“Our roots are in agriculture. That’s why we’ve always had a very close relationship with nature and the responsible use of it.”
Hugo Vogelsang
Managing Director and Head of Research and Development
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Vogelsang was very early to recognize the need to act in an environmentally conscious and resource-saving manner and has always paid a great deal of attention to the issue. One of the core characteristics of the entire product range is that products are designed to be as energy-efficient as possible. There is a good reason why Vogelsang technology has successfully established itself as a more environmentally friendly alternative in many different areas. One of the shining lights in the product portfolio is liquid manure spreading using dribble hose and trailing shoe technology, in which the liquid manure is precisely deposited on the ground with low emissions and without damage.
In this interview, Hugo Vogelsang, Managing Director and Head of Research and Development, addresses
the issue of sustainability. It provides an insight into how Vogelsang promotes sustainable action in the company.
Mr. Vogelsang, what exactly does sustainability mean to Vogelsang?
We associate sustainability with two factors: On the one hand, providing the necessary technology to ensure sustainable utilization of resources such as liquid manure, and on the other hand developing products that consume minimal energy. Thus, it’s essential for us to design products for our customers that are as energy-efficient as possible, and to think about sustainability from the very beginning of product development. During every design process, we ask ourselves: How many kilowatt hours does the customer need for which job and how can we successfully incorporate the issue of energy efficiency right from the start of product development?
How important is sustainability at Vogelsang?
The issue has always been very important to us. This is because many of our products are used where sustainability and environmental protection play a major role. This includes agriculture, including sustainable liquid manure utilization and low-nitrogen spreading.
How is the sustainability concept reflected in production?
As far as possible, our goal is to produce without harming the environment and to consume as few resources as possible. While other companies boast heavy pumps, our goal is to keep pumps as light as
possible to save on cast iron. We source our cast parts (for the most part) in the region, not only because of the short transport distances, but also because our excellent cooperation agreements mean that we can get very accurate cast parts that require only a small amount of added material. This has two advantages: It saves on cast iron, and what isn’t there doesn’t require expensive and energy-intensive machining. Incorporating sustainability into production and designing our products to be energy efficient, while not
always cheaper, is very important to us.
Strong in performance, light in weight: Vogelsang saves cast iron.
Which products from the portfolio particularly stand out in terms of sustainable technology?
We make a point of generally designing our products so that they are as energy-efficient as possible and so that they can be used sustainably. We don’t want to make cheap machines that consume a lot of energy. With our dribble bar technology, which we developed decades ago in conjunction with the Oldenburg Chamber of Agriculture, we were way ahead of our time in terms of energy efficiency and resource-saving utilization of liquid manure. This is why dribble hose technology is definitely a ‚highlight‘ in our product portfolio in terms of sustainability. We also offer products for biogas plants that enable our customers to operate more energy efficiently. For example, plant operators can use mechanical disintegration with the DisRuptor or the RotaCut to achieve a higher gas yield even with structurally rich biomass and at the same time to reduce their own power consumption.
Gentle with the environment: with the dribble bar technology, liquid manure is spread in a resource-saving manner.
Green electricity made by Vogelsang
Vogelsang places a great deal of emphasis on renewable energies – the company even generates its own electricity from them. Since 2006, Vogelsang has had a photovoltaic system on its roof that produces up to one megawatt hour of electricity per day; in recent years, the company has added another 400-kilowatt peak system. Vogelsang can use the electricity generated by the turbines in the last corner of the site. If it is sunny on the weekend, the company even produces “too much” electricity, which is then fed into the grid.
Hugo Vogelsang: “Saving and generating energy has always played a major role for us. We don’t search the grid for electricity from renewable sources, we produce green electricity ourselves. In 2021, we generated 10 – 15 percent of our own electricity needs – with the next planned system, we’ll get to over 20 percent.”
“Roof greening” in a different style: green electricity through photovoltaics on the roofs of Vogelsang.
What measures does Vogelsang implement in the area of energy recovery?
Firstly, we are implementing what is seen as the standard for vacuum sanitation systems for buildings, for
example recovering energy in ventilation systems. We also have the opportunity to recover heating energy through our centralized building. Compressors are located in the same room as heaters, so we transfer the waste heat from the compressors to the heating water via heat exchangers. Another key measure that we
have been implementing since the early 2000s relates to our testing facility. Here, we operate an additional pump in the test circuit as a kind of water motor, which powers a generator. The energy is then fed back into the DUT drive. Th is saves around 50 percent of the energy. Especially with continuous testing, we can save megawatt hours per year.
What role does sustainability play in your logistics operations?
Where the size of the parts allows, we use reusable transport packaging, for example reusable euro pallets or skeleton boxes. We supply our dribble bar linkages in EasyPack format, preassembled on a transporting frame. There is a deposit on the frame, so it will be reused for the next EasyPack transport. If there is space in a part, we place another part inside it during transport – if suitable – in order to save on packaging material. When we have goods traffic between individual branches, we also take care to avoid empty truck journeys. In general, we try to purchase our materials and parts within ou region in order to reduce transport distance. In addition, we have almost 100 percent of our cast parts cast in Germany, wich saves CO2 emissions for transport. Overall, we prefer buisness partners from the local area, both suppliers and hall builders or electricians.
Wind power and geothermal energy are to supply energy in the future.
How does Vogelsang incorporate sustainalbilty into everyday operations?
We are investing heavily in lighting, for example in motion detectors. So the light turns on automatically only when it is necessary. In addition, we are gradually replacing the fluorescent tubes with LEDs. Due to the current low availability of parts and skilled tradesmen, we are unfortunately not moving as fast as we would like to be. We are also gradually converting our vehicle fl eet to electric and hybrid cars. We have also done a lot in terms of our heating infrastructure. Specifi cally, we have centralized our supply of heating energy. Almost all halls are now supplied with thermal energy from one building. As a result, we have more efficient boiler use, especially in transitional periods, for example from summer to winter, which in turn saves gas.
What does Vogelsang have planned for the future in terms of sustainability?
Currently, we are trying to source wind power within range of a medium voltage line. In addition, we are planning a large, centralized geothermal system that will enable us to replace over 80 percent of our gas use for heating with geothermal energy. This would enable us to supply all halls with heating energy, electricity or compressed air. We also want to achieve even higher self-consumption rates for solar power by using a battery storage system. It is also important to us to further establish sustainability in our corporate philosophy and to set it out in black and white.
Thanks a lot for the interview!
A different kind of sustainability - from person to person
Vogelsang can also be described as sustainable when it comes to human resources: Compared with other businesses in Germany, the company offers a large number of training opportunities, with not only apprentices but also engineers, for example on dual study programs. Hugo Vogelsang says with a twinkle in his eye: “A family business is characterized by two features: First, it is run by a family. Second, lots of families work there. At Vogelsang, some of our employees are second and third generation. Numerous couples have met working here, married and in some cases produced the next generation. So we are a sustainable company in many ways.”
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