halstrup-walcher develops, manufactures and distributes products and customised solutions in the following areas: Positioning systems for automated format adjustments in mechanical engineering projects; Drive solutions; Pressure measurement technology for cleanroom, HVAC and OEM applications; Calibration services for the measurement parameter pressure; Development services for mechanical, electronic and software applications.
Interview with Jürgen Walcher, Managing Director at halstrup-walcher GmbH.
Easy Engineering: How do you see sustainability and what are your efforts in this direction?
Jürgen Walcher: As a family-run business existing for more than 75 years we have always aimed at leaving the company for the upcoming generations in a better condition in all possible ways than it has been taken over with. That said, sustainability has always been a core value in our business. A set of internal initiatives and projects, some of them already existing for several years, aim at reaching our sustainability goals, and we strive to improve year by year. With DIN14001, we have a certified Quality and Environmental Management System in place with regular audits, and we are proud that we achieved silver in the ecovadis Sustainability Rating in 2022. But our efforts will of course continue.
E.E: Tell us about the sustainable solutions that you offer (if any), and do you offer solutions for reinvigorating old equipment with new solutions?
J.W: We produce positioning systems and pressure measurement technology for the machine builders and HVAC sector. With our high focus on quality, our products achieve a lifetime of 10+ years. In addition, we offer repair services to ensure longevity even in case of mechanical malfunctions.
E.E: Tell us about R&D and innovation.
J.W: A significant part of our business is developing customized solutions for applications requiring high precision format adjustments. In our standardized product development process, we work through a range of criteria taking into account the environmental impact of our product innovation, for example based on the materials we use or the specifications for our production process. Thereby we ensure all our projects aim towards the best possible ecological footprint.
E.E: Tell us about sustainability in production & distribution.
J.W: We have included sustainability aspects regarding the efficient use of energy and resources of the products itself and also their production and packaging. We use modern technologies to create as less waste as possible within the production process and reuse working materials whenever possible. The packaging of our products is designed to ensure maximum safety during the distribution process as well as using as less packaging materials as possible. Apart from that, we follow a defined process to continuously review how we can replace problematic substances.
E.E: What is the company strategy to reduce environmental impact?
J.W: Our philosophy is „You can only manage what you measure”. This is why we are currently developing a measurement framework for our environmental impact.
With the help of a professional service provider for measuring carbon footprints we will measure our company carbon footprint in 2023 and will include the product carbon footprint in the following year. Based on this assessment we will implement further measures for reducing our emissions and set specific goals according to The Paris Agreement.
Our environmental team, consisting of one representative employee from each department, meets regularly to discuss the status of our sustainability goals and ensures their achievement. This guarantees a broad view on all departments, so we can make sure to work more energy- and resource-efficient in all sectors.
E.E: Tell us about preserving resources and driving circularity, or tell us about sustainable energy solutions used.
J.W: In March 2023, we celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony of a new building project to create more production and administration capacity for our business and to enable future growth. The planned building has an extensive energy concept, which includes the use of geothermal energy and a solar power system. However, our existing site also has a lot of energy saving concepts in place, amongst others a closed cold water system to regulate room and machine temperature, and solar panels.
E.E: How do you drive focus on sustainability of operations?
J.W: We believe that every improvement, even the smallest, helps us to become better each day. From an electric vehicle fleet to purchasing regional food, from sponsored tickets for public transport to sustainable packaging concepts, there are many activities and day-to-day decisions we take to operate as sustainable as possible.
We have implemented a daily assessment of our energy consumption in each department and all employees get educated about efficient use of energy and resources. Our environmental team ensures the fulfillment of our sustainability goals by regularly assessing their achievement rate and communicating the results in all departments.
E.E: How do you see sustainability in the future?
J.W: Some of our customers already ask for certificates proving our environmental footprint and sustainability efforts. We believe that sustainable business operations will be an even more important success factor in the future. Apart from that, we consider it as a social responsibility to continue with our sustainability efforts, both for the existing and future generations.
halstrup-walcher GmbH
Stegener Straße 10
79199 Kirchzarten
Germany
T: +49 76 61 39 63 0