S. Norton Group has announced a significant £20m investment that is set to drive growth, bolster the firm’s sustainability credentials, and increase shredding capacity by more than 50%.

Leaders in innovative recycling and a global exporter, S. Norton Group has made the ambitious investment to design, build and commission a new world class metals shredder facility at its Manchester site. This major upgrade increases the Group’s capacity to shred waste metals with a much greater throughput, producing higher quality ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals and significantly increasing its capacity for processing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). 

Managed by S. Norton’s in-house engineering team, the new installation demonstrates the company’s commitment to innovation. Utilising the latest technology, the new 3000 hp Lindemann shredder is one of the most efficient in the world and the first-of-its-kind in the world with its sophisticated drive system. It also includes a bespoke and fully automated fire detection and suppression system, ensuring world class safety standards. 

In addition to increased productivity, the new installation with its Venti Oelde downstream system has been purposefully designed to ensure environmental benefits such as improved dust abatement, reduced emissions to atmosphere and lower energy consumption.

Tony Hayer, managing director of S. Norton Group, said:

“We are committed to continually improving and investing in our operations to ensure that we remain at the forefront of recycling. Our engineering team has done an excellent job of designing and managing this major capital expenditure project, maintaining focus on optimising efficiency and improving the process. We are working to ensure that the company is in a position to grow, offering responsible recycling solutions for all forms of scrap metal and WEEE.”

David Hobson, engineering lead of the project at S. Norton Group, said:

“The new shredder plant at Manchester is a world class installation that utilises the very latest and innovative technology options. The design sets the business up for the future and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of everyone involved within the business and the collaborative effort with our suppliers.”

Oonagh Kavanagh, group commercial manager, said:

“This latest investment in advanced processing technology demonstrates S. Norton’s expertise and innovation in providing sustainable solutions in a complex and challenging market. The company remains focused on providing the highest level of service to which our customers are accustomed and we look forward to this new chapter in our history as we deliver ambitious investments in recycling technology to support the drive to a resource efficient economy.”

Founded in Liverpool in 1962, S. Norton Group collects, processes and distributes approximately 1.5m tonnes of recycled metals each year. It also recycles at least 95% of all materials it processes via shredding, with a target of sending zero waste to landfill.

This latest investment again demonstrates the company’s commitment to realising its vision of living in a world where nothing goes to waste, by providing technology for the processing of a range of materials including waste electrical goods (WEEE) and end of life vehicles.

Earlier this year, the company welcomed a new MD, Tony Hayer, who announced a new vision and restructure to the company to fully integrate the work of subsidiary, Axion Polymers, which was acquired in 2018. This has enabled the company to provide integrated end to end solutions for its customers for both metals and plastics.
For more information about S. Norton Group, visit the website, and on social media – LinkedIn.