Collection and Handling : STADLER: The secret to accurate commissioning and timely project deliveries

The pursuit of a circular economy to address the global waste problem is driving the growth of the recycling industry and the increasing complexity of its requirements. Environmental service providers and waste management companies need sorting facilities that can efficiently handle the high volumes required, while producing the high quality output needed for recycling. When planning to build a new facility or upgrade an existing one to meet these requirements, selecting the company to design and build it is a critical business decision.

A key factor in the selection process is the company's ability to work to the agreed schedule and complete commissioning on time. "The material sorted at our facility is connected to contracts with fixed starting points," explains Tristan Merk, project manager at environmental services provider PreZero Recycling. "Due to this fact, it is very important that the scheduled milestones will be reached. If the construction or the commissioning period isn’t on time, we risk problems with our customer or losing the contract". David Aguado Teruel, Technical Director of the GRIÑO Group in Spain, agrees: a delay in the project would have " a very negative effect, because the delay has a direct impact on the viability of our business plan and commitments, and our ability to deliver our services to our customers and public administrations ".

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STADLER is well aware of the critical importance of timely commissioning, as Carlos Manchado Atienza, International Sales Director at STADLER, explains: "The implications of a delay for our customer are serious: we are talking about losses in the thousands of Euros for non-recovered material and fixed costs already contracted – and this is without taking into consideration landfill costs". Ventura Montes, Catalonia Waste Treatment Plant Manager at PreZero Spain, adds: "For a packaging plant, we could be looking at a monthly cost of around €350,000 for alternative waste treatment and around €400,000 in lost opportunities. For a larger facility, such as a municipal waste treatment centre, it could be around €350,000 per month in fixed costs and around €2 million in lost sales."

"That is why we take our work schedule very seriously," says Carlos Manchado Atienza. "STADLER is recognised not only for the quality of our products and our expertise, but also for our seriousness in starting up and our punctuality in completing projects". Ventura Montes agrees: One of STADLER’s strengths is that not only do they always deliver on the agreed date, but usually they are even a few days early. Every time we contracted STADLER for the construction or upgrade of plants, commissioning has always been on time and very few adjustments were required after installation".

A key factor in STADLER's ability to consistently deliver on time is careful planning based on experience. “First of all, we only provide delivery dates we know we can achieve,” says Benjamin Eule, Director, STADLER UK and Head of Commissioning. “The final delivery is not only the timely installation, but also the commissioning of the facility to go into production. We work with realistic time schedules, and we allow sufficient time for each stage.”

STADLER’s in-house capabilities are also an important factor, as Benjamin Eule explains: “As we have in-house teams for mechanical installation and electrical planning, installation and Process Control Programming, we can control and manage the delivery schedules. We also have quicker internal communication and greater flexibility to adjust the work requirements across multiple projects.” Carlos Manchado Atienza adds: “All the preparation work in detailed and construction engineering helps us in manufacturing and gives us an advantage when preparing the assembly.

The clear roles and effective collaboration of the local and Head Office teams are crucial, as Carlos Manchado Atienza states: “Coordination and planning between the different departments are key. The good work of the sales teams with the basic engineering, followed by the Head Office’s work in detailed and construction engineering give us a competitive advantage. The professionalism of everyone involved and knowing our teams well – from sales and project management to production and assembly – gives us the security to trust the deadlines we have set.”

Ricardo Micó, STADLER Assembly Manager Spain, agrees: “For us, respecting the project milestones is key, as well as the effective coordination of all STADLER departments to meet our clients’ needs. This gives us unmatched strength in working with our clients’ full confidence.”

PreZero, an environmental services company, has used STADLER on a number of projects and has come back to the company time and again for its reliability: “There are always challenges and unforeseen events; STADLER adapts and is flexible; if necessary, their assembly team will work weekends, holidays, nights – on occasion they have even doubled resources to deliver on the agreed day,” says Ventura Montes. “If it’s a large-scale project or an upgrade is expected to be difficult, we always try to work with STADLER.”

STADLER recently designed and built the sorting and recycling plant in Almonacid del Marquesado, Spain, for GRIÑO Group. “The project coincided with the final stages of the coronavirus pandemic, so it was necessary to manage very well the resources and materials needed for the assembly,” concludes David Aguado Teruel. “In my experience, STADLER is a company that has demonstrated in its projects its commitment to meeting deadlines and milestones. I would recommend STADLER for the construction, installation and commissioning of waste treatment plants.”