WHITHAM MILLS INSTALLS INNOVATIVE CAN RECYCLING SYSTEM FOR MULTINATIONAL DRINKS GOLIATH
Whitham Mills Engineering has had a return order placed for a fifth time to supply a state of the art can baler to a leading premium drinks manufacturer.
The can baler was designed to effectively dispose of corrosive alcoholic waste and adhere to the strict hygiene and safety standard within food and drinks manufacturing which is why the machine featured a stainless steel drainage system and drip tray floor. The new can baler is semi-automatic and capable of producing in excess of 32 bales per hour (500x300x100mm) and depending on material able to process 25kg per bale.
Whitham Mills has previously installed equipment across the globe in locations including Nigeria, Belfast and Runcorn, Cheshire.
Whitham Mills Managing Director, Ben Smart, commented on the big brand contract:
“Whitham Mills has a reputation for being at the cutting edge of baling equipment in food and drink manufacturing environments and we are proud to have an industry leading, repeat customer. Clients come to us with their unique recycling needs because they are confident in getting the right equipment. To be producing such equipment for an FTSE 100 business shows our unbeatable credibility and equipment engineering expertise.”
DOUBLE NOMINATION AT THE AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE FOR WHITHAM MILLS!
Whitham Mills shortlisted for an Award for Excellence in the category ‘Innovation in Design of a Waste Management Facility’ for their Food Waste Tipping Solution for Tesco and their recent MRF install for London Borough of Hounslow.
On Thursday 10th May 2018, the team from Whitham Mills based in Greater Manchester, proudly attended the Awards for Excellence that are organized annually by Letsrecycle.com to acknowledge and reward innovation, dedication and success within the waste and recycling industries, local authorities and the wider sector.
The event, which took place at the Landmark Hotel, London, celebrated excellence across 16 main categories. Whitham Mills was shortlisted for its commitment to Innovation and design in a waste management facility due to two of their outstanding engineering design solutions; the food waste roll cage tipping solution and the Hounslow MRF.
The award-winning food waste/ roll cage tipper has been installed across the 10 Tesco distribution sites. The project for Tesco Plc, with assistance from DS Smith and XPO Logistics, cost around £1.2 Million which required Whitham Mills to design, prototype, trial and install a successful roll cage tipping system which has now reduced the emptying process time from 360 to 48 seconds, as well as saving several million pounds.
The recent Whitham Mills install for the London Borough of Hounslow was also shortlisted under the same category. The South Lane MRF features a fully automatic and twin ram baler as well as a complex materials sorting and conveyor system with an eddy current and shaker table and was entered by Hounslow council, Eunomia, Wilmott Dixon and Lampton 360.
Celebrations began with a sparkling reception followed by lunch and then the awards ceremony where Countdown’s Rachel Riley presented the awards to the winners and posed for photographs with the attendees. After dinner was a Sweepstake Prize Draw and then the After Party where attendees could network and celebrate with the winners of each category.
WHITHAM MILLS INSTALLS TWO FULLY AUTOMATIC BALERS AT MARKET LEADING CLIENT
Whitham Mills Engineering Limited, based in the North West, has recently completed a double installation of two fully automatic balers for cardboard recycling. Specialists in designing and manufacturing innovative solutions to their customers waste management needs, Whitham Mills were first recommended to UK Greetings via waste management company Veolia. UK Greetings are one of the largest direct to retail publisher of greeting cards and social expression products in the country and their products are stocked in major high street retailers and supermarkets across the UK.
UK Greetings were investing in automated conveyor systems across both their sites to improve operational management and productivity. Previously they were recycling with two mill-sized vertical balers that consumed valuable time and manpower. Whitham Mills surveyed both of their sites, recommended and supplied two GB1108FSS, both with feed conveyors that allowed for manual feeding as well as automated feeding from their new systems.
Capable of producing bale weights of circa 500kg, the GB1108FSS have been installed along with a 2-year warranty and service package.
The new GB1108FSS is fully automatic and able to process up to 4 tonnes per hour of cardboard.
Rob Loney from UK Greetings is happy with the results:
“The guys at Whitham Mills were great to work with, after reviewing our internal process they gave us operational options. The fully automatic balers have revolutionised our cardboard waste management and taken cost out of our internal process.”
Whitham Mills’ Managing Director, Ben Smart, is delighted with the recent install:
“When we were recommended by Veolia to UK Greetings, we knew the exact solution to their recycling requirements. These two fully automatic balers will fulfil their present and future recycling requirements and with the guarantee of a 2-year warranty and service package they have added peace and mind.”
Manchester-based engineering company Whitham Mills has secured a second order from a UK pharmaceuticals giant to be installed at their Maidenhead site.
This contract is the latest in a growing line of ‘big name’ customers and has seen Whitham Mills install a GB1108FSS supplied with a 2-year service and maintenance package for the FTSE 100 Corporation.
The new GB1108FSS is fully automatic and able to process up to 4 tonnes per hour of cardboard. Capable of handling a variety of materials including both paper and cardboard, it can produce bales weighing around 500kg and measuring 1100mm x 750mm x 2000mm.
Whitham Mills previously supplied the same model of equipment (GB1108FSS) 3 years ago for the company’s sister site and the new machine is set to run alongside their existing manufacturing equipment so integrates the same SIEMENS technology that underpins the remote diagnostic system installed.
Whitham Mills’ Managing Director, Ben Smart, said he is delighted with the firm's repeat order:
“We pride ourselves on our second to none service and customer support and our repeat business from the likes of this customer proves this.”
“We aim to build on our long-standing, exceptional reputation to ensure our current and potential customers know where to go whether in the market for new equipment, baling consumables or for equipment servicing and maintenance.”
ANOTHER LOCAL AUTHORITY TENDER WIN FOR WHITHAM MILLS!
Whitham Mills Engineering Limited, the Manchester-based fully automatic baler supplier and manufacturer, has won another local authority tender, this time to supply St Edmundsbury Council with a fully automatic baler system.
This install is the latest in a long line of success for Whitham Mills in the local authority sector and features a Fully Automatic baler (GB1108FSS) that replaced the council’s existing Semi-Automatic baler which could not keep up with the material turnover. The council also opted for the 3-year WME service package along with a 2-year warranty.
The new GB1108FSS is fully automatic and able to process up to 4 tonnes per hour of cardboard. Capable of handling a variety of materials including both paper and cardboard, it can produce bales weighing around 500kg and measuring 1100mm x 750mm x 2000mm.
The Senior Business Development Advisor for St Edmundsbury Borough Council was delighted with the package supplied by Whitham Mills:
“We chose Witham Mills to provide the replacement baler we needed earlier this year as they were very competitive in the quote and offered a longer and more comprehensive warranty than rival bidders indicating a confidence in their product. The installation and onsite training went very smoothly and we are very happy with the performance of the machine we opted for. [Whitham Mills are] a great company to deal with.”
Whitham Mills’ Managing Director, Ben Smart, commented on the tender win:
“Whitham Mills has a long-standing reputation in the local authority waste management circle as being dependable and good value for money. This is proven by our wins in tenders to provide local authorities with excellent equipment and the highest quality service. We are confident in our machines which is why we supplied St Edmundsbury with a two year extended warranty.”
WHITHAM MILLS SECURES A MULTI-SITE INSTALL FOR A BIG INTERNATIONAL RETAILER
One of the leading automatic baling system designers and manufacturers, Whitham Mills, has recently installed two balers for a top UK fashion retailer who has over 320 stores throughout the UK, Europe and North America.
The contract is the latest for Whitham Mills with a long list of retail customers such as B&M, Tesco, Poundland and Lidl. The new customer required equipment capable of baling cardboard and plastic film in excess of 5 tonnes per hour, and another to bale material such as cardboard and plastic hangers.
Whitham Mills supplied and installed a fully automatic GB1108FSS baler with a 6000lb chain conveyor at the client’s Islip depot and a further horizontal semi-automatic baler for the Glasgow site.
Managing Director, Ben Smart, has seen strong growth in Whitham Mills’ supply of fully automatic balers into the retail sector:
“This contract is the latest in a succession of retailer customers for Whitham Mills. Part of our growth strategy has always been to have a proven reputation for providing reliable and cost-effective recycling solutions to the retail marketplace.”
“Our recent wins in the sector are down to our unbeatable level of end-to-end service, from the beginning of the process, surveying the customer’s current and future requirements, to servicing and maintaining the machine on an ongoing basis.”
WHITHAM MILLS WINS 8th LOCAL AUTHORITY CONTRACT IN WALES
The Manchester-based automatic baling system designers and manufacturer, Whitham Mills, wins another local authority contract to design and install a Mini MRF in Powys Council at their Brecon site.
This contract marks the 12th local authority win for Whitham Mills to supply recycling and waste management equipment to the local councils such as Powys, Blaenau Gwent, Flintshire, Conwy and Anglesey.
Powys Council required a system that could separate and bale a wide range of materials such as aluminium and steel cans, cardboard and plastic bottles. Whitham Mills designed, manufactured and supplied a system which included a GB1175TR (twin ram) baler with various conveyors and sorting chutes as well as a chain conveyor which can directly feed the baler from the sorting bays.
David Armstrong commented on the install process and the successful relationship between Powys council and Whitham Mills:
“Whitham Mills designed and installed a fully automatic twin ram baler and sorting system, which now forms an integral part of the Councils recycling process. The level of design expertise and in-depth knowledge helped the Council achieve an optimum design solution that was further enhanced by the experienced installation & maintenance team who continue to provide an excellent service. I would happily recommend Whitham Mills as the product, assistance and knowledge has been exceptional.”
Managing Director, Ben Smart, is pleased with the numerous local authority wins in Wales:
“This marks yet another local authority win for Whitham Mills for an MRF. Our systems fit seamlessly into the wider recycling and waste management plan for Wales which is why they have achieved record recycling rates”
WHITHAM MILLS BALER PRODUCES A RECORD 30,000 OF BALES IN 8 MONTHS
Whitham Mills, specialists in waste management equipment, has supplied one of the fastest growing discount retailers in the UK a fully automatic baler. The GB1108F replaced an existing channel baler and is baling in excess of 8 tonnes per hour and has produced over 30,000 bales in the 8 months after install.
The GB1108F is primarily baling cardboard and plastic film. Supplied alongside a 1500mm wide chain conveyor with a Whitham Mills service package it is consistently producing bales weighing up to 740kg and measuring 1100mm x 750mm x 1500mm.
Whitham Mills, based in Greater Manchester, has a string of installs in 20 of the top 50 UK retailers and the Managing Director Ben Smart says this is a growing sector for the waste management equipment company:
“Big name retailers are coming to us because of our long standing reputation for high quality, cost effective equipment that can reliably produce bales 24/7, 365 days a year. Whitham Mills is a name people can trust to deliver an outstanding level of service.”
“Our equipment record speaks for itself – 30,000 bales produced in the first 8 months of installation!”
WHITHAM MILLS SUPPLIES A NEW CUSTOMER WITH AN AIR FEED BALING SYSTEM
The Manchester based waste equipment designer, supplier and manufacturer Whitham Mills has recently supplied a new local customer Jones and Brooks, a commercial printers based in Rochdale, with an air fed system that could bale fibre offcuts.
Whitham Mills designed and installed a GB0505F which replaced their existing manual baler. They are also serving the equipment for the foreseeable. The GB0505F is capable of baling at a rate of 2 tonnes per hour producing bales weighing in excess of 500kg with dimensions of 500mm x 500mm x 600mm.
The Managing Director of Jones and Brooks, Ronnie Blair stated:
“Working with Whitham Mills has been an easy and hassle free experience, the equipment is working brilliantly and looking ahead to the future I have full trust in the equipment to keep producing high quality bales.”
Whitham Mills Managing Director, Ben Smart, is pleased with another new happy customer “Jones and Brooks is the latest in a succession of new customers in 2017, being local and available to our customers whenever they need us gives them added peace of mind.”
WHITHAM MILLS SERCURES TOP 20 RETAILER NATIONAL SERVICE CONTACT
Manchester based engineering company Whitham Mills (WME) has secured a national service contract with one of the biggest multi retailers in the UK. Having previously installed 2 x 50H semi-automatic balers and 4 x GB1108’s from their fully automatic channel baler range.
Signed in November 2017, the contract consists of quarterly service, parts and maintenance over three years as well as 24/7 breakdown assistance 364 days of the year.
Whitham Mills has an exceptional, long standing relationship with the retailer and have been designing, manufacturing and supplying equipment to meet their waste management needs for over a decade, baling material such as cardboard and providing innovative solutions like a mechanism to clear the hopper on a fully automatic baler and act like a pre-press installed on one of their GB1108s as well as multiple cage and bin tippers across their multi-site network.
Whitham Mills’ Managing Director, Ben Smart is pleased about the new contract and the service department’s continued growth:
“This is a great contract for Whitham Mills’ service department and demonstrates our outstanding customer relationship and engineering acumen. We will be servicing and maintaining all their equipment for the next three years across their entire DC network.”
“This contract is the latest in a succession of service and maintenance packages we have won proving our reputation for providing a reliable, cost effective and specialist service.”
Whitham Mills delivers baling system to Bradford council
Greater Manchester-headquartered waste management machinery designer and manufacturer, Whitham Mills, has completed the installation of a fully-automatic baling system for Bradford Council following a competitive tender.
In completing the installation, Bradford Council becomes Whitham Mills’ twentieth UK local authority customer marking further public tendering success for the company.
The West Yorkshire local authority procured the system to rationalise its handling of the estimated 20,000 tonnes of co-mingled recyclates it collects from households every year via its ‘All in One’ system.
Following kerbside collection, the mixed waste stream was previously delivered to the council’s Bowling Back Lane materials recovery facility for separation and sale into the secondary materials market.
After sorting, the material was bulked-up in a loose state before being transported for sale. The new system allows the Council to realise increased revenue from the sale of bales.
The new GB-1108F fully automatic channel baler is fitted with a large, open hopper to accommodate the loading shovel and is capable of producing ten, 500-kilo bales per hour.
Whitham Mills’ managing director, Ben Smart, added: “This is a relatively simple system which will transform the council’s recyclate handling systems and drive efficiencies at this critical stage of the process.
“Naturally, we are very pleased that Bradford have chosen us to provide their system and we have developed a system which is appropriate, easy to use and dependable.
“We demonstrated a similar system we have operating for value retailer Poundland and the reliability of that system was instrumental in us securing the contract.”
Since May 2017, households in the Bradford area have been using the co-mingled ‘All in One’ collection system which includes plastic bottles, cardboard, paper and metals.
The installation is backed up with a 36-month warranty and site attendance within 24 hours in case of a breakdown. While on site repairs are guaranteed to be completed within 48 hours.
Whitham Mills honoured with a Warehouse Efficiency Award at the industry night of the year.
On Thursday 21 September 2017, the team from Whitham Mills based in Greater Manchester, proudly accepted The Logistics Award for Warehouse Efficiency, presented by comedian Paul Sinha in front of the UK logistics industry.
The event, which took place at the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel, celebrated excellence across 12 main categories. Whitham Mills won for its commitment to Warehouse Efficiency due to their outstanding engineering design solution, the roll cage tipper, which has been installed across the 10 Tesco distribution sites. The project for Tesco Plc, with assistance from DS Smith and XPO Logistics cost around £1.2 Million which required Whitham Mills to design, prototype, trial and install a successful roll cage tipping system which has now reduced the emptying process time from 360 to 48 seconds, as well as saving several million pounds.
Celebrations began with a sparkling reception which was interrupted by the night’s surprise entertainment – a beatboxing squad – who led guests to their tables with a high-energy performance.
After dinner comedian Paul Sinha, better known as ‘The Sinnerman’ on ITV’s The Chase, entertained guests with 20 minutes of stand-up, before acknowledging achievements in 12 main categories including: Corporate Social Responsibility, Future Skills, Environment/Sustainability, Growth, Innovation, Technology Innovation (large), Technology Innovation (SME), New Facility, Safety, Warehouse Efficiency, Operations (Large), Operations (SME) and an individual accolade – The Logistics 100 Award.
Other winners include:
Corporate Social Responsibility Oakland International
Environment/Sustainability McCulla
Future Skills DP World London Gateway
Growth Dalepak
Innovation (Sponsored by Continental Tyres) XPO Logistics with Kingspan
New Facility (Sponsored by SEC Storage) Pharmacy2U
Operations Large (Sponsored by Toyota Material Handling) Hermes
Operations (SME) (Sponsored by Toyota Material Handling) Walker Logistics
Safety Award (Sponsored by Mentor) Owens Group UK
Technology Innovation Award (Large) (Sponsored by Jungheinrich UK) Hargreaves Logistics
Technology Innovation Award (SME) (Sponsored by Jungheinrich UK) Secured Mail
Editor's Choice London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
GREATER MANCHESTER-headquartered waste management machinery designer and manufacturer, Whitham Mills, has won a contract to provide a state-of-the-art GB-1111FS baler and accompanying feed conveyor equipment to the Gulf emirate of Ajman.
The engineering firm – which recently reported a 35 per cent increase in year-on-year turnover – has been appointed by AIMS Group (Ajman Investment and Marketing Services) to export and install the machinery at Ajman’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF). Capable of processing up to 800 tonnes of MSW per day, it is one of the most technology-enabled MRFs in the region.
Ajman is located to the north of Dubai and is one of the seven emirates in the UAE. It has achieved a 70 per cent recycling rate in less than a decade and is leading the race to record zero waste sent to landfill – a goal the rest of the UAE is hoping to achieve by 2030.
The contract win is Whitham Mills’ second in the Gulf in less than a year, having previously been appointed to deliver its industry-leading recycling machinery to neighbouring Ras al-Khaimah.
Supplied by a 12,000lb feed conveyor, the GB-1111FS is fully automatic and able to process up to 50 tonnes per hour of municipal solid waste. It can compress and wrap bales of up 1500kg, with dimensions of 1100mm x 1100mm x 1500mm.
Whitham Mills’ engineers completed the install on schedule and without issue, despite challenging temperatures of up to 48 degrees Celsius.
Dr Shaheed Khader, General Manager of AIMS Group, said: “Ajman is one of the fastest growing emirates in the UAE and is focusing to be the cleanest emirate as per vision of His Highness The Ruler of Ajman.
“With the addition of new recycling initiatives and policies, the emirate is targeting between a 75- 85 per cent recovery, and therefore reduction, of the waste going to landfill.
“In lieu of this, and to increase the life of existing landfill space, AIMS Group has procured waste baling machinery to process the residual waste which remains following recovery of recyclables.
“AIMS Group has identified the fully automatic Baler GB-1111FS from Whitham Mills to be the most suitable baler to meet the requirements. The baler is performing as per specifications and AIMS group is looking to procure a recyclable baler from Whitham Mills in the future.”
Whitham Mills’ managing director, Ben Smart, added: “Demand for well-designed and manufactured recycling machinery in the UAE is increasing in line with the country’s focus on meeting sustainability targets. “We’re the fastest growing supplier of waste management technology in the UK, and find ‘Brand Britain’ still has tremendous value when exporting around the world. Our engineers are deservedly held in high regard.
“Equipment in the Middle East needs to be capable of operating in a challenging climate, with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius. Customers want to know they are buying quality; not only in the machinery itself, but in the end-to-end service of install, maintenance and consumable supply that we’re rapidly establishing a reputation for at Whitham Mills.”
Waste management and machinery designer and manufacturer, Whitham Mills, is to formally explore the use of 3D printing technology to manufacture breakdown and repair parts on customers’ sites to reduce baler downtime.
The company said it will investigate the process of training staff and requirements for fitting out vehicles with the necessary technology to produce a range of specific machine parts other than standard consumables.
According to Whitham Mills, the study, which will be carried out by its engineering team, will be used as a “test-bed” designed to accelerate repair times by enabling every maintenance vehicle to carry an unlimited number of components which would be downloaded and 3D printed.
Whitham Mills explained that 3D printing technology has now become available on the high street. And, developments in techniques mean that printing of parts made form stainless steel, titanium and cobalt chromium in a process called direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), is now “commonplace”.
The technology is being used in sectors such as aerospace and a range of medical applications.
The company added that this is in addition to the ceramic, plastic polymers, rubber and fabric materials which can also be made using similar techniques.
Ben Smart, managing director of Whitham Mills, said: “We are continually thinking about service response times and what we can do differently to keep our customers happy. In the future we’ll be able to bring the entire Whitham Mills factory direct to your baling system.
“We are convinced that companies like ours need to keep moving and innovating in order to remain competitive. That’s why we are pushing ourselves to discover what can be done with this technology and investigating its use. These are exciting times.”
Whitham Mills provides machinery to a range of public and private sector organisations in the waste management, retail and warehousing sectors.
Whitham Mills opens Manchester headquarters Recycling equipment manufacturer Whitham Mills has completed its move to a new 33,000 sq ft headquarters at the Stakehill Industrial Estate, on the outskirts of Manchester. The company, which previously had headquarters in Todmorden, on the Lancashire/ Yorkshire border, supplies and services baling machinery and bespoke-engineered technology to the international recycling industry.
Ben Smart, managing director of Whitham Mills Whitham Mills said the move is part of a “wider growth strategy” which has also seen the recruitment of six new engineers. The company has also reported a 35% year-on-year increase in revenue.
Its client base includes retailers Tesco and JD Sports, national waste management companies such as Veolia and Viridor and a number of local authority operated recycling centres.
Facility
According to Whitham Mills, the facility comprises 25,000 sq ft of factory floor space, which is “triple the capacity” of the old location. Within this is a separate area for operator training, storage for the complete catalogue of consumables and spare parts, and a showroom displaying a range of balers, tippers and conveyors.
The warehouse also features two inbuilt heavy-duty gantry cranes, capable of manoeuvring Whitham Mills’ products, which can weigh up to 50 tonnes. There is also 8,000 sq ft of office and canteen space for the firm’s sales and support staff.
Ben Smart, managing director of Whitham Mills, said: “The demand for both our products, and the comprehensive after sales support we provide, has resulted in a 35 per cent increase in year-on-year revenue. Relocating to the larger base was necessary to support this continued growth, and it has been part of our strategy to relocate to Manchester for some time now.
“The regional and national motorway network are now on our doorstep, which is important for our rapid-response service team, who provide 24 hour breakdown cover and consumables supply to clients.”
Milestone
Mr Smart added: “We’re also doing more business in the UAE, New Zealand and mainland Europe, so the fact we’re now half an hour’s drive from Manchester airport makes things easier; not only for our sales and support staff flying out, but also for clients visiting us.
Whitham Mills has recently completed installation of a baler along with a conveyor system at Veolia’s Armoury Road site in Birmingham “Additionally, the larger floorplate has allowed us the space to create a showroom for our products. The greater storage space means we can stock more consumables and spare parts, and have them ready at a moment’s notice. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for the company and the move is an important milestone for us.”
Whitham Mills also announced it has recently secured the repeat business of Greater Manchester-based recycling and waste disposal company, Wheeldon Brothers. The family-owned firm has four material recycling facilities in the region, and previously bought a baler from Whitham Mills in 2007.
According to Whitham Mills, for the latest commission it will provide a GB1111 baler, capable of processing 20 tonnes per hour of cardboard and plastics.
Waste management machinery designer and manufacturer Whitham Mills has completed the design, installation and commissioning of a bespoke roll cage tipping system for food waste on behalf of Tesco.
The system replaces over 700 compactors at Tesco stores and is designed to reduce the cost of compactor lifts, cleaning, maintenance and replacement.
This was installed after the retailer sought to incorporate segregated food waste into its reverse logistics operation – which sees food waste collected in-store before being bulked at one of 10 ‘recycling units’ run by the retailer and transported onward for treatment by contractor DS Smith.
The full inventory of installations includes: 18 patented roll cage tippers, two 4-metre high patented roll cage tippers, nine heavy duty conveyors and 11 patented compactor bin/roll cage tippers.
Collection
The system designed by Whitham Mills involves the segregation of food waste in-store, with the material then transported in plastic lined roll cages before being bulked centrally at Tesco’s Recycling Service Units, loaded into walking-floor trailers and sent for processing by contractor DS Smith via anaerobic digestion.
To operate the system, the cage, which can weigh up to 350 kilos, is placed into the housing with its door fully open. Once a safety guard is in place, the cage is lifted and tipped in two stages to ensure the material is deposited onto a waiting conveyor.
The systems have been installed in Tesco Recycling Service Units across the country.
John Masters, procurement manager for waste and recycling at Tesco, said: “As part of our commitment to reducing food waste, we wanted to include this waste stream into our backhaul function and use it to generate green energy.
“With the introduction of a plastic liner, the four-side roll cages were the perfect instrument to allow segregation and removal of the 700+ compactors at stores and consolidate the waste at our Recycling Service Units.“
Design
DS Smith’s recycling division’s account director, Nicholas Power added: “We went out to market to find the ingenious solution we needed. We had a number of conversations with companies large and small but it wasn’t until we spoke with Whitham Mills Engineering that we felt we were moving in the right direction.
“We presented them with the problem and asked them to present their solution. When we saw the simplicity of their proposal, it looked right and sounded right; as though it was the natural and obvious way this problem should be tackled.
“With a few tweaks here and there, we had a working design and an operational prototype within 8 weeks”.
Material is deposited directly into a walking floor trailer before being transported for onward treatment Material is deposited directly into a walking floor trailer before being transported for onward treatment
Whitham Mills’ system has been designed to reduce the time spent by operators in emptying the cages which was previously a less automated process and took around six minutes per cage. It now takes close to 70 seconds, as well as being safer to operate, Whitham Mills claims.
Managing director at Whitham Mills, Ben Smart, said: “We have now installed this new system in ten of Tesco’s recycling service units and our design is proving to be a valuable addition to their recycling operations.
“It was a challenging brief which tested the mettle of our best brains but it is very pleasing to see the system in operation across the country.”
Whitham Mills appoints Noel Patterson as Sales Director
The appointment is a part of a ‘strategic focus’ on growing the company’s presence in key European and Middle Eastern markets.
Mr Patterson has over two decades of experience developing businesses in international markets such as Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe according to Whitham Mills.
On his appointment, Mr Patterson said: “Whitham Mills is already a remarkable business in the sector and is deeply embedded within the UK’s waste management, retail and warehousing sectors. There remain very good opportunities here but overseas markets are crying out for the expertise, ingenuity and service levels our customers are receiving.
“We have completed a number of export contracts already but we feel there is much, much more we can do. We will look at a range of overseas opportunities whether they be direct sales or via a distributor model, we have no prejudices as to how we’ll make the company grow.”
Whitham Mills’ managing director, Ben Smart, added: “On behalf of the directors, I’d like to formally welcome Noel to the company. “Noel has an excellent track record and a clear strategic focus on how he wants to develop the export side of the business. We have a strong business with customer service at its centre and it is that service, coupled with our engineering knowhow, which sets us apart from others and enables us to deliver for our customers.”
In recent years, Whitham Mills has secured export sales to Norway, France, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
original article LetsRecycle.com http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/appointments-round-up-21092016/
We are pleased to announce another export sales into the Middle East.
The Government of Ras al Khamaih procured a new GB1108 cardboard baler and medium duty chain conveyor to increase the payback from their recyclate collections.
This photo is GRAK having their new cardboard baler installed through the night by Whitham Mills. The installation had to stop during the day time because it was over 40+ degrees.
Well done Whitham Mills engineers. A really great job
High street retailer JD Sports Fashion plc has appointed Whitham Mills to design, install and maintain a new waste management system at its national distribution centre in Rochdale.
The six-figure contract will see Whitham Mills install a 1700mm conveyor, transporting waste cardboard to a 20 tonnes-per-hour GB1111FS baler outside of the main building.
Waste streams in distribution centres are identified as a potential fire risk, leading Whitham Mills to design an enclosed baler feed conveyor system which includes an automatic fire door and fire-suppressing sprinkler system.
If activated, the system automatically closes the fire door at the conveyor’s exit point, isolating the fire and allowing the sprinkler system to take control.
Whitham Mills managing director, Ben Smart, said: “At Whitham Mills we take the challenges set by our customers and identify efficient and imaginative systems which respond to their needs. There is rarely an off-the-shelf system which is suitable which is why our engineering know-how is so important to our customers.
“In this instance we’ve designed a system which will supress any fire in a way which will protect stock and allow the distribution centre to return to operations as quickly as possible.”
Whitham Mills secured the contract following a recommendation from JD Sports’ waste management company, Wheeldon Brothers, and will also be providing a service contract.
Latest Whitham Mills Balers - Pre-pressed 100kg bales, pressed into 750kg cardboard bales to increase payloads. This is one of the 2x, 10 tonnes per hour, fully automatic cardboard baling systems Whitham Mills Engineering Limited have installed for our newest retail client.
The challenge was to increase the tonnage of their exported cardboard containers to maximise returns and to reduce down time. The old balers were replaced with new GB1108 fully auto balers and Whitham Mills feed conveyors.
Waste management machinery designer and manufacturer Whitham Mills has installed a conveyor system and baling plant for a tier 1 waste management company at the company’s materials recycling facility and transfer station at Armoury Road, Birmingham.
The 25 metre conveyor and Godswill baling system is the fourth installation Whitham Mills has carried out for Veolia in recent years, and the company’s tenth installation for Veolia to date.
The baler installed along with a conveyor system at the company's Armoury Road site in Birmingham
The new system will be used to separate and bale mixed recyclable municipal waste collected at the kerbside. The system can process 20 tonnes of material per hour.
“WME have provided balers for us on a number of projects including Canada Dock, Basildon, Cambridge and Armoury Road, and we have been very happy with their performance so far.”
Experience
Managing director at Whitham Mills, Ben Smart added: “This is a testament to our experience and understanding of the requirements that companies such as this have. Our continued work with them demonstrates the skilled workforce and high quality engineering we have at Whitham Mills. We take great pride in our work and help our customers deliver on the promises they make to their customers.”
In what is described as “a comprehensive end-to-end approach”, Whitham Mills has designed, installed and commissioned the system and will provide rolling service cover along with consumables supply and fitting. The conveyor system is heavy duty with a 1500mm wide chain and a 6 inch pitch. The overall length is approximately 24.5m which includes a 14m horizontal length.
Auto lubrication is provided and power comes via 7.5km motor gearbox. Safety provision includes a safety pull wire system.
The baler is a 20 tonnes per hour GB-1111FS – 120HP ( 2 x 45kw) and produces one tonne bales.
Whitham Mills Engineering Ltd is based in Todmorden on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.
Whitham Mills is pleased to have installed a new automatic waste separation and 1175 TR twin ram baling system. The system will automatically separate paper, card, plastics, aluminium and steel before baling in the Godswill 1175 Twin Ram Baler.
Happy client and a great looking recycling system. Good job Team Whitham Mills. Well done.
Contact us: sales@whithammills.com 01706 811 880
Estimated material tonnes per annum for the system were: - Paper 1,976 - Glass 1,304 - Card 1112 - Mixed Plastic 773 - Aluminium Cans 152 - Steel Cans 302
Equipment supplied: One: Baler Feed Conveyor. 1200mm Wide x 7.5m long One: GB-1175TR-40Hp Twin Ram Baler One: Bottle Perforator & Moving Hopper One: Heavy Duty steel loading hopper 4.2mtrs x 3.2mtrs x 3.8mtr One: Heavy Duty Chain & Belt Conveyor 4” pitch x 900mm Wide x approx. 7.5m long One: Access Platform and stairs for Pickling Line & Service. One: Picking Line Conveyor – Feed Hopper One: Picking Line Conveyor - 900mm Wide x 6.75m long with stainless steel section and Magnetic Head Roller. One: Stainless Steel discharge chute Three: Drop chutes Three: Steel Bunker Walls to make bays 6m long x 3.5m wide x 3 m high One: Overband Magnet – OCP2310E & Support frame One: Eddie Current Feed Conveyor – 900mm wide x approx. 5.5mtrs long
Waste baling systems designer and manufacturer Whitham Mills Engineering, has won repeat business from one of Northern Ireland’s leading waste management companies following a decade-long service for one of its early drinks can balers.
contact us: sales@whithammills.com 01706 811 880
Installed in 2005, the 7.5 kw can baler is now being replaced like-for-like with a new model which is used exclusively for the company’s operations for drinks manufacturer Diageo, specifically for surplus and waste Guinness cans.
Based at Mullusk, approximately 15 minutes outside Belfast, ISL Waste Management delivers a range of services to Northern Irish businesses including confidential document destruction, mixed waste collection and recycling and food waste segregation.
Managing director at Whitham Mills, Ben Smart commented, “It is of course hugely satisfying when we receive repeat business as it is real tangible evidence that we are right on the money with our service to customers.”
Whitham Mills currently has six waste management systems in operation with Diageo in a range of markets including Ireland, the UK and in Nigeria, West Africa.
By now supplying baling consumables, steel wire and peripheral baling products, Whitham Mills takes a significant step closer to its goal of becoming a Waste and Recycling “One Stop Shop”.
With key additions to its sales and marketing team and to its already extensive range of products and services.
With over 15 years of Sales and Operational industry experience, Michael Barker will be heading up the newly formed consumables division. Michael has been tasked with growing both the customer base and product range in line with client needs and expectations. Please contact Michael anytime at michael@whithammills.com on (01706) 811880 or (07539) 033189 or visit www.whithammills.com
Managing director of Whitham Mills Engineering, Ben Smart, explores approaches to capital expenditure in the waste and resources sector.
Shaped as we are by the forces of policy makers, there are few absolute long-term certainties in our sector. You will be as familiar as I am about how we are required to bend to the will of the latest thinking, new rules or, for many, the lack of a clear long term strategic policy framework which would allow us to all operate with certainty.
One of the few certainties for resource managers is the inevitability of capital expenditure taking a significant slice off the bottom line. It might not be in the plan for the next quarter, or the next financial year, but it is on its way: the consequence of growth.
Ben Smart, managing director, Whitham Mills Engineering Ben Smart, managing director, Whitham Mills Engineering
I’m constantly reminded of the old axiom that you get what you pay for. It’s a truth that should shape decision making for all investments large or small but too often does not. It is the system and the engineering support.
Design
Our bread and butter is supplying conveyors and balers for MRF systems and it is a market with expensive pitfalls for clients. I’ve lost count of the amount of times that we have been brought in to redesign systems to replace unsuitable off-the-shelf systems which don’t do the job.
If you invest in a piece of kit without the supplier wanting to understand its context, feedstock and operating parameters, an alarm bell should go off in your mind. I’d argue that your supplier should have intimate knowledge of their products and understand what is and, critically, what isn’t appropriate.
You’d be amazed at the cachet that being British designed and British manufactured has. Our design engineers in the UK talk face-to-face with our engineers in the factory and the installation engineers on site. They touch the steel which makes up our systems, they design, measure and mark the welds, and agonise over every angle. It resonates with people and they understand that ‘British designed’ remains a byword for quality.
Service
To understand the real return of capex, your accountant will explain to you that you need to factor in the ’Three Ds’ of depreciation, downtime and diminishing value. These can be offset with making informed decisions at the outset and understanding what level of support you will get from your supplier.
This often comes down to a question of confidence. Confidence both in terms of how much you believe in the sales patter of suppliers and how much confidence the supplier has in their product.
Like everybody’s, our systems break down from time to time. They do hard, mechanical graft under enormous pressing forces. But faced with a repair which necessitates a downtime of days while experience engineers are called on from abroad and one of hours while an engineers are despatched locally, I know which gives my customers and my bottom line confidence.
Whitham Mills supplies Green Plan-it at new £1.5 million MRF
Waste management machinery designer and manufacturer Whitham Mills, has been appointed by confidential document destruction and waste management company Green Plan-it to provide waste processing machinery, including one of the Whitham Mills’ specially-designed balers, at the company’s new purpose-built Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leicestershire.
Established in 2007, Green Plan-it provides destruction of confidential materials and full waste management solutions to its nationwide customer base which are drawn from a range of sectors.
Its new £1.5 million MRF includes an investment in Whitham Mills machinery with a list price of around £300,000.
The new Whitham Mills designed system has a document shredding capacity of four tonnes per hour and consists of two Series 600 shredders and a GB 1108FX model (up to 7 tons per hour) fully automated baler connected by an 18.5 metre chain-driven conveyor.
Russell Ward, Managing Director at Green Plan-it said: “This new facility at Bardon incorporating the Whitham Mills system signifies a key investment for the company which will allow us to deliver more and improved services to our growing number of customers.
“The vast majority of organisations have document security requirements and need to be able to trust the entire process we put in place. This begins at collection and ends with the final destruction.
“The new system significantly increases our waste management capacity and provides us with a system which we and our customers can be confident in.”
Managing Director at Whitham Mills, Ben Smart added: “Our systems are designed and manufactured right here in the UK by engineers who have dedicated their professional lives to solving problems faced by organisations with varied and challenging waste streams. “We take great pride in our work and help our customers deliver on their promises to their customers. The system we have installed here is robust and in-keeping with the requirements of modern waste management companies.” In a comprehensive end-to-end approach,
Whitham Mills has designed, installed and commissioned system and will provide rolling 12 month service cover along with consumables supply and fitting.
Green Plan-it’s new MRF opened for business in mid-April 2015.
Nominated by DS Smith for National Recycling Awards 2015
Whitham Mills Engineering has been shortlisted in the prestigious National Recycling Awards 2015 becoming the only North West SME to make the final reckoning.
The company, based in the historic town on the Lancashire – Yorkshire border, has been shortlisted for its work with retail giant Tesco and paper-based packaging company DS Smith.
Whitham Mills’ engineers have designed and developed a labour-saving system to process waste card and paper from Tesco’s national distribution centres.
The patented roll-cage tipping system allows cages to be safely emptied in a fraction of the time compared to manual empting as waste material begins its recycling journey. Shortlisted in the Best Partnership category, Whitham Mills’ expertise will be judged against some of the biggest companies in the sector such as Waitrose, Kuehne & Nagel, Unipart and Biffa.
The awards winners will be revealed at the London Hilton, Park Lane on July 1st 2015.
For further media information please contact: Steve Sanders on 0151 239 5000 / 07827 892 673 / sanders@thisisinfluential.com Annie Murray on 0151 239 5000 / 07807 646 390 / murray@thisisinfluential.com
Whitham Mills Engineering Ltd is based in Todmorden on the Lancashire / Yorkshire border. It designs, manufactures, installs and maintains waste processing equipment to customers in the retail, logistics, warehousing and waste management sectors. It is ISO quality assured and develops proprietary systems to meet the needs of its customers. Established in 1999, Whitham Mills employs around 60 people nationwide including those at its UK manufacturing plant in Todmorden.
Baler and picking line specialists Whitham Mills have scored a record 99.6% for qualitative marks in the recent Mid Devin District Council (MDDC) local authority tender for a new mini-MRF.
The 99.6% score represents the highest qualitative tender mark in Whitham Mills’ history and sets a new benchmark for all future tender work.
MDDC has been running an in house recycling service which needed to be relocated in July 2014 to new premises. The existing baler system was deemed to be no longer fit for purpose and required replacing with a modern, future-proofed mini-MRF system. Whitham Mills were one of ten companies to tender for the new baling system.
Whitham Mills have installed a mini-MRF for MDDC that allows for some automated material separation with an eddy current and over band magnet. Together with three balers, a picking line and a perforator for plastic bottles, the new system will allow greater throughput and material diversity for MDDC. The new MDDC depot in Tiverton can now automatically sort some co-mingled material and also have a sorting platform to enable manual sorting that meets the district’s recycling needs.
Whitham Mills successfully completed the installation in July, allowing MDDC to now be able to collect and process: • HDPE • Steel cans • Aluminium cans • Cardboard • Mixed plastics • Tetra Paks • Foil • Carrier bags
With a record time for install of 2 month turnaround time, Whitham Mills were delighted with the achievement.
Managing Director Ben Smart commented, “the new management team at Whitham Mills are proud to see the advances the company has made over the last 12 months. The quality of our tender work, service back up and baling system quality are getting more and more recognition all the time”.
Watch the latest RDF baler installation from Whitham Mills. The GB1111 baler supplied into a high profile Manchester site is set to achieve 50 tons per hour of RDF bales.
Have a look at this RDF baler at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E3ppzIH9MI
UK retail giant Tesco, with Whitham Mills, have completed the 12 month order and installation of 20x Whitham Mills roll cage tippers.
Whitham Mills have designed, manufactured and patented a set of roll cage tipping devices for Tesco to divert food waste from the supermarket stores to anaerobic digestion. The tippers work automatically and reduce operator numbers from 18 per day to 6; cycle times from 5 minutes to 1:25 minutes; and, reduce the health and safety risk of manual tipping or hand emptying cages.
The tippers lift the roll cages and cause a near vertical tip, before automatically opening the front cage door and emptying the food waste onto conveyors. Those conveyors then take packaged food waste up into a waiting walking floor container for transport to the AD plant.
Tesco are achieving payloads of up to 26 tons. They have seen food disposal costs plummet and the number of compactor lifts significantly reduced.
Whitham Mills installs the 7th RDF baler in under 12 months
Whitham Mills is establishing itself as the UK’s leading supplier of RDF balers and conveyors. Over the past 5 years, RDF baling has become a significant part of the Zero to Landfill waste effort. Whitham Mills has worked to develop the market leading RDF baler range both in terms of price point, quality, reduced downtime and flexibility.
The Whitham Mills range of RDF balers are able to switch between RDF tying and steel tying for recycling in 30 minutes. This allows our clients to bale RDF, paper, card, and plastics, all from the same baler.
Reduce downtime, reduce production cost and use a truly flexible baling system.
Whitham Mills are able to offer 2 year warranties on balers and conveyors.
Whitham Mills lead the market in the quality of recycling balers and RDF balers. That market leading quality is now backed up with the option of full 2 year warranties on the capital machinery. Quality, price and support.
The high quality of Whitham Mills balers reduces faults and downtime and ultimately saves money for our clients. The highest quality balers are able to deliver high level throughput across every material category with the reassurance of the longest parts warranties in the marketplace.
