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Sustainable supply chain - Co2 neutrality all along the line.
We take responsibility in a very concrete way every day - for our employees and our products, for the resources of our earth and the region in which we are at home. Our corporate policy is based on these four fields of action. It is important to us that the quality of our products is impeccable, that they meet the standards of eco design, and that all processes along the supply chain are optimised in terms of sustainability.
Co2 neutrality is the goal in the automotive and industrial sectors. In order to be sustainably successful today and in the future, we support them in achieving this goal. As a supplier of sustainable product development, we see it as our responsibility to reduce material and energy consumption in our production and thus become part of a Co2-neutral supply chain. To achieve this, we analyse the life cycle of our solutions from an ecological point of view and exploit all opportunities to save materials and use recyclable materials. In our product development, we speak of eco design in this context. This refers to the reduction of material use, material reuse, and the use of recycled materials. Discover our product development according to eco design.
Product development according to Eco Design specifications.
At the centre of our efforts for a sustainable use of resources are three Rs, behind which the
keywords “Reduce”, “Reuse” and “Recycle” are hidden and which we see as the basis for our product development:
Less material with consistently high quality.
By significantly reducing the amount of material used, we make a major contribution to the conservation of resources. We achieve this, for example, through the so-called MuCell® process. This process for the physical foaming of thermoplastics not only results in a significant weight reduction of our components, but also in improved dimensional stability and a reduction in sink marks. This enables us to meet the requirements of our customers (more functions with reduced weight and simultaneous cost control) and to reconcile these with the conservation of resources.
But not only components can benefit from the reduction in material. Our design engineers also work daily on integrating the topic of resource conservation into the design of articles. For example, the use of materials can be minimised through a function and force flow direct design. This has a positive effect on the resource aspect, but does not have any disadvantages in terms of stability.
Best protection. Use for use.
Workpiece carriers are used for the optimal handling of components, for example in the fields of electronics, sensor technology or automotive, during transport, storage and production. The workpiece carriers, also called trays, are produced in cooperation with our KAPSTO® division. Thanks to our in-house foil production, we are very flexible and can respond specifically to your requirements. This also enables us to produce high-quality reusable trays.
The workpiece carriers can be made of different plastics. One possible material for the production of the workpiece carriers is PS. PS is made of recycled material. After use of the trays, whether disposable or reusable, the material can be recycled again. You can find out more about the closed material loop via our company-wide PÖPPELMANN blue® initiative here.
Turn old into new.
The recycling of raw materials is indispensable for the conservation of resources. This is why K-TECH® has decades of experience with the use of recycled materials and has been combining this with eco design for more than 10 years. Recycled materials are currently used in more than 100 serial components. Through extensive basic tests, we support our customers with the best expertise on the material characteristics of the different recyclate types and can therefore predict the component properties in advance with an FEM calculation.
As part of our PÖPPELMANN blue® initiative, we are working on making our products and processes as environmentally conscious as possible. Our goal is to increase the use of recycled materials to such an extent that a completely closed raw material cycle is created. This means: a product becomes recycled material and this recycled material is turned into a new product with the same excellent quality.
PIR - application using the example of "Crashblock"
We obtain the PIR (Post Industrial Recycling material) from production waste, such as sprue return. The production waste is melted down and granulated by an external service provider. The recycled PPGF30 is then used again in our production. The quality of the PIR meets the requirements of eco design. In addition, the product is recyclable and returns to the material cycle. An article that is already produced with PIR is, for example, the Crashblock (see illustration).
The crash block is installed near the engine, directly on the battery as a spacer. Its function is to prevent the battery from slipping in the event of a crash and to keep it steady. Only PIR is used for the production of the component.
In-house material production - application using the example of the washing cap
For the production of the washing cap in the Pöppelmann Plant II, we produce our own PIR material in the Holdorf plant. For this purpose, plastic waste from our production is sorted, processed and finally compounded with appropriate additives. As a result, we are not only a plastics processor, but also our own material manufacturer. The material for the washing caps is produced by taking the washing cap back from the customer after use and closing the PCR cycle.
The washing cap is a technical demanding component, as it must fulfill a wide range of customer requirements. The tasks range from sophisticated tolerance compensation (assembly / disassembly), to protection of the drive head in the washing process (protection against oil, water, alkalis, and increased temperatures), a worldwide transport protection (against external weather conditions) up to the technical cleanliness to protect electrical components (from metallic and non-metallic particles).
At Pöppelmann K-Tech, we are committed to ensuring that not only the expected component functions are fully met, but also that our technical expertise and experience is brought to bear on the process in order to keep the carbon footprint of the customer's product as low as possible.
PCR - Use of the Holder Soundgenerator as an example
What is PCR? PCR (Post Consumer Recycling Material) is produced from the waste of the yellow sack and the yellow bin. The waste is sorted by material and cleaned in sorting plants. Compounded material from the supplier is used for the production of the sound generator. During compounding, additives and glass fiber are added to the PP. During the production of the PCR, special attention is paid to the purity of the material to ensure perfect quality, as these are the special challenges for closed material cycles in the automotive industry. By not using virgin, PIR or other materials, resources are conserved and the Co2 balance of the product is reduced.
The holder sound generator is screwed to the underbody in the engine compartment of e-vehicles. It generates a sound or warning signal so that the e-car is better perceived in city traffic. This is where the word "sound generator" comes from. It is the first component in the automotive sector to be made from PCR and shows how the circular economy can already be implemented in series production.
"With PÖPPELMANN blue®, we want to promote the necessary transition from linear to a circular economy and bring ecological thinking into line with economic action."
Matthias Lesch, CEO, Pöppelmann GmbH & Co. KG
"Now we have achieved the goal of breaking short-lived material loop and binding the material in a long vehicle life. True to the effect: From salad cup to automotive component."
Frank Schockemöhle, Head of Development K-TECH
Do you have any questions? The K-TECH® team will be happy to answer them.
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