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Sustainability in plant engineering - Key role as an opportunity

Everyone is talking about the Paris Agreement on climate protection.

It aims to limit the average temperature increase to 2 °C, preferably 1.5 °C. For industrial companies, production without CO2 emissions is not possible. For this reason, climate neutrality must be the goal for industry. According to the principle of climate neutrality, as much CO2 must be bound as was previously emitted. It is therefore not only necessary to reduce CO2 emissions, but also to find ways to bind the emitted CO2 again, for example by reforesting forests or developing solutions for recycling materials.

 

The plant engineering sector is acting as a pioneer in this process and is offering climate-friendly technologies and solutions. The focus here is not only on solutions for energy, raw material and material efficiency, but also on optimal supply chain management and overarching cooperation with the entire value chain.

The optimisation of plants does not only affect the direct customer, but also the entire value chain. Because if plants are built efficiently or are being modernised according to the latest standards, products can be manufactured more sustainably and thus the entire industry can operate more sustainably. Together with an increasing awareness of the companies' own climate-friendly behaviour, this effect multiplies over the entire economic cycle, so that global climate neutrality can be aimed for. Cooperation, innovation and motivation are at the heart of the processes.

Paths to sustainability with Keil

Recycling

The topic of recycling occupies a large area of sustainable management. Here, plant engineering can - through new technologies and synergies with other companies - reduce waste, reduce the consumption of raw materials and contribute to a circular economy. The use of recycled materials reduces the use of raw materials and the amount of waste products and thus also CO2 emissions.

Our current project on the topic of recycling deals with the recycling of PUR production waste, especially flexible foam, rigid foam and TPUs. Together with our cooperation partner, we are working on a chemical process to recover polyol from industrial waste in order to return it to the product cycle. The first test run on a large-scale plant has already been successfully carried out.

Automation

Fully automated processes not only facilitate the manufacture of products, but also enable the optimisation of raw material use and the improvement of process sequences. This requires not only the fully automated conversion of processes, but also and above all extensive process data analysis. For this, resources must be available to process and evaluate the data in order to continuously adapt the processes to the latest findings from the data obtained. Above all, this requires a central instance that links, synchronises and coordinates the sub-areas of the business system: MES and ERP systems ensure that the processes are coordinated and the company can work efficiently and is therefore indispensable.

Modernisation and maintenance of existing plants

Currently, consulting companies with regard to environmental protection, energy efficiency and modernisation of plants is of particular importance in plant construction.

In many cases, existing plants and processes can continue to be used and converted to new standards, so that no new machines have to be bought and the old ones do not have to be disposed. In this way, the stock can be managed sustainably.

Regular repair and maintenance of plants also play a major role. Keil Anlagenbau is your service partner with an all-round maintenance service, whereby only high-quality spare parts and components are installed to ensure the longevity of the systems.

 

What we contribute as a company

Keil Anlagenbau not only helps other companies to operate more sustainably, but also always strives for sustainable corporate management itself. In doing so, our own actions are always analysed and adapted with regard to sustainability aspects.

In the course of this, Keil Anlagenbau is also regularly evaluated according to the EcoVadis evaluation criteria. Last year, Keil Anlagenbau received the silver award and thus belongs to the best 25% of the companies evaluated by EcoVadis worldwide.

Thus, Keil Anlagenbau as a company makes a substantial contribution to a future worth living for all people.