AGGAI launch in Northern Ireland
New company to deliver AI-powered separation systems for aggregates, recycled aggregates, and mining applications
AGGAI, an engineering company founded by materials handling specialist James Vaughan, has launched to the global market, delivering advanced AI-powered separation systems that help producers recover cleaner, higher-value materials from complex streams in aggregates, recycled aggregates, and mining applications.
With over a decade of experience in material handling across the material handing sector, Mr Vaughan brings deep technical expertise and global project leadership to AGGAI. The company is positioned as a lead solutions-based provider, focused on helping customers achieve cleaner products, higher yields, and stronger returns through smart, flexible separation systems designed for real-world conditions.
‘AGGAI is a solutions-based company,’ said Mr Vaughan. ‘We don’t just supply equipment – we deliver complete systems tailored to each customer’s material and commercial objectives. From early project consultation to system design, installation, and aftercare, our priority is delivering results that add real value.’
AGGAI’s AI-powered fine separation systems combine real-time material identification with high- speed pneumatic ejection, enabling precise removal of unwanted contaminants across a wide range of applications, including:
Washed aggregate refinement
Trash stone and trommel fines processing
Separation of rubble, glass, and plastics from clean stone
Metal and mineral recovery from IBA (Incinerator Bottom Ash)
Fine ore and waste separation in mining operations.
While AGGAI’s primary focus is on aggregates, recycled aggregates and mining, which all offer enormous potential and are ever-growing in the challenges they bring, the company continues to explore new use cases where fine separation can unlock value from contaminated or mixed material streams. From demolition recovery to secondary resource refinement, the applications are expanding every day.
AGGAI offer solutions as fully integrated plant systems, retrofit packages, and semi-mobile units. Each system is designed to perform optimally, while also fitting into a manageable footprint – well suited to both large-scale operations and space-constrained sites.
AGGAI’s separation solutions are built to deliver a strong return on investment by increasing recovered yield, improving product consistency, and unlocking high-value fractions that are often lost to waste.
Beyond internal efficiency, AGGAI’s systems also open new commercial opportunities. Customers are already exploring how cleaner, spec-compliant material can gain access to new sales outlets, reduce reprocessing, and generate additional revenue from existing streams.
‘Every conversation we’re having is about value,’ added Mr Vaughan. ‘From quarries to processors, companies are recognizing that smarter separation means better margins. This is about turning missed value into profit – helping producers sell cleaner product, more confidently, to more customers. There’s a clear gap in the market for introducing AI technology moving beyond traditional methods based solely on size or density.’
AGGAI have supported customer-led trials using AI-powered fine separation systems, where excellent results were achieved in high-volume rubble clean-up scenarios. These trials demonstrated the potential for consistently high product purity and throughput under real-world conditions.
‘Outcomes like this are highly application-dependent,’ said Mr Vaughan, ‘but they show just how valuable the right solution can be when it’s matched to the right material stream.’
AGGAI welcome project discussions that may include material evaluation and viability studies, allowing customers to understand achievable output quality, system performance, and commercial impact before committing to full-scale investment.
AGGAI are currently in discussion with multiple companies across the UK, Ireland, and international markets that are all facing shared challenges: contamination, yield loss, rising quality standards, and pressure to extract more value from their processes.
Northern Ireland is globally recognized as a leader in the aggregate sector, with decades of engineering innovation and equipment excellence that have shaped the industry worldwide. That reputation was a key factor in establishing AGGAI’s base there – offering access to a highly skilled workforce, strong industrial supply chains, and a respected legacy that brings credibility on the global stage.
‘Northern Ireland is a global leader in aggregate and material handling innovation,’ said Mr Vaughan. ‘That’s why we’re proud to grow our base here. We’re building on that legacy – combining proven industrial experience with cutting-edge separation systems that meet the needs of tomorrow’s material challenges.’
