SHOW PREVIEW Out on business:


exhibitors state their aims M


So what do waste and recycling exhibitors hope to get out of Resource Ireland this year? Phil Mellows asked some early-bookers for their thoughts


anufactured in Ireland since 2006, Alfa Bloc Walling Systems pro- duces A-shaped free- standing moveable


walls to build bays from to segregate dif- ferent materials. “You can erect 100 feet of wall in 90 minutes, and you can increase or decrease the size of the bays and move them around your site as you like,” explains sales director John Barrett. “They make for more efficient loading and the shape means there’s less risk of cross-contamination.”


recyclers aren’t spending as much on capital investment.”


GlobeWeigh’s weighbridge in action


He says that the company has attend- ed the show for the past four years. “It’s been successful from our point of view. When people see the walls they’re impressed and we always get sales. The March 2009 show was quieter, but we need to be doing something. You’ve got to get out there.”


The walls are aimed at anyone recy- cling materials and Barrett maintains that you have to keep the product in front of customers, especially in tough economic times. “It’s challenging because the export market for plastics and paper has dried up and the downturn in the building industry means there’s less builders rubble around. Yards aren’t under pressure to find more space and


X Local Authority Waste & Recycling October 2010


Found in some 330 waste and recy- cling sites across Ireland and the UK, with a widespread customer base among local authorities and commercial busi- nesses, Isys Interactive Systems soft- ware offers a fleet management and scheduling system for any kind of waste. Its Gatehouse system takes control of all data across weighbridges and inte- grates with the Skipman software for reporting, billing and invoicing. “We’ve been attending Resource Ireland for 10 years at least. We’ve supported it from the beginning,” says managing director Richard Bowers. “We go there to enhance our presence in Ireland and we pick up new customers there every year. We’ve seen a steady increase in our Irish customer base as a result. “This year we’ll be focusing on the mobile range we launched in 2009. It gives head offices full communication with their drivers at all times and instant signature capture through GPRS. Mobile technology will improve produc- tivity. It used to take 24 hours to gather in all the documentation. Now compa- nies can deal with queries immediately.” He senses the sector is starting to come out of recession. “A lot of projects have been on hold over the past 18 months, now they’re starting to take off and we’ve seen a pick-up in business.” Bollegraaf UK manufactures, sup- plies and installs recycling equipment for materials from paper to plastics. It produces balers, sorting systems, con- veyors, shredders, starscreens, reel splitters and other related equipment. Andre Matula, manager for UK opera- tions, is hoping for lots of orders from the show. “I’m not sure exactly what we’re going to do there yet, but we have to be there. It’s flying the flag, and if


Sorting it: Pellenc’s hi-tech solution


you’re not there people wonder if you’re still alive. We go every year and we’ve become very well known in Ireland. He adds: “The issue for us, though, is that the banks aren’t lending money. So we’re spending a lot of time talking to finance companies to get funding for our clients. We have to demonstrate to them that we’re a credible company, that we’ll deliver. It gets quite detailed.” Meanwhile the core business for Midland Environmental Services is sup- plying wheelie bins and solutions for waste segregation at source to the Irish market. “We’ve exhibited once before,” says sales manager Stephen Rotherham. “It’s not something we do every year because it’s hard to measure the return you’re getting on this sort of thing. But the time has come round for us to put ourselves in front of people again.” Rotherham says the company hopes to meet a few different distributors and agents, and will be showcasing some new products to local authorities such as the Rubbermaid bin range and the Glutton recycling system, which is a two or three section bin for use in places like offices. “Market conditions are dif- ficult and our margins have been squeezed. But the growing complexity of the recycling market means there are a


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12