Alfa Laval of Sweden signed a strategic alliance with the Dutch company Vandenbroek, a supplier of drying equipment for the sludge disposal market, to be the exclusive distributor of Vandenbroek sludge driers worldwide.
Drying technology is a growing market and thermal drying is becoming the preferred method for waste sludge management in Europe and the USA. This technology is being driven by local European Union government taxes and legislation that aims to prevent the landfill of any organic matter by 2005. Trends indicate that smaller treatment plants will convert to drying technology as the ultimate solution to safe sludge disposal.
The alliance with Vandenbroek is initially for a three-year period and will allow Alfa Laval to serve the growing market for small- and medium-sized drying equipment to customers on a global basis, while Vandenbroek will continue to handle large projects directly. Currently, Alfa Laval is involved in the processing of municipal sludge from more than 200 million people. Key markets for Alfa Laval sludge treatment technology include Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Spain and the UK.
Vandenbroek has installed more than 500 municipal and industrial sludge drying plants around the world. Vandenbroek is part of the engineering consultancy Grontmij Group.
