Remote-controlled disposal logistics: Hunkeler keeps on going
Recycling rates are increasing worldwide. It may be happening at different speeds, but the trend is clearly towards the circular economy. This all means that the recycling sector is growing. The Swiss company Hunkeler Systeme AG is a major player in the industry.
Switzerland is considered a world leader in recycling. It’s no coincidence then, that a Swiss company has established itself as an expert partner for waste disposal logistics in numerous countries. Hunkeler Systeme AG is one of the global leaders in this field and enjoys an excellent reputation with industrial companies in the private sector, as well as with public waste disposal services around the world.
A pioneer in the recycling industry
80 years ago, what was then Hunkeler AG brought the first baling press onto the market, thus laying the foundation for successful development as a business. The company’s first customers included printing and recycling companies. The pioneering waste disposal company later opened up other markets and today offers a wide range of systems for many different functions in the recycling and disposal sector, from compact individual machines to complex system solutions for challenging applications in industrial production processes. These systems dispose of and process industrial waste materials such as paper, cardboard, foils, PET and wood, but also household waste and other materials.
Satisfied customers all over the world
Hunkeler has now developed and installed more than 3,000 machines and systems that are in use worldwide in countries including France, Russia, Dubai, Madagascar and many more. The plant engineering company still generates a significant share of its sales in its home market of Switzerland: Its portfolio of Swiss customers includes well-known companies and a large number of municipalities that are all looking for efficiency, process reliability and cost-effectiveness in recycling and disposal logistics.
Engineering as a strategic position for success
There are good reasons for the market success of Hunkeler’s machines and systems: It comes from a clear focus on the specific needs of the customer. The company’s plant engineering team looks closely at the specific requirements and wishes of the user using 3-D visualisations, develops a precisely tailored system concept and accompanies the project right through to assembly. The in-house software department adapts the control software to the application and takes care of the programming.
Automated communication and remote access for reliability
The Hunkeler engineers always try to maximise automation in order to minimise staffing for the customer and to make operation safer. The communication capabilities of the systems play an important part. These are a prerequisite for exchanging operating data and for remote access to the system. Remote monitoring and maintenance by the Hunkeler service engineers are very important, especially for system operators at locations far away from Switzerland. Customers depend on quick action to prevent processes from being held up or even systems from being shut down.
Smooth implementation with expertise from Bachofen
For remote access to the systems, Hunkeler Systeme uses the remote maintenance devices from Ewon that it sources from Bachofen. Ewon is a brand of HMS, one of the leading manufacturers of equipment for industrial communication. Bachofen supported the system designers when implementing M2Web for easy access to the operating data of the remote systems. When commissioning Ewon devices with 4G modem for wireless Internet connections, as well with any other questions that they had, the designers at Hunkeler could rely on the technical expertise of the Bachofen product specialists.
«The cooperation was more than impressive in every respect,» says Philippe Basler, deputy head of the software and electrical department. «We got on excellently and, together with the right product, significantly improved the communication capabilities of our systems.»