Plant audit & performance analysis
Where does the plant really stand? Throughput, yield, OEE, uptime, energy and costs per tonne — measured, not estimated. The result is a prioritized action plan with quantified potential.
Focus: Post-Consumer Recycling
Post-consumer recycling that reaches its rated capacity.
Many PCR plants run below their potential: too little throughput, fluctuating quality, costs per tonne too high. We know both sides — plant engineering and operations. And we bring recycling plants, on site, to where they need to be economically. We have supported more than 400,000 tonnes of annual capacity to date.
Why now
Recycled content is becoming mandatory — good plants are the bottleneck
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) mandates minimum shares of post-consumer recyclate in plastic packaging from 2030 — up to 30 percent depending on the application, with quotas rising further towards 2040. At the same time, industry studies show that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of recyclate per year will be missing in Europe, because too little capacity of sufficient quality is available.
The problem is rarely the plant technology alone. It is the interplay of input quality, sorting depth, process control and organization. That is exactly where we start — not with concept papers, but on site at the line.
"A PCR plant is only good when its output runs in injection molding or extrusion without discussion — tonne after tonne, month after month."
Typical problems we solve
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Throughput below rated capacity
The plant does not reach the promised tonnage.
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Fluctuating output quality
MFI, color, odor or residual moisture drift out of specification.
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Costs per tonne too high
Energy, labor and rejects eat into the margin.
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Downgraded output
The recyclate does not achieve the price it could achieve.
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Unplanned downtime
Maintenance reacts instead of preventing.
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Ramp-up stalls
New lines do not make it out of the start-up phase.
Services
The PCR value chain — stage by stage
Pre-sorting, shredding, washing, drying, flake sorting, repelletizing, mixing and bagging: we know every stage of the PCR value chain from practice — and at every stage we raise productivity, uptime, availability and yield. Because the weakest stage determines the result of the entire plant.
1
Pre-sorting
This is where what is possible at the end is decided. We increase the availability and yield of pre-sorting, sharpen input specifications and reduce contaminants before they cause costs downstream.
2
Shredding
Throughput, particle size and energy input in balance — with stable tool life and high availability of the shredders as the foundation for all subsequent stages.
3
Washing
Pre-wash, cold wash, hot wash or caustic wash — the right washing strategy depends on input and target quality. We optimize cleaning performance, water and energy consumption, and the yield of every washing stage.
4
Drying
Residual moisture is one of the most underestimated quality factors for the downstream extrusion. We bring drying performance, energy consumption and throughput into an economical balance.
5
Flake sorting
Separation sharpness and flake purity determine the value of the regranulate. We increase sorting performance and yield — matched to the specification the market pays for.
6
Repelletizing & compounding
Repelletizing with single- and twin-screw extruders, degassing and melt filtration: this is where sellable quality is created. Through targeted compounding, we upgrade recyclate into a material with defined properties — upgrading instead of downcycling.
7
Mixing, blending & bagging
Homogeneous batches, reliable specifications, clean handling into big bags, bagging or silo — so that the quality the plant produces actually reaches the customer.
Cross-cutting services
Quality & specifications
Recyclate sells through reliable specifications. We establish end-to-end quality assurance from input to output — turning fluctuation into reliability, and reliability into price.
Ramp-up & scale-up
Bringing new lines out of the start-up phase quickly, scaling up existing plants — to rated capacity and, where the plant has the potential, beyond it. Including organization, shift models and maintenance.
Design for recycling & investors
We advise processors on recyclable product design and assess the economic viability of recycling ventures for investors — technical due diligence from a practitioner's perspective, not from paper.
Competence area: sorting
Sorting of lightweight packaging (LWP)
Before any recycling comes sorting — and with it the economics of the entire chain. We know LWP sorting plants in detail: from receiving and deep bunker through screening technology, air classifiers, ballistic separators and NIR sorters to manual sorting, conveying technology and the internal logistics through to outbound transport.
Reference project · LWP sorting plant · Germany
Existing plant: 30 % more throughput at better quality
Optimization of the existing LWP sorting plant of a leading German waste management company during ongoing operation — in around four months, on site.
We addressed the entire process chain: screening technology, air classifiers, ballistic separators, NIR sorters and manual sorting, as well as conveying technology and the internal logistics from the deep bunker to the outbound transport of the fractions. Because a sorting plant is only as fast as its slowest link — and only as good as its least pure fraction.
100,000 → 130,000+ t
Annual throughput increased — around 30 % more, with improved yield at the same time
Purity significantly ↑
Fraction purity significantly improved — the basis for marketable qualities
~4 months
Project duration — implemented during ongoing operation
Approach
Analysis. Actions. Implementation. Sustainability.
Reference projects in 2 to 6 months — always on site, always both of us, always one project at a time. Part of our compensation is tied to the economic result.
1
On-site analysis
We measure the plant in running operation: throughput, yield, quality, costs per tonne. No assumptions — solid numbers as the starting point.
2
Prioritized action plan
Every measure with quantified potential and clear responsibility. First what works fastest — liquidity beats elegance.
3
Implementation with responsibility
We don't moderate, we implement — at the line, with the shifts, with maintenance. Until the effect is visible in the KPI system.
4
Making it stick
KPIs, routines and responsibilities that remain when we leave. The effect must be recurring — otherwise it was no success.
Reference plants
Over 400,000 tonnes of annual capacity supported
Seven plant projects in six countries — from post-consumer polyolefins to lightweight packaging sorting. On request, we will name specific contacts from the projects for a personal conversation.
Post-consumer · PP / PS · Austria
Recycling plant
~65,000 t/year
Post-consumer · MPO / PP · Italy
Recycling plant
~50,000 t/year
Post-consumer · PET · Spain
Recycling plant
~60,000 t/year
Post-industrial · PP · Germany
Recycling plant
~55,000 t/year
Lightweight packaging sorting & HDPE recycling · Germany
Sorting plant / recycling plant
~130,000 t/year (sorting) · ~30,000 t/year (HDPE)
Post-consumer · LDPE · USA
Recycling plant
~20,000 t/year
Post-consumer & post-industrial · Netherlands
Recycling plant
~15,000 t/year
Frequently asked questions
PCR consulting — in brief
What does PCR (post-consumer recyclate) mean?
PCR stands for post-consumer recyclate: plastic that has been collected, sorted and reprocessed after use by end consumers — for example from household packaging collections. Post-industrial recyclate (PIR), by contrast, comes from production waste. PCR is technically more demanding because the input material is more contaminated and mixed — and that is precisely why process control determines economic viability.
Which materials and plants do you cover?
LDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, PET and mixed polyolefins (MPO) — along the entire value chain: pre-sorting, shredding, washing, drying, flake sorting, repelletizing with single- and twin-screw extruders including degassing and melt filtration, and compounding. Our reference plants range from 15,000 to 130,000 tonnes of annual capacity.
How long does an optimization project take?
Our reference projects took between 2 and 6 months — depending on plant size and scope. We always work on site and take on only one project at a time, so that one client gets our full attention.
Do you work internationally?
Yes. We have delivered PCR reference projects in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the USA, among others.
What distinguishes you from traditional management consultancies?
We don't just advise — we implement. Both managing directors are on site throughout the entire project, take operational responsibility, and tie part of their compensation to the economic result. The outcome has to show in your KPIs, not in our slides.
Do you also support investors in recycling projects?
Yes. We assess the economic viability of recycling ventures and investments from a practitioner's perspective — from technical due diligence to operational support after entry. In the language investors and banks understand.
Contact
Is your plant running below its potential?
A first conversation costs nothing — and you will receive an honest assessment of whether and where we see potential. No detours, no gatekeepers.
Schedule a conversation →