The electroplating industry is suffering from high energy prices. However, the industry has either not implemented many energy-saving measures at all or only to a limited extent. In many places, the necessary knowledge is lacking. A seminar held on June 13 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart highlighted ways to achieve climate neutrality.
Particularly in energy-intensive industries such as electroplating, it is crucial to take measures to save energy and use renewable energies. The industry is suffering from persistently high energy prices and must significantly intensify its efforts on the path to climate neutrality. However, the opportunities for reduction in German electroplating companies often remain untapped or could be exploited to a much greater extent - savings of 10 to 20 % are quickly possible. However, there is often a lack of capacity to implement appropriate measures. Or there is a lack of knowledge about which measures have which effect. In addition, energy consumption is often not recorded at process level, meaning that efficiency measures cannot be derived in a targeted manner.
The sector needs practical approaches, best practice from the industry and funding opportunities to provide small businesses with limited staff with concrete instructions for action. Experts from these three areas came together at Fraunhofer IPA on June 13, 2023 for a seminar entitled "Paths to climate neutrality in electroplating" to share their experiences. The participants - 36 specialists and managers from contract plating and in-house electroplating plants - showed particular interest in efficiency technologies, renewable energies and digitalization measures.
