Schmalz participates in 7 million euro project for CO2 reduction

With the award in the RegioWIN innovation competition of the state of Baden-Württemberg in February and an associated financial grant of around 7 million euros, the H2BlackForest research center has begun its work. One sub-project to which the research center is dedicated and in which Schmalz is also actively involved is ReduCO₂. Here, those involved in the project are developing various concepts and scenarios to help minimize CO₂ emissions quickly and sustainably. "The goal for our region can only be to become CO₂ neutral as quickly as possible," says Manja Hies, Head of Sustainability at Schmalz. "We are very happy to participate in this exciting lighthouse project. We want to tackle the issue of CO₂ reduction, take action and develop solutions. In doing so, we hope to pave the way for the many companies in the northern Black Forest that want to tackle the topic of CO₂ reduction in the same way."

One of the first goals of the ReduCO₂ project is to create a digital twin of Schmalz: This is a virtual image of the company in which a large amount of information is stored. The main aim of ReduCO₂ is to create a virtual representation of the company's carbon footprint that is as close to reality as possible. Once the digital twin has been set up, it can be used to examine the steps that can be taken to minimize CO₂ emissions in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner. The company then sits in front of a model and, with a turn of the virtual screws, can clarify questions such as: Will a change in supply chain processes bring me CO₂ savings? What concrete benefits does switching to hydrogen-powered vehicles offer me in terms of my carbon footprint? But also: With the production of which product does the company cause a particularly high amount of CO₂ - and with which steps could this product be produced in a more climate-friendly way? "In the future, ReduCO₂ will be an important tool at Schmalz to help us make decisions on the subject of sustainability," Hies emphasizes.

H2BlackForest is a joint initiative of the Black Forest Campus, the Institute for Industrial Manufacturing and Factory Operation at the University of Stuttgart, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation. In addition, the companies J. Schmalz GmbH, Omexom GmbH, Marquardt GmbH and teamtechnik Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH are also involved. The city and district of Freudenstadt and the municipal utilities of Freudenstadt and Rottweil are also participating in the project. The aim of the initiative is to explore what opportunities there are in the northern Black Forest to use energy and raw materials more efficiently, particularly with the help of hydrogen solutions, and to sustainably reduce CO₂ emissions.