Untha’s “roadshow” sparks shredder interest

A European “roadshow” of shredder machine trials has prompted a new influx of sales, according to Austria-based shredder manufacturer Untha, the roadshow’s organizer.

The company’s XR mobil-e model has visited 15 sites in Germany and Austria since the tour began in late August 2017. A second unit has also been on a demonstration tour in Switzerland in the fall, “proving it can tackle two steps of a complex wood shredding process that would usually require three different machines.,” according to the company.

Additional trials will take place in those three countries, as well as in Italy, before the end of 2017, Untha indicates.

As the 37-metric-ton shredder has travelled from one site to another it has helped secure five new orders for Untha, according to the firm. These include a static XR3000C unit and an XR mobil-e that will form a multi-purpose waste shredding operation, plus a long-term rental purchase to produce an alternative fuel destined for Denmark.

The variety of orders mirrors the diversity of trials the XR has undertaken during the roadshow, according to Untha. The machine has produced a 300-millimeter (12-inch) refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and a 70-millimeter (2-3/4-inch) cement fuel, plus it has shredded pulper rope, paper rejects, car tires and the heavy fraction from a windshifter operation.

“It takes a lot of careful planning to prepare for a roadshow of this scale, especially because we always try to attend to advise on the configuration and optimization of the technology,” says Untha’s sales manager Daniel Wresnik. “The XR tour is always incredibly ‘in demand,’ so the effort is worthwhile, especially when it leads to further business development,” he adds.

“The participating organizations also contribute toward the cost of the roadshow, which demonstrates how serious they are about using our shredder and putting it through its paces with their own materials,” Wresnik continues. “We offer trials at our Salzburg (Austria) innovation center, and the door is always open for existing and prospective clients who want to visit. But sometimes you just can’t beat using the machine in the live setting that it could soon be operating in on a daily basis – hence the roadshow popularity.”

Established in 1970, Untha is headquartered in Kuchl, near Salzburg, Austria, with subsidiary companies in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and Poland, and with distribution partners in Italy and Japan and other countries. There more than 150 Untha XR shredders in operation worldwide, according to the firm.