{"id":67748,"date":"2022-08-25T10:26:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T08:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=67748"},"modified":"2022-08-25T10:26:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T08:26:05","slug":"sustainable-vacuum-automation-from-schmalz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/nachhaltige-vakuum-automation-von-schmalz\/","title":{"rendered":"Automation: The digital transformation is going green"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Automation ensures competitiveness and eases labour shortages. However, the increasing use of robots also increases energy requirements and therefore the product carbon footprint. Schmalz is therefore focussing on resource-efficient product life cycles and designing new systems for sustainable vacuum automation.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

After two years of decline more industrial robots have returned to service in Europe for the first time in 2021<\/strong>. As the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reported in June 2022, last year's level of around 78,000 units was even higher than the 2018 high, with demand in the metal and machinery (+50 per cent) and plastics and chemical products (+30 per cent) sectors increasing in particular. The automotive industry, on the other hand, did not record any growth, but remained at its high level of 19,300 installations.<\/p>

The renewed growth is positive for robot and component manufacturers, but the EU's Green Deal is putting them under pressure. Call for climate neutrality challenges developers of automation solutions,<\/strong> combine the digital and green transitions.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div><\/div>

To ensure that the widespread use of digital technologies does not inevitably lead to a steady increase in energy consumption, electronic waste and the ecological footprint, it is important to keep an eye on the product life cycle - from design to recycling.<\/p>

\"We have to minimise CO2<\/sub>-\"We want to differentiate between the emissions generated by the packaging we use to send our product to the customer and the emissions generated during use.\"\u00a0<\/p>

Dr Maik Fiedler<\/strong>, Head of the Vacuum Automation and Vacuum Handling business units at J. Schmalz GmbH<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>

To keep the package as small as possible, Schmalz uses on short procurement routes - 50 per cent of suppliers come from our own federal state<\/strong> -electricity from renewable sources and a sustainable distribution system. \"We avoid energy-intensive materials and production processes right from the development stage. This allows us to save material and the customer consumes less energy during subsequent operation,\" says Fiedler, citing an approach that has been practised at Schmalz for years. Now the vacuum expert is writing the next chapter and develops systems that are completely independent of compressed air.<\/strong><\/p>