OREANDA-NEWS. Bosch has been selected by the German Institute for Business Management (dib) and the international expert organization DEKRA as the winner of the DeutscherIdeenPreis 2013 in the category ‘Best Green Innovation’. Through the systematic application of a new approach developed by its in-house engineers, the company’s Diesel Systems plant in Homburg, Germany, has optimized the energy efficiency of the cleaning systems used in the manufacturing of diesel injection components. As a result, the cleaning systems’ energy consumption has been reduced by some 25 percent – or enough to supply 1,400 households. At the same time, energy costs have been reduced by over 20 percent. This measure is part of an integrated approach to improving the locations energy efficiency. “Energy prices have increased enormously over the past few years, adding significantly to the cost burden on European industry. Efforts to improve energy efficiency thus pay off doubly, because they help not only to mitigate climate change but also to keep us competitive,” said Dr. Werner Struth, whose responsibilities as a member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH include manufacturing coordination and environmental protection. In Germany, for instance, electricity tariffs for industrial users increased by almost 20 percent between 2008 and 2012.

Sustainability guaranteed by “energy requirements specification”
Bernd Schдfer, a project manager at the Homburg location, describes the systematic approach that was applied to optimize the energy efficiency of the cleaning systems. “We focused on three main points of leverage: correction, organization, and prevention.” A typical corrective measure is to reduce the temperature of the cleaning solutions. “Reducing the temperature by just a few degrees had no impact on the results of the cleaning process, but delivered a huge reduction in the systems’ energy consumption,” Schдfer says. The operators now also completely shut down the cleaning systems at the end of each shift and at weekends, which reduces energy consumption still further. Optimizing the performance of existing machinery is one thing, but it is equally important to act preventively. Schдfer continues, “We’ve drawn up a set of ‘energy requirements’ for the procurement of new machines and equipment, which defines the minimum energy-efficiency criteria that must be met by suppliers.” He adds, “We’re proud of this solution, which guarantees that no more energy guzzlers enter our workshops.” These criteria and all other creative ideas contributed by the engineers in Homburg have since been adopted as worldwide standards throughout the Bosch Group. Bosch associates in numerous locations are now applying the same principles to systematically identify potential sources of cost savings in their respective manufacturing activities.

Lower energy consumption means lower production costs
There are more than 150 cleaning systems in use at the Homburg location alone. They are used to remove swarf, emulsions, and oil from the diesel injection system components manufactured there. These cleaning systems account for around 15 percent of the energy consumed by the Homburg plant. The energy-saving measures for which the location received the dib and DEKRA award have considerably reduced energy consumption and costs. Moreover, CO2 emissions have dropped by almost 3,000 metric tons since the measures were introduced. In most cases, the substantial capital expenditure needed to optimize the performance of plant and equipment has been amortized within less than one year.
This is the second consecutive year in which the Bosch associates in Homburg have received a DeutscherIdeenPreis award. In 2012, their structured communications model to improve energy management was selected as the Idea of the Year. The purpose of the communications campaign, which is still in operation, is to raise awareness of energy issues among the workforce.

Bosch-Group: 20 percent reduction by 2020
Industry accounts for over 30 percent of all energy consumed worldwide. It is thus the sector with the second-highest energy consumption, after buildings (40 percent). The Bosch Group aims to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020, compared with the 2007 baseline. This means improving energy efficiency by 20 percent. More than half of the approximately 260 locations of this supplier of technology and services around the world are certified to ISO 14001, the global standard for environmental management systems.

The DeutscherIdeenPreis
The DeutscherIdeenPreis is an initiative led by the German Institute for Business Management (dib). The award was presented for the third time in 2013. In addition to prizes in the four categories of Best Green Innovation, Ideas for Upcoming Challenges, Ideas International, and Idea Angel, dib also awards a general prize for the Idea of the Year. The winners are selected by a jury composed of representatives of business, politics, science, and the media.