automation and modern manufacturing technologies GEA is targeting further growth in its key markets GEA centrifuges are used in more than 3,500 different processes in a wide range of industries All GEA production sites are already powered by green electricity In the long term the electricity supply for GEA’s sites will come from local renewable energy sources several large-scale photovoltaic systems will cover about one-tenth of the site’s electricity requirements including the provision of electromobility An in-house combined heat and power plant currently generates around 30% of the electricity required 94% of the primary energy utilized is recycled will also be converted to alternatives such as electric steam generation which will enable the Oelde and Niederahr sites to operate without gas in the near future 2023 marks 130 years of GEA separation technology at its Oelde site "I am pleased that the planned investments will make the world's largest GEA site in Oelde strong for the upcoming decades," says Klaus Stojentin CEO of GEA's Separation and Flow Technologies Division GEA is one of the global technology leaders in centrifuge production We are proud to be able to expand our production facilities to better support our customers with first-class products for their manufacturing processes." “This year, we look back with pride at 130 successful years in separation technology,” said GEA CEO Stefan Klebert. "We owe our success story to our committed employees, who work tirelessly and with a high level of engineering skill every day to ensure that we fulfill our purpose of “Engineering for a better world.” The Niederahr site, which produces decanter centrifuges mainly used in the food, chemical and environmental technology sectors, is also celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. GEA also operates two additional centrifuge plants: one in Bengaluru, India, and the other in Tianjin, China. Free access to this content is for qualifying individuals only. Corporate and institutional access requires an appropriate license or subscription. For more information contact institutions@markallengroup.com InsightsCustomer StoriesGEACustomer StoriesGEAGerman-based GEA one of the largest technology system suppliers in the food and chemical sectors contracted Dassault Systèmes’ Engineering Services organization to simulate and visualize different scenarios for the re-opening of their cafeteria at its Oelde site using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation The result: a comprehensive risk assessment for the re-opening after the lockdown in March due to COVID-19 and one-third of chicken nuggets worldwide are produced using equipment from GEA As a leading technology systems provider particularly in the food & beverage sectors the company is used to reacting fast to changing market conditions It is also committed to addressing urgent and pressing global issues that impact our future such as climate change and the safeguarding of worldwide food supplies As COVID-19 spread across the world in early 2020 businesses faced the dual imperative of saving lives and livelihoods They needed to be responsive to the dynamics of an evolving crisis and prioritize their people this was a prime opportunity to lean into the driving principle that connects its workforce: “Engineering for a better world.” “We strive to be one of the world’s most respected technology groups and we’re driven by permanently changing markets,” said Erich Nitzsche vice president of Engineering Standards and Services at GEA “Engineering for a better world is really the energizing principle that connects all our employees and businesses we run.” GEA’s commitment to “Engineering for a better world” has taken on even greater significance since the coronavirus pandemic it has shouldered the responsibility of keeping its workforce as safe as possible while working closely with its customers to support them during this time The company set up a global COVID-19 taskforce to facilitate the daily exchange of information and analysis and keep all employees updated of the fast evolving situation and safety measures they were putting in place but were not fully prepared for the impact of COVID-19,” Nitzsche said “The China plant was shut down very quickly but we only had to temporarily close three sites globally Our risk awareness meant the impact on our business was very minimal We had a fully running logistics chain at all times.”  In line with government regulations and to keep its workforce safe including the Oelde cafeteria – over 1,900 employees use this 645 square meter facility “The cafeteria is a really important place,” Nitzsche said it’s where we all get together to socialize and do business But then you have to ask yourself the question We needed a ramp-up strategy and to play out different scenarios to work out the best way of doing this.” Mounting evidence showed that one of the main ways COVID19 can spread is through aerosol transmission it became a priority to understand the scope of virus propagation through airflows in the cafeteria and they decided to engage with Dassault Systèmes to launch a consulting project leveraging simulation Rather than taking on all the work themselves it made sense for GEA to outsource the simulation project to Dassault Systèmes Not only did this enable GEA to take advantage of Dassault Systèmes’ sophisticated IT infrastructure and server power to run the simulations on the cloud it allowed them to tap into their technological expertise in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applied to HVAC systems and get the project underway quickly “What I really liked is that Dassault Systèmes took a very agile approach and this really eased our life,” Nitzsche said “We would not have been able to ask the questions like they did It would have taken us much longer if we’d have done it all internally Outsourcing the project has allowed us to focus on our business and leave the experts to do the simulations Outsourcing gave us the agility we needed.” The entire project was handled remotely due to the nature of the pandemic situation Dassault Systèmes put a great deal of resources behind the project to ensure it was a success “I’ve seen a lot of investment from the Dassault Systèmes side,” Nitzsche said “I really liked the ramp up when we started On our first call 15 people dived in and for me as a customer They asked all the right questions and you could almost sense that people went into action while we were on the phone This investment at the beginning really paid off in the end Dassault Systèmes kept the team at GEA apprised of their progress at all times with regular communication and set clear milestones Simulation has been the missing puzzle piece We had the expectation that the results would be a basis for 20-30% of our decision we have gained a confidence level of 60-70% Vice President of Engineering Standards and Services Dassault Systèmes created an accurate digital twin of the cafeteria and used at-scale mannequins to create a realistic dining scenario it identified inlet and outlet air conditions and used vents documentation to simulate the right airflow behavior in the cafeteria accounting for air leakages from emergency and entrance doors Numerous scenarios of people coughing in different areas were simulated using the SIMULIA PowerFLOW solver to understand how the virus could disperse around the cafeteria and kitchen areas “One of the most valuable observations has been to learn about the blind spots in this environment,” Nitzsche said “That was the biggest surprise for me because our first approach for any re-opening is that we would have spread people out as much as we can in the cafeteria to dine Now we can see that the places we would have put people in would have been danger zones as there is an extremely low exchange of air and viruses concentrate in these spots It’s been a huge learning curve and completely opposite to our initial thinking.” the simulations clearly showed that the air is very stable in certain areas and could create concentration spots for aerosols GEA also learned about how fast and far aerosols are likely to spread in the cafeteria environment too “We’ve discovered that the entry point to the cafeteria is a high-risk area,” Nitzsche said “If someone coughs or sneezes at the entrance we can now initiate specific measures such as the revision of the entrance and exit concept as well as an adapted seating arrangement,” said Peter Brüggenkötter “The simulation makes us be more creative in our thinking and pushes us to solve these problems.” The simulations also demonstrated how surfaces like plates trays and tables could get contaminated during a normal lunchtime sitting “We gained a deeper understanding of the air flow in our cafeteria and of the contamination of surfaces within the area,” Nitzsche said our learning is that whatever we do in the future we need to take specific actions to treat trays and plates in order not to create little bio bombs.”  GEA now has a much clearer idea of the measures it must put in place to keep everyone safe when re-opening the cafeteria “We had the expectation that the results would be a basis for 20-30% of our decision,” Nitzsche said We hope to use the results with the derived measures to reopen the cafeteria soon The simulation we have in our hands is very valuable in how we make decisions We wanted to make sure we acted in an ethical and social way and apply better safety measures based on technical facts beyond all governmental recommendations and legal requirements It brings our “Engineering for a better world” principle to life” The company also learned that it would need to apply additional safety measures in the kitchen area to protect its cafeteria workers “This was another new finding for us,” Nitzsche said “Our first approach would have been to up the air extraction in the kitchen but we were not aware that this would increase the air flow from the entrance into the kitchen which would have put our workers in a really dangerous situation We are now looking to separate the kitchen area from the catering area and make this mandatory We have the option to play with the existing air conditioning technology and while we’re not totally sure of the most appropriate action yet we know that our normal conditions wouldn’t be safe enough.” Even if it decides not to re-open the cafeteria during the current pandemic situation – because of either safety or economic considerations – the company has valuable learnings about virus propagation that it can take to other areas of its business “The simulations help us make good decisions for our business and our people,” Nitzsche said.  The simulation supports us keeping our employees vigilant The color coding makes it self-explanatory and easy for everyone to understand GEA plans to use the simulation results to communicate the measures it is putting in place but also to encourage longer-term awareness and diligence to prevent a spike in cases of COVID-19 “The simulation supports us keeping our employees vigilant,” Brüggenkötter said “The color coding makes it self-explanatory and easy for everyone to understand.” “This is especially valuable at a time when everyone is growing tired of this pandemic situation,” he added “We need to motivate our people to stick to our safety measures at an enduring level and take every sensible action.” the simulation results and 3D renderings are a far more effective form of communication compared to other methods such as written materials  “Engineering for a better world” is the driving and energizing principle connecting GEA’s workforce GEA makes an important contribution to a sustainable future with its solutions and services processes and components contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions plastic use as well as food waste in production.  For more information: http://www.gea.com More than 4,000 contemporary works belonging to SØR Rusche, a clothing retailer based in Oelde, Germany, are to go under the hammer at Van Ham auction house in Cologne over the course of 2019, while Sotheby’s will auction Dutch Old Masters from the same collection. Neo Rauch, Alicja Kwade, Daniel Richter, Tracey Emin, Phyllida Barlow and Jonathan Meese are among the contemporary artists represented in the SØR Rusche collection, according to a statement from Van Ham. The Dutch 17th-century works include paintings by Pieter Claesz, David Teniers, Cornelis van der Meulen, Michaelina Wautier and Jan van Goyen. We have decided to sell the corporate collection to finance the digital transformation of our companyThomas Rusche, managing director, SØR RuscheThe contemporary works will be sold in a series of auctions starting on 29 May, when 150 pieces presented in a special catalogue will be on offer in Van Ham’s Modern, Post-war and Contemporary sale. Van Ham said it will be the biggest collection ever auctioned in Germany. “We have decided to sell the corporate collection of SØR Rusche to finance the digital transformation of our company and to secure jobs for the long term,” says Thomas Rusche, the managing director of SØR Rusche, which owns 60 clothing shops across Germany. preview24 October 2019Munich exhibition uses X-rays to lay bare Anthony van Dyck's creative methodsResearch project conducted by Alte Pinakothek reveals how the Flemish painter developed and reworked his canvases Your request has been blocked by our security system due to potential security concerns Please contact us for assistance 2020 — Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065 one of the world’s largest technology suppliers for food processing and a wide range of other industries used SIMULIA applications powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to simulate the airflow in its Oelde which has been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and gain insights on how to safely reopen it for 1,900 employees Understanding that the coronavirus can spread through droplets in the air GEA wanted to examine the spread of aerosols in its cafeteria and visualize different safety scenarios as part of its “Back to Work” initiative to fully reopen all sites  It worked with Dassault Systèmes to build a 3D virtual twin of the cafeteria with parameters that included people infected with the virus coughing and sneezing to simulate particle flow behavior throughout the space  GEA was able to experience how the virus could spread through the air as well as contaminate surfaces like plates  The virtual twin also revealed unexpected areas of high virus concentration GEA is now using the simulation results to identify and implement an effective risk management strategy for a safer cafeteria environment separating the cafeteria’s kitchen from its catering area and adopting additional safety measures that protect kitchen staff “Simulation provided us with a valuable learning experience and will play a major role in our decision-making as we plan to reopen our cafeteria which is an important gathering space for all our employees,” said Erich Nitzsche Vice President Engineering Standards & Services  “The results from our collaboration with Dassault Systèmes exceeded our expectations and showed a different story from what we were expecting we can be more purposeful in our thinking as we solve problems to ensure the health and safety of our employees and reduce the negative impacts on our business  Selecting Dassault Systèmes was a winning initiative for us.”  GEA plans to share videos showing the simulation results to employees to clearly communicate why and how new measures were taken and technology’s role in this strategy.  “Virtual worlds revolutionize our relationship with knowledge and open up tremendous possibilities,” said Klaus Löckel  “Our SIMULIA applications reveal the invisible by representing the time and space of a behavior that evolves in its environment  GEA can understand and act on this behavior in response to the coronavirus crisis with a program that prioritizes employee well-being.” including digitalised and automated processes GEA will invest around EUR 50 million in the modernisation of its German centrifuge production facilities in Oelde (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Niederahr (Rhineland-Palatinate) by the end of 2024 The engineering group made the announcement recently at a press conference marking the 130th anniversary of GEA separation technology at its Oelde site Growth drivers include applications for alternative protein production and global demand for dairy products The investment package for the centrifuge plants is based on four pillars: sustainability Already today all GEA production sites are powered by green electricity An in-house combined heat and power plant already generates around 30 percent of the electricity required 94 percent of the primary energy utilised is recycled Metropolis introduces AI-powered allergy component testing Mondelez International appoints Samir Jain as President of India biz You must be logged in to post a comment Merseyside-headquartered metal recycler S Norton Group has announced a £20 million investment to design build and commission a metals shredder facility at its Manchester site this “major upgrade” increases its capacity to shred waste metals with a “much greater throughput” producing higher quality ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals and significantly increasing its capacity for processing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) The site will consist of a 3000 hp Lindemann shredder described by the company as “one of the most efficient in the world and the first-of-its-kind in the world with its sophisticated drive system” It also includes a bespoke and fully automated fire detection and suppression system said: “We are committed to continually improving and investing in our operations to ensure that we remain at the forefront of recycling Our engineering team has done an excellent job of designing and managing this major capital expenditure project maintaining focus on optimising efficiency and improving the process We are working to ensure that the company is in a position to grow offering responsible recycling solutions for all forms of scrap metal and WEEE.” the new installation with its “Venti Oelde downstream system” has been designed to ensure environmental benefits such as improved dust abatement reduced emissions to atmosphere and lower energy consumption processes and distributes approximately 1.5m tonnes of recycled metals each year It also recycles at least 95% of all materials it processes via shredding with a target of sending zero waste to landfill said: “This latest investment in advanced processing technology demonstrates S Norton’s expertise and innovation in providing sustainable solutions in a complex and challenging market The company remains focused on providing the highest level of service to which our customers are accustomed and we look forward to this new chapter in our history as we deliver ambitious investments in recycling technology to support the drive to a resource efficient economy.” the company welcomed a Mr Hayer as its managing director who announced a new vision and restructure to the company to fully integrate the work of subsidiary This has enabled the company to provide integrated end to end solutions for its customers for both metals and plastics Norton Group  deals with all different types of trade Its core business is the recycling of both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal from sources such as metal merchants and trade and general public The scrap metal is then recycled to internationally recognised standards ready for export processes and exports around 1.5 million tonnes of metal to a wide range of consumers from small refineries to global organisations Full contact information: HERE Get the latest waste and recycling news straight to your inbox We are using cookies to give you the best browsing experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again This website uses cookies to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site Keeping these cookies enabled helps us to fund and improve our website which is free to visit and use All such information remains confidential and we use only to determine which pages are popular with readers Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences More information about our Cookie Policy 2017This article was published more than 7 years ago Germany-based Miele is continually walking the fine line between quality and efficiency when it comes to manufacturing luxury appliances there’s still room for the finer things in life which is why production workers at its Oelde where its cooking range is put together entirely by hand always keep a supply of ladies hosiery within easy reach “We still use a silk-stocking test on the factory line for every machine that comes off,” says Kelly Lam “The assembly worker actually takes a silk stocking and runs it along and makes sure there are no rough edges or snags on the stainless steel.” That attention to detail on its $20,000 flagship product and the rest of its extensive product portfolio refrigerators and dishwashers is paying off Miele reported sales of €3.93-billion ($5.86-billion) with the majority of that (€2.75-billion) coming from overseas sales But while quality is important to everything manufactured by the company which has been family owned and operated since its founding in 1899 financial considerations still have to be made Lam says it would have been easy to look to offshore manufacturing in the production of its vacuum cleaners some years back to achieve certain efficiencies But instead the company built an entirely robotic production factory to manufacture the product at home “That allows us to still have the exact quality because obviously it’s completely controlled by us in Germany but still allow us to hit some strategic price points in the vacuum category,” he says that insistence on quality is what is defining the luxury appliance sector every product put on the market by Miele is tested to last the equivalent of 20 years of use “Nobody switches out their kitchen every five years,” he says “It’s not a car lease or anything like that.” utilizes extremes such as electric jolts and vibrations equivalent to a car crash at more than 72 kilometres an hour to ensure its own products can operate effectively for 20 years The kitchen appliance market globally was valued at $150-billion (U.S.) in 2015 and expected to jump to $250-billion by 2023 say luxury items are helping fuel the growth with their popularity rising “steeply” over the past 12 months Canada’s buoyant real estate market and renovation craze promise to keep the trend going That customer appetite for quality and detail is why Marco Tallarico carries just a small number of brands at his Appliance Love stores one in downtown Toronto and the other in neighbouring Mississauga After-market care is partly why he chose the brands a handmade French brand of cookers which can range from $40,000 to $100,000 “People come in just for that … They’re just focused on this big significant piece.” and then the remainder of the kitchen design It’s a philosophy that runs in his family; his father owned Morley’s Appliance Centre in Toronto for 35 years “Design your kitchen with the appliances in mind what they’ll do is they’ll design the kitchen and say ‘Go pick your appliances,’ after designing the kitchen Tallarico says that increasingly customers are looking for smaller appliances or appliances that offer dual functionality such an oven that can offer steam and convection or speed and convection together People don’t necessarily want the huge oven that comes into play only at Christmas and Thanksgiving “The customer is becoming way more savvy and way more sophisticated when it comes to cooking so they’re looking for the companies that offer this dual functionality and these are usually the higher-end companies,” he says While he says the majority of his customers want things that complement some of the manufacturers that he carries offer innovative technology incorporated into their designs wood-fired barbecue manufacturer Grillson produces two models ranging in price from just under $3,000 to a shade off $5,000 with the more expensive of the two offering Wi-Fi and smartphone connectivity “So you can put the probe into the meat and while you’re sitting watching football on Sunday and you’re smoking something you can see the temperature of your roast on your phone,” he adds those kinds of innovative bells and whistles that might help get a product noticed on social media these days don’t generally pull much weight in the luxury appliance sector the creative director for Binns Kitchen and Bath Design in Toronto says that as a rule it’s the mid- to lower-range appliance companies that are trying to incorporate those kinds of fun features to make their products more appealing “In the luxury market they tend to hold off on that until the technology is a little more there I suppose,” she says it’s about the quality and the function of it … not a little fun thing they can pull up on their phone.” Binns is also increasingly seeing customers aiming for smaller ovens she adds that brand awareness has also become far more important to people when faced with appliance-buying decisions It used to be that people shopped around for the best deal on an individual piece “Now the complete package is much more common,” she says “It’s almost as though people are choosing a brand or I am choosing to do a Wolf-Sub Zero as two different examples.” president and owner of Jerome’s Appliance Gallery in Calgary ranging in price from $30,000 to $60,000 a package He says a lot of his customers are in the 40 to 50 age range and while they’re used to high-tech products technology is a big driver in their sales decisions “They do their research before they come to your store and they’re a very well-educated consumer right now,” he says “so you don’t pull wool over their eyes too easily.” Paul Attfield is a reporter at The Globe and Mail Born in England and raised both there and in France Paul is now a dual citizen of Canada and the United Kingdom He has called Toronto home since moving there from London in 2005 Working in The Globe’s sports department since 2006 Paul started out covering predominantly soccer and rugby he has become more of a general assignment reporter writing about pretty much anything involving a bat Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. 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