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Mission: Shredder Housing

Lindemann creates updated replacement of 17-year-old shredder housing for US recycler Cimco.

With an active global base of over 2,000 machines – the oldest having been installed over half a century ago – Lindemann customers know they can rely on keeping their valuable investments operational for as long as they wish. A good example of this is a recent project for long-term customer Cimco Resources, a metals recycling business with six locations across Illinois, USA. After 17 years of processing all types and grades of metals, including sheet iron, cast iron and plate steel, Cimco’s shredder in the steel town of Sterling (the ‘Hardware Capital of the World’) – or at least its shredding housing – was inevitably beginning to show signs of old age.

Ready for a well-earned retirement

“They are operating a Metso 80 model, which is a kind of hybrid of our legacy Hammermills and Lindemann shredders, with a throughput of 80-100 tph,” explains Keith Carroll, Product Manager for Texas Shredder, Lindemann’s longstanding brand in North America. “We installed it back in 2006, so it’s definitely seen some action. A poorly made shredder will typically have a functional life of 10 years or less, while a good one can last for 15-20 years, so Cimco’s box, at 17 years old, had done well, and was ready for retirement.”

However, with the rest of the system still in good working order, and a large supply of wear parts on hand, a partial replacement was clearly the right way to go. “The shredder box is the primary housing for everything – like the rotor, which is the beating heart of the machine,” Carroll continues. “Then there’s the wear parts, such as liners, grates and other cast materials – all of which they keep in stock – that are used in the primary impact and abrasion aspects of the process. So, it made sense to reuse all these and just create a like-for-like replacement of the main steel box that holds it all together.”

Original blueprints

With access to the original drawings and full control of the engineering intellectual property, Lindemann clearly offered the most cost-and-performance effective means of creating a like-for-like replacement. This would ensure Cimco’s system remained high performing and – as all the connections with the rest of the system would be identical – the changeover could occur with minimal downtime.

Having operated as an outsource manufacturer ever since its inception, the company soon selected a partner to carry out the fabrication – before some unexpected circumstances caused a temporary setback.

The setback? Covid-19.

‘Take a beating and keep on ticking’

“The original box did a great job – it could really take a beating and keep on ticking! So, with their having the original drawings, I was confident Lindemann could do a good job in getting us a new one to match right up to our existing system,” says Ron Brenny, Operations Manager at Cimco Resources. “And they did – even when some initial problems arose on the manufacturing due to issues arising from Covid-19, they stepped right up to the plate and quickly found someone else to fabricate the box.”

After that unavoidable delay (during which time the existing box continued to operate satisfactorily), the replacement box was delivered on three truckloads in May 2023. Less than two weeks later, Cimco had installed and commissioned the new box, calling on Lindemann’s technical expertise when necessary. “We got it in, no problem!” beams Brenny.

“One thing that never goes out of fashion at Lindemann is the support we give to all customers,” Carroll concludes. “Our promise of original-quality rebuilds and made-to-order replacement components ensures that even the oldest metal recycling systems can live to fight another day.”

Our Lindemann Texas Shredder is 16 years old, and we beat him up every day – but it seems as if he’s indestructible. And of course, we buy all necessary parts directly from Lindemann to keep him operating as long as possible. The cooperation with Lindemann is based on trust and responsibility. I feel confident and the team always supports us and gives us what we need. That’s why we’re still working with them.
Ron Brenny
Operations Manager at Cimco Resources

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