Zimmer Group converts production to sustainable CO2-neutral system
November 4, 2020
The Zimmer Group, Rheinau, Germany, reports that it marked its 40th anniversary this year with the conversion of its production to a sustainable CO2-neutral system. Consequently, the group states that the quantities of electricity and natural gas required for production are now CO2-neutral. The company’s portfolio of manufacturing capabilities includes a Metal Injection Moulding operation for in-house and third-party production.
According to the group, one million kilowatt-hours of green electricity are generated annually from the Süwag hydroelectric power station in Willstätt, 15 km away. Now, the Zimmer Group states that it generates approximately the same amount of CO2-neutral electricity. Several photovoltaic systems are already installed on the company roofs in Freistett, and the group plans for another photovoltaic system to be put into operation on its newly built production hall.
“Consuming electricity where it is generated in an environmentally friendly manner directly on site is an essential component of our environmental strategy,” stated Günther Zimmer, Managing Director, Zimmer Group.
“The Zimmer Group is thus becoming another piece of greener and more regional infrastructure,” he continued. “All in all, these measures will save a total of 5,595 tonnes of CO2 per year, which corresponds to about fourteen fully-fueled jumbo jets. The climate-neutral eco gas saves a further 295 t CO2.”
The Zimmer Group explained that it is also taking steps in the area of electric mobility to minimise CO2 emissions. At both company sites in Freistett, a total of sixteen charging points will be set up in the car parks to charge electric vehicles during working hours; the company’s vehicle fleet is also being successively converted to electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
Michael Fischer, the Zimmer Group’s Environmental and Energy Management Officer, explained that the group is committed to the continuous optimisation of environmental protection services, and auditing according to ISO 50001 underlines its successful measures.
“More than 100 current measuring points were installed for consumption monitoring and analysis,” he stated. “This enabled us to identify many more potential savings and to derive measures from them.” One further example is the use of heat pumps for air conditioning its buildings and cooling its machines, the optimisation of the company’s compressed air network, and the switch to LED lighting.
As part of the Zimmer Group’s future plans, it also wants to sensitise its employees to the topic of environmental protection and energy. For this reason, five trainees were recently qualified by the Southern Upper Rhine Energy Chamber of Commerce and Industry and advised by Michael Fischer.
As part of the ‘Energy Scout’ project, these trainees looked for new ways to save energy and identified them in the compressed air guns that the company needs for production, among other things. The necessary nozzles are now being developed in-house to enable the compressed air guns to consume considerably less energy.
