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9-t shears from Genesis on a crawler excavator

With mighty scrap shears from Genesis on a large excavator, waste and recycling specialist Hofmann from Rastatt in Germany has rejuvenated its plant fleet and readied it for bigger tasks. They can now cut even larger steel elements to the required batch size at their own scrap yard with even greater efficiency. The combination is also scheduled for heavy-duty jobs in the regional industry in the near future.

On an industrial estate in Rastatt, Southern-Germany, Hofmann has created a space for its waste disposal and scrap recycling business with five yards, each with a different focus. On one of these yards, with a floor space of 4 000 m2, the company has been operating a brand new combination of Genesis GXT 995R scrap shear and a Liebherr 945 Litronic crawler excava-tor since July 2024 – definitely not a pairing you see every day. “Our challenge,” Managing Director Ralf Hofmann explains, “is to cut down several thousands tons of scrap each year to batch dimensions in line with market requirements on the limited space of our premises. This includes beams from demolished warehouses or heavy parts from industrial machinery.”

Previously, a 6-t shear from Genesis on a 35-t carrier unit was used there for more than five years, mainly to cut down scrap to the respective batch sizes of the customers from the steel industry. “The performance and relia-bility of the previous attachment,” Ralf Hofmann explains his business deci-sion, “as well as the reliable spare parts and repair service provided by the supplier, made it very easy for us to choose this brand again. With the new scrap shear with twice the power and a larger jaw opening of almost 1 000 mm, we can now efficiently cut even larger cross sections.
We are also expecting that a larger attachment used for the same applica-tion will have a longer service life.” Operations Manager and Authorised Signatory Domenic Brammer confirms: “This large combination of 9-t shear and a 45-t excavator can now handle even larger pieces of scrap while also giving us enough flexibility for processing large individual volumes or in the event of interruptions in the regular processes. If this key combination is out of action for maintenance and repair work for one working day, for example, we can quickly catch up on the backlog on the following day and get the area ready for intake of new material.“

Safety meets environmental protection

Health and safety have always been key considerations at Hofmann. Two years ago, the company received a prevention award from the Trade Association for Trade and Goods Logistics (BGHW) for the in-house development of a transponder-based reversing pedestrian protection on their own large wheelloader. “When it comes to health and safety, cutting with shears offers significant advantages over flame cutting,” explains Domenic Brammer, “and the same applies to emissions. While we were already using mostly shears to cut scrap to batch size before, the new, larger excava-tor/shear combination will push flame cutting, which is less economical and also comes with safety and environmental concerns, even further into the background.“

Large combination on the road

In the 65 years since its foundation in 1959, Hofmann have developed into a large all-round provider in the field of recycling and waste disposal with around 75 employees. Active in the Mittelbaden region of Germany and beyond, the company today covers the entire spectrum of waste disposal and holds all the relevant licenses and qualifications required for their busi-ness. “We want to promote healthy growth without increasing the speed of work and development with rigid requirements,” business graduate Ralf Hofmann explains the company policy, “but we rather want to optimise ourselves and develop through improvements – this also includes adapting internal structures through investments like this one.” With the excava-tor/shear combination, the waste disposal company has now raised its capacity to a higher level. Hofmann explains: “We are expecting to receive substantial volumes from demolitions. With this heavy-duty combination, we can now handle more material and larger parts – this can be a signal for our colleagues and customers in the region and lead to additional cooperations.”
“A mighty excavator/shear combination like this one at Hofmann is currently more likely to be found at demolition sites than at a medium-sized recycling firm,” says Martin Wirth, Authorised Signatory of Genesis GmbH. Indeed, this is precisely what their customer from Rastatt has in mind: field work in the south-west of Germany. When the plant was delivered in July 2024, there was already a plan for using the combination at a large regional chemicals company to clear space for new process infrastructure.

 
United forces: from left to right – Authorised Signatory Martin Wirth (Genesis GmbH) with Managing Director Ralf Hofmann and Operations Manager Domenic Brammer (Hofmann) at the handover of the 9-t shears.