National Recovery Technologies

What National Recovery Technologies does

National Recovery Technologies (NRT) is a US-based designer, manufacturer, and installer of optical sorting equipment for the recycling industry, founded in 1981 in Nashville, Tennessee and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) since 2012. The company builds a portfolio of optical sorters, including the SpydIR® family of Near Infrared (NIR) sorters, ColorPlus™ color-based sorters, MetalDirector™ electromagnetic metal detection systems, and TruSort® X-ray sorting systems (XRF and DXRT), all built around its proprietary In-Flight Sorting® technology that detects and ejects material while in flight to eliminate motion-related error. Its portfolio also includes the Online Analyzer™ for high-speed spectral analysis of plastic flakes and the FiberPure™ fiber purification system, integrated with BHS screening and Nihot air separation equipment to form turnkey material recovery solutions.

NRT's products are deployed in Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), plastics recycling plants, and e-scrap processors globally, with claimed world's-largest installed capacity in PET plastic reclamation plants and an installed base spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Australia. The company integrates its sorters with BHS's Max-AI® artificial intelligence (deep-learning computer vision for autonomous sorting) and the Total Intelligence Platform for real-time material composition analytics, while its NRT Connect™ remote monitoring service provides 24/7/365 performance alerts, fault reporting, and customer-specific analytics (provided at no cost for equipment shipped after January 2015). Customers include large enterprise waste management operators (SUEZ, Cleanaway, Recology, Bee'ah, GreenWaste Recovery, Penn Waste, RePower South) and plastics reclaimers (CarbonLite, Unifi, rPlanet Earth), with hardware sales priced on a quote basis and supported by aftermarket parts, service contracts, and recurring remote monitoring.

NRT generates revenue primarily through hardware sales of optical sorting equipment and turnkey installation/integration services, supplemented by recurring NRT Connect remote monitoring and parts/service revenue across the global installed base. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales conducted primarily through the BHS direct sales organization, with regional coverage in the US, BHS Europe (Amsterdam) for European markets, and a Suzhou, China demo center for APAC. The business model is project-driven with multi-sorter deployments per facility, premium pricing supported by proprietary technology and 39+ patents, and a 3-year warranty on the flagship SpydIR optical sorters.

Name

National Recovery Technologies

Legal name

National Recovery Technologies, LLC

Website

https://nrtsorters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Recovery Technologies (NRT) designs, manufactures, and installs optical sorting equipment — NIR, color, electromagnetic, and X-ray systems — for Materials Recovery Facilities, plastics recyclers, and e-scrap processors worldwide, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bulk Handling Systems (BHS).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical sorting equipment for recycling and material recovery

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing (334517)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus (3844)

akta.pro primary industry

Advanced/Optical Sorting & Quality Control Services (NIR, AI, Robotics) (BPALADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Printer, Copier & Imaging Equipment Recycling (MPS Returns) (BPALAIAJ), Metals Recovery & Sorting Facilities (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (EUAIADAG)

Keywords

• Optical sorting equipment
• Recycling machinery
• NIR spectroscopy sorters
• Materials recovery systems
• Plastics reclamation equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Optical Sorting Equipment Sales: Sale of optical sorting equipment including SpydIR, ColorPlus, MetalDirector, TruSort product lines. Equipment sales include detection systems, ejection systems, and integrated platforms like Max-AI VIS integration. Premium pricing for advanced technology with 3-year warranty on SpydIR optical sorters.
2. Installation and System Integration: Engineering, design, and installation services for complete sorting systems. Turnkey solutions for MRFs, plastics recycling facilities, and e-scrap processing. Integration with BHS, Nihot screening and air separation technology.
3. NRT Connect Remote Monitoring: Remote monitoring and analytics service for optical sorting equipment. Available at no cost for equipment shipped after January 2015. Provides 24/7/365 monitoring, performance alerts, and proactive service notifications.
4. Total Intelligence Platform (T.I.P.): Real-time monitoring and analytics of material composition and system performance, enabling data-driven decision-making for MRF operators

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

National Recovery Technologies designs, manufactures, and installs optical sorting equipment for recycling and material recovery operations. Its portfolio includes Near-Infrared (SpydIR®), color (ColorPlus™), electromagnetic metal (MetalDirector™), and X-Ray (TruSort®) sorters that detect, classify, and eject specific materials from mixed waste, plastics, and e-scrap streams. Equipment is sold as standalone units or as components of BHS turnkey material recovery systems, complemented by NRT Connect™ remote monitoring and integration with the Max-AI® artificial intelligence platform.

Product overview

NRT offers a comprehensive portfolio of optical sorting equipment for the recycling industry, built around its proprietary In-Flight Sorting® technology. The core product line includes SpydIR® NIR optical sorters (available in -HS, -R, and -T variants) for polymer identification, ColorPlus™ color-based sorters, MetalDirector™ electromagnetic metal detection systems, and TruSort® X-ray sorting solutions. These products integrate with Max-AI® artificial intelligence technology from parent company BHS for autonomous quality control and enhanced material identification. NRT also provides NRT Connect™ for remote monitoring and the FiberPure™ system for fiber purification. The portfolio serves Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), plastics recycling, and e-scrap processing markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• In-Flight Sorting®: Proprietary technology that allows NRT units to detect and eject off the belt while material is in flight, eliminating motion-related error and belt interference to achieve superior purity and hit rates.
• NRT Connect™
• PET Boost®

Products and services

• SpydIR®-HS Optical Sorter Near-infrared (NIR) optical sorter featuring Hyper Spectral Imaging (HSI) camera providing nearly 10x detection resolution, double air ejection precision, and Max-AI® VIS integration. Includes lifetime calibration and easy-access design for improved maintenance. Targeted at MRFs and plastics recyclers.
• SpydIR® with Max-AI® NRT's SpydIR NIR optical sorter integrated with Max-AI® artificial intelligence for enhanced material identification and targeted recovery of specific materials such as PET trays from PET streams or HDPE-N containers from mixed HDPE streams.
• ColorPlus™ with Max-AI® Color-based optical sorter integrated with Max-AI® AI technology combining color analysis and object recognition with artificial intelligence for enhanced sorting precision.
• SpydIR®-R Optical Sorter Advanced infrared sorting system using reflective technology that separates selected polymers from mixed streams. Identifies and sorts E-Scrap plastics into user-defined polymer groups and removes polymer contaminants from PET container streams.
• SpydIR®-T Optical Sorter Infrared sorting system using transmissive technology and fast, highly-sensitive algorithms to identify unique polymer signatures from infrared spectra. Separates HDPE-N from mixed plastics and identifies PET including thin-walled and wrapped PET.
• ColorPlus™ Optical Sorter Advanced image processing system that sorts materials based on color analysis and sophisticated object recognition. Ejects color PET from clear PET and HDPE Natural from HDPE container streams.
• MetalDirector™ Optical Sorter Electromagnetic metal sensing technology integrated with sorter ejection system for removal of aluminum cans and other metal objects including Fe, Al, SS, Cu, and Zn from polymer streams.
• MetalDirector™ Flake Electromagnetic metal sensing for separation of ferrous and non-ferrous metal particles down to 1mm in size from plastic flake commodities.
• TruSort® with XRF™ X-Ray Fluorescent sorting system for material identification by atomic element. Used for separation of panel glass from funnel glass in CRT streams, removal of fire retardant polymers, and separation of PCB from other materials.
• TruSort® with DXRT™ Dual energy X-Ray sorting system for high-throughput material separation by atomic density composition. Applications include CRT glass separation and fire retardant polymer removal.
• Online Analyzer™ World's first automated process monitoring instrument offering accurate high-speed spectral analysis of plastic flakes. Measures PVC and low melt contamination in PET flake streams with accuracy of +/- 15% of PVC contaminant.
• NRT Connect™ Remote Monitoring Service Remote monitoring and performance tracking service for NRT optical sorting equipment providing real-time alerts, service notifications, fault messages, and customer-specific performance reports 24/7/365. Available at no cost for equipment shipped after January 2015.
• FiberPure™ System Combined screen, optical, and air technology system engineered to maximize fiber purity. Integrates BHS Tri-Disc screens, NRT FiberPure optical sorter, and Nihot Film Air Aspiration system.
• Max-AI® Artificial Intelligence Platform Artificial intelligence technology using deep learning neural networks and vision system to identify recyclables. Drives autonomous quality control (AQC) robotic sorting and provides real-time material composition analysis for MRF optimization. Part of the BHS Group portfolio and integrated with NRT optical sorters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Near-zero product loss during sorting operations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bulk Handling Systems (BHS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012BHS acquired NRT in 2012. NRT operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BHS, providing optical sorting technology for BHS turnkey material recovery systems. BHS is headquartered in Eugene, OR and manages global sales and operations including BHS Europe.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TOMRA: Global leader in optical sorting and sensor-based sorting for recycling and food, with NIR-based sorters directly competing against NRT's SpydIR line in plastics, MSW, and e-scrap MRFs worldwide.
• Steinert: German-based sensor sorting specialist offering NIR, X-ray, and induction-based sorting systems that compete directly with NRT's SpydIR and TruSort product lines in metals and plastics recycling.
• Sesotec: Manufacturer of metal detectors, X-ray, and NIR/optical sorting equipment for recycling and plastics processing, providing directly comparable solutions to NRT's MetalDirector and TruSort lines.
• Machinex: Canadian MRF systems integrator that builds and supplies its own optical sorting equipment, competing with NRT as a turnkey alternative for single-stream and C&D MRFs in North America.
• Pellenc ST: French optical sorting equipment manufacturer offering NIR-based sorters for MSW, plastics, and C&D applications that directly compete with NRT's SpydIR product family in European markets.
• Redwave: Austrian-based manufacturer of NIR and XRT optical sorting systems for waste and recycling, competing with NRT in e-scrap, MSW, and plastics recycling segments.
• Binder+Co: Austrian manufacturer of sensor-based sorting equipment for recycling and bulk materials, providing NIR and X-ray optical sorting comparable to NRT's SpydIR and TruSort product lines.

Others

• Bulk Handling Systems (BHS): NRT's parent company and turnkey MRF systems integrator that bundles NRT optical sorters with screening, air separation, and Max-AI — comparable as a systems-level competitor to other turnkey integrators.

Emerging players

• AMP Robotics: AI-vision and robotics sorting company that competes with NRT on autonomous container sorting, increasingly offering alternatives to traditional NIR optical sorting in MRFs.
• Zenrobotics: Finland-based AI robotic sorting company specializing in C&D and MSW waste picking, representing the AI-vision alternative trajectory that could challenge NRT's traditional optical sorting hardware over time.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inflightsorting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-recovery-technologies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Recovery Technologies