Ralf W. Dieter, CEO of Dürr AG: “In the last few years, Dürr’s R&D spending in the area of energy efficiency has increased considerably. Energy-efficient production technologies have enormous potential – in terms of cost reduction, as a contribution to sustainable production, and in decentralized energy supply. We are therefore contributing to the change in energy policy, which relies on energy efficiency to succeed”.
Supervisory Board Chairman Heinz Dürr spoke out in favor of strengthening the role of energy efficiency: “There will be no change in energy policy without energy efficiency”. As an example he mentioned energy efficiency processes such as Dürr’s ORC process, which generates electricity from waste heat without the need for additional fossil fuels. “These systems should be promoted in the same way as alternative energy sources”, said Heinz Dürr.
Economy Minister Nils Schmid praised Dürr’s corporate culture, “which puts the employees at the center of all company activities without losing sight of the customers’ needs”. Schmid also learnt about the use of production technologies that conserve resources: “In mechanical and plant engineering, production processes and products are judged not only on their performance and quality, but also increasingly on their energy and resource efficiency. My visit showed me that Dürr is addressing this challenge with great success”.
The expansion of activities in the area of energy efficiency is a central element of Dürr‘s corporate strategy. In order to move this business forward, the Group set up the new Clean Technology Systems division last year. It is expected to achieve sales in excess of € 200 million by 2015, also taking into account acquisitions.