As an industrial business, the quality of our products and production processes is a top priority. But it is equally important that the products reflect our responsibility for the environment. We steadily reduce energy consumption, waste, emissions and water contamination. It goes without saying that the environmental policy at Lenze also requires adherence to ecological regulations, or environmental compliance.
We assess the status quo as part of our environmental and energy management system, analyse opportunities and risks and give due consideration to the increasingly vital issue of energy. The implementation of the European Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27 is just one example of this, and it radiates outward to our production sites outside the European Union as well. Each year, we launch environmental programmes and define clear environmental goals, which include energy efficiency as one of the integral components worldwide. We conduct internal environmental assessments on an annual basis to analyse adherence to our own standards and the Lenze environmental policy as a whole. Our environmental and energy management system is audited on a regular basis around the world. Six of our eight plants are already certified according to the international environment standard ISO 14001.
We take care to ensure maximum energy and resource efficiency in the development of our products. And we do so not just because ecological design for electrical drive systems is now required by law. It’s also because we save materials, produce more efficiently and allow our customers to benefit from reduced energy consumption and lower costs. For example, we managed to introduce massive reductions in the wall thickness of our gearboxes. We also eliminated from our portfolio products like worm gearboxes that no longer satisfy modern standards of efficiency. Our products also adhere to the relevant regulations on harmful substances (including REACH and RoHS). We do not use solder with lead contents for electronic components or manufacturing processes, and we have managed to significantly reduce solvent consumption and drying temperatures through the application of high-solid lacquer in the coating process. Our gearboxes are now delivered to customers unpainted by default. This makes a considerable contribution to the careful use of resources at our locations and in the products themselves. In doing so, we raise awareness for environmental protection among our customers as well.
We also use smart drive dimensioning as a means of achieving the climate protection targets enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Selecting the most suitable drive system enables considerable savings. An Energy Performance Certificate is integrated within our Drive Solution Designer dimensioning software to provide a clear overview of the energy consumption and potential savings. The software can be used to calculate the precise amortisation period for investments in drive solutions.