HYDRO
photo credits: TRM / Löwenzahm
TRM’s ductile iron pipes have always been marked by a sustained commitment to regionality.
REGIONALITY IN THE HYDROPOWER INDUSTRY – MUCH MORE THAN JUST ADDED VALUE FOR REGIONS In spite of ubiquitous globalisation, ‘regionality’ is emerging as an issue of growing importance in the hydropower industry. Regional creation of economic value and awareness of CO2 footprint issues are by far not the only reasons behind this development. Another key factor is the realisation that in-house real net output ratio has a significantly positive effect on a business’s profit generating power. One of the firms that practice and live by the multifaceted concept of ‘regionality’ is well-known pipe system provider Tiroler Rohre GmbH (TRM): Short transportation distances, recyclable materials, long product lifecycles, and the use of renewable forms of energy have earned TRM the reputation of a pioneer in terms of ‘regionality’. One thing seems certain: the advantages of a strong commitment to regionality are not limited to the region as such, but also benefit the customer and, ultimately, the business organisation itself.
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espite its popularity, the concept of ‘regionality’ is lacking a clear, legal definition. While some view it as being limited to district boundaries, others interpret it in broader terms, as extending to national borders, to the German-speaking region, or even to the EU’s outer perimeter. In general, there are two key parameters that are considered to be definitional for the concept of re gionality: the effects of keeping transporta tion expenditures at a low level, and of keeping the value created within the local region. But focussing only on these two aspects would keep issues of ecology and sustainability out of the picture, even though they are essential building blocks of a living commitment to regionality today. Especially when considering the product as such, for example, certain questions arise: Where have its raw materials and the expended energy been sourced, and where is it produced? And what about product quality? Is it
a short-lived product that lasts only a few months, or is it designed for decades of con tinued use? Along the line of answers to these questions it becomes clear to what extent attributing truly sustainable regionality to the product is justified. ACTIVE COMMITMENT TO REGIONALITY By now, regionality is also gaining in impor tance in the hydropower industry. For example, a growing number of businesses are committing themselves to a deliberate reduction of their CO2 footprint or regional value creation as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. One firm that has been playing a pioneering role in this respect in the Alpine region is Tiroler Rohre GmbH, or TRM for short. For 75 years TRM has been developing, producing and marketing high-quality pipe and pile systems that are manufactured from ductile iron at their facility in Hall in Tyrol, Austria. Regionality at TRM is an inte-
gral part of the firm’s holistic sustainability concept. “The raw material for our ductile iron pipes and piles is made up of nearly 100% recycled scrap iron, which is recycled after a hundred years of useful product life. Our products have very low operational servicing and maintenance requirements, which prevents waste and saves resources as well as CO2 emissions. We can actually guarantee a low CO2 footprint, thanks to our optimised delivery logistics for our recycling material, and because of short transportation routes to our construction sites,” explains Walter Korenjak, TRM’s Regional Head of Sales for pipe systems in the Austrian market. A GOOD REAL NET OUTPUT RATIO IS WELL WORTHWHILE Crucially, firms like TRM have an above-average vertical range of manufacture that translates into a high real net output ratio. A wide- ranging scientific study published jointly by May 2022
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