Phil Tromans’ arrival at EMR has coincided with a period of significant investment in the company’s fridge recycling plant at EMR Darlaston. As Area General Manager, he has helped bring a range of new technologies, state-of-the-art processes, and improved employee facilities to what was a hard-working facility, at capacity and in need of modernisation.
“I joined EMR in August 2021, just as the company was discussing updating its existing fridge plant at Darlaston,” says Phil. “It was coming up to 20-years-old and they wanted to improve its reliability, introduce the latest technology and to ensure the site would comply with any upcoming regulations.”
Rather than simply upgrade the existing facility, however, one of Phil’s first tasks was to put together a fully costed technical specification for a completely new plant at the site, which was then presented to the board and approved.
“It was great. We started the project in early 2022 and began looking – in Poland and Germany – for a contractor to supply the equipment needed for the advanced processes we wanted the plant to include,” he says.
It was a project that allowed Phil to utilise many of the skills and experiences he has accumulated during his career:
“I come from a background in engineering, specifically focused on production processing, both in the UK and overseas.
“I was involved in the production of concrete sleepers for CEMEX in the West Midlands before joining PMT’s sleeper production operations in Saudi Arabia. After more than 20 years of working on various production lines, I then joined the metal recycling industry in 2013.”
This experience has given Phil an insight into the transformative impact that the new plant will have on EMR’s overall fridge recycling service.
“This is a very exciting investment for EMR, and it’s been designed and planned with our customers’ needs and expectations in mind,” he says.
Phil believes the new plant will allow EMR to improve its service to the compliance schemes and local authorities who deliver large numbers of fridges to its sites.
“The increased capacity – we can process thousands of fridges every day at the new site – is a huge advantage to our customers,” he says. “The state-of-the-art equipment EMR has invested in means we can also recover more harmful gases, which means that our operations will be both compliant with the latest regulations and more sustainable than ever.
“Being in Birmingham, this facility is also in the centre of the UK, making transport easy – especially as there is a motorway junction close by.”
While the new facility offers a number of benefits for those delivering fridges to be recycled, those buying materials to be used in the next generation of products will also benefit, Phil believes:
“The site’s larger capacity means more recycled material will be available to go back into the circular economy. And thanks to the advanced separation processes we’ve developed at our downstream facility; this material will also be produced to higher grades – including separating aluminium and copper.”
While the companies EMR works with look set to benefit from the new EMR Darlaston facility, Phil says the wellbeing of his team – and improving the environment where they work – was also a crucial consideration in its development:
“The team now has a more spacious area to work in and they’re also doing their work on an elevated platform. They can now simply drop fridge parts down as they disassemble them. We’ve also swapped hand tools for hydraulic tools for removing compressors and there’s more natural light too. On top of that – for the first time – we have a staff welfare building at the site.
“I’m so proud of this facility and I also know that it’s going to make such a positive difference – for our team, our customers and for the planet.”
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