SUSTAINABILITY AT THE SEPPELER GROUP

Quality management is indeed a must for companies. But for Seppeler it is only just the beginning of our endeavours. We have set ourselves the definite objective of making all economic, ecological and social aspects of our business chime together in perfect harmony. That is why we are looking to our Integrated Management System (IMS). Not only does this clearly regulate all matters revolving around quality, the environment and energy but it also puts them into practice. The area of occupational health and safety does not miss out with this system either. Finally, when it is a question of longevity, hot dip galvanizing itself is already sustainable and resource-efficient. And for us that is something that not only makes sense now but it is also a matter for and of the future.

QUALITY

We want to achieve outstanding quality. The production data acquisition system (DAQ system) of the Seppeler Group, thanks to a specially developed software solution, enables the complete and traceable documentation of all process data in virtually all our companies. All parameters, such as immersion times, bath temperatures and the exact composition of the pretreatment baths, can be accessed at any time and can be confirmed by means of a quality certificate if so required.

ENVIRONMENT

We want to preserve our environment. One example of our environmental protection work can be seen with our "exhaust air washers", which are already installed at many Seppeler locations. These minimise acid emissions, which then means that pollutant emissions greatly fall short of the limits set for such contaminants. This protects both the environment and our staff. But we want to do much more. That is why we support the initiative known as PLANT MY TREE to campaign for the reforestation of our wooded areas.

ENERGY

We want to preserve resources. At Seppeler energy efficiency is also an important topic. So against this backcloth, it makes sense to set up a heat recovery system. Such a system allows the exhaust or waste heat coming from the galvanizing oven to be conducted into a heat exchanger that is filled with water. The water heats up, flows through the pipes leading through the acid baths and heats up the pickling solution. As a result of being warmed up, the pickle reacts more swiftly, thus making pretreatment more efficient. The cooled water then flows back again into the heat exchanger.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

We want a healthy staff. And we promote that aim by using the appropriate technology. In addition to enclosing the galvanizing bath in a protective housing, protection has been optimised by means of a camera system. Any risks arising from the work involved have thus been minimised. The technology in this camera system makes it possible for employees to handle and control immersion of steel parts from the safety of a protective shelter.