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Environmental impact reduced, employee health promoted

Environment, health and safety (EHS) is a central component of SFS’s sustainability strategy. Apart from Group-wide measures, the locations and divisions implement a large number of projects each and every year that are aimed at reducing the Group’s environmental impact, improving occupational safety and promoting employees’ health. The examples that follow are just a few of the highlights of the year 2024.

Added value


  • Emissions saved through the implementation of various projects
  • Expansion of self-produced renewable energy
  • Group-wide “Vision Zero” initiative launched to prevent accidents
  • Offer to protect mental health expanded
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New heat pump replaces two boilers
Despite the considerable expansion of around a third of the production area at the site in Heerbrugg (Switzerland) over the last 20 years, heating energy consumption has been halved since then. This was achieved through the use of a heat recovery system in conjunction with the ventilation systems and machines as well as process optimizations. The most recent project is a large-scale heat pump that recovers residual heat from the annealing furnaces’ cooling water and uses it for heating. The cooling water is collected in a 80 m3 pool and discharged into the nearby inland waterway once the heat has been fully recovered. The new heat pump has a heating capacity of up to 930 kW, converts waste heat into heating energy and replaces two fossil fuel-powered boilers. That lets SFS cut its energy requirements for heating in half and save around 500 metric tons of CO2 per year.

Additional energy generated through new and expanded photovoltaic systems

SFS enlarged its photovoltaic installation at the Heerbrugg location in spring 2024. The expansion now boasts a module surface area of 1,910 m² and an installed capacity of 415 kWp, enabling it to produce around 430,000 kWh in additional energy. SFS has also installed new PV systems on three exterior facades that went online in fall 2024. The facade projects comprise a total module surface area of 1,290 m2, which corresponds to an installed capacity of 274 kWp. These expanded systems enable the Group to generate some 260,000 kWh per year in additional energy. The large-scale photovoltaic installation in Heerbrugg currently delivers a total of 4,980 kWp in renewable energy every year, which corresponds to 12% of the total energy needs of the SFS Group’s second-largest location.

A new solar plant was also installed at the location in Wyomissing (USA). Made up of 1,692 solar cells and featuring an installed capacity of 745 kWp, this system went online in December 2024 and will cover nearly one third of the location’s total power requirements going forward.

SFS significantly expanded the existing photovoltaic installation at the Schramberg (Germany) location in 2024. With a total surface area of 1,456 m2, the four PV system blocks on the rooftops and facade have an installed capacity of 305 kWp. Together, they cover nearly 7% of the location’s electricity needs.

SFS additionally commissioned a new solar installation in Campia Turzi (Romania) just before the end of the year. This new plant has an installed capacity of 1,280 kWp, which corresponds to 22% of the Group’s total power requirements in Campia Turzi.

ErweiterungsbauPune
The photovoltaic system on the roof of the extension in Pune

Expansion project in India focuses on sustainable construction methods
The 5,400 m2 expansion in Pune (India) embraces sustainable approaches and was awarded a Gold rating by the Green Building Council of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The new production plant has a photovoltaic installation on the roof with a total installed capacity of 347 kWh, enough to cover around 50% of the location’s power requirements. Since a state-of-the-art daylighting system maximizes the natural light and reduces the need for artificial lighting, the location requires just 6.4 kW for lighting purposes. Natural light conditions, energy-efficient fans and an outdoor fitness area help ensure a healthy working environment. The expanded production plant in Pune is also home to the Gurukul training center, which supports the dual education system and promotes holistic employee development.

Endprodukt Brikettierpressen
By using briquetting presses for metal shavings, we recycled 180,000 liters of oil in 2024.

Oil recycling with briquetting presses
The Heerbrugg site launched a project in 2018 to reuse machine oil through the use of briquetting presses for metal filings. This project not only seeks to recover oil but also to reduce the amount of filings transported, which will eliminate some journeys within the production halls as a result. The first briquetting press was purchased in 2019. Between 2021 and 2023, seven briquetting presses enabled the SFS Group to recover some 300,000 liters of oil and save around 2,000 metric tons of CO2. By 2024, we already had 18 presses in operation, which helped us to reuse 180,000 liters of oil, cut our CO2 emissions by around 1,000 metric tons and reduce filing transports by 75%. Going forward, SFS plans to expand these processes and the insights gained to other production sites as well.

Promoting occupational health and safety
While the accident rate declined at a few locations during the year under review, most sites saw it linger at the same level or even rise. To counteract this trend, SFS implemented a broad package of measures in connection with the launch of the “Vision Zero” initiative:

  • Accident rate incorporated into employee performance reviews
  • Annual safety day (at all locations)
  • Expansion of ISO 45001 certification
  • Group-wide debriefings following serious accidents
  • Regular awareness campaigns
  • Unannounced monthly walkthroughs of the production facilities to identify safety hazards and any noticeable safety-relevant issues

SFS cares about both the physical and mental health of its employees. This prompted it to launch several new activities over the past year. Its sites in the UK, for example, created a team that is dedicated to promoting employees’ wellbeing and mental health. The Wellbeing Team’s first order of business was to complete training on the topic of mental health. Offerings from the past year included guided relaxation exercises to help employees reduce stress during working hours.

Next year, SFS will be focusing on the topic of mental health at various sites in the US as well.

Contact & Services

Steffen Faisst