The Selmers Promise
To make an impact, you don’t always have to go big. Not all choices can feel as significant as choosing between biking or driving to work. Besides, not everyone has a choice… But ultimately, every decision we make has a ripple effect on the world around us. Especially when it comes to product design.
Sensing the quick wins
When it comes to sustainable design, Selmers knows how to sense the quick wins. A good example of this is the inductive sensor stand that we’ve redesigned. It’s a game changer through a sequence of improvements. Its new design eliminates the need for welding, blasting, coating, and the transportation that comes with it. The result? Not just a remarkable 30% cost reduction but also a substantial drop in CO2 emissions in the process lines. These are the win-win situations we strive for.
How to start designing sustainable?
Building a product without considering its impact on people and the environment is no longer in line with the times. Sustainable design starts right at the drawing board, thinking about which techniques to use, and what materials to employ. Making sure your design is a masterpiece that fits with digital precision, is easy to assemble, requires less transport, and is not outsourced, or any other sustainability benefit that you can implement for your production.
Questions to ask yourself
Here’s a list to help you adopt the new mindset during the design phase:
- What techniques do you use?
- What materials do you use to minimize CO2 emissions?
- What is the recyclability of the material?
- Is the design manufacturable in all situations?
- How do you provide ready-made construction kits with mechanical connections, that eliminate polluting welding?
- How can you reduce waste through precision laser cutting?
- How do you achieve lower emissions in machine transportation through more compact packaging?
Design close to nature
When it comes to adopting green design principles, we can all learn from nature itself. In the Netherlands, ‘mosseltjes’, or mussels, are a beloved delicacy. But did you know they have something in common with our new design? Just as the empty shells of mussels interlock in exact succession, so do our new sensor stands. Thanks to a slight opening that keeps room for another stand. This highly efficient packaging method shows that efficient design is also environmentally friendly design, because less packaging space means less transportation.
Abracadabra! Poof!
The adage ‘create no waste first’ is, of course, preferable to having to recycle. Creating less waste during production is the ultimate goal. When you cut or shape materials, you often end up with heaps of leftovers – not great for the environment or your storage space. That is why Selmers developed a precision laser-cut sensor stand with minimal impact on the environment. “And just like that, the waste disappears”. Well, not exactly, but close.
Connecting the dots without the sparks
In the past, Selmers relied on multiple suppliers to provide various components, which were then welded, assembled in-house and transported to a coating and cleaning facility. Afterward, they returned to us for final equipment preparation and packaging. This entire process involved a complex web of order processing, preparation work, extensive manpower coordination, back-and-forth vehicle transportation, and more.
Zinc coating protects
Now, everything has changed, thanks to Selmers’ innovative approach. Our single supplier takes care of it all, streamlining the entire process. The introduction of a zinc coating has eliminated the need for additional protective coating. With the precision of our cutting and folding machines, the sensor stand’s design has reached new levels of accuracy, making it instantly foldable and ready for assembly. Plus, they can be packed efficiently.
Join us on the green mile!
Everything we do has an impact on the environment around us. It is important to constantly consider these choices and the influence decisions have on business processes and society. The way we see it, coming together is the only way to further narrow the sustainability gap between design and production. If you would like to learn more about our sustainability solutions, please send an email to sales@selmers.com, have us contact you through https://www.selmers.com/contact or call +31 (0)251 211 999. We have been a trusted supplier of numerous automated solutions since 1966. *Photo credits Martin Hogeboom Photography
