[Article from ScrapBook Spring 2011]
Among our customers we however saw some unexpected opportunities arising. “When one door closes, another one opens” is an expression which many of our customers have experienced during the financial crisis. We have heard stories where companies have lost most of their customers due to bankruptcies, and therefore have been forced to look for business elsewhere. Being forced to look over business possibilities has opened up for new opportunities. I have heard of one customer who could not get a hold of aluminium scrap to recycle during 2008, and instead started to recycle UBCs (Used Beverage Cans). They have now come out the crisis a larger and stronger company than ever, and will open a new facility in the beginning of 2011 with equipment from Eldan” says Jan Kjær, Product Manager at Eldan Recycling.
After the global financial crisis in 2008 the industry has steadily gotten back on track again. “The business is beginning to come back to life again. We have re-opened projects which were put on hold during the last two years, and have also been questioned regarding many new ones” says Henning Nørgaard, Territory Manager at Eldan Recycling. “Different from before the economic crisis is that the projects have been considered during a longer period of time. The decision has not been as spontaneous, and the customer has come in contact with the brand Eldan Recycling in many different occasions. When the purchase is built on a thorough market analysis the company with the longest reference list of satisfied customers is to gain, which we are naturally happy about.”
2011 got a much better start than ever could have been predicted. The sales in Europe have received the best kick start. Complete plants have been sold to Hungary (tyre recycling), Spain (cable recycling), Italy (cable recycling), Belgium (tyre recycling) and Poland (tyre recycling). Equipment to increase capacity additionally has been added to existing Eldan plants in Italy (tyre recycling), Austria (cable recycling), Holland (cable recycling), Slovenia (lead battery recycling), France (cable recycling), Sweden (cable recycling), Germany (cable recycling), Czech Republic (cable recycling) and Poland (two different tyre recycling plants). Equipment to new customers have also been sold to Spain and Poland.
In Asia and Middle East, tyre recycling has received the best comeback and complete systems have been sold to India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (double tyre recycling plant). Single machines have been sold to Syria.
In the North and South America tyre recycling is also the most requested recycling area along with cable recycling. Several projects has been finalized in the region.