NExT Factory awarded with the Lean & Green prize

Copyright David Weyand

The Lean & Green Management Award Ceremony 2022 was held on October 20 at the Lean & Green Summit in Leipzig at Porsche. Schaltbau GmbH was awarded the special prize “Lean & Green New Factory” for its new NExT Factory production plant.

The NExT Factory is based on the four visionary pillars of New Energy, New Work, Excellence in Processes and Technology driven, which merge into a single unit in the newly built plant. Such a combination of sustainability concepts in terms of energy generation and use, new work and manufacturing is unique in Germany.

The jury of experts praised the factory’s consistent orientation toward energy efficiency and operational excellence, as well as the close interlinking of the two topics. The project manager of NExT Factory, Dr. Michael Ettl, presented the award-winning concept of the Co2-free factory with DC smart grid.

Innovative energy concept and state-of-the-art working environment

The factory has its own direct current network, which is optimally protected with switching components and enables very efficient energy distribution. Compared to conventional concepts with fossil fuels, energy costs are to be reduced by 35 percent. In addition, 3,400m3 of wood are used, in which 3,400 tonnes of CO2 are bound. At the same time, this reduces the use of building materials, some of which produce considerable CO2emissions.

Dirk Konrad, Managing Director of Schaltbau GmbH says: “In the new plant, we are almost self-sufficient in terms of our energy supply. Our concept enables us to achieve sustainable, CO2-free production over the long term. Modern workplace environments that take into account the EHS guidelines (Environment, Health and Safety) will also attract future talents. At the same time, we rely on digitally networked and automated production processes and modern logistics in order to be able to respond even more flexibly to individual customer requests in the future. “

The CO2-free plant in Velden can also become a model solution for industrial customers in terms of electricity cost reduction, extensive self-sufficiency with its own energy supply and climate-neutral modernization of production. This focus was recognized by the Lean & Green Management Award, which honored the plant for outstanding results in the area of resource-efficient production.

„The combination of Lean & Green forms the important foundation for high competitiveness. High energy and resource efficiency lead to lower costs, increased employee and customer satisfaction and consequently to a strengthened position in national and international competition!” says Dr. Michael Ettl, Director Operations at Schaltbau GmbH“

The Lean and Green Management Award has been presented by the T&O Group since 2012. The award focuses on how to reduce all types of waste in a company and how production sites need to position themselves for the challenges of the future. All winners of this year’s award stand out for their excellent processes, diverse best-practice solutions and forward-looking strategies.