GOOD PRACTICE IN SWITZERLAND

GOOD PRACTICE IN SWITZERLAND

In an increasingly competitive market, the Swiss machinery industry can no longer rely only on its ‘Swiss made’ reputation, and a circular economy trend is taking shape through efforts to optimise the use phase. The main aim is to reduce the long-term operational costs incurred by the purchaser of the machinery, and this objective also represents a circular economy opportunity for this industry.

Designing machinery that uses fewer raw materials

The environmental impact of the use phase may be felt outside Switzerland, but Swiss manufacturers are in a position to reduce it. They can design machines that use less energy and raw materials and that are ever more precise to limit the generation of waste. Having applied one of the ecodesign criteria in the food production industry, Bühler Group has achieved a technological feat by optimising the process used by its tortilla-making machine, resulting in a 91% saving in water and a 27% energy saving71. By using steam in the cooking process, Bühler machines save 1,365 litres of water for every tonne of maize used to make its tortillas72. While this does not in itself constitute a circular process, saving primary resources is one of the conditions for developing the circular economy.

Circular strategies for extending useful life

Competition on the machinery market is intense. To stand out, some Swiss companies are offering additional services designed to reduce the environmental impact of the use phase, albeit indirectly. By providing its customers with indepth training in how to use its products, BOBST, a manufacturer of machinery that makes packaging, folding boxes and corrugated board products, ensures its machines are used properly. This training results in a longer useful life, optimised energy consumption and a reduction in the waste generated all along the production line.

Building a machine requires raw materials. Therefore, the longer a machine’s life cycle, the better use is made of the raw materials used to build it. Businesses operating in the machinery industry understand this, and an increasing number of them are including repair and reconditioning in their business portfolio. The Swiss group Avesco AG, a partner of Caterpillar and one of the few companies outside the USA authorised to sell Caterpillar products, offers a full range of repair and reconditioning services for the brand’s construction machinery. Inoperable Caterpillar machinery and faulty parts are sent to the Avesco workshops to be reconditioned and dispatched back to the customer (Cat Reman). Liebherr offers a similar service for some construction machinery and components (see ‘Spotlight on...’ below). Taking things a step further, machinery at the end of its life can be completely disassembled and each component serviced so that it can then be re-assembled and put back into use, through the Cat Certified Rebuild programme. This service drastically reduces the use of primary raw materials and the investment required to purchase new machinery.

Improving recycling potential

In eastern Switzerland, the train manufacturer Stadler Rail AG, based in Thurgau, includes provision for recycling right from the design stage of its rolling stock. At the customer’s request, the manufacturer can provide an identity card of the materials used and the recommended procedure for disassembling the individual parts. In this way, Stadler Rail encourages its customers to recycle and avoid disposal in landfill.

The Swiss machinery industry is moving towards the circular economy, and business models are changing. Just a few decades ago, the completion of a sale often signalled the end of the relationship between manufacturer and machine. Today, an after-sales service (training, maintenance, repairs, reconditioning, etc.) is an integral part of these companies’ business portfolios and can even account for a significant proportion of their overall turnover. Nevertheless, Swiss businesses are still somewhat reluctant to take the circular economy concept on board. In practice, they are starting to incorporate more and more circular strategies, but there are still too few business models that include services such as hire and repair.