Gradeall recently shipped new tyre recycling equipment to a customer in Bologna, Italy, including an MK2 tyre baler and a sidewall cutter, in a single 20-foot container. The customer had been looking for a reliable, high-output solution to handle a growing volume of waste tyres across both passenger car and heavy-duty truck sizes. Finding equipment that could consistently manage that range, without requiring specialist operators or lengthy setup, was the core requirement.
What came back from the customer after installation was exactly the kind of feedback that confirmed a good fit between the equipment and the operation. Within weeks of the machines going live, the facility had produced over 200 bales and filled two full shipping containers with processed tyres. This article covers how the shipment was assembled, what the customer reported after running the equipment under real conditions, and why pairing a tyre baler with a sidewall cutter is often the most practical configuration for operations handling a mixed tyre stream.
This article covers how the shipment came together, what the customer reported after running the equipment, and why combining a tyre baler with a sidewall cutter is often the most practical setup for operations that need to process both passenger-car and heavy-duty-truck tyres at scale.
Getting capital equipment to a customer in northern Italy required careful planning around containerization, transport positioning, and delivery timing. Gradeall loaded both machines into a standard 20-foot shipping container at its manufacturing facility in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, in March 2019.
The MK2 tyre baler was fitted to a purpose-built transport cradle before loading. This cradle holds the machine in a horizontal position during shipping, protecting the hydraulic system and frame during transit and allowing it to fit within the container footprint without requiring additional crating. The sidewall cutter was loaded alongside the baler in the same container, making efficient use of the available space and delivering both machines to the customer in a single shipment.
Shipping both machines together reduced the customer’s logistics costs and simplified the installation timeline. Rather than receiving two separate deliveries weeks apart, the customer could plan a single installation sequence and have both machines operational at roughly the same time.
The container reached Bologna in late April 2019. Within a short period after delivery, the MK2 tyre baler was operational and producing bales. The installation process did not require extensive groundwork, consistent with the MK2’s design intent: it’s built to be set up and running without a lengthy commissioning period.
Both machines were operating in parallel shortly after arrival, with the sidewall cutter handling truck tyres before they entered the baling process.
Feedback from the Bologna customer was returned to Gradeall in a detailed email, along with photographs showing the equipment in use and examples of the bales being produced. The response covered several specific aspects of how the machines performed in practice.
The customer highlighted the MK2’s efficiency as one of its strongest features. The machine processes tyres quickly and consistently, reducing the time per bale and allowing a high throughput across a working shift. For a recycling operation dealing with a continuous inflow of waste tyres, this kind of output reliability matters a great deal. Downtime between cycles adds up quickly at scale, so a baler that runs without interruption is a direct operational advantage.
The fact that the customer produced over 200 bales and filled two containers during the period from late April to the time of writing their feedback email underscores how productive the setup proved to be in real-world conditions.
One of the practical challenges any tyre recycling operation faces is variation in tyre size. A facility handling tyres from passenger cars, commercial vans, and heavy-duty trucks can’t afford equipment that only performs well within a narrow size range. The customer specifically noted the MK2’s versatility, confirming it handled everything from small passenger-car tyres to large truck tyres without issue.
The sidewall cutter adds an important layer of processing capability here. Truck tyres are significantly thicker and stiffer than car tyres, and running them through a baler in their entirety can put additional stress on the hydraulic system and compromise bale density. Pre-cutting the sidewalls separates the tyre into three sections (two sidewalls and a tread band), each of which compresses far more predictably. The customer’s photographs clearly showed this process, with cut truck tyres laid out in their component sections before baling.
The customer commented that both machines are straightforward to operate, noting that the equipment is accessible to staff without extensive prior training. This is a point Gradeall hears fairly often from new customers, and it matters more than it might seem at first. In a busy recycling facility, operators often handle multiple tasks. Equipment that has a steep learning curve or that requires specialist knowledge to run day-to-day creates an ongoing operational burden. Both the MK2 and the sidewall cutter are designed with this in mind: the controls are intuitive, the loading process is clear, and the machines give operators consistent, repeatable results.
The customer also noted the robust construction of both machines. Tire recycling is not a gentle operating environment. Equipment operates under significant hydraulic pressure, handles heavy, abrasive materials, and often runs long shifts without pause. Machines that are built to light specifications may perform adequately early on but tend to develop reliability problems under sustained use. The MK2 and the sidewall cutter are built for the demands of a working recycling facility, with heavy-gauge steel construction and components specified for industrial-grade continuous operation.
The MK2 is Gradeall’s best-known tyre baling machine and has been shipped to customers across Europe, Australia, South Africa, and beyond. It produces dense, uniform tyre bales that are significantly easier to handle, transport, and store than loose tyres. Each bale reduces the volume of the original tyres by approximately 80%, thereby directly impacting transport and storage costs for operations that move large quantities of processed tyres.
The bales produced by the MK2 can be made to meet PAS 108, the British Standard for tyre bales used in civil engineering and construction applications. PAS 108-compliant bales can be used as a structural fill material in a range of applications, including embankments, foundations, and noise barriers. This opens up additional end markets for the processed material beyond standard recycling routes.
The MK2 can produce up to 6 bales per hour under normal operating conditions. Each bale contains between 100 and 110 standard passenger car tyres, depending on tyre size and the baling sequence. For truck tyres, the count per bale is lower, but the bale dimensions remain consistent, which keeps handling and logistics straightforward.
The machine is compatible with a range of conveyor and feeding systems that can be added to automate the loading process and improve throughput in higher-volume operations. For the Bologna customer, the standard configuration was sufficient given their current processing volumes.
One practical advantage of the MK2 is that it’s designed for international shipping. The transport cradle allows the machine to be shipped horizontally in a standard 20-foot container, and the combination of an MK2 and a sidewall cutter in a single container is a configuration Gradeall has used many times for international deliveries. This approach reduces shipping costs for customers and simplifies the import process, as both machines arrive under the same documentation and undergo the same customs clearance.
Gradeall has shipped equipment to more than 100 countries, and the Italy delivery is one of many European installations. Customers in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Poland, and elsewhere have received similar configurations.
A sidewall cutter is not always the first piece of equipment a tyre recycler thinks about purchasing, but for any operation processing truck tyres in volume, it changes the economics of the whole setup. The reason comes down to physics: truck tyres have thick, reinforced sidewalls that resist compression. Running a truck tyre through a baler in its entirety requires significantly more hydraulic force, slows the baling cycle, and produces a less uniform bale.
Pre-cutting the sidewalls with a dedicated machine solves this. The cutter separates the tyre cleanly into its three sections, each of which feeds into the baler far more efficiently. The result is a faster baling cycle, better bale density, and less wear on the baler’s hydraulic components over time.
The Gradeall sidewall cutter is designed to handle both car and truck tyres. The operator positions the tyre against the cutting blade, and the machine removes the sidewalls with a single hydraulic cutting action. The process is straightforward and consistent, producing clean cuts without requiring the operator to manually manage the blade position.
The customer in Bologna included photographs of the sidewall-cutting process with their feedback, showing the truck tyres being cut and the resulting sections laid out clearly. The images show both sidewalls and the tread band separated from a single truck tyre, ready for the baling stage.
For operations where truck tyres account for a significant proportion of the processed volume, the sidewall cutter is practically indispensable. The productivity gain from pre-cutting before baling is measurable: each baling cycle is shorter, the bales are denser, and the line’s overall output increases without changing the baler itself.
The Bologna customer’s results support this. Producing over 200 bales in a relatively short period after installation, handling a mixed stream of car and truck tyres, is the kind of output achievable when both machines work together as a system rather than as standalone pieces of equipment.
One of the wider points worth making about tyre recycling is the shift in how processed tyre material is being treated commercially. For many years, waste tyres were primarily a problem to be managed: a bulky, difficult-to-dispose-of material that occupied storage space and presented environmental liabilities. The growth of end markets for processed tyre material has changed this.
Tire bales have genuine commercial value in civil engineering applications. Crumb rubber derived from shredded tyres is used in playground surfaces, sports tracks, and road construction. Whole tyres and tire-derived fuel (TDF) are used in industrial energy recovery processes, including cement kilns and industrial boilers. Pyrolysis processes convert whole or shredded tyres into oil, carbon black, and gas. Each of these end uses creates a market for processed tyre material, and each depends on a consistent supply of tyres that have been handled and prepared.
Baling is one step in this chain. A facility that produces dense, uniform bales can move processed material efficiently to any of these downstream applications. The Bologna customer’s operation illustrates this: two containers filled with baled tyres represent material ready for onward transport to its next stage of use, with minimal additional handling required.
Beyond the commercial argument, there’s a straightforward environmental case for investing in proper tyre recycling equipment. Waste tyres are classified as a hazardous material in many countries. They cannot go to a landfill in the UK or the EU. They pose a fire risk in large accumulations and provide ideal breeding conditions for disease-carrying mosquitoes in warmer climates.
Processing tyres into bales reduces the volume and hazard profile of the waste stream, makes the material easier to move and store, and connects it to markets where it has genuine value. For a tyre recycler operating in Italy, the EU waste regulations create a strong compliance incentive to process tyres properly, and the commercial markets for processed material create a financial incentive to do it efficiently. Good equipment addresses both.
Gradeall International has been manufacturing waste management and recycling equipment at its facility in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, for nearly 40 years. All design, engineering, and manufacturing takes place at a single site, using raw materials sourced primarily from Irish and British suppliers.
The engineering team brings more than 200 years of combined experience to equipment development, and the sales team has over 100 years of combined experience in the recycling industry. This depth of knowledge shapes how the machines are designed: not from a general engineering perspective, but from a specific understanding of what recycling operations actually need from their equipment day to day.
Customers can visit the Dungannon facility to see equipment demonstrated under working conditions before making a purchasing decision. For international customers like the Bologna operation, Gradeall’s experience with container-optimised shipping means equipment arrives ready to install, with documentation and support to back it up.
Gradeall’s service network operates globally, providing ongoing support to customers in more than 100 countries. OEM spare parts are available, and the team can advise on maintenance schedules, operational settings, and any performance issues that arise throughout the equipment’s life. For the Bologna customer, as with any international installation, this means the relationship doesn’t end when the container is delivered.
The Italy installation is one point in a much larger picture. Gradeall equipment operates in recycling facilities across Europe, including in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Poland, and Scandinavia, as well as in Australia, South Africa, the Gulf States, North America, and dozens of other markets. This breadth of experience across different regulatory environments, waste stream compositions, and operating conditions feeds directly back into how new equipment is designed and how existing models are refined.
For recycling operations considering their first tyre baler, or looking to upgrade from an older or lower-capacity machine, the Bologna installation offers a useful reference point. The setup is not complex: a single container, two machines, a straightforward installation, and within weeks, the operation was processing tyres at a volume that justified the investment many times over.
The right starting point is an honest assessment of your current tyre volumes and the mix of tyre types coming through your facility. If you’re handling predominantly car tyres at moderate volumes, a standalone MK2 may be all you need. If truck tyres make up a meaningful share of your intake, adding a sidewall cutter from the outset will pay for itself quickly through faster cycle times and reduced wear on the baler. And if volumes are high enough to warrant automated feeding, Gradeall’s conveyor and inclined feed systems can be integrated into the line to reduce manual handling and maintain consistent throughput throughout a full shift.
Gradeall’s team can advise on the right configuration for your specific operation, whether you’re running a small regional tyre collection business or a large-scale processing facility handling thousands of tyres per week. The conversation usually starts with a few practical questions about daily volumes, tyre sizes, available floor space, and what you plan to do with the processed material. From there, the right equipment specification becomes straightforward.
To discuss your requirements or arrange a visit to the Dungannon manufacturing facility, contact the Gradeall sales team directly.
Yes, but for truck tyres, use a sidewall cutter to pre-cut before baling. This reduces hydraulic load, speeds up the cycle, and produces a denser bale. Running truck tyres whole is possible, but less efficient and harder on the machine over time.
Up to six bales per hour under normal conditions. Each bale typically contains between 100 and 110 passenger car tyres, depending on size. Actual throughput varies based on tyre mix, operator experience, and any feeding equipment in the system.
Yes. The MK2 produces bales that meet PAS 108, the British Standard for tyre bales used in civil engineering and construction, including embankments, foundations, and noise barriers.
Yes, to more than 100 countries. The MK2 and sidewall cutter are both designed for container shipping, and both machines fit in a single 20-foot container. Gradeall handles shipping documentation and can advise on import logistics.
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