Metal Recycling : TRIMETAL leads the way in next-gen metal sorting with TOMRA's Find™ Color.

Founded in 2019 and based in Saint-Étienne, France, TRIMETAL has become a leading company in the recovery and valorisation of special metals. The company specialises in processing and recovering ferrous and non-ferrous metals from complex waste streams, including refuse-derived fuel, glass, wood, incineration residues, mattress springs and pulper ropes.

Its rapid growth in recent years is due to its expertise and the integration of top-tier sorting technologies. With around 14 employees, the company generated approximately €4 million in revenue in 2024 and has a stated goal to double this figure as early as next year. Maximising sorting capabilities is central to the company’s strategy, as is integrating TOMRA’s new FINDER™ COLOR — an advanced colour sorting solution for which there is currently no comparable technology in operation on site.

Trimetal's goal was to attain a stainless steel fraction with over 98% purity, achieving this without the need for manual sorting. This objective was achieved through the consistent sourcing of stainless steel and access to essential metals. Stainless steel is generally considered difficult to clean and is often contaminated by other metals. Producing consistent, clean and homogeneous output was a major challenge for the company if it was to remain competitive and profitable.

The strategic goal is also to secure access to critical and strategic metals in Europe, such as copper and brass, and even precious metals, to prevent scarcity caused by large-scale exports and ensure full traceability in the recycling process.

In 2025, TRIMETAL opted for FINDER™ COLOR, the latest innovation from TOMRA Recycling. This high-precision colour sorting system supports a variety of metal processing tasks, including the recovery of copper and brass from heavy metals, the separation of PCBs from e-waste, and the cleaning of stainless steel. Combining an ultra-precise RGB camera with artificial intelligence (AI), it can detect, separate and sort each particle, even if they overlap or match the colour of the conveyor belt. Sorting is based on colour, size and shape.

The FINDER™ COLOR is at the core of the TRIMETAL plant's optical sorting process. It works with a TOMRA FINDER™ unit, which was installed in 2021. This operates on a separate line with larger grain sizes to sort all metals and stainless steel.

Shredding, screening, magnetic and eddy current separation create ideal sorting conditions. The line's configuration handles mixed materials, supplying end users within France and across the EU. The electromagnetic (EM) sensor integrated into the TOMRA system reduces plastic contamination, improves cable and stainless sorting and enhances precision.

The FINDER™ COLOR system is highly flexible, allowing seamless configuration in batch or continuous flow mode, and enabling rapid switching between material fractions. It can easily switch between sorting tasks without the line needing to be reconfigured. In addition to stainless steel, the system enables TRIMETAL to recover high-value metals, allowing the company to adapt to future demands and seize new business opportunities. This versatility reflects TRIMETAL’s core identity of processing complex materials, maximising resource recovery, and returning each material to its proper recovery stream.

TRIMETAL has achieved tangible outcomes with FINDER™ COLOR: reaching purity targets, increasing throughput to handle higher volumes, significantly reducing manual sorting and maintaining consistently stable performance, while also unlocking new business opportunities.

Thomas Santucci, co-founder and CEO of TRIMETAL, confirms this: 'With FINDER™ COLOR, we are achieving over 98% purity for stainless steel. We sort faster, process higher volumes and save time every day. Our role goes beyond simple collection: we recover, refine and reintegrate critical metals into European supply chains, delivering stable, traceable performance. We’re extremely satisfied with both the outcome and our collaboration with TOMRA, whose first-class consultation and technology were instrumental to our success.”

By adopting FINDER™ COLOR, TRIMETAL has gained a strategic advantage and expanded its competitive edge, confirming its commitment to staying at the forefront of sorting technology. This collaboration perfectly illustrates how TOMRA’s innovations align with the needs of recyclers, maximising metal recovery, improving sorting efficiency, and supporting business objectives.

Damian Barnes, TOMRA Recycling's Area Sales Manager for Metals, says: “TRIMETAL wanted a powerful yet flexible sorting system that could reliably deliver high purity and throughput across various material streams, while also adapting to future business needs. Our new FINDER™ COLOR, built on 25 years of TOMRA experience in colour sorting, is the perfect solution for their plant. We have worked alongside TRIMETAL to fine-tune the system, provide training, and ensure optimal results – together, we have pushed the boundaries of colour sorting.”

Looking ahead, TRIMETAL aims to intensify the sorting of high-value non-ferrous materials, such as copper alloys, brass, and PCBs, in order to accelerate its move upmarket without increasing its workforce or incoming tonnage.