Environment & energy
Business with appreciation
Sustainability is a key issue at ERBACHER the food family. As thought leaders and pioneers, we are constantly striving to improve in this area. Thinking ahead and leading the way, we put unusual ideas into practice and drive change. We are constantly challenging our processes and looking for innovative approaches. We are constantly rethinking mobility and energy so we can be, and remain, fit for the future.
Good energy?
We have it
At ERBACHER the food family, we create sustainable nutrition for humans and animals. We produce food and animal feed at our plants in Kleinheubach (3 separate production plants for livestock feed, pet food and food) and in Poland (currently one plant in Nowy Tomyśl, one additional in build). For all this production, we need energy to crush, grind, mix, heat, extrude, cool, pack and prepare raw materials for dispatch and sale.
To do this, we use a mix of different energy sources. We generate some of the electricity ourselves using photovoltaic solar systems on the rooves of the buildings in Kleinheubach. We buy green electricity from our energy supplier. A special feature is our combined heat and power cogeneration unit, in which we generate electrical energy and heat using a combustion engine. Thanks to clever technical ideas, we utilise 90 % of the primary energy. This means that we have improved the standard utilisation rate of conventional combined heat and power cogeneration units by many percentage points. We also collect data at over 100 measuring points every minute, enabling us to continuously optimise the energy efficiency of our production processes.
Clearing the tracks for environmental protection, with our railway.
With strategy into the future
A sustainability strategy is only successful if it is followed by action. That's why we are clearing the way for the procurement of our raw materials by rail! At our Kleinheubach site, we have our own rail tracks. This means that over half of our agricultural raw materials are transported directly to the plant via the environmentally friendly Westfrankenbahn railway line. This enables us to significantly improve our CO2 balance. The yellow wagons with the red company logo replace more than 3,000 lorry journeys per year. This protects the environment and reduces the burden on the roads. Freight transport by rail? A definite yes!
We stand tall.
With local wood
As ERBACHER the food family grew, the construction of a new high-bay storage warehouse was inevitable. As a forward-thinking company with regional roots, we wanted to create something unique. So, we boldly decided to build our new high-bay warehouse from local Odenwald timber. This wasn’t without its challenges. It wasn't just statics that were shaky during the initial planning phase. Nevertheless, we stood firmly to our idea. And lo and behold: the plan worked!
The state-of-the-art, fully automated wooden high-bay warehouse was completed in 2011. With its large dimensions of 77 metres long, 32 metres wide and 30 metres high, this building innovation offers space for a total of 9,200 pallets on 14 floors. But it wasn’t the dimensions which prompted the German Federation of Nature Conservation to award us the environmental prize. It was the idea of sustainability and the courage to plan this spruce wood construction that impressed the judges. And on top of all that, our employees are happy to be surrounded by warm wood instead of cool steel when they work in the warehouse.
We drive and work differently:
Fleet and transport at ERBACHER the food family
Raw materials are regularly delivered to our production plants, and finished products are transported to the customer, so many lorries are on the roads.
At ERBACHER the food family, we have our own fleet of lorries. To avoid empty runs, we plan our logistics so that raw materials are collected on the return journey after the goods are delivered. We also introduced minimum order quantities so the storage space in the lorries is well-filled. This means that we don’t send half-empty lorries on long distances.
Our car fleet is also becoming increasingly sustainable. Thanks to safety and fuel efficiency training, we have been able to achieve considerable fuel savings with our vehicles.
E-mobility is also part of ERBACHER the food family. Leasing subsidies and free electric vehicle charging are available at the Kleinheubach site. Our fleet already includes several electric cars.