Stadler opens new recycling Test Center in Altshausen

Stadler welcomed 50 participants from 10 countries, including representatives of several recycling companies and international industry journalists, to its headquarters in Altshausen for the Stadler Summit 2026. The event provided a platform for discussing the future of sorting and recycling, as well as the operational and strategic challenges facing recycling companies. It also presented how the Stadler Group combines engineering, production, digital technologies and lifecycle services to address different operational and market requirements.

The program began with presentations on the new Air Drum Sifter, digital solutions for optimizing plant performance, technical developments for next-generation sorting plants and the company's service offering. Participants also toured Stadler's production facilities. The Summit concluded with the official inauguration of the company's new Test Center, led by Julia and Willi Stadler, followed by a live demonstration of selected Stadlerconnect modules. HDPE, PET and film were processed to show how the facility can test different plastic fractions under realistic operating conditions.

"The Summit was conceived as much more than a company presentation. It was an opportunity to listen to our customers, exchange experiences and discuss how the recycling industry is evolving," says Julia Stadler, Co-CEO of the Stadler Group. "By bringing together engineering, manufacturing, digitalization and service, we can support our customers throughout the entire lifecycle of their plants and help them respond to their individual operational and market requirements."

Stadler new Test Center in Germany, opening ceremony

Engineering and production in Altshausen

Guests were given a behind-the-scenes tour of Stadler's headquarters in Altshausen, where more than 350 employees work across over 20,000 m² of production and logistics space. The visit covered storage and logistics, sheet metal processing, robotic welding, powder coating and final assembly, providing an overview of the company's manufacturing capabilities in Germany.

The site produces equipment and components for tailor-made sorting plants, including conveyor systems, ballistic separators, air drum sifters, dosing systems and sorting cabins. Recent investments include new welding robots and a vertical CNC machining center. Keeping these processes in-house gives Stadler direct control over quality, precision and delivery, while enabling close cooperation between engineering, manufacturing and assembly.

Test Center links development with customer validation

The new Test Center spans approximately 2,160 m² across several halls, with 726 m² dedicated to the test installation and equipment. Developed primarily for the Engineering Department, it will support fundamental trials, prototype development and the optimization of machines, components and digital solutions.

The facility incorporates examples of every type of equipment manufactured at the Altshausen site, together with digital solutions such as AI Material Compass, volume flow sensors and Stadlerconnect. It will be used to test plastic fractions and textiles and to evaluate new machine concepts, including different air classifier models.

Stadler Test Center in Altshausen, Germany

Customers will be able to test their own materials, optimize processing parameters and compare different machine configurations. According to the company, validated test results are intended to reduce investment risk. The center will also provide practical training for operators and service personnel, supporting consistent throughput, plant availability, and recovery and purity levels.

Stadler new Test Center, Julia Stadler and Willi Stadler

Complementary testing network in Germany and Slovenia

The Altshausen facility complements Stadler's Test & Innovation Center in Krško, Slovenia. Krško is also home to the company's second production site, where trommel screens, label removers and electrical components for Stadler sorting plants are manufactured.

While the Test Center in Altshausen focuses on Stadler's own technologies and customer trials, the Krško facility combines its equipment with additional technologies, including shredding, magnetic and eddy current separation, and NIR sorting. This enables larger-scale material trials and comprehensive process validation.

"The new Test Center creates a direct link between our engineering expertise, practical testing and the real needs of our customers," says Willi Stadler, Co-CEO of the Stadler Group. "Waste composition, collection systems, legislation and output requirements vary from one project to another, so we engineer the mechanical, electrical and digital components as an integrated system. The facility enables us to evaluate and refine that interaction under realistic conditions."

Investment in manufacturing, software and engineering

Stadler employs around 650 people worldwide and invests a high single-digit percentage of its annual revenue in manufacturing capabilities, software, research and development, and engineering teams. These investments support the development of tailor-made sorting solutions and lifecycle services intended to help customers maintain efficient and reliable plants.

About Stadler

Founded in 1791, the Stadler Group plans, produces and assembles sorting systems and components for the recycling industry. It provides tailor-made turnkey solutions covering conceptual design, engineering, installation, modernization and servicing. Its product range includes ballistic separators, conveyor belts, trommel screens, label removers, bale dewiring units, air drum sifters, steel structures and electrical switch cabinets for complete recycling plants.

Through its AI-powered Stadlerconnect platform, the company combines mechanical engineering with digital functions that provide real-time data, predictive analytics and process optimization. Stadler also operates Test and Innovation Centers in Europe, supporting research and customer simulations of sorting processes.