On behalf of the National Environment Agency (NEA), the REMEX Group in Singapore has been processing incinerator bottom ash (IBA) from the city state’s four municipal solid waste incinerators for approximately ten years. The ferrous and non-ferrous metals recovered in this process are recycled, processed and marketed regionally in cooperation with the nearby REMEX site in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The fine non-ferrous metals are shipped to the Netherlands, where the Dutch subsidiary HEROS Sluiskil B.V. removes residual ash in order to sell the high-quality secondary metals on the international market.
The REMEX Group has been processing bottom ash and recovering metals in Singapore since 2015.
The new Group member
With 40 years of experience in this market, NEO Hardware Pte. Ltd. is specialised in metal recycling. The family-run company trades in recycled metals at an annual volume of around 150,000 tonnes. The metals are received, processed and resold at two locations in central and western Singapore. The company’s own fleet of vehicles and machineries enables the direct sales of recycled goods within Singapore. Almost half of the quantities traded are exported, with India, Indonesia and Malaysia among the markets.
Contract sealed and looking forward to the future: NEO Managing Director Xindi Wang and the shareholders of the Neo family Lim Yan Yan und Neo Cheng Kang with Michael Stoll, CEO of REMEX GmbH, Venkat Patnaik, Managing Director of REMEX Minerals Singapore Pte. Ltd. and NEO Managing Director Neo Jia Le (from left to right)
New market opportunities
The acquisition of NEO substantially expands the REMEX customer base and market penetration across the region. Trading in recycled metals within South and Southeast Asia offers the option of expanding existing business networks as well as identifying further attractive growth opportunities.
“The investment in NEO enables us to broaden the scope of our local operations and, for example, to enter into the disposal and recycling of other waste types. NEO’s close cooperation with REMEX locations in Singapore and Malaysia also allows us to tap into important synergies, particularly in the areas of plant technology, sales and commercial administration.”
Michael Stoll, CEO of REMEX GmbH
Strategic development
With growth underpinned by strategic investments, the expansion of activities in Asia is a key REMEX objective. In 2021, for example, the Group invested in its own high-performance metal processing facility in Tuas, an industrial region in western Singapore, to complement the existing processing plant for incinerator bottom ash.
Working together for the future
NEO’s management responsibility is reflected in the shareholder structure. Neo family member Neo Jia Le will assume operational management of the company and provide continuity for customers. REMEX has appointed its long-time employee Xindi Wang as Managing Director. The materials scientist, who studied and worked in Germany for many years, was also responsible for the REMEX office in Shenzhen, China. In Singapore, he will utilize his Asian sales contacts in particular.
In August 2019, the Minister announced the ZERO Waste Masterplan Singapore: by the end of the decade, the island nation with 5.7 million inhabitants on 728 km² aims to increase its recycling rate to 70%. The zero waste strategy and reduced landfill volumes are intended to extend the life of the only landfill site, Semakau Island, beyond 2035.
Image credits: © SimpLine, stock.adobe.com, 373988891
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