Vecoplan
Vecoplan is a manufacturer of advanced, industrial shredders and associated systems
technology. Vecoplan provides shredding, conveying and
separation technologies to meet processing and recycling needs.
Founding
Vecoplan was founded in 1969 in Bad Marienberg, Germany as a manufacturer of high quality wood chippers used in the forest products industry for production of chips used in the paper and board industries. Ms. Irene Scheidweiler was one of the founding members and today serves as the Managing Director.
In the early 1980s, Vecoplan turned its focus to the recycling of various materials and in 1982-83, the single-shaft rotary grinder was invented by Wolfgang Lipowski, now Vecoplan’s Technical Director.
First Single Shaft Rotary Grinder
The first single-shaft rotary grinder was produced in 1983 in Vecoplan’s factory in Bad Marienberg, Germany. It was the model VAZ 145/135N. It was sold at the Ligna Fair in May 1983. The original Confirmation of Order is on file as proof that Vecoplan is, in fact, the original inventor, innovator and pioneer of this breakthrough in size reduction. As this fact seems to be a point of contention in some sales situations, this document is available to those who are interested.
In 1989, a European patent was awarded to Vecoplan for the grinder and its unique “U-rotor” EP 0 419 919 B1. The rotor was designed with advanced cutting geometry for the universal size reduction and shredding of the whole spectrum of waste materials. This patent is on file.
In 1994, Vecoplan received its DIN/ISO 9001 certification. This is the highest standard set for quality systems.
Corporate
In 1995, Vecoplan was integrated into the well-established M.A.X. Holding AG in Munich. Now based in Düsseldorf and operating under the name M.A.X. Automation AG, it comprises twelve strategic companies, most of who are involved in automation and environmental products.
ReTech Industries, Inc. was formed in 1996 as a US manufacturer and distributor of specialized, high quality size reduction equipment such as single-shaft rotary shredders and grinders and as an applications expert and solutions company. Vecoplan had been operating in the North American markets through distributors since 1989. On October 1, 2000, Vecoplan and ReTech merged their respective North American operations into a powerful partially owned subsidiary of Vecoplan, GmbH, now called Vecoplan, LLC. The ReTech name lived on as the trade name for the single-shaft line of shredders and grinders, and the founders of ReTech, Len Beusse (Vecoplan, LLC Chief Operating Officer) and Marty Kennedy (Vecoplan, LLC Executive Vice President) became partners with Joerg Mueller (Vecoplan, LLC President) and Vecoplan GmbH in the American venture. Beusse and Kennedy went on to run the American operations.