We will help you to anchor sustainability in all areas of your company: from strategy to the implementation of measures. In our projects we take a look, with our customers, at the entire value added chain – from development through purchasing, supply chain management and production, all the way up to after sales (end users). Building on the foundation of our expertise, we work together to realise your potential, and will accompany you on your journey to becoming a sustainable business. Using our hands-on mentality, project experience across industries and value added chains, as well as our interdisciplinary approach, we can offer you made-to-measure solutions for your individual requirements.
Sustainability in product development
Sustainability in product development
Product development impacts sustainability throughout the entire product life cycle.
Product development offers the largest tool in relation to sustainable cars. The consistent implementation of a product’s sustainability is assured, if it is already adopted as an important target figure during product development, along with cost, quality, product features and development time.
Sample project results:
Embedding sustainability targets in product development and taking the entire life cycle into account.
Weighting and quantification of sustainability targets throughout the stages of the product life cycle (supply chain, in-house production, usage and recycling).
Design of a sustainable product without neglecting the other target figures in the product development.
Reduction of CO2e emissions by setting up strategic measures for supply chains
Purchasing strategies that target sustainability. With regard to the entire value chain, the Purchasing department takes on the important role of purchasing components with low CO2e emissions. Apart from that, it is responsible for suppliers satisfying environmental and social standards. In this way procurement targets will be expanded to include the dimension of sustainability in addition to the familiar goals of cost, quality, flexibility and innovation.
Sample project results:
Identification of CO2e drivers in the Purchasing portfolio.
Integration of Purchasing into the product development phase for drivers of CO2e.
Influence on sustainability by participating in product design and taking sustainability criteria in the procurement market into account. For instance in the choice of materials during concept development or in strategic decisions on external or in-house services.
Increased share of added value through vertical integration of e-mobility supply chains allows a crucial competitive advantage.
Electrical propulsion components, especially high-voltage batteries, are a deciding competitive factor for sustainable cars. Therefore, OEMs and suppliers require a consistent development of expertise along the value chain in the long term to be able to build electric vehicles that are successful from both a cost and a sustainability perspective. Consequently, vertical integration in e-mobility supply chains is more important than ever.
Sample project results:
Identification of main instrument to reduce production costs of all electrical propulsion components taking the evolving vertical integration into consideration.
Reduction of pollutants in the n-tier chain by means of influence through vertical integration.
Development of medium and long-term strategies in relation to vertical integration, thus achieving profitability in the electromobility sector.
Shaping the future of combustion engine supply chains
Shaping the future of combustion engine supply chains
Long-term access to technology and cost reduction in the case of combustion engine technologies as a qualification for ramping up electric cars.
The rapidly rising demand for alternative propulsion technologies in the automotive industry has required OEMs to phase out their current combustion engine technologies more quickly than previously planned. As a result the overall combustion engine supply chain is affected. This gives rise to two challenges for the industry. On the one hand access to technology and the necessary production capacities up to the end-of-production must be secured. To be able to make available the remaining combustion engine portfolio despite declining quantities. On the other hand, products must achieve maximum profitability. In this respect, however, a challenge is presented by the requirements of the suppliers in the combustion engine supply chains and generally increasing raw material and salary costs.
Sample project results:
Implementation of program objectives for the systematic tracing of change costs as part of the regulatory requirements and related industrialisation up to the n-tier level.
Assessment of specific cost risks for scenarios involving different quantities on the basis of component and supplier clusters.
Identification of synergies for extending lifetimes of combustion engine components using intelligent bundling of the scope of contracts, shifting locations, and phasing out costly suppliers.
Developing capacities for new technologies presents enormous challenges to ramp-up management in e-mobility supply chains.
The sharply increasing demand for and high degree of complexity of electric cars requires a focus on quality and supply processes. In doing so, risks in the field should be reduced and continuous supplies guaranteed. Particularly in the case of high-voltage batteries, OEMs and their supply chains must first build up the necessary expertise. We will support you in managing the ramping-up of e-mobility supply chains.
Sample project results:
Carrying out detailed capacity analyses at potential suppliers up to the n-tier chain to produce consistent transparency in the case of highly critical component shortages.
Creating comprehensive quality concepts and as a result safeguarding new technologies in the early phase.
Implementation and execution of integrated industrialisation concepts with a focus on shortened timelines and critical manufacturing processes.
Ensuring sustainability measures in series production across the entire supply chain.
The development of a sustainable supply chain in series production presents a considerable challenge to automotive OEMs. Opaque and complex supply chains and legal aspects can make it difficult to check on sustainability measures such as the use of green electricity, recycling quotas and process improvements up to the n-tier level. However, by establishing a standard for providing proof specific to each measure, adherence to sustainability measures in the entire supply chain will be ensured.
Sample project results:
Development of a system specific to each measure to provide proof, and as a result a sustainable supply chain (e.g. for the use of green electricity in the supply chain).
Review of agreed sustainability measures at 1st tier suppliers and simultaneously enabling them to provide proof for their suppliers.
Identification of deviations from the agreed status and drawing up and checking a catalogue of measures.
Sustainability in After Sales with Remanufacturing
Sustainability in After Sales with Remanufacturing
Consideration of remanufacturing as a sustainability measure for reducing CO2e in After Sales.
In contrast to recycling, the focus of remanufacturing lies not in gaining raw materials but rather in reprocessing old parts. Up to now, the use of remanufacturing has been evaluated purely on the basis of economic aspects. However, remanufacturing can make a significant contribution towards satisfying targets with regard to sustainability in After Sales.
Sample project results:
Integration of remanufacturing in the company-wide sustainability strategy.
Definition of a remanufacturing product portfolio taking both economic and ecological aspects into consideration.
Designing a closed remanufacturing parts cycle on the basis of sustainability criteria (logistics, reprocessing process and distribution).
Management of sustainability initiatives in the context of a company-wide target system.
The reasons for the failure of sustainability initiatives can be found in sustainability targets that are missing or not integrated into the overarching program and project strategy. Consequently, priority is often given to short-term economic interests instead of sustainability initiatives. Setting up a company-wide automotive sustainability program so that in the context of the overall system of goals, transparency, comparability and measurability of sustainability will lead to achievement of the sustainability vision.
Sample project results:
Inferring and drawing up a uniform automotive sustainability program to achieve targets for sustainability.
Development, construction and rollout of a business case oriented evaluation methodology to manage sustainability measures.
Transparency and monitoring of the status of goal attainment.
We practice what we preach. We have in fact been climate neutral since 2019. We reduce and offset all our emissions:
Building: electricity, heating, water, waste, air conditioning
Employees: business trips, car fleet, meals, drinks and snacks, commuting/mobile working
Procurement: consumables, furniture and IT equipment, external services
Customers
When moving into our new office in September 2020, right from the start we assessed every single component in relation to how climate friendly it is – and so from the very beginning our new office equipment included our own EV charging stations, furniture made of recycled mixed materials, 100% green electricity and green district heating, a superior water tap system in which hot, cold, and sparkling water come straight from the tap, thus replacing kettles and plastic bottles (including delivery and collection), LED lights with movement sensors, waste separation, sustainable office supplies and promotional items, and lots more besides. After two years of our own hard work, in 2021 we decided to calculate our CO2 footprint together with the renowned climate tech company, Planetly, and use the calculations as the basis for identifying measures to reduce it. The Sustainability Team, comprising employees from different levels within the organisation also meets regularly to discuss new ideas and to become even more climate friendly.
Current challenges are giving the topic of sustainability an enormous boost. Companies should rise to this challenge and focus their policies on sustainability as well, in order to generate their own competitive edge. … read more
Plug-in hybrids, a combination of two engine systems in one vehicle, are enjoying rising popularity both in demand – an annual doubling in the growth rate of registrations in Germany no less – and in manufacturers’ offerings. … read more
