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In neatly lined-up wire cage carts, cardboard, PET bottles and cans from 175 branches of a supermarket chain in Hungary wait to be compressed into bales. The used packaging is carried via chain conveyors into two parallel channel baling presses and it’s there they are tightly compacted. Two shifts a day, six days a week. Everyone’s talking about the branch of the largest logistics provider in the field of reusable packaging being in Budapest: Euro Pool System. This branch alone processes around 22,000 tons of materials every year. This equals more than 4 tons per hour. Figures such as this require a fast and effective method of operation. Euro Pool has decided to build a new hall which will accommodate the recycling of materials from the food industry. Two fully automatic channel baling presses from HSM will enable the volume of packaging to be drastically reduced and returned to the recycling loop in the form of bales of material.

Euro Pool will collect materials from 175 supermarket branches in Hungary: cardboard, plastic, PET bottles and aluminium drinks cans. They are supplied already presorted in wire cage carts and continuously carried into the channel baling presses via two chain conveyors. There is a specific feature for PET bottles: they are not only compressed, but in addition they are also slit using a perforator. This ensures that the air is released from the PET bottles and the volume of each bottle is reduced to a minimum before they enter the presses. The channel baling presses compress the materials with a press capacity of 880 kN. The end results are bales weighing up to 700 kg which are currently resold for recycling to paper factories or recyclers in Hungary. The bales are correctly sorted and therefore bring in a high level of sales revenue.

HSM is highly praised. You can’t get better than the assessment ”excellent in all areas”. Euro Pool System has opted for HSM because of previous experiences in England. But the frequency-controlled power unit of the channel baling presses was also a crucial criterion for the purchase. A saving in electricity of up to 40% is possible compared with conventional power units. Two further aspects supported the purchasing decision: the quality of the bales, the bale dimensions and the weight are all important factors for transportation and recycling. The better the quality of the bales overall, the simpler the transportation logistics and sales.

Euro Pool has equipped the channel baling presses with a remote maintenance system. It can be used by HSM to log into the machines. In agreement with the operator, HSM has full access to the presses and can immediately provide online support to operators if they have questions or there are faults. Via a web connection and a real-time representation of the user interface of the presses’ display on the monitor in the office, HSM can quickly provide support and rectify faults. The customer in front of the control cabinet can follow every step. The benefits are obvious: continuous operation is ensured, faults are rectified quickly, minimal travelling costs for maintenance employees.
A summary of the baling presses from Euro Pool System: Press capacity: 880 kN – up to 40% energy savings due to the frequency converter – continuous feed by the chain conveyors.
The system at Euro Pool System comprises two HSM VK 8818 FU channel baling presses and materials handling. VK 8818 means: fully automatic channel baling press with a press capacity of 880 kN and a feed opening of 1000 x 1800 mm. The presses are each equipped with a frequency converter (FC) and thus save around 40% in energy compared with conventional power units. The operating personnel continuously load the chain conveyors with the materials to be compressed, which have been supplied correctly sorted. One of the two presses is equipped with a PET perforator so that the PET bottles are perforated before being compressed and thus their volume can be substantially reduced.