next day.’ Mobility brings another advantage, according to Looij: ‘Obviously, these pieces of equipment need regular maintenance – on average every three weeks – which can now be done in our workshop. We simply move the shear to that place.’

REGULAR LEFORT CUSTOMER

Kroon Wilnis processes 20 000 tonnes of ferrous scrap per year. Another 50 000 tonnes is handled at Kroon Metal Recycling in Amsterdam, the company run by two of Alexander’s sons. This site has a 900 tonne Lefort Trax shear. In the past twenty years, the Wilnis site has had five machines in a row. ‘The first one we purchased was a 500 tonne shear,’ says Looij. ‘Next was a 600-tonner. The new Trax is our third 1 000 tonne cutting force unit.’ The Dutch recycler couldn’t be happier with Lefort. ‘Beyond the fact they deliver strong and reliable equipment, their service is excellent. If there’s a problem, they send over an engineer the same day to fix it.’

Author, Martijn Reintjes for Recycling International