MHW Magazine TALKS with Nick Mowat, Commercial Director at Sylvagen

Welcome Nick, can we start with a brief overview of Sylvagen? (David Ramsay, Managing Editor Materials Handling World Magazine – TALKS)

“Founded in 2018 by Charlie Jones, in a joint venture with A.W. Jenkinson’s, Sylvagen was established to offer comprehensive waste recycling and recovery strategy. Following rapid expansion, Sylvagen has become an independent market leader within the renewable, recycling and biomass sectors in the UK and Europe.”

“Our relationship with A.W. Jenkinson Transport gives us access to a significant number of vehicles. This makes it possible for us to collect materials from all over the UK.”

“In addition to our UK movements, our knowledgeable team have a wealth of experience to facilitate cross-border movements in Europe. Whether by haulage or shipment by sea, our team can take care of the logistics and documentation to enable the smooth running of international waste movements.”

“To meet the demands of the industry, Sylvagen established a processing yard and moved to Tilbury in July 2020. The yard is equipped with latest equipment to process a range of materials. Sylvagen also offers the hire of our equipment to help our customers meet their shredding and chipping needs, which includes operation by our skilled engineers.”

“Sylvagen is dedicated to promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions generating tomorrow’s resources from today’s waste.”

Can you tell us something of yourself and your role within the company?

“My name is Nick Mowat and I am the Commercial Director at Sylvagen. I have been at Sylvagen since its inception in 2018, although I have worked in the industry for over ten years. My primary role is to oversee the procurement and sales of various waste products which are destined to enter recycling and energy recovery facilities across the UK.”

Can you share with us your most memorable moment so far with Sylvagen?

“My favorite moment was the day that we moved into our office in Lamberhurst. I worked alongside Charlie Jones from the launch of Sylvagen where we had two laptops in a café. Therefore, the moment the company opened its first office was a huge achievement and I am immensely proud to have contributed to the expansion of Sylvagen. Since then, the company has continued to expand and go from strength to strength. It is great to see Sylvagen continue to flourish and I am excited to see where the future takes us.”

What stand-out achievement are you most proud of and why?

“I am most proud of being able to see the development of our team. As the business grows and expands into new areas, new opportunities arise. It is a pleasure to see individuals step up to take on new challenges as well developing and improving their knowledge and understanding of the waste and recycling industry.”

What has been your greatest challenge and how did you overcome it?

“The greatest challenge has been coping with the impact caused by the pandemic. This was overcome by refusing to accept defeat and acknowledging that our customers needed us. We continued to work, adapted to our new surroundings and now we are looking back on it with more knowledge than before. In hindsight, it was an opportunity to learn and develop.”

Why was Sylvagen founded and what is the meaning behind the name?

“Sylvagen was founded by Charlie Jones in partnership with A.W. Jenkinson to provide a reliable and flexible approach for the disposal of a variety of materials. One of the key materials we work with is waste wood. This led to the name Sylvagen. ‘Sylva’ is Latin for wood and ‘Gen’ being the first part of generation.”

What makes Sylvagen unique?

“What makes Sylvagen unique is our commitment to making the process as simple and efficient as possible for our suppliers and customers. In addition, there is a real sense of team spirit within our business, and we always have a positive attitude.”

What impact has Coronavirus had on Sylvagen and the industry as a whole?

“I think the main impact of coronavirus was that it took us all by surprise. This caused great uncertainty within the industry. The combination of Brexit and coronavirus caused a significant shortage of haulage drivers in the UK which presented a challenge for our business. The effects were also seen across Europe due to the stark increase in shipping rates. Nevertheless, we adapted to the new situation and are coming through the other side.”

How could Sylvagen benefit the readers of Materials Handling World?

“We operate a site in Tilbury to process wood coming from pallets and packaging as well as virgin materials. This may offer a solution to many of your readers based in the Southeast. In addition to our site in Tilbury, Sylvagen handles a variety of materials from waste and virgin wood to plasterboard, RDF, cardboard and plastic. We offer an efficient and effective service to handle your readers waste requirements.”

Contact:

If you have virgin wood, waste wood or waste materials, or if you are looking for a new source of biomass, waste wood or waste materials, get in touch with Sylvagen here. Telephone number: 01892 280 290 Email: info@sylvagen.co.uk www.sylvagen.co.uk