• Three at a single stroke: certification according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and also ISO 50001
• Firm obligation: efficient use of energy in all company areas
• Always on the lookout: energy management system pinpoints savings potential

July, 23, 2012 - Arburg accomplished another major goal: ISO certification with TÜV Süd as the new certifier and ISO 50001 as the new certification – in addition to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. With this achievement, the innovative company, at which environmental protection and the sparing use of resources and energy have always constituted a permanent feature of its company culture, has taken a decisive step forwards. The certification according to ISO 50001 commits Arburg to the efficient use of energy in all company areas.

Allowing itself to be audited by a new certifier after so many years is a demanding task for any company. However, a change was important to Arburg in order to obtain fresh impetus and suggestions regarding the quality assurance (ISO 9001) and environment (ISO 14001) areas. The additional certification according to ISO 50001 transformed the entire exercise into a real challenge – especially given the fact that Arburg ranks among the first companies to have been triple certified in this regard.

Brand new: International ISO 50001 standard

The international ISO 50001 standard, Energy Management Systems, is still fresh from the press. It was published for the first time in English in June 2011, with the German version following in December 2011. TÜV Süd explains its objectives as follows: “The core of ISO 50001 is the continuous enhancement of an organisation’s energy-related performance. The standard outlines the requirements that an organisation needs to fulfil for the purposes of introducing, implementing, maintaining and improving an energy management system. This systematic approach is intended to enable an organisation to improve its energy-related performance, increase its energy efficiency and optimise its energy utilisation.”

ISO 50001 as further milestone

The fact that Arburg has been certified by TÜV Süd only a year since the publication of ISO 50001 underlines the leading role which is played by this Lossburg-based machine construction company in terms of energy and environmental matters. Its focus on the manufacture of energy-efficient injection moulding machines in an energy-efficient production system was already enshrined in environmental management according to ISO 14001. ISO 50001 now commits Arburg to implementing and complying with individually quantifiable energy-efficient measures. The strategy underlying the new energy management system is planned and organised by the energy-efficiency group, comprising experts from various sectors which has been in existence since 1996.

On the trail of savings potential

In future, a key component of the energy management system will constitute systematically planned, detailed and continuous energy measurements for the purpose of establishing precisely how much energy is utilised and where it is consumed in the energy-intensive production process. The evaluation and analysis of the annual consumption will facilitate the identification of hidden savings potential. In this regard, Arburg also attaches importance to ideas and suggestions from its employees, whose awareness of the topic of energy efficiency is being enhanced through various activities.

Energy efficiency in focus for decades

However, this topic is not new at Arburg. It is rather the case that, company-wide savings potential plays a leading role with regard to energy consumption and has been a key consideration in all developments and investments for decades. This applies to products, as well as to production and the buildings.

In the product area, the range of energy-optimised machine technology is being continuously expanded, with the result that increasing numbers of Allrounder injection moulding machines now bear the Arburg e² energy-efficiency label. Arburg’s facility technology and management are, for example, characterised by geothermal energy, photovoltaics, block-type thermal power plants, the utilisation of rain water, wind power and production-generated heat as well as the natural ventilation and extraction in its buildings.
With the introduction of the energy management system certified according to ISO 50001 in 2012, an additional milestone has now been reached on the basis of which the company will undergo continuous development in energy-efficiency matters.