BUSINESS LEADERS
63recyclinginternational.com | May/June | 2023
Frédéric Malin.
ZB Group’s Lander Arrieta.
COPEX: PROUDLY MADE IN BRITTANY
As a company it’s not so easy to get to 75 years, says Frédéric
Malin, owner of French shear manufacturer Copex. ‘Copex has
had ups and downs. Fortunately, more ups than downs so we’re
still here, passionately serving the global recycling industry with
a team of experienced and dedicated people some of whom
have been with us for many years.’
Malin joined Copex in 1994 and since 1998 has been majority
shareholder and ceo. Copex is a proud company. ‘To come from
a small French machine shop to a big manufacturing firm with
references in 40 countries worldwide is something to be proud
of. I’m also proud of the fact that we still make machines in
France. It would probably be a lot cheaper to move our produc-
tion site in Lorient, Brittany to some low labour cost country but
that’s not who we are.’
Malin says it is more challenging to sell a machine to a recycler
in Germany than it is to one in somewhere such as Kazakhstan.
‘Don’t get me wrong: it’s nice to ship a shear to a remote part
of Asia or South America but for the long term future of Copex
it is crucial to build and maintain a solid customer base in lead-
ing markets like Europe and the US. Clearly, in these markets
we have to compete with other heavyweights. So now that
we’ve sold two machines in Germany that opens the door to
more business in the future.’
Markets come and go, observes Malin. ‘China used to be big
and promising. Everybody in the recycling equipment scene
was talking about China but that’s all over now.
‘By the way, we’ve been advertising in Recycling International
since the very beginning – that’s 25 years already. So, happy
birthday to you, too!’
INNOVATORS FROM BASQUE COUNTRY
‘We very much look forward to celebrating our 40th anniversary
this year,’ says Lander Arrieta, general manager of recycling
equipment manufacturer ZB Group. ‘I can’t yet tell you what
the party will look like but, trust me, it’s going to be unforgetta-
ble.’
Based in the hills above San Sebastian in Spain’s Basque
Country, ZB designs and produces a wide range scrap metal
shredders. The company has equipment in operation at recy-
cling facilities all over the world with a strong customer base in
Latin America and the US. ‘In fact, a 1 200 HP mobile shredder
of the Preda Thor 2121 series is currently being installed at a
recycler in Dallas, Texas,’ Arrieta tells Recycling International.
The Preda Thor is among ZB’s latest equipment, a shredder and
a pre-shredder combined in one mobile solution. The machine
that has been sent to Dallas was unveiled last year at the IFAT
trade show in Munich. ‘We’re building a lighter, 750 HP unit for
another customer.’
Mobility is the future, observes Arrieta. ‘Look how recycling has
changed over the years. We’ve come from only stationary
shredders to advanced mobile solutions. Flexibility is key nowa-
days at most yards: why move your scrap to the machine when
it’s so much easier to move your machine to the scrap.’
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