Welcome to STEINERT UniSort GmbH

Within the Steinert Group, Zittau-based STEINERT UniSort is responsible for developing and producing the UniSort product brand. Near-infrared-based (NIR) sensor-sorting systems have been produced at this site since the '90s.

Customer demand for improved sorting and cleaned waste fractions has been increasing in waste processing for years. Thanks to the purchase of business premises covering six hectares (an area spanning over eight football pitches) in Zittau in 2023, the expansion of production capacities and the planned doubling in personnel in Zittau are within reach.

Originally a spin-off to the construction of special machinery, today the UniSorts are the core business of the company. The model change in 2012 to the UniSort PR saw the establishment of a new standard, a camera-based NIR system. This system marked a clear technological leap forwards in terms of the visual and also the spectral resolution of the NIR signals produced. Using this innovative technology, many Material Recovery Facilities have also managed to tackle more challenging applications that were previously impossible to solve with NIR. Since as early as the UniSort PR EVO 5.0 generation, the company has also been relying on artificial intelligence, specifically the huge amounts of data that have been processed using AI-based object recognition. This means that customers are able to even better meet the requirements of the circular economy and the current legislative initiatives at EU level, for example the Packaging Directive.

Thanks to the UniSort Black sorting system launched in 2014, the market was able for the first time to reliably detect black objects using NIR and also to actively separate them from a flow of material – and to do so with only the aid of an NIR signal, i.e. no additional camera or laser technology.

The UniSort Film sorting system was developed in 2015 for recycling and processing plants and was specially designed for sorting lightweight 2D material which is prone to flying, such as film.

As a consequence of UniSort Black, 2016 saw the introduction of UniSort BlackEye. This further development then enabled different black plastics to also be separated according to the type of plastic.

STEINERT UniSort GmbH is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of STEINERT GmbH, meaning UniSort products can benefit from a globally established sales and service network.