Responsible, sustainable action is part of the company's DNA at the Munk Group, which is based in Günzburg and Leipheim. At the quality manufacturer from Bavaria, values such as environmental protection and resource conservation, respectful interaction with one another as well as the quality and durability of the products are not empty phrases, but lived reality. And this has been the case for over 120 years. A variety of innovations and, above all, forward-looking investments, which then as now benefit the conservation of resources and active environmental protection, are proof of this.
"As an owner-managed family business rooted in the region, we have an inherently high standard of living sustainability in our everyday lives. And that in all areas. We want to protect nature, be a responsible employer for our employees and, of course, our products should also be as durable as possible," says Ferdinand Munk, the managing director and owner of the Munk Group.
Investing in energy self-sufficiency
The company's comprehensive steps towards energy self-sufficiency show how serious Munk and his team are: both in Leipheim at Munk Rettungstechnik and at the Munk Group's headquarters in Günzburg, the photovoltaic systems have been expanded by 4,500 m² so that one third of the company's own electricity consumption can be fed from solar energy. The photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the Munk Group save almost 350 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Another milestone in energy supply is the newly commissioned woodchip heating system at the Günzburg site: With this regenerative heating method, the company covers a quarter of the heating energy here and is coming ever closer to its goal of maximum energy self-sufficiency: with it, the Munk Group has almost halved its natural gas consumption for heating and thus saves another 80 tonnes of CO2 annually.
When rebuilding the site for Munk Rettungstechnik in Leipheim, the Munk Group not only erected a modern building, but also created the Munk climate forest directly on the company premises. Meanwhile, several bee colonies cavort at the headquarters in Günzburg, for which a large flowering meadow was also created.
Focus on people
"Sustainability is a central theme in our self-image and our philosophy. We state clearly: we want to shape the future and preserve the future. Therefore, we are of course constantly adapting our processes in order to act in the most climate-friendly and resource-saving way possible. However, our focus is always on people," says Ferdinand Munk.
Employees in particular are an important pillar in the Munk Group's sustainability concept. "We rely on the human factor for success. Because if you feel good, can contribute your performance and ideas and are appreciated, you enjoy working and are then - and only then - able to achieve a lot," says Munk, who also personally makes sure that there is collegial interaction, open doors and flat hierarchies for a positive working environment at the Munk Group.
With a sustainability manager
The company has its own sustainability manager, the entire team knows how to avoid waste and how to dispose of waste in an optimised way through the waste management guidelines. And topics such as bike leasing or the expansion of the charging infrastructure for e-vehicles have also long been a matter of course and are just two examples of many employee benefits at the Munk Group.
The Munk Group paid attention to efficient systems not only during the construction of the new sawing and production centre in Günzburg: "The use of speed-controlled screw compressors alone brings savings of 25 per cent," explains Munk. In the special construction department, the Munk Group relies on interpulse welding technology. This modern technique is more energy-saving and reduces noise emission and pollution from 98 dB to 86 dB. In addition, this process allows thinner aluminium material to be used in a resource-saving manner, which also minimises the amount of material required and thus the amount of energy needed for production.
High added value
Even the full focus on the guiding principle "Shape the future, preserve the future" is an expression of sustainability. This is because the high level of manufacturing and value creation at the locations in the Günzburg district means that the Munk Group has all production steps under control in an energy-optimised manner and long transport routes that are harmful to the climate are avoided wherever possible. Here, the company also works according to the recommendations of a joint optimisation study that was prepared together with the research group for optimised value creation at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. The focus was on route optimisation as well as time optimisation of the individual functional areas. As part of the project, a strategy was also developed on how to optimise the material flow, also with regard to the company's future growth scenarios. "This is all the more important for us because we are still experiencing significant annual growth rates," says Munk.
Low-emission
Generell ist die Munk Group als rein weiterverarbeitendes Gewerbe ohnehin ein sehr emissionsarmer Betrieb und folgende Maßnahmen unterstreichen die hohe ökologische Verantwortung, die der Qualitätshersteller übernimmt, zusätzlich: Dazu gehören unter anderem die Wärmeluftrückführung bei den Absauganlagen, das Nutzen von Kompressorabwärme zum Beheizen der Hallen, der Einsatz energieeffizienter Verfahren, ressourceneinsparende Materialfluss- und Bestandsoptimierung und prozessoptimierende Big-Data-Projekte zur Verringerung von Produktionsausschüssen.
Ausgeprägte Produktverantwortung
In general, the Munk Group, as a purely processing company, is a very low-emission operation anyway, and the following measures further underline the high level of ecological responsibility that the quality manufacturer assumes: these include, among other things, heat air recirculation in the exhaust systems, the use of compressor waste heat to heat the halls, the use of energy-efficient processes, resource-saving material flow and inventory optimisation, and process-optimising Big Data projects to reduce production rejects.
Another factor contributing to the long life of Munk Group products is that they are designed with a focus on easy reparability and spare parts remain available for many years. This conserves resources - as does the high degree of recycling in accordance with the "Cradle to Cradle" approach. This means that products can be 100 percent recycled again and again and can therefore always be reused. "This is the case with our products made of aluminium," says Ferdinand Munk.
Awarded again
The fact that the Munk Group successfully puts its high standards of sustainability into practice was once again confirmed by the auditors of the EcoVadis company, who examined responsible corporate action (Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR for short) and awarded the company a silver CSR rating for the fourth time as part of the evaluation programme. "With this result, your company is among the best 25 percent of the companies evaluated by EcoVadis," the auditors declared.
Since 2015, the Munk Group has provided information about its many sustainability measures in its comprehensive sustainability report, which is available for download on the homepage at www.munk-group.com.
