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The Internet of Things has growth potential of trillions of euros. But many industrial companies are having difficulty digitalizing their processes. As a new member of the Berlin-based IoT Use Case expert network, igus explains how to get started with IoT.
11/11 traditionally marks the start of Carnival in Cologne. There is twice as much reason to be happy this year because on 11/11/2022, igus, a Cologne-based industrial company and plastics specialist, reached the one billion mark in sales for the first time.
Digitalization, globalization, corona pandemic: As a business location, NRW is undergoing a process of transformation. igus is one of the companies that are particularly successful in managing this change. The Cologne-based plastics company was one of two companies to win the “Wirtschaft im Wandel” contest in the “SME & Group” category. igus was particularly honoured for the company’s strong digital orientation.
The British company, Mura Technology is starting a new chapter in modern plastic recycling in Saxony. The first plant in Germany for chemical recycling with a capacity of up to 120,000 tons per year is to be built in Böhlen. What is special about it? It transforms multi-layered mixed plastics, which were previously considered impossible to separate and ended up in the incinerator, into oil that can be used to make new products. This is an important step towards keeping valuable plastics in the circular economy and protecting the environment.
Don’t dispose of old energy chains as industrial waste – let igus recycle them: customer feedback on the “Chainge” recycling initiative, which was launched in 2019, is so positive that igus is now expanding the project. In the future, a new, unique online platform will allow recycling not only of e-chains, but also other of technical plastic components. What is special here is that customers also have the option of purchasing processed material (ground material and regranulate) on the platform. At igus, you thus get everything from a single source. The new platform will also be presented at K 2022, an international plastics trade show, in Düsseldorf.
With immediate effect, igus is accepting submissions for the manus award 2023, which the plastics specialist has been conducting every two years for the last 20 years. The prize honours the most creative, economical and sustainable uses of plastic plain bearings in industrial applications. There was a record number of participants in 2021 with 582 submissions from 41 countries. The winners of the gold, silver, bronze and green manus awards will receive prize money of up to €5,000.
How much CO2 is released into the atmosphere as a result of a plastic bearing’s production? For the first time, igus, the motion plastics specialist, is publishing precise CO2 footprints for a large number of its lubrication-free, maintenance-free iglidur polymer plain bearings. Users can use these values as Scope 3 emissions in CO2 accounting for climate-neutral products.
A ton of rubbish flows down the Rhine every day. To intercept some of this, the Cologne-based association “Krake” has now introduced a floating garbage trap. Sponsors of the so-called “Rheinkrake” (Rhine Octopus) project include Cologne-based plastics specialist igus.
Recovering crude oil from plastic: British company Mura Technology (Mura) is pursuing this goal with the HydroPRS process to advance the circular economy of plastics. This is a concern that motion plastics specialist igus also shares. igus has been supporting Mura’s project as an investor since 2020. The first HydroPRS plant for the chemical recycling of plastic waste is currently being built by Mura’s subsidiary ReNew ELP in Teesside, England. The advanced recycling pioneer is making great progress and will put the plant into operation at the beginning of 2023.
‘From ocean plastics to motion plastics’ is the goal pursued by the specialist for high-performance plastics with the igus:bike project – the concept of a bicycle that is made from over 90 percent plastic. The highlight of the project is that the bicycle in theory can be made from recycled plastic waste such as discarded fishing nets. This allows the marine plastic of yesterday to create the mobility of tomorrow. For the joint development of a first bicycle model, igus has invested in the Dutch start-up mtrl. The motion plastics specialist is now presenting this model and the concept behind the igus:bike project in the marine conservation city of Kiel at the start of the 2022 Olympic Rally Revival .