Liverpool scrap firm S Norton Group invests £20m in new metal shredder that will increase shredding capacity by more than 50%. Tony McDonough reports

Scrap giant S Norton Group has announced a £20m investment into a new metal shredder, increasing capacity by more than 50%.

Based in Regent Road in the city’s northern docklands, the family-owned business collects, processes and distributes around 1.5m tonnes of recycled metals each year. Its annual turnover is close to £500m.

Founded in 1962 it recycles both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal from sources such as car manufacturers, demolition companies, metal merchants, civic amenity sites and from the trade and general public.

S Norton exports to customers all over the world and recycles 95% of all materials it processes, with a target of sending zero waste to landfill.

It also runs recycling operations in Manchester, London and Southampton. This latest investment will see the design, build and commission of a metal shredder 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. It increases its capacity for processing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

Managed by S. Norton’s in-house engineering team, the project will see the installation of the new 3000 hp Lindemann shredder. This is one of the most efficient in the world and the first-of-its-kind in the world with its sophisticated drive system.

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It also includes a bespoke and fully automated fire detection and suppression system, ensuring world class safety standards.

Tony Hayer, who took over as managing director of S Norton Group in May, 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.”