Schuler CEO Domenico Iacovelli. Photo: Schuler

Press manufacturer Schuler is moving towards ‘climate neutrality’ in Germany, as since the beginning of the year all operating facilities in its domestic market have been powered exclusively by electricity from renewable sources.

The German plants of Schuler’s parent company Andritz have, since the beginning of January, also been using only solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. The Schuler Group Germany facilities and Andritz plants in Germany are being supplied with electricity from renewable sources by Technische Werke Schussental (TWS) on a supply contract that has an initial term of three years.

TWS, a utility that specialises in ‘regenerative energy sources’, has calculated that based on expected power consumption at the Schuler facilities in 2022 alone, almost 9,800 tonnes of CO₂ will be saved compared to using fossil fuel sources.

Domenico Iacovelli, Schuler’s CEO, said: “For Schuler and our parent company Andritz, taking concrete, measurable steps towards sustainability is an important part of our corporate strategy.

“The realignment of our power supply we have now agreed illustrates that progress towards climate neutrality is possible without sacrificing Schuler’s economic performance and profitability. With this in mind, we plan to examine further measures — also in cooperation with our business partners.”

Meanwhile, the South Korean POSCO Group — one of the largest steel manufacturers in the world — has ordered a 1,600-tonne ‘transfer and progressive press’ from Schuler for its processing centre in Kunshan, China, where body and structural parts, as well as blanks, are formed for the automotive industry.

Schuler’s TML-series machines feature a ‘four-point suspension and link drive kinematic’ to ensure low levels of die wear and high levels of uptime. The scope of delivery for POSCO also includes a transfer system and a coil line. The press can be also used for progressive dies and blanking.

The POSCO Group was launched in 1968 as Pohang Iron and Steel Co Ltd, and was the first integrated steel mill in Korea. In 1994, it was the country’s first company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Today, it has grown to become a global business with production and sales in 53 countries.