From energy transition and integrated software to intelligent algorithms. Tackling your waste management is a hot topic. So we organised some inspiring company visits for entrepreneurs on 7 December. Companies like Gillrath, Korr and Dufter, all three leaders in the business, inspired and informed us with three incredible case studies.
Waste management is not the only important topic at From Waste 2 Profit, renewable energy is also covered. This is why we began the event at the Energeticon museum, which tells the story of the energy transition through the opening, operating and closure of coal mines. The invention of solar panels and the harvesting of wind energy were also covered.
Gillrath: rejects as input for new bricks
Craftsman brick manufacturer Gillrath has been producing bricks by hand in the same way for several generations. “This enables us to produce specific niche products: custom-made, in a particular colour, size or shape.”
“Do we believe that opting for manual production in an automated era is a good idea? Definitely! Indeed, this ensures that our production process is more circular. Rejected bricks? We break these and put them back into the clay, which also makes our bricks more energy efficient.”
Korr: intelligent saw reduces waste
Cabinetmaker Korr showed how they save significantly on wood panels thanks to the necessary integrated software in their new panel saw.
“We merge elements from different orders. Through this intelligent cutting pattern, our panel saw minimises the amount of unused panel material. On top of that, we see an additional advantage: this new model is not only a lot more efficient, it also consumes less energy than our older model.”
Dufter: unique furniture items save remnants from incinerator
Saving offcuts from the incinerator? Wood processing company Dufter has developed an algorithm that gets to work with offcuts from other wood processing companies.
“Our algorithm reads in the specific shape of the offcut and then suggests a design for a piece of furniture. Our furniture is all unique and produced in a very efficient way thanks to thin and short remnants. Innovative, sustainable and beautiful? Triple check!”
“Did you know that our algorithm also respects the natural shape of trees? It takes into account three parameters: the quantity, shape and dimensions of the available material.”
Technology creates knowledge
Three cases that clearly show win-win opportunities in terms of waste management: reducing raw material and energy costs by reusing production defects. Make better forecasts through software-driven production, reducing the amount of input you need. And create flexibility in your production process through algorithms, allowing even small remnants to form a beautiful and unique final product. In short: Technology creates knowledge. And that knowledge helps you to save resources.
Three inspiring company visits, thanks to everyone who attended!
