A tire recycling company in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia was processing end-of-life passenger and truck tires using an aging European-made shredder. The machine was rated for 15 TPH but could barely maintain 8 TPH on steel-belted truck tires. Downtime for blade changes and bearing repairs was costing them two full production days per month.
They needed a machine that could reliably handle 15-20 TPH of mixed passenger and truck tires — including steel-belted radials up to 1200mm — with minimal unplanned downtime. Budget was a concern: the European OEM quoted a replacement machine at over $180,000 CAD.
After evaluating several options, the customer chose our DS-1200 double-shaft shredder with 2x75 kW motors. Key factors in their decision:
- Factory-direct price was approximately 45% less than the European alternative - The DS-1200 is rated for 8-20 TPH on whole tires, matching their growth plan - Independent dual-drive with PLC auto-reverse handles steel-belted tires without stalling - Anti-wrap cutter design prevents wire buildup on the shafts - We included a complete set of spare blades and critical wear parts with the initial order
Total investment including ocean freight, customs, and delivery to their Fraser Valley site: approximately $85,000 CAD — less than half the European quote.
We provided foundation drawings and electrical specifications four weeks before the machine shipped. The customer's contractor poured the concrete pad and ran the electrical supply while the shredder was in transit.
The machine arrived in a 40-foot container at the Port of Vancouver, 28 days after leaving the factory. A local crane service unloaded and placed the shredder on the foundation. The customer's electrician completed the wiring in one day.
We provided remote video commissioning support over two sessions. The machine was processing tires on the third day after delivery. Total time from container arrival to first production: four days.
After one full year of operation, the results speak for themselves:
- Average throughput: 18 TPH on mixed passenger and truck tires (exceeding the 15 TPH target) - Uptime: 96.5% — blade changes take 4 hours and are done every 800 operating hours - Unplanned downtime: 2 incidents in 12 months (one electrical contactor replacement, one hydraulic hose — both fixed same day with parts from our North American stock) - Energy consumption: approximately 12% lower per ton than their previous European machine - Blade life: averaging 800 hours between rotations, with each blade having 4 usable edges
The customer is now producing TDF (tire-derived fuel) for a local cement kiln and clean rubber crumb for a playground surface manufacturer. They are planning to add a secondary four-shaft shredder to produce finer crumb rubber — from us, of course.
We asked the operations manager for his honest assessment after 12 months:
"We were skeptical about buying factory-direct from China. But the machine has been outstanding. It handles whole truck tires without flinching — our old European machine used to stall on anything over 1000mm. The Starglow team was responsive during commissioning and every time we had a question. Spare blades arrived in five days. We saved over $90,000 compared to the European quote and got a better machine. We are buying our next shredder from them."
We are proud of this result, but we know it is not unique. We have similar stories from customers across Canada, the United States, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. When you build machines right and support your customers properly, the results follow.
Every tire recycling project is different — different tire types, different volumes, different output requirements, different budgets. But the approach is the same: tell us what you need, and we will engineer the right solution.
If you are processing tires in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, or anywhere in North America, contact us for a no-obligation quote. Email sales@starglow-shredder.com or fill out the request form on our website. We respond within 24 hours.