Sustainable production at Wirtgen
The future is close to our hearts
For us, sustainable production processes and procedures are decisive for the reduction of environmental impact and from the perspective of costs.
The Wirtgen GmbH Brand Headquarters in Windhagen is also the Head Office of the WIRTGEN GROUP. The factory for the production of cold milling machines, recyclers, slipform pavers and Surface Miners alongside the A3 Autobahn is around 2.3 km long and has a total area of about 480,000 square metres.
Zero-emission power generation
With the installation of high-performance photovoltaic systems in 2024, we have taken a big step forward in the sustainable orientation of our power sources at the Windhagen site and the achievement of our goal of greater independence from fluctuations on the energy market.
Thanks to these new systems, the future will see us autonomously generating around 20% of our annual electric power needs. We have installed photovoltaic modules on an area of 40,000 m², more or less the same area as six football pitches.
This means that we will be able to save around 1,000 t of CO₂ per year in the operation of our administrative and production facilities in Windhagen. The power supply infrastructure is being adapted to ensure optimal distribution of the autonomously generated electric power. Excess power generated at weekends and on public holidays is fed into the local power grid. Our plans foresee the installation of more PV systems – after all, we have sufficient roof space that’s still unused.
The use of renewable energies is only one aspect of our efforts to work more sustainably. The reduction of our energy needs is equally important. We have already implemented numerous measures with this in mind.
Building services technology and external installations
The installation of smart software and sensors for better system control and optimisation of the runtime of systems and equipment reduce the daily energy requirements.
Lighting
The replacement of light sources in the halls and administrative buildings with LED lamps improves workplace lighting for the employees and considerably reduces electric power consumption. The installation of daylight sensors and motion sensors and the optimisation of light-on-intervals also contribute to additional energy savings.
In a comparison with the figures from 2021, 2023 already showed electrical power savings of 13% as a result of the investments in the areas of building services technology, external installations and lighting, which corresponds to around 730 t of CO₂e.
State-of-the-art heating and air conditioning systems
Smart air filtering systems, which extract the process heat from production activities, filter it and return it to the factory halls as clean, warm air, assure a continuous circulation of fresh air and resource-friendly heating. In addition, we use heat pumps to reduce our gas consumption
Other measures
We ensure responsible handling of valuable resources, clear separation of wastes, waste prevention and high occupational safety standards for our employees.
Certified environmental protection
The Wirtgen factory in Windhagen is ISO 14001 certified. Environmental management in accordance with ISO 14001 is a central component of our corporate environmental protection concept.
ISO 14001 certificate
Sustainability at Wirtgen
Combining sustainable technologies with increased efficiency is a fundamental requirement for the present and the future. We call the concept ‘Do More with Less’:
Sustainability at Wirtgen
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