Page 12 from: Recycling International – free September/October Issue
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COPEX ACQUIRED BY LEFORT
A major takeover in the recycling equipment industry:
Copex has been taken over by Lefort.
France-based Copex specialises in the design and manufac-
ture of hydraulic shears and balers for the treatment of scrap
metal, metals, and solid waste. Its products are exported
worldwide to meet varied industrial needs such as nuclear
dismantling, the baling of agricultural plant fibres or the
packaging of waste from wastewater.
Founded in 1947 in Belgium by Nestor Lefort and still 100%
family owned, Lefort is one of the world’s leading manufac-
turers of metal recycling equipment. The combined group
will have approximately 300 employees and an annual turn-
over in excess of EUR 110 million.
Lefort says the two companies share ‘a rich heritage, a solid
reputation for quality and service, and similar values around
excellence, passion and innovation’. Copex’s skills and pro-
duction capacity will provide Lefort with opportunities to
increase its activity and strengthen its local and international
presence, it adds.
Alexandre Henkens, ceo of Lefort, says ‘I warmly welcome
Copex and all its talented employees. This operation is an
important step for Lefort and enhances an invaluable heri-
tage of knowledge and experience in the recycling industry’.
Frédéric Malin, majority shareholder and ceo of Copex, has
been in charge since 1998. ‘By deciding to associate the des-
tiny of my company with that of Lefort, I see it as a tremen-
dous outcome. Moreover, knowing the Lefort family since my
beginnings in the industry, I had appreciated the technical
solutions offered by their company as well as their working
methods based on honesty, respect, and integrity; funda-
mental values that have always guided me in my life. I can
therefore pass the torch to them serenely.’
Copex will continue its operations from its industrial site in
Caudan under its own brand. Fawaz Ezzat, who has been md
of Lefort France since 2016, takes over the general manage-
ment of Copex with immediate effect.
FUCHS EXPANDS PRODUCTION CAPACITY
Specialist material handling equipment manufacturer Fuchs has
broken ground for a new production hall on its existing site in
Bad Shonborn, Germany.
Fuchs says the extra manufacturing capacity will support the devel-
opment of its product line and the global distribution of its
machines.
‘This expansion reflects our commitment to meeting the evolving
needs of our customers while positioning Fuchs for future growth,’
says Dominik Vierkotten, vp, material handling and lifting. ‘The
state-of-the-art facility will enable us to maintain our high standards
of product quality, innovation, and sustainability, while creating a
positive impact in the community where we operate.’
As well as increased production capacity, the hall offers streamlined
processes and advanced technologies to maintain Fuchs’ position in
delivering material handling solutions. Fuchs, part of the Terex
group, says the new facility will also focus on energy efficiency and
eco-friendly practices, integrating the latest technologies to reduce
its carbon footprint and optimise resource utilisation.
‘By investing in this new production hall, Fuchs aims to better serve
its customers by ensuring timely deliveries of high-quality material
handling equipment while also creating new job opportunities with-
in the local community,’ Vierkotten adds.
BOOST FOR PLASTIC RECYCLING INVESTMENT
FUND
Infinity Recycling, a growth capital firm that invests in advanced
plastic recycling technology, has announced that its Circular
Plastics Fund I (CPF) has reached EUR 105 million in committed
capital.
The latest round of funding comes from the European Investment
Fund (EIF) and Bangkok-based GC Ventures. These investments
bring Infinity Recycling closer to its target of EUR 150 million which
it expects to close by the end of the year. The fund ‘supports com-
panies with scalable technologies that need financing for the indus-
trial and commercial scale-up of their operations’.
EIF has invested EUR 50 million with the support of the European
Investment Bank and the InvestEU programme, which is mobilising
funds towards EU policy priorities in the 2021-27 period. EIF says
that CPF’s focus on advanced recycling processes will enable recy-
cled plastic to regain ‘virgin-equivalent properties’ and play a role
in improving industry circularity.
NEW LINE HELPS PLASTIC RECYCLER TO
MINIMISE CONTAMINATION
A UK plastic recycler has installed a solution to separate fer-
rous and non-ferrous metal from plastic flake.
The Metal Separation Module from machinery provider Bunting
features vibratory feeders, a drum magnet and an eddy current
separator (ESC).
The successful recycling of plastic waste is often hindered by
the presence of contamination including ferrous and non-fer-
rous metals. In this project, the plastic recycler approached
Bunting to address the issue of metal contamination in <20mm
plastic flake.
Initially, the recycler undertook extensive material tests at
Bunting’s Customer Experience Centre in Redditch, UK. These
tests identified the best model of ECS for the project and con-
firmed operating parameters including the throughput per
metre width.
The Metal Separation Module acquired for the project includes
a high-strength rare earth drum magnet followed by an eccen-
tric-rotor ECS.
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