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RECYCLER KROON: BUILDING ON LEFORT-TRAX LINKS

Dutch scrap operator Kroon Metal Recycling took delivery of a new 1 250-tonne cutting force Trax shear-baler in July this year – the second Trax unit to be purchased by this client.

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A family-owned business currently being run by the third generation, Kroon specialises in recycling iron and other metals. The company processes more than 20 000 tonnes of ferrous scrap per year.

LOYAL CUSTOMER

Kroon has used Lefort equipment for 27 years, purchasing its first machine – a 600-tonne mobile shear-baler – back in 1997. Including this new Trax, Kroon has had a total of seven Lefort machines.

The customer is quick to affirm its general satisfaction with Lefort products. Its experience of the quality, production capacities and service offered by Lefort has been sufficient for Kroon to develop this long-term collaboration with the Belgium-based manufacturer.

IMPROVED YARD EFFICIENCY

Since using Trax machines, operations at Kroon have changed for the better, according to company owner Alexander Looij. In particular, he praises the machines’ ‘high productivity’, ‘robustness’ and ‘reliability’.

The self-propelled shear, which is fitted on extremely robust metal tracks, can move easily and safely around the yard, thus helping to position it closer to the various piles of scrap. ‘Before, we had to bring the scrap to a stationary shear,’ Looij explains. ‘Now we move the shear to the scrap, saving a lot in time and costs.’

Kroon’s latest machine is the largest in the Trax range, which includes cutting force options from 650 up to 1250 tonnes, box lengths of 6 or 7 metres, a pusher ram force of 180 tonnes and a hold-down force of 120 to 180 tonnes.

UNRIVALLED MOBILITY

The Trax was invented by Lefort and patented internationally. It offers a truly new mobility alternative to machines on wheels and portable machines on hydraulic legs, which have been manufactured by the leading Belgian manufacturer for decades. The Trax is an extremely stable machine that can access all areas and therefore massively reduce handling operations.

Lefort is launching a hybrid version: the E-TRAX. This is fitted with an electric main drive and an additional diesel module solely for moving the machine, which should make more sense for the recycling industry.

JOURNEY OF INNOVATION

Lefort Group acquired 100% of the capital of French manufacturer Copex in the summer of 2023, thus completing the first external expansion project in its history.

Lefort and Copex, leaders in the design and manufacture of shear-balers for scrap metal recycling, share many synergies. Firmly committed to providing innovative and progressive technical solutions and to keeping pace with changing user expectations, the two companies have always chosen to produce their machines locally in order to control all processes as well as manufacturing quality.

Following this acquisition, Lefort’s range of machines has been completely reshaped, taking the ‘best of both worlds’ for the benefit of customers.

Monobloc shear-balers, including the Trax, have made the family business world-renowned, and its heavy-duty shears with press wings continue to be manufactured in Belgium. The range is completed by the large Lidex side-compression shears, Copex’s flagship product, which are produced at the Caudan plant in France.

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