TANA Shark Shredder: Versatile waste management solution for tyres, mattresses, and more
Article originally published in Waste Management Review September 2024 issue
Primal power, focus, determination, and adaptability. The TANA Shark takes on the symbolism of its namesake.
What others may consider problematic wastes are Jamie Walmsley’s bread and butter. The Owner-Operator of JLW Operations, based out of Cootamundra in New South Wales, has made light work of mattress and tyre waste for the past decade. He’s grown the business to an in-demand mobile and on-site shredding service across Australia, providing councils and mine sites with a low-impact solution that diverts problematic waste from landfills or dumping grounds in remote areas. Along the way, he’s amassed seven TANA Shark shredders, with another on the way. “Shredding tyres and mattresses are the hardest things you can do on a piece of machinery,” Jamie says. “They are designed to be long-lasting and strong, which makes them difficult to break down. But with the TANA Shark, it takes just 10 minutes to go from 150 millimeters to 50, just by changing a screen. I don’t think you can do better in Australia than the TANA.”
One machine, many capabilities
The TANA Shark 440DT is a versatile waste shredder, designed for challenging materials including commercial and industrial, construction and demolition, solid recovered fuel, plastics, and ragger wire. One machine can replace three different machines, eliminating the need for a pre-shredder, primary shredder, and a screen, outputting a single end product in one pass. Jamie researched shredders for about 12 months before trialing the TANA Shark through waste management and equipment distributor GCM Enviro. “I liked what I saw,” Jamie says. “After one week it had won me over.”
Efficiency in action
In optimal conditions, the TANA Shark can process and remove steel from mattresses at a rate of 100 to 120 units an hour. JLW Services is currently processing about 15,000 tonnes of tyres per annum. Jamie says the TANA Shark has an easy user interface. The TANA Control System (TCS) monitors and controls the machine functions. There are 12 pre-programmed operations for different types of materials and shredding, and extra customer-specific programs can be added. The programs adjust the machine functions, such as overcharge pressure limits, rotor revs per minute, and conveyor speed to the optimal level to achieve the desired output.
If a non-crushable object blocks the rotor, TCS makes the machine reverse and try a few times until the object either goes through or the machine stops. The object can be removed safely through the opening side wall. “It’s reasonably simple to operate,” Jamie says. “But the best bit, for me, is the different screen sizes that allow you to adjust the material size. If you have a twin shaft, it can sometimes drag material through the shredder and the end product isn’t uniform. But because the TANA Shark is a single shaft there is only one way out – through the screen.”
GCM Enviro support
As a distributor of the latest in waste management and recycling equipment, GCM Enviro aims to provide customers with technology that improves its customers’ businesses and allows them to increase revenue. Its philosophy is to maintain dialogue between manufacturers and clients to ensure that equipment design is governed by market requirements, particularly in Australia’s harsh resource recovery environment. This has earned them a reputation for robust design and reliability.
Robust and reliable are also terms Jamie uses to describe GCM Enviro’s backup service, with maintenance centers throughout Australia and New Zealand. While JLW Services keeps on top of the TANA Shark’s maintenance, carrying out any minor work and repairs itself, it brings in GCM Enviro for the major services.
“If there are any problems, GCM Enviro is straight onto it and it gets resolved quicker than anywhere else I’ve dealt with,” Jamie says. “Their support has enabled us to grow the company.”
For more information, visit: www.gcmenviro.com