(NOMINATION FOR 2014 AUREA AWARD): Kuerk - Making products from recycled tire

Kuerk from Beocin, a company engaged in the manufacture of products from recycled scrap tires, implemented an innovative technological process of compressing rubber granules in 2013, thus cutting the power consumption in production by 80 percent.

Conventional technological processes involve the compression of rubber granules at a temperature of about 160 degrees Centigrade, while the innovative catalytic process applied at Kuerk makes it possible to do the same procedures at much lower temperatures, which leads to significant power consumption cuts.

Since it is very hard to find adequate production equipment in our country for this type of production process, the Kuerk company solved this problem by adapting some equipment of similar purpose or by designing and building a brand new equipment with the characteristics that are adapted to the technological production process, which means that Kuerk makes use of domestic know-how.

Kuerk has more than 15 product ranges in its portfolio. Thanks to innovative solutions applied to both production process and equipment, the company is able to offer lower prices in the market, and it already shipped the first batch of its products to ex-Yugoslav countries, Azerbaijan and North America.

INNOVATION

The technology resulting from Kuerk's project ensures power savings of as much as 80 percent when compared to a standard technology used in the manufacture of products from recycled tires.

So far, the production process that is still applied by other companies has been carried out using machines and tools made from wrought iron, while the raw material has been heated to 160 degrees Centigrade. Such tools are too heavy, overheated, difficult to handle and pose a potential danger to production workers.

The new technology developed by Kuerk makes it possible to use scrap tires heated to 30 instead of 160 degrees, which is achieved by adding a special component to recycled tires during the production process.

This process is safe for workers, handling during the process is made easier and does not require the use of cooling fluids. Catalytic agents that are added in the production process in the amount of 0.1% (sometimes used in the food industry) have no adverse effect either on people's health or the environment, which is attested by the accredited laboratory of the Faculty of Technology.

All machines, equipment and tools used by the company Kuerk are built from recyclable materials. The final products of this company are also recyclable, meaning that the entire production process generates no waste and has no damaging effect on the environment.

Many of the products of this company were created to satisfy certain needs and solve some problems. Among them are seats for swings, safety padding for corners, padding for metal parts at children’s playgrounds, etc.

In 2013, the company produced close to 70 tonnes of final products.

SOCIAL UTILITY

With its improved production activities, the Kuerk company gives multiple contribution to the progress of our community because it largely uses waste materials in its production, thus taking care of the environment, saving primary materials and reducing power consumption to a minimum, thanks to its innovative technological process.

The company uses recycled scrap tires as the raw material in the production process. All tools and machines employed are built from recyclable materials, and all final products of the company can also be recycled. The production process is organized in such a manner that no waste is generated in any of its segments.

In a bid to develop and improve the production process, Kuerk has recently asked the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad to calculate the carbon footprint of its products, which shows that the overall impact of this production process on climate changes is minimal.

Both innovative technology and the equipment adapted to that technology are completely the result of domestic know-how, and the project serves as a positive example for other manufacturers on how to develop the business, raising public awareness of the importance of recycling and its industrial application.

FINANCIAL POTENTIAL

By introducing a new technology that reduced power consumption by 80 percent, Kuerk has secured a competitive position in the market as the prices of some of its products are up to 70 percent cheaper than those of the competition.

The company's portfolio includes more than twenty different articles that come in over thousand colors and finishings: surfaces for sports areas, surfaces and equipment for children's playgrounds, traffic products (parking and fence poles, bumpers), fenders and other protective equipment for vessels in marinas, equipment for public green areas, etc.

Kuerk is one of the leaders in the manufacture of products from recycled tires in the market of Serbia, having some products that are unique in the Balkans (such as seats for swings). Its customers are local self-governments, public utility companies, private and public garages, schools...

In 2013, recycled scrap tires were used to produce 70 tonnes of final products, about 8 percent of which was exported.

The company has so far exported fenders to ex-Yugoslav countries and Azerbaijan, while the fourth shipment of traffic products should soon be dispatched to America.

If the manufacture of products from recycled scrap tires by the Kuerk company is your favorite for the investment of the year, you can vote for this nomination at the official website of the Aurea Award.