LONDON and NASHVILLE, Tennessee, October 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Strategic partnership between global sorting experts combines the best of bottle and flake sorting technologies across Europe and North America 

As the demand for plastic sorting solutions continues to soar, Buhler Sortex, a member of The Bühler Group, and US-based National Recovery Technologies (NRT) are entering a strategic commercial agreement to offer plastics recyclers a complete solution for plastic bottle and flake sorting. The companies are bringing together more than 100 years of combined expertise in optical sorting giving recyclers access to their proven technologies, engineering expertise and their extensive customer service and support networks.  

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Global plastics production increased by 10 million tonnes, to around 280 million tonnes in 2011, continuing the growth pattern that the industry has enjoyed since 1950 - approximately 9% per annum. Europe and the NAFTA region together comprise 41% of the world's total plastic materials production - driving demand for integrated bottle and flake sorting solutions, as companies strive to meet government recycling targets and corporate social responsibility pledges^[1].

The partnership between Buhler Sortex and NRT marks a further milestone in their continuing expansion in the PET and HDPE sorting segment across Europe and North America.  It also strengthens their position as the leading joint suppliers of combined plastic bottle and flake sorting solutions to the plastics recycling industry, with leading market technologies such as In-Flight Sorting® , PET Boost™, Label Reduction Kit and Smart-Eject™. They are now the first-choice technology partner for many plastics recyclers, with several contracts already in place with major recycling operators.

Charith Gunawardena, Head of Optical Sorting at Buhler Sortex, says: "This landmark agreement signifies our confidence in the future growth of recycling. It also strengthens our industry references and reinforces our leading role in optical sorting, while demonstrating our commitment to providing customers with a complete bottle and flake sorting solution from two trusted leaders in their field."

With an extensive service support network in all major recycling markets, plastics recyclers can depend on a comprehensive Buhler Sortex and NRT support network built on solid foundations of technology and service excellence.  This will also provide access to both companies' wide range of capabilities, including system design, on-site management, installation and product training. The partnership will also include close collaboration with key members of the technology value chain.

Matthias Erdmannsdoerfer, President of NRT, concludes: "This significant partnership agreement is further acknowledgement of our commitment to supply and service leading plastics recyclers with a full portfolio of leading bottle and flake sorting equipment.  We're excited to bring the industry's first complete offering to market that doesn't require a plastics recycler to compromise on bottle or flake sorting performance and provides high-quality, local support. We look forward to building a strong partnership with Buhler Sortex and our customers across Europe and North America."

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1. Plastics - the facts 2012. An analysis of European plastics production, demand and waste data for 2011. PlasticsEurope: the Association of Plastics Manufacturers

About Bühler:

Every day, billions of people come into contact with Bühler technologies to cover their basic needs for foods, mobility, or communication. With our industrial process technologies and solutions, we contribute significantly to feeding the world's population, setting the focus on food security and safety. Bühler flour mills process around 65 percent of the wheat harvested worldwide into flour. Its contribution to processing rice and producing pasta, chocolate, or breakfast cereals is similarly important. Moreover, Bühler is a leading solution provider of die casting, wet grinding, and surface coating technologies, with an emphasis on automotive, optics, electronics, printing & packaging inks, and glass applications. The solutions provided to these industries are distinguished by high energy efficiency and sustainable mobility. As a leading technology group, Bühler invests up to 5 percent of its sales in research and development. In 2014, around 10,600 employees at some 140 sites generated a turnover of CHF 2.3 billion. The family-owned company is proud of its Swiss roots and feels particularly committed to sustainability.

About National Recovery Technologies (NRT):

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, NRT is a global leader in the design, manufacture and installation of optical sorting solutions. NRT is a member of the Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) Family of Companies, a worldwide leading provider of automated sorting systems to the waste processing and recycling industries. Since its inception in 1981, NRT has been recognized as an industry thought-leader and innovator, and currently holds more than 35 U.S. and international patents. Today, NRT remains focused on technology innovation and offers industry-leading bottle sorting recovery and purity rates, thanks in part to In-Flight Sorting® and PET Boost® technologies. NRT holds strong commitments to equipment excellence and first-class customer service and support.

Further information can be found at http://www.bottletoflake.com

SOURCE Buhler Sortex and NRT