Something New Up North
The Lacero, Komptech’s highest-performance shredder, is now up and running at two sites in Norway. In a market previously dominated by American grinders, this European-designed high-speed shredder is winning accolades thanks to its toughness, high throughput and low noise emissions.
What would you do if you had 24 hours to explore Oslo and its beautiful surroundings? A stroll downtown past the Royal Palace, a visit to Åkershus fortress in the harbour or a coffee break in hip Grünerløkka on the eastern side of town would doubtless be high on the list.
And if you’re interested in big, high-performance waste processing machines, you’ll want to stop by the municipal disposal operation Horisont IKS in Hunndalen. Located in the Horisont Ecology Park near lake Mjøsa, Norway’s largest lake, every year the company processes around 30,000 tonnes of waste wood and 30,000 tonnes of green waste into fuel and compost. Since September 2025 a high-performance Lacero chipper by Komptech has been part of this effort. Powered by an 812 hp Caterpillar C18 engine and weighing in at over 40 tonnes, this Austrian machine provides reliable shredding of biogenic waste.
„The Lacero has arrived in Norway and is showing what it can do.“
Christian Kulmer
Area Sales Manager for the Norwegian Market
HIGH PERFORMANCE, LOW CONSUMPTION
Operations manager Harald Tømmerstigen realized after only a couple of weeks that the Lacero can handle a lot more than the current 60,000 tonnes it chews through annually. “The Lacero has much higher performance than its predecessor by another manufacturer. That means we can increase the amount of material we process in the coming years without any problems.”
The operating costs are another pleasant surprise. “We still need to look at the exact figures in detail, but it’s already clear that with its enormous throughput, its low specific fuel consumption and the long service life of its teeth, this is a very efficient machine with low operating costs.”
YOU ALWAYS MEET TWICE
At the work site, where the Lacero shreds waste wood into fuel for a nearby heating plant, we meet Trond Skaug, who has been a Machine Operator for Horisont since 1993. During the past 15 years he’s worked with various shredders, including their former machine by a competitor. “That shredder constantly had technical issues,” recalls Trond. They therefore returned it and replaced it with the Lacero.
The Lacero processes large quantities of waste wood and green waste problem-free.
Even bulky pieces can’t slow the machine down.
What customers particularly value about the Lacero is its high throughput.
Komptech is all the more gratified by the relationship with Horisont because the two com-panies have been in contact with each other for such a long time. Way back in December 2012 Trond visited Komptech in Frohnleiten to find out about the company’s shredders. At the time the Lacero was still in the future, so Trond went with a competitor machine. Sales Manager Christian Kulmer says with satisfaction: “13 years after that first meeting and a visit to check out a Lacero in Denmark, a Komptech shredder has finally found a place with Horisont.”
LOCAL SUPPORT FROM LILLESAND
Great performance is not the only important thing. A local service partner is available for all questions, requests and needs. The company Magne Gitmark & Co AS in Lillesand has been a dependable Komptech sales and service partner for over 25 years and knows the Norwegian market like few others.
Harald Tømmerstigen appreciates this local support. “Just recently we needed a new hydraulic cylinder that wasn’t in stock locally. The replacement part was shipped out from central parts stock in Austria, delivered and installed within 24 hours. Outstanding!” Gitmark also offers the option of leasing machines for a specific period.
FIRST THE CRAMBO, THEN THE LACERO
Just an hour from Horisont by car there is also another plant that benefits from Komptech’s capabilities. The family company Vermundsjøen bioenergi near Elverum specializes in contract shredding. Owner Terje Hansen and family first came into contact with Komptech in 2024 when they purchased a Certified Used Crambo from the Komptech rental fleet. The Austrian machine’s quality was convincing, and the company soon obtained a Multistar L3 star screen on long-term lease. In late 2025 a Lacero was added, completing Terje’s machine park for the present.
With the Crambo, Multistar L3 and Lacero, Vermundsjøen bioenergi can process all kinds of waste wood and green waste flexibly and to the grain size requested by the customer. Kjell Sagmoen, a machine operator with 25 years of professional experience, is in charge of the Lacero. Over the years he’s worked with shredders by many manufacturers, so he knows what he’s talking about when he praises the Lacero’s contrary detection system. “It works really well – that’s very reassuring if a big contaminant gets into the machine.”
MAINTENANCE MADE EASY
Kjell is also delighted with the user friendliness of the machine. “Access for maintenance work is very good. You can tell that the designers put a lot of thought into it.” Another plus point for him is the tracked chassis, with which the machine can make its way even through snow and ice. That means nothing can stop these Komptech machines up here in the north.
„Access for maintenance work is very good.
You can tell that the designers put a lot of thought into it.“
Kjell Sagmoen
Machine Operator at Vermundsjøen bioenergi
This is the online version of the article “Something New Up North” from the Komptech magazine Opportunity / Issue No. 5 (2026)
Image rights: All images © Komptech GmbH where not otherwise indicated.
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