From the Sector

The company launched the "Edvanced Recycling - EREMA Prime Solutions for Advanced Recycling" campaign at an exclusive press conference at the beginning of June as a preview to K 2025. 

"The technologies used in plastics recycling have evolved very fast. Over the past few years, we have repeatedly set milestones and have been a driver of innovation. At this year's K, we will again be presenting multiple new solutions designed to keep even more plastics in circulation," said Manfred Hackl, CEO of the EREMA Group, in his opening presentation at the K Preview Press Talk, which was held at the beginning of June at the company's headquarters in Ansfelden near Linz in Austria. EREMA provided a first glance of selected innovations that the company will be presenting at K 2025 in Düsseldorf. 

New technologies open up more applications 
Two new machine types will celebrate their début at K 2025: 

• TwinPro is a high-performance twin-screw technology in which the proven EREMA Preconditioning Unit (PCU) is coupled directly to a twin-screw extruder. The new system is particularly suitable for the highly efficient homogenisation in just one step of complex film waste with low bulk densities. 
• AGGLOREMA technology is particularly interesting for preparing feedstock materials for chemical recycling. This robust and energy-efficient system produces agglomerates with a high bulk density on a large scale from heavily contaminated post consumer material.

The focus is also on the increasing demand for recycled pellets made from post consumer materials in sensitive applications and secondary packaging. For example, EREMA is launching a more compact INTAREMA® TVEplus® 2021 and, together with Lindner Washtech, is presenting the optimum match of washing system and extruder that achieves a balanced overall process. Live recycling demonstrations in the outdoor area will show how different waste streams are processed. Visitors can see the results for themselves in the exhibition of products at the Edvanced Recycling Centre, which range from technical components to cosmetic products and food packaging. 

Digitalisation increases uptime
Digital solutions play a decisive role in achieving the circular economy and handling plastic waste material in a sustainable way. At K, the PredictOn family is growing to include AI-supported in-depth data analysis for monitoring the main drives, and a new Condition Monitoring System for the plasticising unit. Both modules can be seen in action at the show, where an INTAREMA® TVEplus® DuaFil® Compact is equipped with the latest intelligent assistance systems. The results can be seen live on the displays of the BluPort® online platform at the EREMA trade fair stand and at the outdoor Edvanced Recycling Centre.

Edvanced Recycling: The campaign with a recurring effect
"For a more circular economy in the plastics industry, recycling has to be consistently integrated along the entire value chain. Edvanced Recycling shows how we are working together with our customers to sustainably increase the proportion of recycled plastics used in new products," says Gerold Breuer, Head of Marketing at the EREMA Group. The year-long campaign focuses on the full range of EREMA solutions, from technologies proven in practice to innovative new products, with a first highlight at K 2025. "And yes, it really is spelt that way," adds Gerold Breuer, "because the E stands for EREMA. After all, advanced plastics recycling is inextricably linked to our name."

Demand for high performance solutions for bottle-to-bottle recycling is increasing worldwide. In view of this trend, the specifications for PET recycling machines to handle higher capacities are also growing. With VACUREMA® technology, EREMA offers a system that enables throughputs of up to six tonnes per hour.

"While the bottle-to-bottle market initially tended towards 3-tonne machines, over the past three years we have been seeing increasing demand for PET recycling solutions with throughputs in excess of three tonnes per hour," says Christoph Wöss, Business Development Manager for the Bottle segment at EREMA. In total, a dozen VACUREMA® machines with throughput capacities of four to six tonnes have been installed and commissioned worldwide since 2020. "Together, these large recycling machines produce almost 350,000 tonnes of rPET per year, which is a clear sign that this order of magnitude is now commonplace in the industry," adds Christoph Wöss.

With VACUREMA® technology, EREMA offers a proven system for throughputs between 600 and 6000 kilograms per hour. This technology achieves impressively efficient decontamination and gentle IV treatment and fulfils the strict requirements of the European and North American food safety authorities. Even the basic version produces food-grade rPET, providing the basis for a wide range of end applications. Whether the pellets are then used with SSP for IV adjustment for bottle-to-bottle or high IV applications, an additional upstream vacuum treatment enables direct connection to preform production, or the material is processed inline into sheets or fibres, the VACUREMA® is a versatile all-rounder with food-grade certification.

Advanced VACUNITE® technology for the highest rPET quality
Applications with especially high material quality requirements are covered by advanced VACUNITE® technology. It combines the proven VACUREMA® system with integrated vacuum-assisted SSP in a nitrogen atmosphere. This combination further optimises the material properties and significantly reduces the yellowing of the pellets, which is an important quality factor in bottle-to-bottle recycling. What is more, the closed nitrogen cycle and optimised process control ensure even lower nitrogen consumption, and ultimately, a particularly efficient and environmentally friendly process. VACUNITE® technology is available on machines for throughputs of up to 2500 kilograms per hour that feature particularly low energy consumption and a compact design.

UMAC, a member of the EREMA Group, is expanding its ReadyMac product line with a new 60 hertz version. This means that the immediately available plastics recycling solution can now be deployed worldwide. The standardised machine with its particularly attractive price-performance ratio will be presented in its new look for the first time at Plast Eurasia from 4-7 December 2024 in Istanbul.
    
The ReadyMac celebrated its market launch at K 2022. The recycling system, which is produced in stock and therefore available at short notice, has since established itself successfully in the 50 hertz version, particularly on the European market. Based on this success, UMAC is now also offering the ReadyMac 500 in a 60 hertz version. "The ReadyMac is suitable for a wide range of materials and degrees of contamination, processing film, flakes and regrind into high-quality recycled pellets. The fixed price of just EUR 375,000 makes it an attractive proposition," says Michael Köhnhofer, Site Manager at UMAC. The machine is produced in small series at the St. Marien site.

The ReadyMac is based on EREMA's proven TVE technology, in which degassing occurs after filtration. Equipped with a robust SW RTF® screen changer filtration system, the recycling machine processes both printed and contaminated waste. The multipurpose screw handles a wide range of materials efficiently and reliably. With a throughput of up to 500 kg/h for LDPE, LLDPE, MDPE, PP, PS, PC, ABS and up to 450 kg/h for HDPE, the ReadyMac 500 is a true all-rounder. In addition, the two frequency converters on the main drives (preconditioning unit and extruder screw) ensure consistently high throughputs and quality for a wide variety of material types, such as regrind, film or nonwoven, even without changing the screw. This enhances both flexibility and productivity. The frequency converters are now included as standard with the ReadyMac.

Helmut Bacher, co-founder of Austrian plastics recycling machine manufacturer EREMA and former managing partner, passed away on 20 September at the age of 81.

Helmut Bacher is regarded as a pioneer of plastics recycling. Together with his two colleagues Georg Wendelin and Helmuth Schulz, Helmut Bacher founded EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H. in Linz, Austria, in 1983. Their life’s work was acknowledged in 2008 when the three founders received the Golden Award of Honour from the Province of Upper Austria.

Helmut Bacher displayed visionary foresight and open mind in playing a key role in shaping the plastics recycling industry. Following his training as a fitter and completing his schooling as a mechanical engineer, he worked in various technical positions before moving to a mechanical engineering company for plastics processing in the early 1970s. Helmut Bacher shared with his two colleagues a belief in the potential of plastics recycling. During countless trials, he searched for the right solution - until he found it. Despite initial adversity, the three founders remained convinced of the idea of a cost effective recycling machine for plastic waste and started up their own company in 1983.

At the K trade fair in Düsseldorf in 1983, EREMA presented a simple, robust, reliable and economical recycling system, signalling the start of a success story. The young company produced its first orders in modest premises in Leonding with two small workshops and a double garage. Today, the plants and components supplied by the EREMA Group achieve recycling capacities of over 25 million tonnes of plastic per year worldwide.

Up until his retirement from company management in 2004, Helmut Bacher was a driving force behind the company and remained closely associated with the EREMA Group until his death. His technical ability, coupled with solution-orientated thinking and genuine appreciation of his employees, have left a lasting impression and continue to shape the company to this day.

The EREMA Group, based in Ansfelden near Linz, Austria, closes the financial year 2023/24 with total revenues of EUR 380 million. A joint venture with the Lindner Group sees the group of companies expand its portfolio to include washing technology. EREMA Group GmbH now has eight subsidiaries: EREMA, PURE LOOP, PLASMAC, KEYCYCLE, Lindner Washtech, UMAC, plasticpreneur and 3S.

"With our machines and components, we have now reached a recycling volume of more than 25 million tonnes per year worldwide, which makes a significant contribution to the development of a circular economy for plastics," says Manfred Hackl, CEO of the EREMA Group. The group of companies manufactured 290 extruders for recycling plastic in the past financial year, supplemented by over 100 add-on components such as filter systems and ReFresher anti-odour technology. These recycling solutions generated total sales of EUR 380 million. Around 8,500 machines and components from the group are in operation in more than 100 countries. The EREMA Group employs 950 people worldwide.

Strategic investments in all areas of the plastics recycling industry
In recent years, the EREMA Group has invested in developing specific machines, applications and infrastructure. "The opening of the new R&D Centre in Ansfelden last summer and the new machines in the Customer Technology Center at EREMA North America at the beginning of this year, have seen us complete the largest phase of investment in our history to date. We have invested more than EUR 110 million in the expansion and modernization of our international locations over the past five years," emphasizes Horst Wolfsgruber, CFO of the EREMA Group. Another important milestone is the founding in August 2023 of the holding company BLUEONE Solutions together with the Austrian family-owned company Lindner. Incorporating Lindner Washtech means that the EREMA Group's extensive portfolio now also includes washing technology.

Developments in post consumer and PET recycling
The new DuaFil® Compact technology, which EREMA developed specifically for challenging applications with high levels of contamination and moisture, is proving successful. Since the launch at K 2022, around 20 INTAREMA® TVEplus® DuaFil® Compact systems have been sold. In the post consumer segment, ReFresher technology for the production of odour-optimised recycled pellets is also gaining ground and is now in use worldwide with a total capacity of one million tonnes per year for film and regrind applications. Another interesting new component is the DischargePro control system for the EREMA laser filter, which has been nominated for this year's Plastics Recycling Awards Europe. The discharge control system responds automatically to fluctuations in flow rate during the recycling process and reduces melt loss by up to 50 percent. With its new Fast-Track scheme, EREMA is responding to the demand for machines available at short notice at an attractive price-performance ratio.

For bottle applications, VACUREMA® systems have been proving their performance for 25 years. Over 400 EREMA PET systems for food grade are in operation worldwide, notching up a total capacity of more than 4.5 million tonnes per year. PET recycling is also becoming increasingly important in the textile industry. FibrePro:IV technology was developed especially for fibre-to-fibre recycling, which is used together with machine combinations from EREMA or PURE LOOP, who specialise in shredder-extruder technology, depending on the geometry and contamination of the PET fibre waste. For these applications, the EREMA Group has set up a fibre technical centre at its headquarters in Ansfelden.

Big potential for plastics recycling
The amount of plastic produced worldwide is currently around 400 million tonnes per year - and the figure is still rising. Around 9 percent of it is recycled globally. This represents big potential for the EREMA Group, as Manfred Hackl emphasizes.

Die Bottle-Systeme des österreichischen Recyclingmaschinenbauers EREMA sind seit 25 Jahren am Markt, knapp 50 Prozent der in den letzten drei Jahren ausgelieferten Bottle-Anlagen wurden in Asien installiert. Die Herstellung von lebensmitteltauglichem rPET rückt dort immer mehr in den Fokus – auch in der Textilbranche. EREMA unterschreitet nicht nur die strengen Grenzwerte der weltweit anerkannten europäischen und nordamerikanischen Behörden für Lebensmittelsicherheit, sondern auch jene von globalen Markenartiklern. Bei der Chinaplas von 23. bis 26. April 2024 in Shanghai präsentiert das Unternehmen sein Portfolio.

Lebensmittelechtes rPET im Aufwind – auch in der Textilindustrie
Zusätzlich zum Lebensmittelbereich spielt lebensmittelkonformes rPET in der Textilindustrie eine zunehmend größere Rolle. Rund zwei Drittel der Gesamtmenge an PET fließen in die Produktion von synthetischen Fasern. EREMA reagierte darauf mit der Gründung einer eigenen Business Applikation für Fasern und Textilien.
Marken setzen immer öfter auf recyceltes PET als Ausgangsmaterial, das den Anforderungen für Food Grade entspricht, um ihren Kunden nachhaltige, gesundheitlich unbedenkliche Textilien anbieten zu können. Ein Trend, der sich bei EREMA im steigenden Absatz von Bottle-to-Fibre Anwendungen widerspiegelt. Asien ist in diesem Segment ein wichtiger Markt.

Schonende Materialaufbereitung für Faser-zu-Faser
Speziell für das Faser-zu-Faser-Recycling wurde die INTAREMA® FibrePro:IV Maschine entwickelt. Durch die Kombination der INTAREMA® Technologie mit dem neuen IV-Uptimiser gelingt es, durch Spinnöle stark kontaminierte geschredderte PET-Fasermaterialen so aufzubereiten, dass aus dem Regranulat wieder feinste Fasern produziert werden können. Die Anlage zeichnet sich durch eine gezielt aktive Oberflächenerneuerung der Schmelze unter Vakuumatmosphäre aus, wodurch Spinnöle und andere Hilfsstoffe effizienter entfernt werden als bei herkömmlichen PET-Recyclingverfahren. Nach der Extrusion wird im IV-Uptimiser die intrinsische Viskosität durch Polykondensation der PET-Schmelze wieder auf jenes Niveau erhöht, wie es für die jeweilige Faserproduktion nötig ist.

Um die Entwicklungen im PET-Faserrecycling voranzutreiben hat die EREMA Gruppe ein eigenes Faser-Technikum am Stammsitz in Ansfelden, Österreich geschaffen. Hier betreibt ein interdisziplinäres Team eine umfangreich ausgestattete und variable Recyclinganlage im Industriemaßstab. Sie ist mit der notwendigen Peripherietechnologie ausgerüstet und steht auch Kunden für Testläufe zur Verfügung.

On June 1, EREMA hosted the EREMA Discovery Day focusing on the post consumer segment from a European perspective. Live demonstrations showcased the latest machine innovations for PET and polyolefin recycling.

The invitation was accepted by around 400 customers and partners, mainly from Europe, to find out about the wide range of recycling technologies for PO and PET plastic waste. The technology that was presented and explained by EREMA experts and guest speakers during lectures in the morning, could then be seen live in-action in the afternoon when the recycling machines were demonstrated in operation. A total of six innovative recycling technologies were on display: INTAREMA® TVEplus® DuaFil® Compact, INTAREMA® TVEplus® RegrindPro® + ReFresher, the COREMA® cascade extrusion system, a VACUREMA® Inline Sheet line equipped with new EcoGentle technology, the new INTAREMA® FibrePro:IV machine, and the PCU-
TwinScrew. These allowed visitors to witness their performance and the high quality of recycled pellets that they produce.

"This wide range of technologies is necessary because the recycling process each of our customers choose depends on the type of plastic, the level of contamination of the input material, and which product will be made using the recycled pellets. Following the expansion of our Ansfelden site and with the new site nearby in St. Marien, we can now demonstrate all these processes, carry out test runs with customers' material and focus on development work independently of our Customer Centre," says EREMA's Managing Director Markus Huber-Lindinger.

EREMA is driving forward research and development work in the company's new R&D Centre. Two halls with a total area of 1,550 square metres and a new office building offering space for 50 workplaces has been built. Here, the company bundles cross-departmental test machines and laboratory facilities for post consumer and inhouse recycling applications. R&D is decentralised at EREMA. Employees from different departments handle process engineering challenges, innovations in mechanical engineering and automation technology - all with the aim of meeting customer requirements and achieving the highest possible quality of recycled pellets.  

On the evening before Discovery Day, EREMA celebrated its 40th anniversary together with customers and partners. A review covered the company's history - from the first workshop in a garage in 1983, to its position today as a innovation pioneer and one of the market leaders.

Manfred Hackl, CEO of EREMA Group GmbH, was recently awarded the accolade Plastics Recycling Ambassador of the Year at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe. The award is given in honour of personalities who are particularly committed to plastics recycling.
 
Manfred Hackl has been with EREMA since 1995 and, prior to joining the management team, was responsible for the product development and market launch of VACUREMA technology that closed the loop in the bottle-to-bottle segment efficiently and cost effectively. In his current role as CEO of the EREMA Group and in various roles in well-known national and international associations he promotes plastics recycling and circular economy across the industry, regionally and throughout Europe - especially at EU level - encouraging everybody in the industry to work together.

"I dedicate the Recycling Ambassador of the Year award to the employees at the EREMA Group. This year we are celebrating our 40th anniversary, and this award, just like the many we have received for our technologies over the years, shows that we can be very proud of what we have accomplished and achieved together during this time," says Manfred Hackl, delighted with the award. In the past business year 2022/23 alone, the extruders supplied by the companies within the EREMA Group deliver an additional 1.6 million tonnes of recycling capacity.

The textile industry is the third largest consumer of plastics. While growth rates in the production of fibres and textiles are high, the circular economy has hardly become established in this segment. The EREMA Group is now intensifying development of recycling solutions for this application with their new fibres and textiles business unit. Currently, the focus is on PET fibre materials from fibre production and subsequent processing steps. Technologies for recycling mixed fibre textiles from textile collection sources are to follow in a follow-up project phase.

"With EREMA's VACUREMA® and INTAREMA® technology and PURE LOOP's ISEC evo technology, our company group already has an extensive range of machines for fibre and PET recycling applications. For ecologically and economically sound recycling, however, new technological solutions are needed to use the recycled fibres in higher-value end applications and to achieve a functioning circular economy," explains Wolfgang Hermann, Business Development Manager Application Fibres & Textiles, EREMA Group GmbH. The initial focus will be on PET, regarded as a key material for the production of synthetic fibres. The aim is to find recycling solutions that allow PET fibre materials to be prepared for reuse in PET fibre production processes. This is a significant step for the circular economy because PET fibres in textiles account for about two-thirds of the total volume of PET.

In this development work, the EREMA Group can build on existing know-how. Proven recycling technologies have been combined with a new IV optimiser. "This extends the residence time of the PET melt, which is particularly necessary in fibre recycling to efficiently remove spinning oils. Our recycling process also increases the IV value of the PET melt after extrusion back to the specific level that is essential for production of the fibre," explains Hermann. Waste PET fibre from production processes can therefore be further processed into rPET filament fibre, carpet yarn and staple fibre.

Fibre test centre with plant to test customers' materials
In order to accelerate development work, EREMA opened its own fibre test centre a few months ago, where a cross-company team is working on recycling solutions for fibre-to-fibre applications.

On June 13, EREMA Group and Borealis invited representatives of the international plastics and recycling trade press to Upper Austria for a sneak preview of the technological developments and lighthouse projects that the companies will present at K 2022, the plastics industry's international meeting place. The venue for the pre-K event was EREMA Group headquarters in Ansfelden.

EREMA Group K 2022 preview
In Düsseldorf, the subsidiaries of the EREMA Group - which are EREMA, PURE LOOP, UMAC, 3S, KEYCYCLE and PLASMAC - will present their technological innovations, services and support together at a Group trade fair stand for the first time. Seven new recycling systems and components will be presented that enable large-scale plants with a production capacity of up to 6 t/h while setting a milestone in recyclate quality and process stability. This is made possible by technological innovations in the plasticizing unit that have been specially developed for high throughputs with low specific energy consumption, the new EREMA 406 laser filter with a 50 percent larger screening area, and new digital assistance systems that will be launched at K 2022 and made available on the BluPort® customer platform. These include, for example, the PredictOn app, which helps to anticipate and eliminate imminent malfunctions based on continuous measurement and evaluation of machine data.

New series of machines for new target groups
For customers looking for rapidly available recycling systems for simple applications, EREMA Group subsidiary UMAC has an innovation in store for K 2022. The company, which has so far specialised in refurbishing and trading in previously owned equipment, is expanding its business area and in Düsseldorf will launch READYMAC, a standardised, prefabricated recycling solution that can be produced from stock, based on proven EREMA TVE technology.

Finally, in the inhouse recycling segment, PURE LOOP and PLASMAC will round off the wide range of machines offered by the group of companies with their product portfolio.

Live recycling and lighthouse projects at the Circonomic Center
In the outdoor area of the K show, EREMA will bring plastics recycling to life with live demonstrations in conjunction with cooperation partners. Different waste streams are processed for this purpose. The wide variety of high-quality applications for recyclate will be showcased in the "products made of recyclate" exhibition, ranging from technical components to consumer goods and food packaging.

Borealis – accelerating the transition towards a more circular future
Borealis is committed to using their expertise and global reach to advance the circular economy of plastics. At the joint Pre-K 2022 kick-off on June 13, Borealis provided a preview of their integrated way of circular thinking and featured topics and activities at the K Fair 2022 in October. The preview covered new technologies and innovations including new packaging and infrastructure applications of the Bornewables™ portfolio of circular polyolefin products, manufactured with renewable feedstocks. New applications for Design for Recyclability, Re-Use, chemical recycling and advanced mechanical recycling were also on display.