Stadler: the secret of accurate commissioning and timely project delivery

2 March 2023

The pursuit of a circular economy to address the global waste issue is driving a growth of the recycling industry and an increasing complexity in its demands. Environmental services providers and waste management companies need sorting facilities capable of processing the high volumes required efficiently while produce outputs of the high quality needed for recycling. When planning the construction of a new plant or upgrade of an existing one to meet these requirements, selecting the company for designing and building it is a critical business decision.

The importance of timely commissioning

A key factor in the selection is the company’s ability to work to the agreed schedule and complete commissioning on time.

“The material sorted at our facility is connected to contracts with fixed starting points,” explains Tristan Merk, Project Manager at environmental services provider PreZero Recycling. “Due to this fact, it is very important that the scheduled milestones will be reached. If the construction or the commissioning period isn’t on time, we risk problems with our customer or losing the contract.” David Aguado Teruel, Technical Director at GRIÑO Group in Spain agrees: late delivery on the project would have “a very negative effect, because the delay has a direct impact on the viability of our business plan and commitments, and our ability to deliver our services to our customers and public administrations.”

STADLER is well aware of the critical importance of timely commissioning, as Carlos Manchado Atienza, International Sales Director at STADLER explains: “The implications of a delay for our customer are serious: we are talking about losses in the thousands of Euros for non-recovered material and fixed costs already contracted – and this is without taking into consideration landfill costs.” Ventura Montes, Catalonia Waste Treatment Plants Manager at PreZero Spain, adds: “For a packaging plant, we could face monthly costs of some 350,000 Euro for alternative waste treatment arrangements and around 400,000 Euro in lost opportunities. For a larger facility, such as an urban waste treatment center, it could be some 350,000 Euro a month in fixed costs plus around 2 Million Euro in lost sales.”

“That’s why we study the schedule of our work very seriously,” says Carlos Manchado Atienza. “STADLER is recognized not only for the quality of our products and our expertise, but also for our seriousness in the start-up and punctuality in project delivery.” Ventura Montes agrees: “One of STADLER’s strengths is that not only do they always deliver on the agreed date, but usually they are even a few days early. Every time we contracted STADLER for the construction or upgrade of plants, commissioning has always been on time and very few adjustments were required after installation.”

STADLER’s secret to smooth and timely commissioning

Careful planning based on STADLER’s experience is a key factor in its ability to consistently deliver on time. “First of all, we only provide delivery dates we know we can achieve,” says Benjamin Eule, Director, STADLER UK and Head of Commissioning. “The final delivery is not only the timely installation, but also the commissioning of the facility to go into production. We work with realistic time schedules, and we allow sufficient time for each stage.”

STADLER’s in-house capabilities are also an important factor, as Benjamin Eule explains: “As we have in-house teams for mechanical installation and electrical planning, installation and Process Control Programming, we can control and manage the delivery schedules. We also have quicker internal communication and greater flexibility to adjust the work requirements across multiple projects.” Carlos Manchado Atienza adds: “All the preparation work in detailed and construction engineering helps us in manufacturing and gives us an advantage when preparing the assembly.

The clear roles and effective collaboration of the local and Head Office teams are crucial, as Carlos Manchado Atienza states: “Coordination and planning between the different departments are key. The good work of the sales teams with the basic engineering, followed by the Head Office’s work in detailed and construction engineering give us a competitive advantage. The professionalism of everyone involved and knowing our teams well – from sales and project management to production and assembly – gives us the security to trust the deadlines we have set.”

Ricardo Micó, STADLER Assembly Manager Spain, agrees: “For us, respecting the project milestones is key, as well as the effective coordination of all STADLER departments to meet our clients’ needs. This gives us unmatched strength in working with our clients’ full confidence.”

A reputation for quality work and timely commissioning

Environmental services provider PreZero has contracted STADLER on several projects, turning to the company again and again for its reliability: “There are always challenges and unforeseen events; STADLER adapts and is flexible; if necessary, their assembly team will work weekends, holidays, nights – on occasion they have even doubled resources to deliver on the agreed day,” says Ventura Montes. “If it’s a large-scale project or an upgrade is expected to be difficult, we always try to work with STADLER.”

STADLER recently designed and built the sorting and recycling plant in Almonacid del Marquesado, Spain, for GRIÑO Group. “The project coincided with the final stages of the coronavirus pandemic, so it was necessary to manage very well the resources and materials needed for the assembly,” concludes David Aguado Teruel. “In my experience, STADLER is a company that has demonstrated in its projects its commitment to meeting deadlines and milestones. I would recommend STADLER for the construction, installation and commissioning of waste treatment plants.”