From Waste to Worth
How a High‑Performance Shredder Tooth is Transforming Efficiency at Welland Waste.
Spaldings Field Account Manager Jason Smith recently visited Welland Waste in Northamptonshire to catch up with Andy, the Maintenance Engineer responsible for the Swedish‑built IQR wood‑shredding machine. The goal was simple: to see how switching to a Spaldings‑manufactured shredder tooth has reshaped their day‑to‑day operations.
Welland Waste processes every type of waste wood imaginable — contaminated, mixed, and virgin material — putting enormous pressure on their shredding equipment. Andy had known Jason for years through purchasing agricultural parts from Spaldings, and during a conversation about wood‑shredding performance, he raised ongoing issues with his existing tooth supplier. The problems were familiar: inconsistent performance, the need to change teeth every 3–4 days, high costs, and long lead times. With the teeth coming from Sweden, delays were common, and customs hold‑ups only made matters worse.
Although the original teeth were carbide‑coated — a feature intended to improve wear resistance — the results didn’t match expectations.
After extensive research, Spaldings developed a plain, uncoated tooth made from a carefully selected grade of steel, engineered to deliver strength and durability without relying on a coating.
Andy explained: “It seems the carbide coating actually had a negative effect on the original tooth performance in our operation. Since switching to the Spaldings SPL Ultra version, performance has noticeably improved. For our machine and the material we process, the steel quality and manufacturing process of the Spaldings tooth is far better suited to the conditions."
Eighteen months on, Welland Waste continues to run Spaldings teeth (part number 80085) with impressive results. Throughput has increased, allowing the team to condense their shredding into a four‑day working week while achieving 80–90 tonnes per hour. Tooth life has also improved significantly. Instead of changing teeth every 3–4 days, they now last 5–6 days. And because the Spaldings option is more cost‑effective, the team can choose to change them every four days to maintain peak efficiency without worrying about expense. Ordering is no longer a headache either — a full set ordered today arrives tomorrow. With Spaldings holding increased stock, and Welland Waste keeping additional sets on site, downtime has been dramatically reduced.
If you’d like to order teeth for your own machinery, contact your local representative or call telesales on 01522 507600.
