enEnglisch
Executive Board Interview
„We think future
SUSTAINABLY."
Mr. Lazzarini, PWO’s slogan is “People, Planet, Progress”. A nice triad, but also very ambitious!
CL Yes, that’s true! For more than 100 years, this aspiration to make progress has even been reflected in our name. We have always defined “progress” as making advances for people. The basis of our success over such a long period of time has always been and remains a sense of responsibility in everything we do.
CB This is why we place such high value on building trust with all of our stakeholders, especially the public. A key part of this is that we seek not only to minimize the negative impact of our actions on the environment as much as possible, we also see PWO as a force for good, as actively contributing to improving the environment.
Can you give any specific examples?
JO It is essential to start with what are considered minor details along the entire value chain. This is the only way to get the overall picture that meets our standards. For example, we did not neglect energy saving and emission reduction in 2021 despite the strain of the pandemic and implemented a wide range of measures that lead directly to significant energy savings.
„Our entire range of products is clearly LOOKING TO THE FUTURE.“
Carlo Lazzarini, CEO
„We align ourselves
strictly to international SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.“
Dr. Cornelia Ballwießer, CFO
And what about the “force for good”, i.e. your active contribution to a better future?
CB Firstly, it is very important to report within accepted guidelines. The key word here is confidence building – including in terms of our responsibility for the future. For this reason, we created a materiality matrix last year, which also drew on input from our stakeholders. It records and weights our central sustainability issues and is based on the Global Reporting Initiative provisions, including when it comes to managing these issues. As for achieving climate neutrality, we are currently preparing a comprehensive carbon footprint report in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Of course, all our sites have certified environmental management systems.
CL All in all, we are already far exceeding the minimum requirements. At the same time, our entire range of products is clearly looking to the future – especially when it comes to sustainability. Not only is it entirely independent of combustion engines, at a global level we are one of the leading developers and manufacturers of sophisticated metal components in environmentally friendly lightweight construction for vehicles.
In Oberkirch, we now use continuous energy data tracking for all load profiles. One tangible result of this transparency is that the new automated automatic shutdown management for presses and welding units reduces total energy consumption by up to 40 percent at weekends. Our German and Czech sites were also switched entirely to green electricity at the start of 2022, all new vehicles that we order in Oberkirch are electric and we are installing charging stations at the company’s premises.
CL At our Canadian site, we integrated energy efficiency measures in the procurement process last year – as well as for the new 800-metric ton press, including an energy recovery system. In addition, the entire plant is now fitted with LED lighting throughout and a recirculated water supply system was introduced in 2019. At our Chinese site in Suzhou, water for the canteen and for showers is now heated by a heat exchanger using waste heat from the air compressors instead of electric heating. These are all examples of “minor details” that together have a sizable impact!
„Our LIGHTWEIGTH SOLUTIONS significantly increase the environmental friendliness of a vehicle“
Johannes Obrecht, COO
JO Our lightweight solutions significantly increase the environmental friendliness of a vehicle because they reduce the amount of resources necessary for production and operation and bring down emissions over a vehicle’s entire lifetime. They are also made almost entirely of steel, which can be fully recycled at the end of a vehicle’s lifecycle.
CL This helps us play an active role in ensuring that our current generation does not live at the expense of future generations.