HJHansen has a nose for scrap…and wine    

With 30  yards handling one million tonnes of recycled materials  every year, HJHansen Recycling Group  is by far Denmark’s largest scrap metals processing enterprise. Under the leadership of Mogens Bach Christensen, the company has been investing big money in the expansion of its deep-sea port capacity. Meanwhile, the ceo also keeps an eye on a EUR 50 million wine business.                    

At the port of Odense, in central Denmark, HJHansen Recycling Group  orchestrates a daily ballet of steel, cranes and logistics. From this deep-sea hub – and several others – the company ships hundreds of thousands of tonnes of ferrous scrap to worldwide markets every year. Türkiye is a major destination, with steel-producing hubs in Iskenderun, Izmir, Istanbul and Samsung.

‘Approximately every  two weeks, a ship loaded with 32 000 to 35 000 tonnes departs the port, a process that takes three full days of intense loading,’ says HJHansen’s  ceo Mogens Bach Christensen on a windy and rainy weekday morning.

It is impressive to watch the heavy-duty cranes swing and grab the ferrous scrap from the quay and load it as bulk into the vessel. With roughly 20 such shipments per year and a total annual scrap processing volume of one million tonnes, 90% ferrous and 10% non-ferrous, HJHansen  has cemented itself as a major player in the global recycling supply chain.

CAPACITY BOOST

Christensen has led HJHansen  through major, recent investments in capacity expansion. ‘In 2025,  our third deep-sea terminal at the port of Aalborg became operational,’ he says. ‘It complements our two existing terminals and gives us greater flexibility for both short-sea and deep-sea shipping. These facilities allow us to efficiently manage our growing volumes and strengthen our position in the global market.’

The scale of operations is staggering. The port of Odense alone connects by canal to the company’s  main yard and headquarters further inland in the city. Barges ship scrap directly to and from the yard, while trucks (150 per day on average) roll in every five minutes, bringing materials from across Denmark. Scrap is also sourced from the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF RECYCLING INTERNATIONAL >>