Environmental Protection
LEMKEN feels connected to the world of agriculture and believes in the responsible management of our natural resources. As a result LEMKEN machines offer state-of-the-art technology to help reduce pressure on the ground while also using as little pesticides and fertiliser as possible. Investments at LEMKEN are based both on economic and environmentally-relevant criteria.
Energy Circuits and Geothermal Energy for Painting Plant
At the same time as the construction of the new painting plant, 2009 also saw a comprehensive energy-saving scheme put into practice. This is based on so-called energy circuits, which recover energy at various points of the painting plant through heat exchangers and reuse it. In addition to this, excess energy can also be used to heat the assembly halls or be routed to the hardening shop as a coolant. The energy saving concept also encompasses using the earth for energy delivery and energy storage (geothermal energy). To this end, 50 soil probes are placed into the soil at a depth of 30 metres. The advantages are plain for all to see: in the first instance central energy circuits and energy-storage devices guarantee a significant reduction in the consumption of conventional energy transfer media such as gas and water. The fact that the comprehensive range of investments are also paying off despite the simultaneously high power requirement, is demonstrated by the amortisation rate, which is less than five years.
Intelligent Administration Building
The LEMKEN administration building was completed in 2004. Here too the cost and energy effectiveness were given equal consideration in the planning process: Due to the fact that during the 'hardening and tempering' production process heat is to all intents and purposes made available free of charge, the need for the building's own heating was able to be dispensed with. A line to the plant coupled with an intelligent control technology regulated the temperatures in both the offices and training premises. This means that, in winter, the degree value for the coolant circuit in the hardening shop can be increased using a heat pump to a comfortable level and distributed through underfloor heating pipes. In summer the dissipated water temperature of approx. 16 °C results in cooling being available free of charge. This in turn means that a classical form of air-conditioning, something generally linked to high operating costs and ecologically harmful chlorofluorocarbons, is not necessary at all. And the consumption costs for the "low-energy building" lie roughly 77 % lower than the costs for a conventional office building
