The Silent Green of Willibald
Willibald is perhaps the least talked about but most consistently successful high-speed shredder manufacturer in Europe. The company was founded in 1965 by Josef Willibald in Altheim, near Lake Constance in southern Germany. Like many German machinery pioneers, Willibald began in agriculture — his first innovations included the world’s first series-produced hop cutting machine and flail mulchers that enabled organic wine, fruit, and agricultural production for the first time.
In 1981, Willibald developed its first shredder, the MZA, and moved the company to Sentenhart, Baden-Württemberg, where it continued to expand. J. Willibald GmbH was formally established in 1990. Josef Willibald received the Business Medal of the State of Baden-Württemberg in 2010 for his inventive spirit. At 90 years old (in 2025), he still comes to the company every day to work on new ideas.
Today, Willibald employs around 70 people at its Sentenhart site, produces approximately 100 large machines per year, and generates annual turnover of around €30 million. The company is a specialist — it does not try to compete across the full processing chain like Doppstadt or Komptech. Instead, it focuses on three product categories: high-speed shredders, screening machines, and compost turners. This focus has made it one of the world’s leading system providers in its niche.
The SHARK series is the company’s defining product. Since its launch, Willibald has sold over 700 shredders in the SHARK range worldwide — the 700th was completed in 2025 during the company’s 60th anniversary year. The machines are now in their fifth generation with five rotor variants, developed in close cooperation with operators. All EP 5500 machines are delivered with MAN engines of the latest generation as standard.
Product Range — Complete Model Directory
EP 5500 SHARK — Mobile High-Performance Shredder
The EP 5500 SHARK is Willibald’s flagship product and the machine the company is known for. It is a high-speed flail shredder for composting, biomass processing, biogas substrate preparation, bark and peat processing, and producing wood chips from waste wood and pallets for thermal recycling. The current fifth generation is available with five rotor variants, each optimised for specific material types:
Version 1: Light flails for green waste and compost materials. Version 2: Standard flails for general-purpose use across green waste, biomass, and light wood. Version 3: Heavy single flails (32 massive units) for longer lifetimes and versatile material processing including pallets and waste wood. Version 4: Fixed shredder tools with chopping qualities for biomass processing, featuring an innovative contaminant safety concept. Version 5: Rotor optimised for solid wood and logs.
The machine is powered by MAN engines (480 or 520 HP, Stage V compliant), features a selectable discharge height of 3.8 m, 4.5 m, or 5.0 m, and can be configured on a standard 2-axle chassis or optionally on a 3-axle chassis or track system. Optional extras include the easy2 machine controller (real-time data monitoring), RAL custom colour, biodegradable hydraulic oil, optical volume measurement with fan unit, and remote service connectivity.
MS 3000 MINISHARK — Compact High-Speed Shredder
The MINISHARK 3000 is the entry-level model in the “Willibald world of shredders.” It evolved from the earlier Minimax 2000 series, combined with components from the EP 5500 SHARK. Designed for operators with smaller to medium throughput volumes, it reliably shreds green waste, compost materials, demolition wood, and wood packaging. Lighter, more manoeuvrable, and more affordable than the full SHARK — but sharing key engineering DNA.
UZ 80 — Stationary Universal Shredder
The UZ 80 is a stationary electric shredder for permanent installations in composting plants, humus factories, and biogas plants. It shreds organic raw materials, compost, and smaller timber materials in continuous, automated operation.
MZA Series — The Original Shredder
The MZA is the “strong veteran” of the Willibald portfolio, dating back to 1984 (MZA 1500). While largely superseded by the SHARK and MINISHARK for most applications, MZA units remain in service and are occasionally available used.
SR 5000 — Heavy-Duty Shredder
“The Giant” is a heavy-duty, high-performance shredder designed for wooden construction waste (demolition wood), pre-crushed bulky rough wood, wooden packaging, wooden bulk waste, and industrial wood waste. Produces chips for energy recovery or complete recycling.
FLEXSTAR 3000 — Three-Fraction Star Screen
The FLEXSTAR 3000 is Willibald’s mobile, three-fraction star screen — presented as a new product at the company’s anniversary celebrations. It enables accurate preparation of organic materials such as compost and wood chips in a single work process, producing three output fractions simultaneously.
TBU Series — Compost Turners
Drum-belt turners for turning compost windrows, accelerating ripening, and ensuring a homogeneous end product. Models: TBU 3P and TBU XL.