Cromar leads way in waste metal recycling

Frederick Crowther & Son, which trades as Cromar, is recovering from a tough 2009 which forced it to make redundancies and impose short-time working.

Now the Halifax-based firm has launched a new machine to reclaim swarf – waste metal chips and filings – allowing firms to recover more waste material.

The device is part of an investment drive for the firm, which plans to add new machinery to its plants in Halifax and Scotland.

"Cromar has gone through some difficult times in the last 18 months with many of our markets affected by the recession," said a spokeswoman.

"Short-time working and redundancies were unavoidable in 2009 but hopefully 2010 will show big improvements."

Cromar is a specialist in swarf systems, and works with firms in the machine tooling, rail and aerospace sectors to reclaim coolant, cutting oils and original material. Its machinery, which includes shredders, can now recycle glass, wood, metal, plastic and cardboard.

Cromar said its latest device can significantly increase profits from the sale of swarf, as it reclaims up to 95 per cent of the coolant used in cutting.

The briquettes are also easily stored indoors and transported, and are more efficiently melted, the company said. It also reduces the risk of coolant residue leaking away when untreated swarf is stored outdoors.

The firm exports between 50 and 60 per cent of its products to Europe but plans to do more in the UK, where it believes there is a big market to tap.