environmental leadership award 07. Finalists and Winners - Daimler

environmental leadership award 07. Finalists and Winners

Daimler AG environmental leadership award 2007 2 

Category A 

Production Related Environmental Protection

3 Category A Production Related Environmental Protection 

Category A 

Winner 

07 

environmental leadership award 

Our Commitment to the Environment 

Energy Optimization at the Untertürkheim Plant 

Project Team 

Short Description 

Results 

Germany 

Mr. Andreas Bönsch 

Mr. Peter Dietrich 

Mr. Ulrich Funk 

Ms. Claudia Hesler 

Mr. Heinrich Hobelsberger 

Mr. Norbert Hofste 

Each day, the Untertürkheim plants consume as much energy as a 

city of 600,000 inhabitants, with an annual electricity consumption 

of 1,200 million kWh. A comprehensive approach to environmental 

awareness and protection was clearly needed, taking technology, 

administration and employees into account. 

An interdisciplinary team developed and implemented energysaving 

activities in the areas of compressed air, ventilation, lighting 

and heat recovery, introduced a new operation time model to 

ensure that lights and machinery are turned off during idle times, 

and conducted an awareness campaign to encourage employees to 

save energy at work and at home. Since the project began in 2006, 

it has generated major energy and cost savings and has reduced 

CO 2 emissions by 40,000 tonnes. An all-round success, it can now 

serve as an example for other production sites or companies.


Category A 

Runner-Up 

Environmental: New Mind Set 

Project Team 


Results 

Mexico 

Mr. Knut Anderson 

Mr. Mario Enriquez 

Mr. Francisco Hernandez 

Mr. Jacinto Javier Solano 

Mr. Jorge Tellez 

Until 2004, the Freightliner Truck Plant in Santiago, Mexico, had a 

poor environmental record and even faced confl icts with Mexico’s 

environmental authorities. Following an internal audit with unsatisfactory 

results, a local management team decided to take part in 

the “Clean Industry” programme. 

Together with an external environmental auditor, the team 

identifi ed required improvements in four key areas: water, air, soil 

and environmental risk. It then tackled such issues as wastewater 

treatment, hazardous waste separation, recycling and solvent 

recovery, introducing new systems and processes throughout the 

company. These efforts have helped to cut costs considerably, 

generating signifi cant savings and making the plant safer and more 

environmentally sound overall. The improvements show that an 

eco-friendly mindset makes both ecological and economical good 

sense.


Category A 

Finalist 

07 



De-Emulsifying Pre-Clean at the Sindelfi ngen Plant 

Project Team 


Results 

Germany 

Mr. Rainald Apel 

Ms. Stella Bauerochse 

Mr. Holger Dringenburg 

Mr. Wolfram Lachenmann 

Mr. Klaus Rudo 

Mr. Hans-Joachim Speck 

Pre-cleaning car bodies before they enter the paint shop leaves 

behind an emulsion of oil, grease, dirt and water, which until now 

could only be removed by energy-hungry ultra-fi ltration equipment. 

The aim was to reduce the consumption of energy and chemicals, 

and the volume of wastewater produced in this stage of production. 

A new, de-emulsifying surfactant formulation was developed, which 

separates the oil and water in a static installation that requires 

far less energy and is far less complex to operate and maintain. It 

has reduced primary energy consumption by 65%, CO 2 emissions 

by 75%, variable production costs by 35%, and wastewater content 

in the separated residue from 70% to 5% – while increasing the 

process stability and maintaining the company’s high quality 

standards. The process was fully implemented by May 2006 and 

will be introduced throughout the Group.


Category A 

Finalist 

Energy Savings – Rastatt Plant 

Project Team 


Results 

Germany 

Mr. Ralf Clemens Mr. Heiko Engel 

Mr. Martin Gerlich Mr. Stefan Heymoss 

Mr. Kemal Kücükal Mr. Dirk Mlitzko 

Mr. Tobias Otto Mr. Thomas Ritz 

Mr. Frank Sänger Mr. Andreas Walter 

During the production ramp-up of the current A-Class and B-Class, 

it was discovered that the plant’s energy requirements had risen 

disproportionately to its actual output, placing an increased 

burden on the environment. The Rastatt Plant Energy Savings 

project set up in early 2005 aimed at reducing the factory’s energy 

consumption and related CO 2 emissions. 

First, the use of energy was quantifi ed in different areas of 

production and facility management in order to identify savings 

potential. Over 200 measures towards the more effi cient use of 

electricity, natural gas and heat generation were implemented 

by March 2007, resulting in annual energy savings of 26 million 

kWh and a reduction in CO 2 emissions by 11,000 tons per year. 

The team’s work has resulted in new standard specifi cations 

for plant and equipment, ensuring a sustainable contribution to 

environmental protection.


07 


Our Commitment to the Environment


Category B 

Product Related Environmental Protection

9 Category B Product Related Environmental Protection 

Category B 

Winner 

07 



EEV Exhaust Gas Aftertreatment System 

Project Team 


Results 

Germany 

Mr. Tillmann Braun 

Mr. Bernd Kagon 

Mr. Ulrich Scheffel 

Ms. Nicole Werquet 

European environmental standards are becoming ever stricter, and 

the demand for public transport vehicles that comply with emission 

thresholds is on the rise. To meet this demand, the commercial 

vehicle engine division in Untertürkheim cooperated with EvoBus 

GmbH to develop and test an EEV exhaust gas aftertreatment 

system for diesel-powered city buses. 

The result is a combination system comprising a diesel oxidation 

catalyst to reduce hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, a 

particulate fi lter that reduces particulate emissions, and BlueTec 

SCR technology to cut nitrogen oxide emissions. The system also 

reduces fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions. Tests under real-life 

conditions showed that it outperforms current legal requirements. 

The system has been certifi ed and delivered to customers in 

Germany and Switzerland, and is now poised to succeed on the 

world market.


Category B 

Runner-Up 

OM642 BlueTec1 – NSK for Diesel Engines 

Project Team 


Results 

Germany 

Mr. Oliver Erlenmayer Mr. Christian Kawetzki 

Dr. Bernd Krutzsch Dr. Stefan Kurze 

Mr. Klaus Land Mr. Michael Lenz 

Mr. Bernd Lindemann Dr. Stephan Reichel 

Mr. Andreas Roll Dr. Michel Weibel 

Whilst diesel engines are more fuel-effi cient than gasoline engines 

and signifi cantly cut CO 2 emissions, they are not as effi cient at 

reducing other combustion by-products, especially nitrogen oxides. 

It was time to introduce a new technology to deal with this problem 

and build on what has been achieved with oxidation catalytic 

converters and particulate fi lters in recent years. 

The decisive breakthrough came with the development of the NSK, 

a special adsorber catalyst which collects NO X from the exhaust 

gases. This was complemented by a selective catalytic reduction 

converter to ensure that it works at high exhaust fl ows, and all 

relevant combustion parameters were modifi ed as required. The 

resulting BlueTec system can reduce NO X emissions by up to 80% 

and contributes towards developments to meet future emission 

requirements ahead of time.

11 Category B Product Related Environmental Protection 

Category B 

Finalist 

07 



Development of Canter Eco Hybrid 

Project Team 


Results 

Japan 

Mr. Ikuo Kaneko Mr. Masatoshi Kishikawa 

Mr. Tatsuo Kiuchi Mr. Yuichi Kondo 

Mr. Mitsuru Koseki Mr. Go Ohkubo 

Mr. Kunio Sakata Mr. Nobuhide Shiga 

Mr. Shinji Yamaguchi Mr. Takashi Yanase 

The need to reduce fuel consumption and cut exhaust emissions 

is becoming increasingly urgent. The Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus 

Corporation has now developed a parallel hybrid system for lightduty 

trucks to improve fuel effi ciency and cut emissions. 

The Canter Eco Hybrid system uses a combustion engine and 

electric motor, singly or in combination, to power the vehicle. It 

converts kinetic energy generated during braking into electric 

energy, helping to save fuel and reduce emissions to well below 

current requirements. Its INOMAT 2 transmission system delivers 

superior fuel effi ciency and ensures easy and smooth driving, also 

reducing wear on the clutch. The newly developed space-saving 

electric motor and a lithium-ion battery contribute to keeping 

production and maintenance costs down. 120 Canter Hybrid 

vehicles have been sold since market launch in July 2006.


Category C 

Extraordinary Efforts for the Environment

13 Category C Extraordinary Efforts for the Environment 

Category C 

Winner 

07 



Innovative Groundwater Remediation in Sindelfi ngen 

Project Team 


Results 

Germany 

Dr. Hans-Georg Edel Mr. Markus Friedrich 

Dr. Hubert Gerweck Mr. Matthew Gozdor 

Mr. Walter Kosinski Mr. Wolfgang Maier-Osswald 

Mr. Gregory M Rose Mr. Ralf Schaible 

Dr. Michael Schwarz Mr. Herbert Stäblein 

It was recently discovered that the groundwater around the 

Sindelfi ngen Customer Center was contaminated with high levels 

of chlorinated hydrocarbons which threatened the mineral springs 

of Stuttgart just 20 km away. While the acceptable limit is 

10 μg/l, the level found was 50,000 μg/l. Although the problem 

had not been created by the plant’s operation, a clean-up effort 

was initiated with the state of Baden-Württemberg. 

The project team opted for in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), a 

process that degrades contaminants directly in the subsoil using 

an infi ltrated oxidation medium, in this case sodium permanganate. 

Unlike conventional remediation methods, which take 20 to 30 

years, this innovative process has reduced the concentration of 

contaminants by 69% in just 16 months. The shorter remediation 

period generated cost savings of around 900,000 euros. The 

project is due to be concluded in late 2007/early 2008.


Category C 

Runner-Up 

Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands 

Project Team 


Results 

United Kingdom 

Mr. Tim Hancock 

Ms. Sarah Hoskins 

Ms. Iris Jos-Wynne 

Mr. Dermot Kelly 

Mr. Peter O‘Halloran 

Mr. William Robson 

Following years of gradual neglect and decay, the historic racing 

circuit at Brooklands was taken over by DaimlerChrysler UK 

in 2004 as the location for its new Mercedes-Benz World, an 

innovative showcase for the Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach 

brands. 

There was a strong interest to consider the needs of the local 

community and the environment during the development of this 

155-acre site. In addition to the handling circuits, which also serve 

recreational and festive events, measures were taken to protect 

local fauna and fl ora, a fl ood compensation scheme was set up, a 

riverside walkway was reinstated, a 60-acre community park was 

created, and new bus services were provided. The building itself 

was designed using sustainable, energy-effi cient construction 

techniques. The site was completed in June 2006 and represents a 

textbook case in planning and development.

15 Category C Extraordinary Efforts for the Environment 

Category C 

Finalist 

07 



Inter-disciplinary Project Work (IPW) 

Project Team 


Results 

Singapore 

Mr. Ong KeeSing 

Mr. Gilbert Kwek 

Ms. Tan Sing Pei 

Mr. Jason Yap 

In response to global warming, the company has initiated a number 

of environmental projects around the world. One is IPW, an 

initiative that encourages students in Singapore to seek new ways 

of protecting the environment and improving the society they live 

in. 

Since the project was launched in 2004, more than 2000 eighthgrade 

students have been involved, coming up with a wide range 

of creative ideas and innovative approaches to environmental 

protection. Many of their projects have been showcased at Clean 

& Green Week, a nationwide exhibition organised by Singapore’s 

national environment agency. The IPW project has been so 

successful that there are now talks to start similar initiatives in 

other countries in a bid to help students around the world gain a 

better understanding of the importance of a healthy environment.

Daimler AG 

70546 Stuttgart/Germany 

www.daimler.com

environmental leadership award 07. Finalists and Winners - Daimler

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