Environmental Marketing Solutions (EMS)

21st September 2016

Company name & background

Environmental Marketing Solutions (EMS) was founded by Harry McCourt, incorporated on 22 May 2006 and commenced trading on 22 June 2006. They are based in Killyman, Co Tyrone. Since inception the company focused on designing and manufacturing machines suitable for the recycling and construction industries. EMS currently designs bespoke systems to suit individual customer needs including shredders, air knifes, bag openers, flip flow screens, blowers, picking bays, horizontal and vertical conveyors and fully enclosed cabins   EMS offer a complete turnkey package designed exclusively for the customers’ needs.

Reasons for Project

In this project EMS have designed, developed and manufactured a compact density separator primarily for mixed municipal waste. The design will have a drum less density separator with integral airflow filtration employing airflow redirection and pocket filters, capable of a throughput of material for separation in excess of 35 tonnes per hour at an efficiency level greater than 95%. It will separate waste streams into lights and heavies, reducing waste disposal costs. The unit is to be self-contained with removable conveyors and legs allowing it to be transported in a single 40ft (12m) high cube container.

Drum separators are not new but EMS drum less design overcomes the drawbacks associated with the drum separator designs (particularly plastic films wrapping around the drum). A Density Separator is a device that uses an air current to separate a material from another of greater density or particles from other greater size. By using air, materials can be separated based on other material density or shape. Essentially the machine separates waste streams into two fractions; heavy and light.

The Project

EMS’s Grant for R&D Density Separator has been successfully completed.

The Benefits for Customers having such a product are:

• Can separate two waste streams into two fractions; heavy and lights quickly and efficiently
• Reduce waste disposal costs and maximise material recovery with density separation technology
• Recovering high-quality, reusable material from waste not only equips you with a valuable resource – it also boosts your green credentials
• EMS Ltd’s density separators benefit from leading separation technology, ensuring an ultra-efficient process and guaranteeing high returns
• They are also fully self-contained, extremely durable, with the advantage of being easily incorporated into existing systems

Invest NI has offered the company over £70,340 of assistance, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund

Results and summary of benefits realised

EMS has secured a £1.6m deal in UAE following investment in product development and a sales focus on new international markets.

The local recycling company used an Invest Northern Ireland Grant for R&D to develop an innovative extended product range and took part in an Invest NI trade mission to Saudi Arabia and UAE to identify new customers.

How did ERDF funding, through the EU Investment for Growth & Jobs Programme, contribute to the success of the project/scheme?

The R&D project would not be fully implemented as the company believes that the financial risk to undertake all proposed activities in the proposed timescale without the ERDF assisted funding from Invest NI was too high.

Future plans 

EMS remains committed to continue to develop innovative, market led, export focused product development to service the growing waste processing market.