Waste, recycling and composting equipment, together with machine-based solutions to help improve standards of cleansing and infrastructure maintenance, have never been such a hot topic. And judging from conversations with visitors and exhibitors alike in Munich, there is a feeling of excitement and a confidence that communities will increasingly demand that their streets and highways are kept clean and tidy.
The majority of professionals seem to accept that in order to increase levels of waste recycling further – and keep pace with rising consumption of consumer goods exacerbated by the still-growing global population – the size of the market for the equipment we use must also grow significantly.
Domestically many European companies are forging ahead with new ideas amid growing global competition. The leading manufacturers are seeking to develop complex new products in order to meet forthcoming EU legislation, while keeping costs and prices low enough to prevent their home markets being swamped by cheap foreign imports assembled by cheaper labour. But while some manufacturers see that as a negative and are getting entwined in increasingly confusing marketing agreements with other brands, other leading companies have managed to raise their game and have either maintained market share in a toughening market, or managed to increase production dramatically as a result of technical innovation.
Sweeper surge?
There has already been a significant number of new sweeper models from the likes of Mathieu Yno, Johnston and Applied – now it’s the turn of Scarab, Faun and Italian manufacturer Dulevo. But while many manufacturers’ R&D departments have been busily engaged in developing touch-screen controls, better drive comfort and CANbus controls, the key issues seem to have changed.
Actual load capacity is no longer the key operational requirement, with both Dulevo and Ravo now offering Erdgas (natural gas-fuelled) purpose-built skid sweepers in the 3–4 m3 class. The move – or should that be return – to natural gas for powering municipal vehicles was perhaps one of the strongest trends at IFAT this year. And if we had to give a prize to a single machine that attempts to provide solutions to a host of waste management issues, then the single truck-mounted sweeper on the Faun stand had to take that prize. The 6 m3-capacity machine was noteworthy first of all for being fitted with a dust filter pack and a NOx particulates filter in the exhaust system. To help reduce dust and increase efficiency, it uses the already available Faun Viatec air recirculating system.
 Dulevo unveiled the 5000 model Zero sweeper at IFAT. It uses a natural gas-fuelled Iveco engine and is produced with a Gore dust filter pack |
In addition, the standard hopper and sweep systems are mounted on a shortened wheelbase Mercedes Benz Econic chassis to give a low-entry facility for the driver and crew members. Just to add to the impressive specification, this Faun flagship includes hydrostatic drive, featuring a single engine format. Faun also used IFAT to unveil its new Viajet-4 4 m3 machine, which features a hydrostatic transmission and single engine and will be offered either as a vacuum machine, or as a mechanical sweeper. As the actual pick-up system is different, this will enable city authorities to undertake direct trials to find out which system is best for any given application. It might not sound that exciting, but in practical terms, it puts Faun at the very heart of the dust emissions reduction debate. And with Dulevo now also offering a vacuum truck-mount as well as mechanical units (with some new models to come shortly) the other manufacturers may well need to re-examine their plans.
Waste collection
The most obvious headline in the world of waste collection and disposal is one of consolidation and/or marketing co-operation between brands that were formerly in competition with each other. This has already dramatically reduced the number of options available to the specifier in the context of truck chassis choice – but it remains to be seen if the same will also occur in the context of bodywork and handling equipment.
 While Dulevo fits gas storage tanks into the sides of the hopper, Ravo puts them on the roof of its 4-Series CNG-fuelled model |
Waste Management World predicted this trend, but concluded that it was likely that new, growing manufacturers would step in to provide an added dimension of diversity and innovation. There were twenty or more Italian suppliers at IFAT hoping to add new customers from outside of the domestic market, along with Czech-Republic based Kobit.
 Czech Republic-based Kobit is a growing brand in all types of municipal equipment |
Recent dramatic growth means that Kobit is now exporting a growing percentage of its products. The company was initially a distributor for products designed and manufactured by others, but today has its own design operation and is looking to produce equipment to meet the needs of other markets – the co-operation with Ausa, a leading manufacturer of dumpers, is a good example of this trend.
 The new concept truck-mounted sweeper from Faun created a lot of attention. Two of these high-specification machines will go into service in Prague, Czech Republic |
Unfortunately, perhaps the most significant new product of the past 12 months was not actually at IFAT ‘in the metal’ – and you had to look very hard to find any evidence of its existence. This is the recently designed ‘multi-modal’ waste collection body transfer system developed for the City of London in the UK, the production of which has been delayed by a combination of political issues and more recently put on hold as a result of a marketing deal by the Spanish RosRoca Group and German-based HN Logistic. Hopefully, the Scoutline multi-modal system will survive – because it deserves to.
Disposal developments
Top of the list here has to be an added interest in smaller trucks on the one hand and larger trucks on the other! To explain, waste collection and recycling vehicles – and new designs of dedicated food-waste collection units – seem to be downsizing in order to be able to move more freely in congested city traffic, and get over increasing restrictions on weight and width of vehicles in an urban environment. The recent interest in satellite vehicles – still a hot issue at IFAT – underlines this.
At the other end of the scale, a number of manufacturers are looking to help bulk waste disposal and recycling operators meet growing demand, by building innovative new products such as hooklift demount semi-trailers as an alternative to the drawbar trailers used in many markets. A lower chassis profile and use of now readily available rear-steering trailer axles all help to make for a unit that can carry more, with greater utilization.
 Zoeller has introduced a new compact RCV based, in this case, on a Mitsubishi-Fuso Canter |
And let’s not forget the continuing interest in compact and easily transportable crushers, screens, green-waste shredders and other kit … Suffice it to say, IFAT provided enough feature article ideas to last until ... Well, the next IFAT, which takes place once again in Munich, Germany, between 9 and 13 May, 2011.
