EREMA Group well underway despite challenging market

In a market environment that faces economic uncertainty, the EREMA Group maintains its position as a leading provider of plastics recycling solutions. The Group’s installed systems and components enabled the recycling of around 26 million tonnes of plastic waste worldwide during the financial year 2024/25, which closed at the end of March. Group revenue reached EUR 330 million.

Ansfelden, 4 June 2025 – Economic and geopolitical uncertainty around the world continues to present challenges for the plastics recycling industry. Despite a decline in sales of around 13 per cent compared to the previous year, the EREMA Group has maintained stability and set an important strategic course for the future based on its strong market presence.

The technologies and solutions offered by the companies in the EREMA Group mean that it covers the entire value chain of mechanical plastics recycling. “By combining our expertise, together we ensure our customers remain competitive in a dynamic market environment,” says Manfred Hackl, CEO of the EREMA Group. This is a success factor that is reflected in the broad range of products, as well as in high system availability and the quality of service provided by the Group. Despite the current challenges, there is still plenty of potential for growth, as Manfred Hackl explains: “More and more high-quality products are made from recycled pellets. The plastics industry has recognised that the proportion of recycled materials used in new products needs to continue to increase in order to achieve our shared goal of circularity.”

Development and market potential

While the European market has been subdued, the Group experienced positive momentum in North America and Asia. Regulations such as the PPWR (packaging and packaging waste directive), which has come into force in the EU, also give a positive outlook in Europe, provided that competitiveness can increase again. “This would mean launching initiatives that combine ecological and economic interests and strengthen the industrial base, like the Clean Industrial Deal in the EU. Just as important are global developments that create reliable framework conditions, such as the rollout of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and legal requirements for mandatory use of recycled materials in new products,” says Manfred Hackl.

Recently, the EREMA Group has noticed a reluctance to invest in the polyolefins post-consumer segment. On the other hand, demand for recycling solutions for production waste and bottle-to-bottle applications has remained stable. There is a clear trend towards implementing larger-scale machines in both the PET and PO sectors. The increasing industrialisation of these sectors requires solutions that are cost-effective and can be easily adapted to meet demand. The EREMA Group supports its customers during this transformation process and continues to set standards in the industry. The joint venture with Lindner Washtech has proven to be an important development in providing efficient overall solutions along the value chain.

The ongoing growth of plastics recycling can be seen not only in the established segments, but also increasingly in newer application segments involving chemical recycling, and fibre & textile recycling. EREMA started up its first large-scale extruders for chemical recycling during the 2024/25 financial year. The development of fibre-to-fibre recycling also looks very promising. Initial pilot projects have already been carried out, and an EREMA reference system will start operation later this year. The commissioning of a recycling machine for post-consumer textiles by PURE LOOP, one of the Group’s subsidiaries, at Salvation Army Trading Company in spring 2024, marks a new milestone. The project won the Plastics Industry Award.

Extensive investment and strengthening the sales structure

At the end of the 2024/25 financial year, the EREMA Group completed a comprehensive investment programme spanning the last five years with a volume of EUR 145 million. “Part of this programme involved the Group’s own component manufacturing company 3S, which has been optimised with an investment of EUR 23 million to significantly increase the in-house production share of key components and strengthen the Group’s supply chain over the long term,” reports Horst Wolfsgruber, CFO of the EREMA Group. EREMA has also strengthened its international sales structure by appointing Christoph Wöss as Global Sales Director in April. In future, the strategic focus will be aligned even more closely with the specifics of regional demand as well as market and customer requirements.

Despite challenging market conditions, the EREMA Group still focuses on the ongoing development of efficient recycling solutions in all sectors. “We are convinced that the demand for recycling technologies will keep increasing in the coming years,” says Manfred Hackl. “The framework conditions remain challenging, but the usage of plastic will continue to increase. The only way to meet this demand responsibly is with reliable recycling.”

Production of an extruder screw at 3S. The Group’s own component manufacturing company increases the proportion of key components manufactured inhouse as a result of strategic investments.

Photo credit: EREMA Group GmbH

EREMA’s new standardized machine now features Laserfilter

EREMA is expanding the portfolio of its ReadyMac plastics recycling system by introducing
the new ReadyMac 500 “Heavy Duty” version. Thanks to the integration of the EREMA
Laserfilter, this universal and cost-effective recycling machine is now also suitable for
processing demanding post-consumer materials.

“The updated ReadyMac has hit the mark in terms of market
requirements and has exceeded our expectations, especially given the current economic
environment,” says Michael Köhnhofer, Head of the ReadyMac Business Unit at EREMA. Based on
this success, EREMA is expanding the offering of its immediately available standard recycling
machine with an attractive price-performance ratio: The new ReadyMac 500 Heavy Duty (HD)
version is equipped with an EREMA Laserfilter and designed specifically for challenging materials.
It will be available from 1 April 2025 at a fixed price of EUR 440,000..

At Propak in Johannesburg in mid-March, EREMA presented the ReadyMac for the first time to the African market. Michael Köhnhofer, Head of the ReadyMac Business Unit, was delighted with the high level of interest. Just in time for the Plastics Recycling Show Europe, EREMA is now announcing the new version designed for especially challenging materials.

New EREMA polyolefin plant outputs more than 4 tonnes per hour

Premiere at EREMA: the new INTAREMA® 2325 sees the world’s leading manufacturer of plastics recycling systems grow its post-consumer series to enter a new dimension in recycling. The INTAREMA® 2325 T-VEplus® RegrindPro® with laser filter is the largest system ever built to recycle polyolefin regrind and marks a milestone in the very latest recycling technology.

Ansfelden, 16 October 2024 – As the demand for recycled plastics increases, so does the need for larger recycling machines. This is an industry where EREMA can draw on a wealth of proven experience. In the PET sector, the machine manufacturer has already implemented several projects with large-scale systems of this magnitude featuring their VACUREMA® technology. Now the company is following that up in polyolefin recycling. The new size of INTAREMA® is EREMA’s response to market demand. “New legislation and the voluntary commitment of major product brands mean that in the future, our customers will need to process an increasing volume of plastic waste to make high quality recycled pellets without any compromises,” says Markus Huber-Lindinger, Managing Director at EREMA. “The INTAREMA® 2325 is our answer to this need.”

More recycled pellets per hour

The INTAREMA® generation of machines is EREMA’s flexible series for handling a wide variety of feed materials. Available in 13 sizes for film and 9 sizes for regrind applications, the INTAREMA® range covers a broad spectrum. The new 2325 model with a preconditioning unit (PCU) diameter of 2.30 metres and an extruder screw with a diameter of 250 millimetres enables the production of high volumes of high-quality recycled pellets using a single machine. “With a throughput of over 4,000 kilograms per hour for PO regrind, the INTAREMA® 2325 sets new standards in terms of performance and efficiency,” emphasises Huber-Lindinger. The system also impresses with its compact footprint in contrast to its high throughput capacity.

Consistent processes combined with a high level of automation

The plant is packed with innovative technology. The proven key principle of the TVEplus® Counter Current® system lies in melt filtration upstream of extruder degassing. This makes it possible to produce recycled pellets of impressively high quality, meaning that the proportion of recycled plastics used in the final product can be significantly higher than with lower-quality recycled pellets. “Our extensive trials with around 500 tonnes of material have shown that the INTAREMA® 2325 impresses with high-quality recycled pellets at high throughput rates, all within a very stable process,” says Sophie Pachner, R&D Manager for Process Engineering at EREMA.

Like all INTAREMA® systems, this one is also equipped with patented Counter Current® technology. The plastic material moves through the preconditioning unit in the opposite direction to the extruder screw, ensuring a consistently high output over a wide temperature range. This system, combined with a high degree of automation thanks to the intelligent Smart Start® user interface and energy-saving ecoSAVE® technology, makes the INTAREMA® series particularly user-friendly and efficient.

Largest laser filter ever

“We are convinced that the INTAREMA® 2325 is capable of achieving very high throughputs even with challenging process parameters,” says Huber-Lindinger. “This machine is further proof of our company’s outstanding engineering capabilities and our willingness and expertise to solve major challenges in plastics recycling.”

Many of the specially built, large-scale components were installed and matched together for the first time during this project, such as 690-volt motors and the largest laser filter system ever built by EREMA. The 2/406 Quattro Laser Filter has a total filter area of 7,800 square centimetres and contributes to the high stability of the plant thanks to its robust design and precision filtration. The control panel array is also something new. At 12 metres long, the electrical container is imposing, but it is compact relative to the size of the machine. The well-thought-out configuration makes prior installation, transport and maintenance work particularly straightforward.

Machine available at short notice

EREMA offers machines for all applications, from small through to XXL sizes. From small systems for production waste with a throughput of around 100 kilograms per hour to large-scale PET systems with an output of 6,000 kilograms per hour, the company’s product range covers the whole spectrum. “The INTAREMA® 2325 fits perfectly into our wide product portfolio and enables us to respond even more specifically to the needs of our customers,” says Huber-Lindinger.

The INTAREMA® 2325 T-VEplus® RegrindPro® is the largest machine ever built for PO regrind and achieves
a throughput of over 4 tonnes per hour. The picture shows the project team in front of the new plant.

Photo credits: EREMA GmbH

EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH
Since its founding in 1983, EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H has specialised in the
development and production of plastics recycling systems and technologies for the plastics processing industry and is regarded as the global market and innovation leader in these sectors. The company is part of the Austrian group of companies EREMA Group GmbH based in Ansfelden/Linz, which employs around 950 people worldwide.

POWERFIL receives Plastics Recycling Award Europe 2024

DischargePro control system wins award at PRSE in Amsterdam

At PRSE in Amsterdam, the DischargePro control system from EREMA’s POWERFIL business unit was presented with the Plastics Recycling Award Europe in the “Recycling Machinery Innovation of the Year” category. The smart technology for the EREMA laser filter improves process stability over the entire operating period and reacts automatically to fluctuations during the recycling process.

Ansfelden, June 21, 2024 – “We have put a lot of effort into developing this technology. I am therefore particularly delighted to accept this award on behalf of the entire team today,” says Robert Obermayr, Head of the POWERFIL business unit at EREMA, at PRSE 2024 in Amsterdam. The DischargePro system automatically compensates for fluctuations in the input material, thereby ensuring uniform thickening during melt filtration and thus a consistent process. Depending on the application and contamination, POWERFIL was able to reduce melt loss by up to 50 percent with the DischargePro compared to the previous EREMA laser filter control system.

These facts convinced the jury, who described the technology as an intelligent technological advance in the extrusion process.

Significantly increased degree of automation

With the DischargePro control system, POWERFIL significantly increases the degree of automation in the filter process. The innovative discharge control system reacts to specific disruptions in the process. In this way, the speed of the scraper star is adjusted at short notice and returns to the setpoint speed as soon as the contamination peak has been discharged. Furthermore, the control system also recognizes changes in throughput and adjusts the discharge rates accordingly. In the event of a higher pressure drop across the filter screen, which is caused by a higher viscosity of the melt, DischargePro adjusts the setpoint value to ensure a consistent discharge rate. Long-term changes, such as the condition of the filter screen, are also taken into account in all adjustments.

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POWERFIL receives Plastics Recycling Award Europe 2024 (erema.com)