Optimisation with a vision

The value chain is deliberately kept closed with 100 per cent processing of round timber on site.

Energy efficiency top on the list of priorities

From new investments to maintenance issues and process optimisation, Pfeifer involves its internal energy experts in all energy-relevant projects. “Optimisation has a high priority within the group,” says Bastian Schrems who is pleased about generous investment leeway to identify energy efficiency potential: “As an owner-managed family business, Pfeifer can and wants to embed sustainable investment policies in the company strategy. This is increasingly turning out to be a competitive advantage. After all, sustainability is also a feature that sets us apart.”

The most important result of this strategic orientation is integrated production at the company’s locations. This means that the value chain is deliberately kept closed with 100 per cent processing of round timber on site. The advantages of the zero-waste principle are clear: The company's own biomass cogeneration plants supply carbon neutral heat and electricity primarily for the company's own needs, but also feed it into the public supply network. Refining the wood into various wood products on site also reduces the number of truck trips coming from and going to the plants. Another signal representing sustainability in action is the promotion of rail transport. Four Pfeifer locations are already connected to (inter)national freight traffic via company tracks. In 2020/2021 Pfeifer has invested approx. 16 million Euros into Lauterbach's railway connection alone to secure the location in the long term. The volume of goods moved by freight trains and intermodal transport has been steadily increasing within the group for years, saving considerable amounts of carbon emissions.

Reaching the desired effect methodically

Using synergies wisely and transferring lessons learned from one location to the others is one of the secrets of Bastian Schrems' success. All Pfeifer locations in Germany are ISO 50001 certified (a globally valid standard of the International Organization for Standardization intended to support organisations and companies in establishing systematic energy management). The knowledge and experience gained from this process also benefit the Austrian and Czech locations. In energy audits, the benefits are transferred in a targeted manner, Schrems reports: “Through a systematic and uniform approach across all locations, we achieve a high degree of transparency and support the locations on their way to using energy even more efficiently and in a more environmentally friendly way.”

A newly implemented technology can reduce up to 70 % of energy losses. This optimisation of a single system alone saves Uelzen 3 gigawatt hours annually.