Recycler Van Dalen creates jobs after £6m investment

The company has invested more than £6m on a ferrous shredder and a new non-ferrous facility at its Sheffield headquarters.

Van Dalen, which celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2012, operates 17 shredding and baling sites in the UK and Northern Europe. In the UK, the company supplies major steel mills, as well as a large number of foundries.

The company, which employs around 100 people in the UK, also operates deep sea export facilities.

The investment follows a successful year for Van Dalen UK.

Total capacity has increased to 500,000 tonnes per year.

The business hopes to double that figure over the next three years, through a mixture of operational investments and strategic partnerships.

Tom Bird, Van Dalen UK managing director, said: “Although market conditions have been challenging, we’ve had a really positive 12 months.

“Going forward, the shredder will transform our Sheffield facility, making it a state-of-the-art metal recycling centre.

“The focus on non-ferrous operations will complement our existing success in the ferrous arena, helping us to grow volume and market share.

“In turn, we hope to provide further investment and job creation opportunities in the UK.”

Van Dalen Metals Recycling and Trading was founded in the Netherlands in 1947.

The company was involved in ship breaking, and manufacturing and processing metallic residues.

In 1982 the company was taken over by the current owner and sole shareholder, Rudolph van Dalen Junior.

In recent years, the company has made several strategic acquisitions in the Netherlands, Belgium and England.

The company established an operation in the UK in 2000.

Van Dalen’s new shredder in Sheffield became operational at Christmas.

There will be an official opening of the shredding facilities later this year.