Machinex adds AI sorting sales lead for material recovery

By Elena Vasquez

Machinex says hundreds of turnkey recycling systems form its installation base, and it has appointed Jon Gertsmeier as Technology Sales Manager in a newly created role to expand AI-powered sorting. Gertsmeier brings more than 15 years of waste and recycling experience.

What does the appointment cover?

Machinex says the position supports the continued expansion of its AI-powered sorting technologies. Gertsmeier will lead business development for MIND™, the company’s unified AI platform, and for its growing portfolio of advanced sorting technologies.

He will work with customers to identify where AI can integrate into their operations. The stated aims are to enhance sorting performance, improve material recovery and give operators actionable information about how their facilities are performing.

Machinex says Gertsmeier’s expertise covers technology sales, industrial automation and strategic partnerships across North America. It describes him as well known in the recycling sector and credits him with helping advance the adoption of AI-powered sorting solutions.

He has secured major enterprise agreements and built long-standing relationships with national and regional waste and recycling organizations, according to the company.

Which waste streams shape his background?

Machinex says Gertsmeier’s experience spans four material streams:

• Single-stream recycling
• Municipal solid waste
• Construction and demolition
• Electronic waste

That breadth gives him a broad view of the operational challenges and technology needs in each stream, according to Machinex. His background also spans the company’s principal markets of technology sales, industrial automation and strategic partnerships.

The announcement identifies no customer facility, contract value, system size, installation date or number of installed systems using MIND. It also gives no plant capacity or throughput figures, leaving the commercial scale and operating contribution of the appointment unstated.

How is MIND positioned for customers?

Machinex describes MIND as a unified AI platform. The company says its use is intended to enhance sorting performance, improve material recovery and give operators actionable insights into how facilities are performing.

Those objectives remain unquantified. Machinex provides no baseline sorting rate, projected material-recovery improvement, throughput change, system price or installation timetable against which a customer could judge the platform.

Gertsmeier said:

“Machinex has built a strong reputation for engineering expertise, innovation, and understanding the operational realities of recycling facilities. What I am looking forward to the most is the opportunity to bring that expertise together with the capabilities of MIND™ to deliver practical, high-performance AI solutions,” said Gertsmeier.

“My priority will be to work closely with customers to identify where these technologies can make a measurable difference in their operations,” he added.

CEO Chris Hawn tied the appointment directly to Machinex’s growth plans for the technology:

“Jon brings a strong combination of industry knowledge, technology expertise, and established relationships across the waste and recycling sector,” he said.

“He understands both the challenges our customers face and the opportunities that advanced technologies can deliver. His appointment reflects our commitment to expanding our technology offerings and helping more facilities realize the full potential of AI-driven sorting.”

What operating base supports the sales push?

Machinex says it became one of the first companies in North America to design machinery for material recovery facilities in the 1980s. The company says that work established its reputation as a leader in profitable, high-quality sorting systems.

Since then, it has engineered, manufactured and installed its own recycling technologies, combining optics, robotics, mechanics and artificial intelligence. It has also designed and installed hundreds of turnkey systems in partnership with major waste management companies in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

That installed history gives the sales push relevant operating context, although Machinex does not say how many of those systems use MIND. Unlike a plant order, the appointment adds no announced capacity.

What milestone decides what happens next?

No permit or regulatory deadline accompanies the appointment. The milestone that determines whether the sales push becomes a measurable operating gain is a named facility deployment with disclosed sorting, recovery and throughput results.