Starting In 2021 With A Sustainability Award And A Photovoltaic System in Amstetten

‘Sustainability’ is one of the biggest buzzwords of our time. However, it can be far more than just a buzzword, as two inspirational initiatives from the Umdasch Group and its subsidiary Doka demonstrate. The first is an award honouring new climate-friendly ideas within the company, in which all employees were invited to participate. The other is a huge photovoltaic system installed on the roofs of the company’s production site in Amstetten, which will contribute to a green energy mix in future.

On the search for more climate-friendly concepts

Who has the best ideas for protecting the climate? This was the question the Umdasch Group posed to all its employees around the world last year. The call for proposals went out across five continents, with contributions coming from countries including Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The initiative’s motto – “It’s up to you” – is apt because, ultimately, each of us is responsible for making the world a better place. The spectrum of ideas ranged from logistics and transport concepts to product and process optimisations to innovations in the fields of digitalisation and sustainable energy. In a thrilling finale, an idea for a new technology to reduce cement consumption won over the expert jury. And now, having won the prize, the team led by Pavel Kasal, Johannes Kirchhofer and Georg Stolz will have the opportunity to develop their idea.

“We came up with the idea some time ago. The prize has allowed us to cast a spotlight on it. The next step will be to develop a formwork solution suitable for use on construction sites, which we hope will then allow us to start field testing,” said the victorious trio.

The prize is further evidence of something demonstrated numerous times over the company’s 150-year history, namely that innovative power is part of its DNA. The company plans to award this Sustainability Prize each year in future.

When the sun smiles, we smile too – photovoltaic system commences operation

Since last year, installation work has been underway on the Umdasch Group’s premises in Amstetten, specifically on the roof of hall block B3. A photovoltaic system with a yield of 500 kWp is set to come on stream in the first quarter of 2021. The system will then be gradually expanded from the summer onwards, feeding around 910,000 kilowatt hours per year into the on-site power network. This is roughly equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 200 four-person households.

It represents a major step towards eco-efficient investments for the Umdasch Group. As part of its sustainability strategy, the company aims to increase the proportion of its global investments that have a positive impact on the environment. Through this commitment and its numerous other social, ecological and commercial initiatives and measures, the Umdasch Group is once again demonstrating its sense of corporate responsibility.