Altensteig. "Taking more action to protect the environment than legislation requires" - this is the exhaust technology specialist Boysen's stated aim, and the company has now taken the next step by achieving ISO 14001 certification. The environmental management system at Friedrich Boysen GmbH & Co. KG has now been validated and registered under the European Union's EMAS programme.
EMAS stands for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and is the world's most demanding system of environmental audits for business. Participating companies commit to continuously improving their environmental performance and to consistently involve all employees. Another key requirement is the publication of an environmental declaration, which sets out in detail all activities relating to the environment, along with environmental data such as resource and energy consumption.
"As a developer and manufacturer of systems and components that are installed in our customers' vehicles to achieve crucial reductions in harmful emissions and noise, protecting the environment is a key element of our core business", says Boysen CEO Rolf Geisel. He adds: "The EMAS registration demonstrates that we take our responsibilities seriously when it comes to the environmental sustainability of our services and production processes."
Specific examples are provided by Ingo Neumann who, as the environmental management officer at Boysen, coordinated the audits and was on hand to discuss issues with the auditors and answer any questions. One of the examples Neumann cites is the test rigs in the Altensteig Development and Management Centre (EVZ). "We recover most of the energy we require to test our systems. For example, the heat produced during operation of hot gas generators and engines is fed directly into our heating system using heat exchangers. With normal operation of the test rigs, this means that even in winter we do not need any external supply of heat energy."
Neumann says that the independent auditors were particularly taken with the energy concept at the Turmfeld production plant. "Totally self-funded, with no subsidies", as Rolf Geisel underlines, with its latest expansion the company "has largely realised the vision of a CO2 optimised factory". Thanks to an intelligent combination of solar energy, photovoltaics, geothermal energy, natural cooling, concrete core activation and absorption refrigeration technology, the plant is largely independent of external energy supplies. According to calculations by the planning consultant responsible, the use of state of the art technology reduces the plant's CO2 emissions by 583 tons per year. Annual energy savings are rated at 5,840 megawatt hours, which is the equivalent of the annual consumption of well over 700 family homes.
Boysen is also employing the very latest technology in production itself. In robot welding, air supply and exhaust systems with high-performance filters ensure that the welding fumes are 99.9 percent cleaned of harmful substances. The clean warm air is fed through heat recovery systems to heat the production buildings.
The fact that environmental issues are so broadly established at Boysen is also demonstrated by the commitment of the Friedrich and Elisabeth Boysen Foundation. The Foundation was founded in 1996 and supports research work that aims to reduce harmful emissions, noise and energy consumption. Overall, funding amounting to more than 6.7 million Euro has been provided to date - focusing on academic projects at the University of Stuttgart, Aalen University of Applied Sciences, Dresden Technical University and the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology.
These and all of Friedrich Boysen GmbH & Co. KG's other environmental initiatives are set out in an environmental declaration. In line with EMAS requirements, this can be viewed and downloaded on the company's website (www.boysen-online.de/verantwortung/umwelt/). It also sets out all of the company's activities that are relevant for environmental management, along with corresponding environmental data on resource and energy consumption.
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The Boysen Group develops and produces manifolds, diesel particulate filters, silencers, trims and complete exhaust systems for cars, commercial vehicles and off-highway applications. In addition to its three main customers Audi, BMW and Daimler, the exhaust technology specialist works for the German car manufacturers Volkswagen and Porsche, the British manufacturers Bentley and Rolls Royce, the commercial vehicle manufacturers MAN and Daimler, and for Krauss Mafffei, mtu, Voith and others in the off-highway sector.
The Boysen Group currently employs around 2,900 people at 17 domestic and international sites. In addition to the development sites in Altensteig and Nagold, Boysen has production sites in Altensteig, Simmersfeld, Salching, Ingolstadt, Plauen and Achim, and also in France, Egypt, South Africa, India, China and the USA.
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In case of any queries, please contact:
Christian Grimm
Marketing Team Leader
BIN Boysen Innovationszentrum Nagold GmbH & Co. KG
Carl-Friedrich-Gauss-Str. 4
72202 Nagold
Tel. 07452/8408-200
Fax 07452/8408-8200
E-mail christian.grimm(at)bin.boysen-online.de
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