Family-owned independent metal and waste management company, Ward Recycling, recently added a further three Liebherr machines to their modern fleet of specialist materials handlers. Two A 924 C and one A 934 C wheeled long-reach industrial rehandlers are hard at work at Ward's recycling plants at Ilkeston between Derby and Nottingham and Woodville near Burton-on-Trent.

Ward Recycling has owned and operated Liebherr equipment for over fifteen years and these latest machines have been acquired to ensure continued materials handling efficiency, as waste volumes being recycled at the company's plants continue to increase. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals, C&D, commercial waste and ELVs are all processed at the Ilkeston and Woodville facilities, where the new Liebherrs are involved in stockpiling, feeding shredders and other processing machinery and loading bulk vehicles.

Established in the 1940's, the business is now run by brothers Michael and David Ward of the third generation, with fourth generation members of the Ward family having already been involved in the company for up to ten years.

Expansion from the original Woodville premises, with two state-of-the-art recycling plants at Ilkeston and considerable investment in plant and equipment, has established Ward Recycling as one of the largest family-owned recycling specialists in the industry with a turnover of more than £100m and employing 200 people. Ward Recycling also operates a large fleet of specialist vehicles, including skip, roll-on-offs and artics and can collect material on a national basis.

Managing Director Michael Ward, commenting on the new Liebherr equipment, said: “We have had a long and fruitful relationship with Liebherr. We like the build quality, performance and reliability of their materials handlers backed by their excellent after sales product support, which we regard as a real strength and so important to any operator.”

The A 934 C and A 924 C are both wheeled materials handlers, featuring long-reach equipment comprised of industrial straight booms and angled industrial sticks. Ward Recycling uses both rotating grabs and magnets, depending on the material to be handled. Both models have hydraulically elevating cabs for optimum line of sight for the operators when feeding processing machines and loading high-sided bulkers. The heavy-duty eight-wheeled undercarriages are equipped with twin solid Gumasol tyres with intermediate rings and, for stationary operation, front and rear outriggers provide total working stability. The air-conditioned cabs are typically comfortable and functional, with Litronic engine and hydraulics management systems ensuring operators have real-time performance data at all times. Armoured glass, front and FOPS roof guards have been included, as have additional front and rear headlights, plus twin halogen lights on both the booms and sticks. Rear-view CCTV cameras and in-cab colour screens provide maximum rear space monitoring at all times. Automatic engine shut down is included should the machines remain static, with an adjustable time period facility to suit the operations.