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Description
Atlantic Way Ltd., a small Bulgarian company with nearly two decades of operation, engages in logging, wood pallet production, and the transformation of waste into high-quality pellets. The company, owned by Mr. Stefan Bashalov, has established a stable market position with a flexible approach to market demands, catering to both standard and tailor-made products. With increased production, the company faces a rise in wood waste volume, which, due to the limited capacity of the existing pellets production line, is either disposed at a landfill or stored on-site. Through this project, Atlantic Way Ltd. aims to maximize waste utilization, transforming larger wood waste into finger-joint beams and smaller residues into pellets.
The planned investment includes a production line for finger-joint beams and a new pellet production machine, aligning with the company''s long-term strategy for resource efficiency and sustainable growth. Innovation Norway acknowledges the applicant''s commitment to good business practices and Corporate Social Responsibility. This project is anticipated to enhance internal efficiency, contributing to a better working environment. The main project objective is to boost Atlantic Way Ltd.''s competitiveness, increase turnover, and apply green technologies for recycling and reusing waste materials, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions.
The project will create an important value for the company. The main social benefits from this project are the 6 new jobs which will be created in a region with a high percentage of Roma people.
Summary of project results
The increased production of the different products is the reason for an increase in the volume of wood waste in the company. The capacity of the existing pellets production line was limited and the waste could not be processed . The waste from the production has been either disposed at a landfill or stored at the company''s courtyard.
The main challenges the company was facing could be summarized as follows:
- Necessity for effective and profitable use of generated wastes and residues from the main production
- Organizing more effective production process
- Improving the working conditions in the pellets production through limiting manual labour
- Reduction of the losses generated by defective packaging as a result from the manual packaging
Atlantic invested in the following equipment:
- new production line for for finger-joint beams – necessary for manufacturing brand new for the company products from the bigger particles of wood which are not worth to be transformed into pellets.
- new machinery for pellets production with capacity 400-500 kg per hour - It will be added to the existing pellet production line and will increase the capacity for pellets production with at least 80%. The equipment will be improved elements and using less energy for kg of product. It will be utilizing the sawdust, small size residues, parts of wood lid, etc.
Through the project Atlantic way Ltd. was able to utilise the waste generated from the production at almost 100 %. One part of the wood waste (big parts) are now transformed into a new product, the so-called finger-joint beams which have different areas of applications. The small size residues, the sawdust and parts of wood lids are utilised for the production of pellets.
The project results have led to the increased competitiveness of the company reflected in:
- Annual growth in turnover
- Annual growth in net operational profit:
- Number of new jobs created: 6
The environmental impact has the following elements:
- The most important one is that 1500 and 2800 t per year sawdust and wooden residues are transformed into valuable and profitable products instead of being landfilled or burned. With the project implementation will be saved 0.17 of CO2 emissions eq. per year/respectively 0.85 t per 5 years because of the new drying technology implemented.
- 627 kg of other emissions including SO2, NOx, CO will be saved for the same reason – double quantity dried with the same energy and same emitted emissions.
- The new front loaders that will be implemented will be of new generation and using less fuel per hour of work which will lead to reduction of the emitted CO2 emissions.
- The new automated pellets packaging and palletizing system will have as effect less defective packaging which will mean less generated wastes from plastic bags.