ARBIZ Corporation, established in 2003, is a prominent recycling company based in Nagoya, Japan. The name "ARBIZ" is an acronym derived from "Art Recycling Business," reflecting the company's commitment to elevating recycling to an art form and aiming to be an ace (ACE) in the recycling industry. 

Key Milestones in ARBIZ's History:

• ‍2004: Initiated car recycling operations.
• 2005: Expanded into shredding, plastic, and old paper recycling.
• 2008: Introducing an E-Waste Recycling Plant. 
• 2019: Obtained R2 Certification and Launched a Digital Device Recycling Facility
• 2025: Plant development aiming at specific aluminium recycling processes

As of recent data, ARBIZ employs approximately 180 staff members and operates a facility spanning 112.000 square meters. Their recycling operations encompass materials such as plastic, paper, glass, and metal.

ARBIZ’s metal recycling rate is approximately 55% (metal shipment/receivables) and achieved a 99.7% automotive recycling rate. These figures highlight ARBIZ's dedication to efficient resource utilization and environmental sustainability. 

ARBIZ is Japan’s top recycler in ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) resource recovery. Even lightweight dust, which is typically processed through energy recovery, is transformed by ARBIZ into steelmaking auxiliary materials using a “Thermoreactor “and sold as a valuable product. With the recent surge in electricity costs, orders from steel mills have significantly increased.

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Through continuous diversification and innovation, ARBIZ Corporation has solidified its position as a leader in Japan's recycling industry, contributing significantly to environmental conservation and the advancement of a circular economy.

And the next business ARBIZ is pursuing is the horizontal recycling of aluminum scrap. To achieve the high-quality recycling that ARBIZ values, the LIBS sorter was the essential solution.

Here, I would like to mention a few words about LIBS spectroscopy. LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) is an optical emission spectroscopy used to measure elemental concentrations in different materials. Such LIBS machines are more and more widely used in industries for the analysis of metals and alloys, being able to identify a wide range of elements, with high precision. Due to the above facts, by today, LIBS based sensor sorters are recognized as the key step in the metals scrap sorting process line when mixed aluminium scrap needs to be specifically sorted by alloy types.

When ARBIZ’s management decided to implement a LIBS sensor sorter system at our Nagoya plant, we searched for possible suppliers and visited most of them. We were glad to meet Austin AI Europe team in Budapest and have a chance to run our materials through the Austin AI unique LIBS system, testing different sorting programs.

For first, based on precisely set Si% we were able to separate wrought and cast aluminium fractions with 100% purity and very high extraction efficiency.

Further on, we sorted not only 6063 but 5052, 3005, ADC12 and other specific alloys by given elemental compositions. The Austin AI LIBS always gave exceptionally high purity of the required alloy fraction at reasonably high throughput and reliably performed even as low as <0.1% elemental concentration levels, too. The Austin AI LIBS provides high flexibility. Easy to change from one sorting program to another.

It is known that the Austin AI mechanical design is far more different from all others with the belt-type feeding. The complete system uses a two-step vibratory feeder to distribute the material across the width of the feeder plates, providing a singular distribution of the pieces and thus analyzing each piece when 'free-falling' down along the unique chute design into the laser path. It has a very unique and also simple design with a powerful laser that etches down to bare metal for coatings, like: painted material, corroded material, and thin polymer material. It means there is no need for a so-called ’cleaning’ laser ahead of the analytical laser. No moving parts, easy to handle and an easy-to-work-with LIBS system.

Considering all our needs, our choice fell on the Austin AI LIBS sensor sorter. The system was installed and commissioned a few weeks ago and we are proud to be the first company in Japan to run a high throughput, LIBS-based sensor sorter.

Japan has a highly developed aluminium industry, despite having no domestic bauxite reserves or primary aluminium smelting operations. Instead, the country relies entirely on imports of primary aluminium while excelling in aluminium processing, recycling, and sustainability efforts.

Japan is one of the largest global consumers of aluminium, utilizing it in key industries such as automotive manufacturing, electronics, packaging, and construction. Due to the high energy costs associated with aluminium smelting, Japan ceased primary aluminium production in the 1980s, shifting its focus toward refining, processing, and recycling.

The Japanese aluminium industry is dominated by leading companies where ARBIZ Corporation has a key role, supplying high purity, specific aluminium alloys to those who are specialized in producing aluminium sheets, extrusions, and precision components for high-tech applications.

By prioritizing sustainability and technological advancements, ARBIZ Corporation continues to set a global example in aluminium recycling and resource efficiency, reinforcing its commitment to a greener and more resilient industrial future.

ARBIZ Corporation
14-24 Showa-cho, Minato-ku
Nagoya, Aichi 455-0026, JAPAN
information@arbiz.co.jp
https://www.arbiz.co.jp/