Uth focused on greener future with ISO certification

FULDA, Germany—No matter where a business exists on a given supply chain, its sustainability achievements—or shortcomings—affect companies both fore and aft of that position.

For its part, rubber machinery manufacturer Uth GmbH is moving the needle toward energy savings and away from greenhouse gases, toward quality management and safety and away from waste.

To wit, the company several years ago released to market an unvulcanized material recovery system, which can fine-mesh strain recovered rubber material for treads, sidewalls, profiles or sheets at a low temperature.

The TRP Reworker System already is receiving attention from tire manufacturing OEs.

And in early 2022, the company had the foresight to invest $106,000 in a solar array, which began generating power for the plant and surrounding community of Fulda in February 2022.

For these efforts and more, Uth has achieved two internationally recognized sustainability certificates in the DIN EN ISO 14001 and 9001 categories.

"Environmental management is really important for everyone," Sascha Kluber, project manager for quality and environmental management at Uth, told Rubber News. "It is important for the public and it is important for us.

"And it gives us certifications in areas that perhaps another supplier does not have."

While ISO 14001 is issued for practical and qualifying environmental management systems, the 9001 norm is issued for meeting quality management standards, according to the ISO Standards website.

"We want to transparently show that social responsibility and our commitment to sustainability is anchored in Uth's corporate management," Peter J. Uth, managing director of the 100-employee firm, said in an Aug. 7 news release.

Uth maintains an in-house environmental management system (for which it received the ISO 14001 standard and the governance of Scope 1 emissions), and that drew the attention of the ISO auditors from CERTainable, who recently visited the Fulda headquarters for the validations.

Efficiency in product development was analyzed, as was the selection of suppliers and the lengths of Uth's supply lines—considered Scope 3 emissions.

As well, auditors analyzed the handling and disposal of hazardous material and inspected risk management and emergency plans.

"The auditors have confirmed that our environment management fulfills the required criteria," Uth said. "This certification is a determined step for Uth GmbH because it is a decisive benchmark for our customers."

Environmental protection, sustainability in the supply chain and transparency remain critical in business relationships, Kluber said.

"The certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001 is also a highly gratifying result," Uth said. "It proves the high standard of our quality management system, which many of our customers from the rubber, tire and silicone industries worldwide rely on."

Uth said auditors were impressed with the working conditions at the company and the sustainability buy-in, as demonstrated by the staff in Fulda.

"Both the quality and the environmental management systems are practiced by the employees out of conviction," stated Christian Weinmeister, chief auditor of CERTainable, the qualifying firm for the ISO norms.

Kluber said employees identify with and maintain an allegiance to a reduction in environmental impacts.

"The company management, the department managers and their teams very much identify with the topics of sustainability, climate and work protection," Kluber said. "And they have done so for a very long time. Finally, the attained certification is an official recognition for our work which we are very proud of."

Kluber added that sustainability is embedded in design, development, production, procurement and after-sales at Uth.

"The auditors particularly remarked on the consistent separation of waste, its documentation and proper disposal," Kluber said.

Auditors also noted that internal communication channels for environmental topics and a centrally located digital communication box helps Uth achieve its green goals.

"This ensures that our management systems will continue to be optimized in the medium and long term," Uth said. "All processes are regularly checked and enhanced if necessary."

Uth representatives say the company is well-positioned for the future, in a market with ever-increasing requirements, new standards and specifications.

Several years ago, Uth brought to market the TRP Reworker System, which the German machine manufacturing company touted at the International Tire Exhibition & Conference in Akron last year.

The TRP Reworker System—which CERTainable noted in its recent ISO certifications for Uth—reworks unvulcanized material into further rubber processing and fine-mesh straining solutions.

The system is based on Uth's two-roll plasticizer (TRP) with an integrated gear pump, according to the company.

And the main benefactor is the environment.

"When you compare electricity consumption with classical technology in the marketplace, our machine is using one-third of the energy," Manuel Bessler, Uth general manager of sales and project management, told Rubber News at ITEC.

The system combines gentle processing based on an open-roll system, using cracking, homogenizing and discharging.

Uth can run throughputs of up to 2,500 kilograms an hour, per line. Slab feeders, cutters, metal detectors, weighing equipment and a variety of discharge dies are used throughout the process.

The TRP Reworker typically is used in the mixing area of a tire manufacturing operation and can fine-mesh strain treads, sidewalls, profiles or sheets at a low temperature.

The machine can rework roughly 97 percent of the material back into the process, saving on material waste.

The German firm has had interest from several of the top 10 global tire manufacturers, though an initial push was blunted somewhat by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunlight may be the best disinfectant to aid transparency, but it also has proven to be the cleanest and most abundant source of power for rubber machinery manufacturer Uth GmbH.

The company early last year invested $106,000 in a new solar array, which is fitted to the roof of a 107,600-sq.-ft. assembly center in Fulda, in the Muensterfeld area.

The system has been in operation since mid-February 2022, while the assembly center was completed "at a seven-digit cost" in 2017.

Environmental responsibility is part of company culture at Uth, according to Julia Uth, head of design and research and development.

"For us, environmentally conscious action is not just a corporate responsibility, it is also reflected in the company's success," Julia Uth told Rubber News last year. "Customers and employees nowadays expect a credible anchoring of the concept of sustainability in the mission statement."

The photovoltaic system comprises 267 modules installed over approximately 6,000 square feet, providing an output of 100 kilowatt-peak (kWp).

The energy created by the solar array provides power, in part, for the production plant, as well as for nearby energy grids in Fulda.

The solar cells are expected to reduce Uth's greenhouse gas footprint by about 50 tons of CO2 per year and will contribute about 30 percent of the energy needed to run the manufacturing facility.