HAAS — The Westerwald Workhorse
HAAS Recycling-Systems is a family business founded in 1989 by Volker Haas in Dreisbach, a village in the Westerwald region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The company began with the less glamorous work of building drum chippers, screens, and conveyors for the sawmill industry — equipment for disposing of sawmill residual products like bark, offcuts, and sawdust.
From this sawmill niche, HAAS gradually moved into waste wood recycling installations, building complete turnkey plants for the waste wood, chipboard, and biomass sectors across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Russia, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Canada, and Pakistan. The expansion into mobile shredding technology came later and was driven largely by Sascha Kloft, Volker Haas’s stepson, who joined the company, took over the sales department, and pushed aggressively into mobile machines. In 2015, Kloft became the second managing director, and the pair have co-led the business since.
To reflect the broadened product range, the registered company name “HAAS Holzzerkleinerungs- und Fördertechnik” (wood shredding and conveyor technology) was supplemented with the registered trademark “HAAS Recycling-Systems.” The company operates from an 8.5-hectare site in Dreisbach, employs approximately 50–80 people (depending on source), and generates estimated annual revenue of around €5–10 million. Almost all HAAS machines are planned and produced in-house. With approximately 25 international dealer partners, the export share is around 70%.
In the UK and Ireland, HAAS is distributed exclusively by CRJ Services, which has held the dealership for nearly 10 years and runs over 25 HAAS TYRON slow-speed shredders in its own hire fleet — making CRJ one of the largest TYRON operators anywhere.
The TYRON is the product that put HAAS on the international map. Over 500 units have been sold worldwide, and the machine has earned a reputation for exceptional durability — the oldest TYRON still in operation has exceeded 35,000 hours.
Product Range — Complete Model Directory
TYRON — Twin-Shaft Primary Shredder (Mobile)
The TYRON is HAAS’s flagship product and revenue driver. It is a twin-shaft slow speed primary shredder with independently driven shafts (asynchronous operation), designed for waste wood, green waste, domestic waste, bulky waste, industrial waste, railway sleepers, mattresses, cable drums, paper rolls, roots, and light metals. The asynchronous shaft design — where each shaft can run at different speeds and reverse independently — reduces wear and downtime compared to synchronous competitors.
Models: TYRON 1500 (compact, approximately 1,500 mm working width), TYRON 2000 (the standard/bestseller, ~2,000 mm working width), TYRON 2500 (the largest, ~2,500 mm working width). Each model is available with the optional XL Power Package (stronger hydraulics, 30% more power). The latest development is the TYRON 2000 XL QC (Quick Change), featuring a new quick-change shredding unit for dramatically faster maintenance and shaft replacement — the first unit in Scandinavia was delivered in 2025.
The TYRON Hybrid, an electric/diesel hybrid variant, was presented at IFAT 2022 — part of HAAS’s push toward greener shredding alternatives.
TYRON — Stationary Versions
Stationary electric versions for permanent plant installations: TYRON 1500-E, TYRON 2000-E, and TYRON 2500-E. These are typically used as the first machine in a recycling line. The power pack drive unit can be installed separately in a dust-protected location.
Viking — Single-Shaft Shredder
The Viking is a more aggressive single-shaft shredder for difficult materials, using HAAS’s twin-shaft technology adapted for especially problematic waste streams.
ARTHOS — Secondary Shredder / Hammermill
The ARTHOS 1600 is a secondary hammermill shredder with a ballistic chute that automatically separates contaminants from the input material. First presented in a mobile version at IFAT 2018. Used for producing fines — RDF, SRF, biomass fuel.
ALVA — Star Screen
The ALVA star screen was presented at IFAT 2022 alongside the TYRON Hybrid. Designed for screening compost, biomass, and wood chips.
Conveyor Technology
HAAS also produces conveyors, dosing systems, and complete plant engineering solutions, reflecting its origins in turnkey waste wood installations.