Low-carbon aluminum profiles

00:00:05: Hello everybody and welcome to a new episode of our tech podcast by Bosch Rexroth.

00:00:09: My name is Robert Weber, my guest today is Samantha Thurner.

00:00:12: Welcome to the podcast!

00:00:13: Hello,

00:00:13: pleasure to be here.

00:00:14: Thank you!

00:00:15: Thanks a lot.

00:00:16: So before we start talking about low carbon aluminium profiles, please introduce yourself briefly.

00:00:22: Hello, everyone.

00:00:23: My name is Samantha Thurner and I'm in the business unit assembly technology at Bosch Rexroth.

00:00:29: And this i am responsible for the topic of sustainability with the focus on product and in context of low carbon aluminium profiles.

00:00:38: Before we talk about low carbon please tell us a bit about your profiles?

00:00:45: Who is using your profiles, what kind of use cases do we see with your profiles?

00:00:49: And then we talk about low carbon profiles.

00:00:51: Okay, so when we talked about aluminium profiles basically the possibilities are endless because it's a profile kit.

00:00:59: You can do whatever you want where ever you need those kind of processes and products.

00:01:05: We are mainly found in productions environments, in terms of machine frames in terms of ergonomic work spaces,

00:01:12: In terms of shelves or safety fences.

00:01:14: So we're mainly found in production,

00:01:16: but if you want to think about it the possibilities like I said are endless.

00:01:20: Okay.

00:01:21: What

00:01:21: are now

00:01:22: low carbon profiles?

00:01:24: Well, if we're talking about low carbon aluminium profiles.

00:01:27: We refer to products which are reduced in their carbon footprint in terms of using renewable energy sources to create those low carbon profiles.

00:01:38: Okay and how exactly do these profiles differ from conventional solutions?

00:01:43: From the let's call normal profiles?

00:01:46: Or is there a difference?

00:01:47: In terms of quality, we have no difference at all.

00:01:50: We just reduce the carbon footprint that we provide our customers with by using renewable energies such as water, wind and solar power.

00:01:59: So in terms of Quality, we have no differentiation between those two.

00:02:04: Can you explain a little bit the process or what was the idea behind this low carbon profile initiative by Bosch Rexroth?

00:02:13: So basically, there are a few factors that came into play when we talked about low carbon aluminium profiles.

00:02:19: We have the factor that there are regulations, that we have to at some point adjust and fulfill.

00:02:26: They're not in action at the moment but we want it to be ahead of that and not think about solutions once they hit

00:02:33: First

00:02:34: mover?

00:02:34: First mover in those terms. And then also as Bosch Rexroth obviously we have a goal we want to achieve ourselves. So we have a responsibility in those terms that we need to fulfill.

00:02:45: And also, we want to support our customers in fulfilling their carbon footprint.

00:02:51: In fulfilling their sustainability goals and help them achieve that.

00:02:56: Because the industry is moving and the point's getting more important. If we talk about it in a larger context and trends that were seeing that is definitely one of them.

00:03:06: So, in those terms those are the aspects that pushed us forward to move ahead be the first mover in those terms.

00:03:13: How is the CO₂ reduction achieved and does the quality remain the same?

00:03:18: You said yes, but how significant is the reduction?

00:03:22: So basically we are talking about a two-phase program that we're following.

00:03:26: So In the first step, we're reducing the carbon footprint by using those renewable energies. Wind, water and solar powered energies to produce because this big impact on those terms.

00:03:40: And then the next step, we're focusing on getting more recycled aluminium in the product without losing any quality.

00:03:47: So

00:03:47: this is an R&D topic right?

00:03:49: To work on recycled aluminium and to build profiles with recycled material or is it a common way to do?

00:03:58: It's

00:03:58: the common way to do.

00:03:59: I mean we know from industry that we do it with plastics and everything and learned that there is little to none quality reduction in those terms, and we're doing it without any quality reductions because aluminium is a well used material.

00:04:15: And we have the possibility to do it without losing anything.

00:04:19: What is the feedback from the market?

00:04:21: They're catching on.

00:04:22: It's still slow because they are focusing on other topics of course as well, but customers approach us more and more in terms of how can we support them with it there.

00:04:32: But they also need to report numbers, right?

00:04:34: Yes!

00:04:36: They also report numbers and we also offer the possibility.

00:04:38: For example on our website, for every product you can account for the PCF value so that customers know what products their purchasing and what kind of carbon footprint lies behind the product that we provide them with.

00:04:54: Is it a common way or is there a difference to competitors in the market?

00:04:59: Can you share a little bit, what is the position of Bosch Rexroth there? First mover, already mentioned that you want to be the first mover. Are you ahead of the others?

00:05:07: With this

00:05:08: at the moment, we are first mover, so... We rarely hear from competitors moving in the right direction.

00:05:15: At this speed whether we provided it with, because we started with it already last year. In terms of catching on, the industry is fast, so I'm not doubting that any other competitors will go that way because of the regular cherries that the EU provides, for example.

00:05:30: But in terms of first movers, we are really proud to be and we're happy to provide our customers with those supports and the possibility to make them accountable towards their customers as well.

00:05:43: Yeah, I think it's very important especially for the bigger companies, because they have already implemented reporting when it comes to sustainability, right?

00:05:51: And they need numbers and often when it comes to the supply chain, they don't get the numbers and the facts.

00:05:57: So its quite important for them.

00:05:59: Exactly!

00:06:00: I mean, if we talk about other companies you can see that this is more and more important to be transparent about those numbers, and so we help them by providing this already in early stages of the development process, because customers usually use our profiles to set up their factories.

00:06:20: To build them up, so in those terms by already lowering the carbon footprint there, it goes a long way

00:06:27: in these terms.

00:06:29: What is on your agenda?

00:06:30: What are you next steps when it comes to profiles, when it comes to recycled materials?

00:06:37: What is on your agenda?

00:06:39: So, we're thinking like I said the phase two. We will reduce the carbon footprint of our products even more by using more recycled materials.

00:06:48: Then it doesn't stick only to aluminium.

00:06:51: We can also talk about plastics

00:06:52: that way using in those terms.

00:06:55: Okay, great.

00:06:56: I think in the plastic, there's more knowledge already

00:07:00: when it comes to recyclate and to use it, right?

00:07:02: Yes, there is this more knowledge there, because people are working on it for the last few years.

00:07:09: So we're not first mover there, but it helps us and helps us... and customers to reduce even more.

00:07:17: I'm really looking forward to hear more in the next coming months.

00:07:20: I keep my fingers crossed for you and your team.

00:07:22: Thanks a lot!

00:07:23: Thank you for having me!