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Paarhammer, Australia: Sustainable waste management in the woodworking industry

Paarhammer is a well-established Australian manufacturer for European style windows and doors and it could be assumed that one of their most essential items is directly involved in the manufacturing process. But in Paarhammer’s case, the essential component is a waste management system that produces briquettes from sawdust and off-cuts. “At the moment it’s the most essential item in the business,” managing director Tony Paarhammer proudly notes.

The search for European style doors and windows in Australia

This recycling system allows for an incredibly wide range of sustainable and profitable benefits and constitutes an integral part of Paarhammer’s sustainable manufacturing ideology. Paarhammer’s award-winning products are the result of more than 30 years of experience and range from the highest energy-efficient windows made in Australia to bushfire-proof windows.

Tony Paarhammer and Jonathan Tan in front of the company worskhop building in Australia

Proud owner Tony Paarhammer with CEMAC representative Jonathan Tan

Paarhammer owner Tony Paarhammer in front of his wood doors and windows

Australia's finest: European-style wood doors and windows by Paarhammer

Immigrated from Austria in 1990, Tony and Edith Paarhammer started their business in a garage with manufacturing fine furniture and European style kitchens. But one year later, their focus shifted while they were building their new home. Tony and Edith were surprised because “we couldn’t find any European style windows in Australia.”

Because of Tony’s background in window making, they decided to take matters into their own hands, and the idea of manufacturing European style windows in Australia was born. From the beginning, Paarhammer grew rapidly and for the 20th anniversary in 2010, the company moved into a new purpose-built factory.

Partner for life: WEIMA's WL 4 wood grinder

The construction of this factory was driven by Paarhammer’s ideology of sustainable production. It is powered by an almost 100 kW photovoltaic solar system, efficient light-management which reduces electricity needs, and water tanks to supply the factory.

Wood waste reduction by 95 percent

But the most important component to fulfill high sustainability goals is the waste management system that consists of the WEIMA WL 4 shredder (installed in the early 2000s) and the WEIMA TH 814 briquette press (installed in 2012). With this system, “we reduced our waste by 95 %,” Tony said.

Tony decided for WEIMA’s machines mainly because of the company’s local presence in Australia through CEMAC technologies.

“The local support was the most essential,” Tony said about his decision process. Additionally, WEIMA convinced with over 40 years of experience in manufacturing shredders and presses for the wood-working industry.

Wood grinder by WEIMA at Paarhammer in Australia

WEIMA WL 4 single-shaft shredder for wood waste

Since day one, the system with shredder and briquette press works efficiently in Paarhammer’s factory. Sawdust is separately accumulated by the duct of every producing machine and is then diverted into a hopper from where it flows into the briquette press.

Meanwhile, the WL 4 shreds larger wood off-cuts into small wood chips and thus makes them suitable for the press. The TH 814 briquette press then finally presses the sawdust and the wood chips into cylindrical 80 mm diameter briquettes.

Filled WEIMA wood grinder with waste wood at Paarhammer

Collected waste wood, ready to be shreded

Briquetting press by WEIMA at Paarhammer in Australia

WEIMA TH 814 briquette press for shredded wood waste and wood saw dust

“What we would have had to burn or pay to go to a landfill, now gets pressed into briquettes,” Tony said. Because of the briquette press, Paarhammer now has only of 1.5 m3 of waste a week, while generating 4 tonnes of briquettes in the same period, thereby reducing landfill by about 2,000 m3 per year. “The mixture of all this dust, shavings from the planer and the wood chips is almost the ideal mixture to make a compact briquette,” Tony said.

A "nice thing on the side"

Recycling sawdust and off-cuts is not only sustainable but profitable. While Paarhammer uses 30% of the briquettes to heat parts of the factory with a hydronic heating system, the remaining 70% are sold to local residents.

WEIMA wood briquetting press at Paarhammer windows and doors in Australia

Compact footprint: WEIMA TH 814 briquette press in a separate room

Wood briquette press by WEIMA at Paarhammer in Australia

A revenue Tony described as a “nice thing on the side”, and money he did not expect. Therefore, Tony exceeded his original calculation of Return on Investment by two years, which reduced it to less than five years.

Yet, WEIMA’s shredder and briquette press are not only profitable because they generate revenue, but they also save money. First, by reducing heating costs due to the usage in the hydronic heating system. Second, the combination of dust extraction, shredder and briquette press helps with housekeeping because it reduces the amount of waste or off-cuts lying around in the factory.

Paarhammer briquette machine from WEIMA in Germany

Easy installation and operation: WEIMA TH 814 briquetting machine

“All that is fully automatic”

Tony states: “We save probably one laborer wage a year in not having to deal manually with all this waste and we got a very clean, well-organized factory.”

Tony Paarhammer and CEMAC dealer Jonathan Tan inspecting wood briquettes

High-quality wood briquettes by Paarhammer for sale

A multifunctional system thats heats, cleans, saves and generates money

Because of the huge environmental and monetary benefits, Tony highly recommends this waste management system because sawdust and off-cuts are “basically a good resource”. In the end, WEIMA’s wood shredder and briquette press help Paarhammer to make use of this resource within a multifunctional system that not only heats, cleans and saves money but also generates a side revenue.

Words by Daniel Pfaender

Heater for burning wood briquettes produced with with WEIMA briquette press

Heating system for wood briquettes

Shredded wood chips

Paarhammer wooden briquettes made by WEIMA

Burning WEIMA wood briquettes

Learn more about Paarhammer windows and doors in Victoria, Australia here.

Paarhammer in "Small Business Secrets"

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About WEIMA

More than 37,000 machines sold worldwide! WEIMA has been manufacturing robust shredders and briquetting presses for the disposal and processing of all types of waste for more than four decades. Our machines include single-shaft shredders, four-shaft shredders, cutting mills and briquette presses. The popular blood orange machines are used in the wood, plastics, paper, metal and waste-to-energy industries.

Made in Germany. Built for the world.

Shredders and briquette presses from WEIMA are exclusively made in Germany and come from production plants in Saxony-Anhalt and Baden-Wuerttemberg. Every year, more than 300 employees work on around 1,200 customer solutions from around the globe. We have long-standing sales and service locations in the USA, Poland, India and China. More than 80 representatives supplement this global presence.

Paarhammer, Australia: Sustainable waste management in the woodworking industry

The search for European style doors and windows in Australia

Wood waste reduction by 95 percent

A "nice thing on the side"

“All that is fully automatic”

A multifunctional system thats heats, cleans, saves and generates money

Paarhammer in "Small Business Secrets"

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