Action has never been more critical than it is currently. The evolving global challenges posed by COVID-19 powerfully underlines the importance of taking bold and sustainable actions to future proof all business operations, address climate change and the scarcity of resources. A strong message has been condensed in Act! Of course, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has been thinking about the future of plastics technology long before the pandemic took hold.
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Sustainable Solutions for Plastics encapsulates these efforts and successes. The company embraces Act! as a permanent challenge and as a guiding principle in the development of its sustainable support solutions and in the production of its machines and systems.
Markets are constantly changing, and saving energy and resources is becoming increasingly time-critical. The material "plastic" is inextricably linked with energy and resource savings. Its low weight makes it both cost effective and flexible to use. To support these efforts, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag continues to pioneer the development of all-electric machines.
All-electric drives set a new benchmark for achieving absolute processing precision, accuracy and dynamics. These are essential criteria in the quest to achieve the highest process consistency, in addition to reducing scrap to a minimum during start-up and during ongoing production. Additionally, the fast and precise response of these direct drives enables special processes to be implemented with pinpoint accuracy, opening up new possibilities for moulders. "Even though the current pandemic is an impressive demonstration of the advantages of plastics as a material for hygiene and durability, the plastics industry is in a state of upheaval. The industry continues to search for new and innovative ways to reduce the amount of material required, as well as sourcing new compostable and recyclable solutions. Future proofing product development and offering intensive support to reduce manufacturing production waste is an essential support service that we supply to customers," adds Dr. Thorsten Thümen, Senior Director Technology Sumitomo (SHI) Demag.
Last but not least, every third machine in Europe is now all-electric. Sumitomo (SHI) Demag made the strategic decision two years ago to dedicate its Wiehe factory completely to the production of all-electric machines and to discontinue its small hydraulic machine series. "This certainly did not please every customer; however, long term, this is the right decision. In the last 12-months our IntElect machine series has also been manufactured in our Chiba plant in Japan," says Group CEO Gerd Liebig. He highlights that resource-efficient production is being applied internally too, with use of electricity and water resources at both German production sites reducing year-on-year.
Testament to the popularity of the IntElect series, 75,000 all-electric Sumitomo (SHI) Demag machines are now installed globally, producing components used in medical technology, PPE, electronics and IT. Moulders are realising the benefits of reducing energy and water consumption while significantly increasing productivity.
Crises and challenges can only be mastered together
For that reason, Act! serves as the guiding principle on how Sumitomo (SHI) Demag intends to engage with and maintain continuity with customers, the employees and the wider community. Providing further assurance that with Sumitomo (SHI) Demag they have a reliable, forward thinking partner at their side to achieve sustainable solutions for plastics.
