Be lean and green with Sandvik Coromant

More recently, Sandvik Coromant broke the ideology that tungsten carbide recycling was good for the environment, but had little effect on the bottom line. With ever-stronger calls for manufacturers to deliver green agendas, initiatives to ensure environmental sustainability are frequently seen as a business cost, not an opportunity. However, Sandvik Coromant has designed a closed-looped return-and-recycle process for carbide recycling, so customers enjoy business benefits beyond just the environment.

The company looks at carbide recycling in the context of the end user’s value chain. Customers can incorporate environmental concepts into processes ranging from the dispensing of carbide inserts and their use in production, through to end-of-life collection for recycling. With the money received for worn tools, manufacturers can purchase new inserts or finance new tooling projects, for example.

The good news is that this hassle-free, one-stop recycling system could not be simpler. Just gather together used solid carbide inserts and round tools and return them in the free boxes provided. These will then be forwarded to the Sandvik Coromant ISO 14001/OHSAS 18001-certified plant and recycled using approved, environmentally-friendly methods. Customers will receive the current market price per kilogram of carbide collected.

Aside from generating extra income, additional benefits include getting rid of used or worn tooling from the workplace without feeling that emptying used carbide into regular waste streams feels environmentally wrong. However, the true reward comes from better utilization of precious resources plus a more sustainable environment for everyone.