Volkswagen introduces holistic programme
Blue. philosophy. Since then a number of initiatives have been rolled out to other areas of the plant.
Think Blue.Factory functions against the backdrop of four key areas, specifically, society, efficiency, energy supply and employees.
With regards to ‘society’, Volkswagen has partnered with local and national organisations involved in environmentally friendly activities and provides financial support to assist them to achieve their objectives and mandates.
The focus in terms of efficiency is on introducing key performance indicators in the production process to measure the reduction of water and energy consumption, as well as waste, CO2 and VOC generation. The target is to achieve a 25 percent reduction across each element.
Recycling initiatives have also been introduced to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill. These are mainly from packaging materials such as polystyrene and packaging straps.
Each production area in a plant is also measured over a weekend when the plant is not operational. The energy load is drawn and measured and this becomes the target for every weekend and periods between shift periods.
When new facilities are planned, efficient and modern technology that reduces energy consumption is considered, as was the case during the planning phases of the new press plant. The new press plant uses “wavelength technology” whereby excess energy from one pressing operation is recu- perated and used to power another operation in sequence.
Uitenhage is the first Volkswagen press plant to use the wavelength technology, making it the most environmentally friendly press plant in the Volkswagen production network.
“Nothing is too large or too small to escape the attention of the Think Blue initiative,” says Nico Serfontein, Think Blue Project Leader at Volkswagen Group South Africa.
The technology in the new press plant was the main citation from the judges for the 2012 Exporter Club Environmental Award bestowed recently on Volkswagen South Africa for its Think Blue.Factory initiatives.
“Actions range from simple steps such as switching off office or factory lights when not required to, to achieving large savings across all fronts when developing and constructing new plants and other facilities.
“Techniques also include using sensors to monitor when offices and factory areas are not occupied; meaning lights and other power sources can be automatically turned off. This is controlled by a real-time computer system that shows what is in use at any time and can also be controlled manually by specially trained Think Blue. Factory marshals,” explained Serfontein.
As Think Blue. is an international initiative, information is shared and solutions are offered worldwide across many of the initiative’s components.
In terms of its energy out- look, Volkswagen is investigating alternative energy solutions that can be implemented to reduce energy consumption. This includes the use of solar heating for water, instead of gas. This, in combination with a heat pump, will generate some of the cold water needed for cooling operations and save electricity.
On the employee front, Volkswagen has launched a comprehensive communication strategy to raise awareness among its employees about responsible resource usage and environmentally friendly manufacturing practices.
The key element of the strategy is the Think Blue.Pavilion, a one-stop facility that aims to educate employees on practical environmental ideas that can be implemented at home and work.
The Think Blue. Factory initiatives have already paid off with large-scale waste reduction being achieved across the board.