Sustainability
Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Neugart
Neugart takes pride in its role as an owner-managed family business. It has always been important to us to operate in a way that not only makes sound business sense while also making responsible decisions and continuing our efforts of sustainability. This includes, among other things, our commitment to low-impact use of nonrenewable resources, optimum environmental protection, and fair dealings with our employees and our local community.
To ensure that the world we leave to future generations is a world worth living in, we need to reduce energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases. Thus, Neugart USA Corp. has partnered with Carbonfund.org, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization focused on reducing and offsetting climate impact. In the last year we reduced 20.77 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
In 2012 we were among the first to join the sustainability initiative BLUECOMPETENCE, established that same year. The economic sector of mechanical and industrial engineering is an important factor in energy-efficient building technology and drive technology. As a member of the BLUECOMPETENCE sustainability initiative, we emphasize energy-efficient production processes and drive components, in order to reduce our customers’ energy consumption.
We are a partner of the Blue Competence sustainability initiative.
Blue Competence (www.bluecompetence.net) is an initiative of the VDMA (www.vdma.org) for the promotion of sustainability in machinery and plant engineering, but also for making the industry aware of sustainable solutions. With our partnership, we are committed to observing the 12 sustainability principles of the machinery and plant engineering industry (www.bluecompetence.net/about).
The 12 sustainability principles of the machinery and plant engineering industry
Water
For years we have been using our own cisterns to collect rainwater on our premises. The water is filtered and treated for on-site use. This reduces our water consumption by more than 150,000 liters a year. In order to prevent water contamination from substances such as oil, for example, we store these contaminants in specially designed containers that are approved for liquid materials of each of the three hazard classes.
Disposal
Greases and oils are separated out of wastewater by a grease separator and disposed of accordingly and oil collecting trays are used in all relevant areas of production. We reduce the consumption of these substances by using special emulsions. In the disposal of substances that are hazardous to water, we always comply with all legal requirements. The detection process for electronic waste defines secure processes that also save paper and ink. We also require all our suppliers to adhere to these standards.
Electricity
To prevent unnecessary energy consumption we make sure that all our machines and systems are economical energy users. This is a key decision-making factor when purchasing new machinery and equipment. We deliberately chose an electricity supplier that gives priority to renewable energy. Nearly 50% of the electricity we use comes from renewable sources. This includes hydroelectricity, wind, solar, geothermal and biomass energy. To demonstrate our continuous and long-term commitment to improving our energy balance, we undergo an energy audit in accordance with DIN EN 16247-1. For lighting, we use LED lamps in nearly all spaces on our company’s premises, both indoors and outdoors. To minimize our CO2 emissions we use electric vehicles for on-site transport.
Gas
In recent years we have significantly reduced our gas consumption, and, as a result of careful planning and appropriate measures, our CO2 emissions have proportionately decreased. One way we achieved this was by using excess heat from machines to regulate heat in other rooms.
Process Optimization
Sophisticated and intelligent processes are, at very least, just as important as clean energy and efficient machinery and systems. By employing appropriate process optimization techniques, sustainability can be significantly improved.
At Neugart, this includes
- avoiding unnecessary waste and transport
- efficient space management
- intelligent application of resources and material management
The continuous improvement of our processes is an elementary component of our improvement culture.
Suppliers
When working with new suppliers we insist on compliance with environmental management processes, per our qualification measures. Our partners must share our values in this respect. Only companies that meet all of our criteria may become part of the Neugart logistics chain.
Products
Materials used to manufacture our products are always selected with our eco-friendly mindset. Our products mostly consist of steel and aluminum — materials that are both 100% recyclable. We continuously optimize the energy efficiency of our products. The result of this is that our product range already includes gearboxes with a very high efficiency — up to 98%. But we’re not content to stop there: we are still exploring how to further optimizing our energy efficiency. In order to prevent heat loss and achieve enormous savings, we analyze efficiency in the per-thousandth range. Our products therefore enable our customers to use energy efficiently, thus preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
Social Engagement
Neugart maintains strong ties with the local region. It's not just our managing partners who are very active in voluntary and community roles. Social engagement is important to everyone in the company. We contribute in numerous ways both within the local community and elsewhere, through a combination of donations and sponsorships.
