Tomra Recycling opened its new flake sorting test centre in Italy, where the company will develop new applications and solutions in the fields of polyolefins (PO) and (polyethylene terephthalate) PET flake sorting while simultaneously expanding its service offering.

Under the theme of “Testing is believing,” TOMRA representatives welcomed approximately 100 participants to its exclusive opening event and guided tour of the new flake sorting facility, located next to its office in Parma, Italy. The afternoon was filled with informative presentations and demos highlighting the company’s long-term plastics strategy, the purpose and goal of the new facility, and the numerous advantages it offers customers.

Fabrizio Radice, VP and Head of Global Sales and Marketing at TOMRA Recycling, started the event and gave a detailed explanation of the rationale behind investing in a new test centre. “We have observed an increasing demand for flake sorting tests and a strong market push for high-quality recycled plastics,” said Radice. “This requires the purest material fractions across all plastics applications, and the respective technologies and solutions need to be identified, developed, and optimized. This will happen in our new facility, while closely collaborating with our customers and partners.”

Customers from around the world can now ship their plastic flakes to Parma. Together with their respective sales contact, the materials are processed by Tomra’s flake sorting machines. Based on the test analysis and results, the company will recommend the most suitable machine, process and sensor configuration for the customer’s defined sorting requirements and goals. Customers are provided with an entire business case tailored to their needs before making an investment, as per the statement.

Tomra said their customers have been benefitting from this concept that has been offered globally, and they can now enjoy extended testing capacities, shorter lead times and greater flexibility when it comes to scheduling tests.  

In the second part of his presentation, Radice, detailed why Tomra is a ‘One Stop Shop Solution.’  The company offers a vast portfolio of sensor-based sorters for various applications with Autosort and its application-specific complementary products at its core. Further, customers and partners profit from Tomra’s in-depth application knowledge, consultancy expertise and ongoing service support, he noted. 

Alberto Piovesan, Segment Manager Plastics EMEA & Americas, presented the company’s flake sorting strategy and position in the plastics segment. The audience learned that the company aims to accelerate and shape the development of the sector through its vast application and industry expertise, its consultation, and the most advanced technologies.

The new Test Center will play a crucial role in doing so, said Piovesan. “Within only 1.5 years, we established a place where new ideas and innovations are born to best respond to current market trends. More importantly, we are working on solutions that are indispensable for any sorting and recycling plant targeting to successfully upgrade plastics.”

Strong emphasis was also put on the new trends in plastics recycling and the implication these trends have on the industry. Piovesan stated that current market trends have resulted in high demand for recycled polyolefins, but recycling rates are still low. Since the company sees increasing potential in polyolefin recycling, it will further devote its attention and expertise to innovate PO-applications.

Ida Semb, Product Manager at Tomra Recycling, offered more details and presented the key features of Autosort Flake and Innosort Flake, both of which are used for the recovery of plastic flakes (PET, PO, PVC) as small as 2mm and deliver the purity rates demanded by the market, brand owners and converters. At the close of the presentations, Ida Semb, Product Manager, and Robert Glaser, Technical Product Expert Flake sorting, joined Alberto Piovesan and moved on to the demo session.