ERDWICH Zerkleinerungs-Systeme is a German company based in the heart of Bavaria near Munich, Germany.
The core focus and specialization of ERDWICH is the manufacturing of big pre-shredders, hammer mills as well as small and middle-sized shredder machines, e.g. single-shaft shredders, two-shaft shredders, three-shafts shredders and four-shaft shredders for different applications and branches.
As special machine manufacturer ERDWICH can deliver and engineer customer specific shredder solutions and equipment according to local installation circumstances and is also able to deliver very complex turn-key solutions with needed periphery parts.
Interview with Maximilian Gutmayr, Head of Sales at ERDWICH Zerkleinerungs-Systeme GmbH.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Maximilian Gutmayr: The main activities and branches ERDWICH will serve with shredder solutions can be described with the following topics:
- Volume reduction of materials
- Destruction of materials
- Recycling of input streams
In the area of volume reduction ERDWICH is here mostly active in the metal swarf branch where the size reduction of input materials is necessary for the optimized internal handling process and better processing through downstream peripherals, e.g. conveyor technology, briquetting machines, centrifuges, etc.
Mostly in this area single-shaft shredders with underpinned screen, to determine a nearly homogenous end-size after the shredding process, are considered. Moreover, for laboratory usage such shredders are used in limited installation space to reduce the volume of different materials.
In regard of destruction specific input materials ERDWICH can deliver here two-shaft shredders as well as single-shaft shredders, e.g. destruction of hard disk drives from computers, USB-sticks, SD-cards, CD’s, DVD’s, control devices from cars, small electronic components, printed circuit boards, etc.
For the recycling branch ERDWICH delivers mostly complex and very large turn-key solutions with high engineering effort consisting out of big pre-shredders, hammer mills and additional periphery parts.
Main branches ERDWICH delivers here with such highly engineered solutions is in regard to refrigerator recycling, e-waste treatment and Lithium-Ion-Battery-Recycling.
What’s the news about new products/services?
M.G: ERDWICH is constantly developing new machines and products according to market trends.
Through the last years ERDWICH developed and installed already a new modified single-shaft shredder units with the type name M600/1-600 3-screw unit with optimized massive parts handling process and equipped with big hopper including 3 feeding screws for larger feeding quantities used and considered mainly in the metal swarf branch to handle and process voluminous swarfs.
ERDWICH also developed as innovator the so-called M400/2 duplex shredding machine which is a two-shaft shredder type working on principle of a single-shaft shredder with underpinned screen, mostly used for bulky metal swarfs, and a lot of other materials.
In addition to that ERDWICH developed a new enhancement for current refrigerator recycling plants – the so-called KAA 100 extraction system in stage 1.
This special system is designed for extracting VHC and VFC refrigerants and its included cooling circuit consisting out of R12, R22, R134a, R290, R407c, R410a and R600a as well as refrigerant oil. Such substances are then thermally separated in the ERDWICH KAA100 extraction system and disposed in suitable containers. ERDWICH is here on the of the leading innovators in this business field with highly complex solutions.
Moreover, ERDWICH developed an hydraulic pre-shredder of the type RM1800/2 for aluminium scrap recycling process.
The electro-mechanically driven RM1700/2 with underpinned perforated screen can actively be used in artificial turf pre-treatment and for sure other input materials.
Next to the big hammer mill HA800/1-1000 ERDWICH designed a small hammer mill of the type HA600/1-500 (available with abrasion wall or screen) and can be used for a high variety of different materials streams, e.g. electronic scrap, Lithium-Ion-Batteries, metal swarfs, glass fiber compound materials, and much more.
What are the ranges of products/services?
M.G:
- Test service with customer specific materials on shredders in our technical center for new projects (limited up to a specific quantity of materials in kg)
- Engineering Service for new upcoming shredder projects
- After-Sales Service for spare parts (with maintenance contracts)
Product range:
- Single-shaft shredders: M400/1, M500/1, M600/1, M700/1 and M800/1
- Modified single-shaft shredders: TSZ1500(S) and M600/1-600 3-screw unit
- Two-shaft shredders: M250/2, M350/2, M400/2, M450/2, M465/2, M468/2, M(H)480/2, H500/2R, etc.
- Three-shaft shredders: M465/3 and M480/3
- Four-shaft shredders: M475/4
- Hammer mills: HA600/1 and HA800/1
- Pre-shredders: RM1350/2, RM1700/1 and RM1800/2
- Extraction system (Stage 1): KAA100
- Rotary valve systems and wind sifter systems
- Lift-tilt devices (since 2025)
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
M.G: At the moment, especially in 2025, we are active in several markets and branches with new solutions.
For example, ERDWICH will enhance its activities in packaging and general cardboard industry with its very efficient cardboard shredders as well as fine cardboard shredders of the type EKZ and FKZ.
EKZ machines are mainly used in logistics centers for the packaging industry and big online retailers to shred cardboard and packaging in efficient way.
FKZ machines are fast running shredders mostly installed after fast running stamping machines in food industry, medicine branch and general packaging industry.
ERDWICH is active also in the recycling market with turn-key as well as small and middle-sized solutions for Lithium-Ion-Battery shredding solutions which is a growing market since many years and will be for the upcoming years.
Big and complex solutions for clients in fridge recycling sector as well as e-scrap recycling branch are also in the core focus during 2025 and the next years because this is a business field where ERDWICH has more than 30 years of practical experience in it.
Future markets, e.g. carbon fiber and glass fiber components recycling, are also in big discussion with special solutions for our customers.
What can you tell us about market trends?
M.G: Market trends are shifting at the moment due to economic reasons.
We are faced right now within Europe a decreasing economy and some challenges in different branches, especially automotive and automotive supplier market. The metal swarf market embedded mostly with this sector will struggle during the next months or years.
Recycling activities with huge demand to turn-key solutions and middle-sized shredder solutions will increase worldwide, especially in emerging markets like South America and Asian market in general over the next years and 2025 due to changed legal framework conditions and increased raw material prices.
Due to worldwide growing demand and consumption cardboard materials as well as packaging waste will increase where ERDWICH shredders must be considered in logistics centers and packaging manufacturing industry directly.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
M.G:
- M600/1-600 3-screw unit
- KAA100 extraction system
- RM1800/2
- RM1700/2
- HA600/1
What estimations do you have for the beginning of 2025?
M.G: Within European market we look with tension around due to many customers with financial issues in all branches and a decreasing demand in automotive and supplier industry.