On 6th November, on the eve of a scheduled public viewing for an asset auction at QC Polymer in Bilston, Wolverhampton, it was discovered that the entire rPET recycling plant had been stolen.
QC Polymer entered administration on 29th October 2024, with joint administrators Hasib Howlader and Nimish Patel from Hudson Weir appointed to oversee proceedings. Hudson Weir had engaged G J Wisdom & Co. as valuers and auctioneers to manage the sale of this advanced plastic bottle recycling plant, which included the latest in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) technology.
When Garry Wisdom of G J Wisdom & Co. arrived at the site on 6th November to prepare for the pre-auction public viewing, he found the facility empty. The entire plant, valued at £1.3 million, had been removed without a trace.
Commenting on the incident, Hasib Howlader of Hudson Weir stated, “This is an extraordinary turn of events following the administration of QC Polymer. To understand the sheer scale of this robbery GJ Wisdom & Co estimated it would have taken 7 days to dismantle this plant and a fleet of 10 articulated lorries and two cranes to cart it away. The theft was clearly premeditated pre-planned and the factory building showed no signs of forced entry. The West Midlands Police and the Serious Fraud Squad have been informed and are investigating.”
The stolen equipment was highly specialised PET recycling machinery, with limited resale potential due to its niche market. Hudson Weir has urged the recycling industry to be vigilant for any offers of this machinery at suspiciously low prices.
The stolen inventory included:
- Bail Break, Trommel Separator, Cap & Label Separator, and a Tomra Autosort Bottle Sorter with EM3 Metal Sensor
- Ken Mills Aries Horizontal Bailer, Label Remover, Pre-Washer, Granulators, Floating Tanks, Centrifugal Dryers
- Steam Boiler, Hot Wash Tanks, Hot Air Drying System, Blow Down Vessel, Tomra Optical Flake Sorter, Eddy Current Separator
- Discharge Silo & Twin Bagging Stand, various connecting conveyors
- Boge Direct Air UK Air Compressor with a 1000L Tank & Dryer
- Two Polymer Preparation Systems
- Dissolved Air Flotation System for water filtration
Hasib Howlader further added, “We had secured significant interest in this inventory of specialised recycling equipment, with several interested parties ready to make offers when the sale date arrived on the 11th of November. This is a setback in our current plans as our duty as administrators is to realise as much for the business and its assets as we can returning to the creditor’s funds for distribution. We are asking the recycling industry to be extra vigilant and to keep an eye open for the type of equipment that has been stolen from QC Polymer. If any of the machinery is offered to you please contact me, Hasib Howlader on the following email and telephone numbers.”
For any information on the stolen machinery, please contact:
- Hasib Howlader, Director
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 020 7099 6086
