Press releases

Miele strives for greater energy efficiency

Gütersloh, August 6, 2015 No. 108/2015

New sustainability report published

 

'Miele stands by its responsibility for climate protection': an unequivocal statement by Dr Eduard Sailer, Miele board member responsible for technology at Miele, the domestic appliance manufacturer, at the presentation of the company's new Sustainability Report. 'Through consistent improvements in efficiency in production and in buildings, we have been able to achieve a significant reduction in energy consumption'. These measures affect Miele's headquarters in Gütersloh just as much as the other Miele production plants.

The construction of a new office wing in Gütersloh alone, with its particularly energy-efficient building services and lighting, saves 2,860,000 kWh per annum on energy and hence reduces CO2 emissions by 535,000 kg each year. 'This corresponds to the energy requirements of 420 single-family houses', explains Hubert Hermelingmeier, chief energy management officer, putting the savings into perspective. Taken together, investments in the new administration block total around € 22 m. This suite of buildings replaces parts of older office premises dating back over 100 years which no longer met modern requirements regarding energy efficiency and fire security.

The main data processing service centre at the company headquarters was also in need of an energy efficiency upgrade and was completely rebuilt on an area covering 360 m². Cooling, electricity supply and safety engineering now reflect the current state of technology – energy-efficient, high-capacity and available around the clock 365 days a year. Cooling energy is provided by a highly efficient on-site refrigerating plant. Compared with the old computer centre, the new facilities save 730,000 kWh of energy per year, equating to an annual CO2 reduction of 150,000 kg.

The Sustainability Report (www.miele-nachhaltigkeit.de) provides information on these and other measures enabling Miele to reduce its overall energy consumption at Miele plants between the 2012/2013 and the 2013/2014 financial years by 8.1% to 223,546 MWh/a. Since 2000, energy needs have been reduced by no less than 18.4%.

Action taken at production plants

Numerous measures have been implemented in Gütersloh and at Miele's other production plants to reduce heating requirements in existing buildings. The main focus at the Bielefeld, Warendorf, Euskirchen, and Lehrte lcoations was on improving the fabric of existing buildings and heat insulation. Lighting and compressed air facilities also underwent modernisation. At these four factories alone, total savings amounted to 2,800,000 kWh per annum.

At the Bünde plant, a new energy concept has been put in place revolving around a combined trigeneration plant providing power, heat and refrigeration. The heat generated by the power plant is used to heat and cool buildings and production facilities and results in an improvement in the energy and environmental balance. For example, a new installation for washing sheet metal parts was linked to the new power plant, resulting in 5-digit savings in euros. All in all, the new approach has resulted in savings of 65,000 kWh per year or 350,000 kg CO2.

At its plastics plant in Warendorf, Miele has made continuous improvements to its injection moulding machines: Waste heat, for instance, is used to pre-dry plastic granulate. At Arnsberg, Miele modernised the generation of compressed air and lighting. The plant in the Austrian town of Bürmoos, despite significant expansion, managed to reduce its heating requirements, while plants in Braşov in Romania and Uničov in the Czech Republic brought about improvements to production equipment, supplies and lighting.

'This is Miele's bid to curb the shortage in natural resources and to combat climate change with persistency', says Dr Eduard Sailer. Despite massive efforts in the past and the resultant success in the field of energy efficiency and conservation, the company has set itself new targets which it is pursuing with a great sense of purpose. 'In truth, we did our homework long ago but we remain ambitious and intend to continue improving our energy management', says Hubert Hermelingmeier.

By way of example, he points to specific energy consumption, i.e. consumption per tonne of product, which Miele has managed to cut by no less than 32.7% since 2000. Nevertheless, the goal is to reduce this value from 1368 kWh per tonne produced (2011/2012) by a further 4% by the end of the 2015/2016 business year. As a result, corporate CO2 emissions are set to drop by 3% from the 2011/2012 level of 556 kg per tonne. This involves further infrastructure measures (heating and ventilation) identified in a large-scale potential analysis. This pinpointed possible savings of around 10 million kWh which will be addressed one step at a time. Both in Germany and at several international production locations, Miele has already embarked on a variety of energy-efficiency measures. Further activities are in the pipeline.

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Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Miele Professional).  The Miele company, founded in 1899, has 8 production plants in Germany as well as one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. 2013/14 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 3.22 bn with sales outside Germany accounting for 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. Throughout the world, the company, now in fourth-generation ownership, employs a workforce of 17,660, thereof 10,411 in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.

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Ursula Wilms
+ 49 5241 89-1958
ursula.wilms@miele.com

Media information

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The new computer centre at the Gütersloh company headquarters incorporates the latest thinking on energy efficiency.

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A new trigeneration plant at Miele's Bünde plant improves the energy and environmental balance.
 

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Dr Eduard Sailer, Executive Director responsible for technology with the Miele Group. 

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Hubert Hermelingmeier, chief energy management officer at Miele. 

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