Elektronikwerk Amberg awarded as a beacon for sustainability.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has honored Siemens Elektronikwerk Amberg (EWA) as a lighthouse for sustainability. The Amberg flagship factory is one of only 13 production facilities worldwide that have been honoured with the title so far.
"This recognizes the outstanding reduction of the ecological footprint through the implementation of solutions of the fourth industrial revolution," said the jury. The network of Sustainability Lighthouses shows that productivity and sustainability are no longer mutually exclusive, according to the WEF.
Since 2015, Elektronikwerk Amberg has reduced its total greenhouse gas emissions by almost 50 percent, while increasing production by 70 percent. The EWA has set itself the goal of being CO2-neutral by 2026, four years ahead of Siemens AG's corporate target. To achieve this, the plant uses digital process analyses and measurements to reduce its own greenhouse gas production. On the way to decarbonisation, EWA is continuously optimising its factory infrastructure. For this purpose, it uses the digital twin and simulates different scenarios. A supply with own energy sources (photovoltaics) is planned. In addition, the plant sees itself as an incubator for the development of new products and solutions designed to decarbonize the entire supply chain. The digital product passport, for example, is intended to save several tons of paper and plastic per year, while the blockchain-based software (SiGREEN) supports the exchange of CO2 data with suppliers in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the manufactured product.
Cedrik Neike, Member of the Siemens Management Board and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries, said at the award ceremony in Davos: “I am very pleased that our electronics plant in Amberg was honored as a sustainability beacon. This is an outstanding achievement. In Amberg we use our own technologies to digitize and decarbonize our factory. We have been able to increase production by 70 percent since 2015. At the same time, we managed to save 49 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a great example of how growth and sustainability can go hand in hand.”
And Gunter Beitinger, Senior Vice President Manufacturing in the Siemens Factory Automation Business Line, added: "In addition, we already have solutions that we offer internally and externally to accompany other Siemens plants and our customers on the decarbonization path. We don't want to stick to CO2 neutrality, but support our customers and partners in achieving their sustainability goals."
As early as 2021, the EWA was included in the "Global Lighthouse" network by the World Economic Forum, making it one of around 130 digital pioneer factories worldwide that use technologies of the fourth industrial revolution successfully and profitably.
