Keep an open mind!

A material audit is a practical tool for companies to improve the efficiency of their operations and to manage their material flows.

With material audits, it is possible to identify those stages of the production process where reductions can be made in the use of materials, the amount of waste that is produced and environmental impacts. The audit also brings significant financial savings.

Getting the full (pre)treatment

• Material efficiency report reveals where water and chemical savings can be made
• Measures introduced lead to a 90 % reduction in annual water use and 72 % chemical savings 

In the German company Farbe + Design GmbH, individual metal pieces are chemically pretreated for powder coating. To improve efficiency, the company installed a cascade system to prepare the workpieces for coating, resulting in major water and chemical savings.

Refrigeration is a process of mechanically cooling or reducing the temperature of a space, product or process. In some industries, such as chemical producers or the food and drink sector, refrigeration accounts for a significant proportion of overall energy costs. Against these costs, even a small reduction in refrigeration energy use can lead to noteworthy cost savings.

A regular service on refrigeration systems leads to:

An energy-saving brew

• A brewery renewed its plant technology and implemented energy-efficiency measures
• The investment of € 1.8 million led to a yearly cost reduction of € 238 526

C. & A. Veltins GmbH & Co. KG brews one of the leading premium pils brands in Germany, reporting turnover in the millions of euros and output measured in the millions of hectolitres. The brewhouse is easily the main energy consumer in its brewery operation.

Lessons for all plants with cooling rooms

• A German meat-processing plant installed an interconnected refigeration system to reduce energy costs
• Yearly cost reduction of up to € 67 000 and CO2 reduction of 345 tonnes

The Gourmet Fleischerei and Feinkost GmbH employs 80 employees at its Brandenburg site, which processes 3 600 tonnes of pork and beef each year. The preparation, cleaning, further processing and storage of the meat takes place in 24 cooling rooms (an area of 4 500 m2).

Organic coffee, sustainable thinking... a bio-bonus

Ophthalmic firm's sustainable vision

Cool response to a heated situation

• Channelling heat out of the printing plant saves air-conditioning costs
• Substantial energy savings (9 MWh)
• 2.9 tonnes less CO2 emissions, saving around € 2 040 a year

Graficas Z is a specialist printer in the Aragón region of northeastern Spain. This innovative SME is constantly looking for opportunities to reduce costs and improve production by introducing energy-saving measures.

LED lights also 'enlighten' your purse...

• Ice-cream manufacturer strives to make production more environmentally friendly
• In 2016, the company switched to LED lamps which saved 4 860 kWh and € 700 annually

Franz Leonardelli KG is a family business and operates three ice-cream parlours in Vienna and the surrounding area. The company uses natural ingredients, and prioritises fair trade and organic produce where possible.