In-house ARJES IMPAKTOR vs subcontracting: contractor embeds 30–40% profit margin per ton. Own processing saves €6–12/ton, amortizes in 1.5–2.5 years, and builds balance-sheet equity.
€4.50/т all-in OPEX
Owning an ARJES IMPAKTOR puts the full cost-per-ton under your control. Direct OPEX: €4.50/т (diesel, wear parts, maintenance, operator). No contractor markup, no hidden mobilization surcharges. At 50,000 tons/year, the annual processing cost is €225,000 — fully predictable and budgeted. Savings vs subcontracting: €6–12/т or €300,000–€600,000/year on a 50,000-ton project.
€10–16/т (incl. contractor markup)
Subcontractors embed a 30–40% profit margin into every ton processed. Their quoted rate of €10–16/т covers equipment, operator, mobilization, and their commercial return. For a 50,000-ton project, the total cost is €500,000–€800,000 — €275,000–€575,000 more than in-house processing. The contractor's profit is your direct loss. Rental rates follow the same logic: weekly or monthly hire fees include the lessor's return on capital.
ARJES EDGE →ARJES in-house processing eliminates the 30–40% contractor markup. At 50,000 tons/year, this translates to €300,000–€600,000 in annual savings that stays on your balance sheet instead of flowing to a third party.
100% schedule control
Your own ARJES IMPAKTOR is ready when you need it. No waiting for a contractor to free up from another project, no scheduling conflicts, no weather-dependent delays from third-party availability. The machine is on-site and operational within hours of delivery. You set the processing pace to match your demolition schedule, not the contractor's backlog. On a 30,000-ton project, schedule delays from contractor unavailability can cost €15,000–€30,000/week in idle site costs.
Subject to contractor availability
Subcontractors serve multiple clients simultaneously. During peak demolition season (April–October), the best-equipped contractors are booked 4–8 weeks in advance. Your project timeline becomes dependent on their schedule. Emergency mobilization surcharges of 20–50% apply for rush jobs. If the contractor's machine breaks down on another site, your project stalls until a replacement is found. Rental equipment faces the same constraint: popular models are unavailable during peak periods.
ARJES EDGE →ARJES ownership means zero scheduling dependency. The machine is always on-site, always available, and always under your operational control. No contractor delays, no emergency surcharges, no peak-season unavailability.
Capitalized asset, 7–10 yr depreciation
An ARJES IMPAKTOR is a capitalized asset on your balance sheet. Depreciation period: 7–10 years (industrial equipment class). Annual depreciation: €35,000–€62,000 (depending on model). This depreciation is a tax-deductible expense that reduces your taxable income. At 50,000 tons/year, the depreciated cost per ton is €0.70–€1.24 — a fraction of the €10–16/т subcontractor rate. After full depreciation, the machine continues to generate revenue at near-zero capital cost. Residual value after 10 years: 15–25% of original CAPEX.
Operating expense, no balance-sheet asset
Subcontractor and rental fees are 100% operating expenses — they are expensed immediately and leave no residual value on the balance sheet. Every euro paid to a contractor is gone forever: no depreciation benefit, no asset appreciation, no residual value. The OPEX-only approach reduces EBITDA margins and provides no collateral for future financing. Over 10 years at 50,000 tons/year, cumulative subcontractor costs reach €5,000,000–€8,000,000 — with zero balance-sheet equity to show for it.
ARJES EDGE →ARJES ownership builds balance-sheet equity. The machine depreciates over 7–10 years (tax-deductible), then continues generating revenue at near-zero capital cost. After full depreciation, the residual value of 15–25% provides a tangible asset for refinancing or resale.
Owner-controlled output quality
When you own the processing equipment, you control the output quality. The ARJES twin-shaft shredder achieves 98% rebar liberation through high-torque shear. The operator can adjust the output fraction in real-time (0–80 mm, 0–100 mm) to match the specific reuse application on-site. Magnetic separator extracts 98% ferrous scrap. The owner cares about clean fraction because it directly impacts the value of recycled aggregate for reuse on their own projects — reducing primary aggregate purchases.
Contractor-driven throughput priority
A subcontractor is incentivized by throughput volume, not output quality. Their per-ton rate means every ton processed is revenue — there is no financial incentive to slow down for cleaner sorting. Mixed fractions, higher contamination rates, and inconsistent output quality are common. The contractor's magnetic separator may be set to minimum extraction speed to maximize throughput. For the owner, this means contaminated recycled aggregate that cannot be used for structural applications, requiring re-processing or primary aggregate purchases.
ARJES EDGE →ARJES ownership aligns processing quality with owner interests. The operator answers to the project manager, not to a contractor's throughput quota. Real-time fraction adjustment and thorough magnetic separation ensure clean, reusable aggregate that replaces primary material purchases.
The subcontractor model embeds a 30–40% profit margin in every ton, creating a permanent cost leak from your project budget. In-house ARJES ownership eliminates this markup, saves €6–12/ton, and builds balance-sheet equity through depreciation. The machine is available on-demand, processes at the quality standard you set, and after 7–10 years of depreciation continues generating revenue at near-zero capital cost. The verdict is unambiguous: for any investor processing 30,000+ tons of C&D waste, owning an ARJES is the superior financial strategy.
Acquire ARJES IMPAKTOR for in-house C&D processing
Scale to multi-machine fleet for regional coverage
€300,000 logistics savings + €400,000 primary aggregate substitution
3x fewer truck trips from city center, noise ≤80 dB
Tipping Fee revenue + graded aggregate sales at industrial scale
Industrial solution pages substantively discussed in this strategic comparison. Cross-link for engineering specifications, throughput data, and verified field metrics.
C&D waste shredders for construction and demolition waste recycling — concrete, wood, metal, and mixed debris. Maximum landfill diversion with multi-material revenue streams.
Mobile on-site reduction of reinforced concrete to 0-50 mm fraction. Eliminates landfill gate fees and produces reusable aggregate for road base and backfill.
Size reduction and liberation of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap. Integrated magnetic separation for clean metal streams.
Pre-shredding of MSW for mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plants, RDF production, and volume reduction before landfill.
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