NAA Event Review: Networking Event at EMR
Our latest networking event saw us visit NAA member EMR, a global leader in circular materials, at the company’s Alexander Dock facility in Liverpool for an automotive open day and facility tour, focused on accelerating circularity in automotive sector.
We were hosted by:
Oli Robinson – Commercial Buyer
Jon Monaghan – Commercial Manager
Stephen Drag – Head of Automotive
Lindsey Barnett – Account Manager – Electric Vehicle Recycling
Andy Conroy – General Manager
Delegates were given an overview of EMR, one of the world’s leading metal recyclers, playing a pivotal role in the provision of sustainable materials across the globe.
The company’s history spans 70 years, having grown from a single UK business to a multi-national corporation. EMR’s experience, vast capabilities, and commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) values, places the company amongst the most respected and trusted waste recycling businesses in the world.
Delegates were then given a guided site tour by Andy Conroy, General Manager for the Liverpool operation. From lightweight aluminium and copper to batteries, motors and end-of-life vehicles, the facility tour explored how circular materials are shaping the future of automotive manufacturing, and how smarter recovery, processing and re-use can support material security and territorial resilience, lower carbon operations and aid long-term supply chain resilience.
Among the key statistics that delegates learned included that the Liverpool site exports one million tonnes of recycled material every year across the globe to destinations such as India and the USA. The highlight of the tour was seeing the huge metal shredding facility in operation – the largest of its kind in Europe and one of only six in the world. It is capable of shredding four complete cars to fist-sized pieces of material in around 15 seconds. Powered by a 10,000 hp electric motor, it spins a 160-tonne drum, incorporating twenty 300kg hammers, at 420 rpm and can take up to 1 hour to come to rest after the power is shut down.
Delegates also learned how EMR is working with major vehicle OEMs at the design stage to ensure that next generation vehicles are engineered with end-of-life recycling in mind, as the automotive industry is under increasing pressure to do more with the materials already in circulation. As electrification accelerates and scrutiny around carbon, recycled content and material sourcing intensifies, businesses need practical ways to build resilience into future vehicle production, because tomorrow’s vehicles depend on today’s materials.
