Sustainability in drive technology: protect the environment with technology from Nord

Drive specialist Nord Drivesystems not only tries to operate in the most environmentally friendly way possible, but also supports its customers in conserving natural resources with its drive technology.

The tree stands firm, flexible in the wind and rooted securely in the earth. Nord Drivesystems has taken its inspiration from the example of the tree in the design of its gearbox housings: instead of a conventional radius, Nord is now using triangles in the transition area of the foot connections, inspired by tree roots. This saves on installation space and material. An example of the measures for the sustainable development of Nord Antriebstechnik.

Orientation on nature and consideration for the environment: these determine the economic actions of the drive specialist. “As a family-owned company, sustainable economic activity and respect for future generations have always been among our principles,” explains Jörg Niermann, Head of Marketing. That is why the company, based in Bargteheide near Hamburg, has developed a sustainability strategy for itself that encompasses five fields of action.

Five fields of action for sustainability

The products area of activity includes the company's energy-efficient drive technology, which it uses to help its customers reduce their consumption of resources. The people area of activity focuses on upholding human rights, inclusion, occupational safety and employee development. Transparency across the entire value chain and the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act fall under the supply chain area. The company has summarized its own structures and reporting obligations under governance. Finally, the environment is the focus of initiatives to reduce the consumption of resources and the emission of pollutants in our own production.

Nord has taken numerous measures to reduce the consumption of resources in its own production. In addition to the example mentioned above from sustainable design, there is also a project for the resource-saving production of worm gears. In the plant in Nowa Sól, Poland, the bronze chips are pressed into bronze pallets directly after the manufacturing process and thus separated from the cutting oil used as a cooling lubricant. This means that both materials can be reused without further processing. In addition, NORD uses paints that emit less solvent to paint its products.

Product Carbon Footprint

A product's impact on the environment, particularly with regard to energy consumption and CO₂ equivalent (CO2e) emissions, is usually measured and presented in the form of a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). “Calculating a PCF is challenging. We are currently developing a systematization to be able to map our broad product range in the future,” explains Niermann.

“We have also made great efforts to make our energy supply more environmentally friendly,” emphasizes Jörg Niermann. This ranges from energy-efficient building renovation at the main site in Bargteheide to heat recovery from production machines at the Gadebusch site and the use of geothermal energy in combination with photovoltaics in the extension building in Wiechlice, Poland.