Stuart Partners upgrades recycling equipment fleet

Stuart Partners’ Sandvik QE342e scalper. (PHOTO: Sandvik)

With roots dating back to the 1940s, the family-run company provides landfill, recycling, skip waste and renewable energy services, and processes around 80,000 tonnes of inert waste a year, producing 70,000 tonnes of recycled aggregates annually.

Stuart Partners recently added a new Sandvik QE342e scalper to its fleet for recycling activities, with the aim of lowering both its operating costs and the carbon footprint of its recycling site in Exeter.

The QE342e is a mid-sized heavy-duty machine with a plug-in option. The plug-in option allows it to operate in either electric or diesel modes, to suit the equipment user’s preference.

Supplied by local dealer Retec Equipment, key mechanical features of the 28-tonne machine include fewer moving parts and filters, which help lower both costs and machine downtime for maintenance.

The 500 tph capacity model is powered by a Stage V-compliant engine and offers an extended service interval of between 2,000 and 4,000 hours for its hydraulic fluids. 

Tom Stuart, Site Manager at Stuart Partners’ recycling site, said: “We have been really pleased with the machine so far.

“We have noticed a big step forward from our previous model (2008) in terms of electronics managing the RPM of the engine. The plug-in electric will be a big step forward when we have the infrastructure in place.”

The waste management and recycling sector company was recently given planning permission to build a new gasification plant, that will produce renewable energy on site.

The plant will incinerate waste for electricity rather than sending it to landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and recovering valuable energy, which can then be used to power the site’s wash plant, as well Sandvik QE342e, said Sandvik.

Stuart Partners specifically chose the QE342e model as the dual-power machine suited its future requirements, said Tom. 

The company’s unit incorporates a heavy duty 4.7 x 1.45 m (16 x 5 ft) screen that can handle high volumes of feed material, a user-friendly control interface and two-speed tracking for faster mobility on site.

Sandvik QE342e also includes a crusher-style chassis that comprises a wear resistant rigid hopper, that can be used in two of three-way configurations, and interchangeable side conveyors.

Although Stuart Partners has a longstanding relationship with Sandvik, commenting on this recent equipment purchase Tom said: “We have had a great experience so far from Sandvik and Retec, and the expertise from Sandvik technicians has been second to none, helping us to fine tune the machine over the first few months of operation.”

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