Acting responsibly, committed to the future
The companies of the MINDA Group are committed to making a decisive contribution to socially sustainable actions. Hereby, increasing responsibility towards our environment is playing a more and more important role. Sustainability is always to be considered as a unity of ecology, economy and social aspects in order to lay the foundation for future generations.
Ecology
Product-related savings
We are a manufacturing group of companies and are not only responsible for our products but also for their manufacture. We exclusively produce in our own factories where we orient ourselves to the recognized industry standards.
We rely on energy-efficient drive technology already in the design of our systems. For example, the braking energy is usually fed back into the circuit in our conveyor technology solutions. We design our plants in such a way that the products manufactured on them can be produced with the lowest possible tolerances in order to reduce waste.
Environmentally friendly production
In order to reduce energy consumption in the MINDA companies, all lights were replaced by minitubes with efficient radiators. With the modernization of the heating system we achieved an energy saving of 30 percent. In the offices, lighting can now be controlled depending on daylight and an intelligent air conditioning system has been installed.
When painting our systems and products, we focus on the use of low-solvent colors throughout the company and use solvents several times in the lacquering plants.
The replacement of welding equipment by more efficient devices with lower power input and higher performance also led to a significant reduction in power consumption.
Thanks to the purchase of welding tables, 70 - 80 % of the welding assemblies are now produced without additional fixture and device construction. The adjusted device construction has thus been significantly reduced, resulting in considerable material savings.
Management of green areas on the company premises
After rebuilding measures at the four production sites - no matter if rebuilding or new building measures - the surrounding areas are planted in an insect-friendly manner.
Economy
Profits are reinvested
As a family-owned company, we are interested in a long-term economic development. Profits earned flow back into the growth of the MINDA Group and serve as investments in the future and the employees. Recently, for example, new office buildings with modern, attractive workplaces including creative zones have been created, new properties have been acquired or built to expand production capacities and additional parking spaces have been created for employees.
Social
Commitment to the region
According to the motto "From the region for the region", we are socially responsible for the region so that we can benefit from it in return. At our sites, we support various aid projects for children in need. One example is the "Aktion Lichtblicke" campaign of the local radio station Radio Westfalica, supporting children and young people in Northrhine Westphalia by means of special donations. However, we also consider people with health restrictions. For example, we made a donation to the NCL Group Germany. This group combines parents whose children suffer from the incurable metabolic disease NCL.
We particularly motivate our employees to get involved in social projects. "MINDA Cares" is our employee donation project, which offers help where Mindaners get involved in social projects. In addition, a joint typing event for the German marrow donor association DKMS belongs to our social activities. Several employees were registered as potential stem cell donors, while the costs were paid by the company.
Moreover, there is a close cooperation between the Child Protection Association and MINDA. MINDA has participated in the construction of a new daycare center in Minden and the German Child Protection Association has taken over the sponsorship.
We were co-founders of the initiative "Flüchtlingspartner" in Minden and helped to reduce the language barrier of refugees. This was an important foundation stone for training or further education in order to be able to integrate them into our society. Solidarity and commitment characterize our lively corporate culture: Several refugees have already been provided with a job or training position.
Breaking new grounds
MINDA supplies systems for the corrugated board and solid wood industries, two industrial sectors that process renewable raw materials and thus produce sustainably and with low CO2 emissions. Since 2019, MINDA has been a Core Partner of the international expert network PalmwoodNet in order to break new grounds in terms of sustainability. This network investigates the sustainable use of oil palm wood for products with high added value under technical, economical, ecological and social aspects.
The strong extension of palm oil plantations, especially in Southeast Asia, leads to huge amounts of waste from palm tree trunks. Approx. 100 to 120 million m³ of palm trunks are rotting or burning there year after year. At the same time, the demand for wood for the construction and furniture industry is increasing, and ecologically valuable forests are felled. The use of this almost free wood is a win-win situation for climate protection, the preservation of forests, the economy and the social stability of these countries.
The expert network PalmwoodNet therefore considers the entire value-added chain from the creation of the plantation to the marketing of finished palmwood products. In this association, MINDA is especially investigating the production of glulam and CLT from palmwood. The aim is to design complete production plants for these products and launch them on the market in Southeast Asia.
