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Circular Economy

“We see great potential, especially in the circular economy, to design our lifting equipment for re-use and recycling, or to be replaced by services when possible. Our aim is to inspire the market and our customers by offering innovative, eco-efficient solutions. Working together as an industry, we can enable more efficient use of raw materials, increase energy efficiency and increase value through the entire value chain.” - Hannu Oja, Director of Port Technology, Konecranes.

 

As businesses evolve and grow, the technology they depend on must also evolve to handle new demands such as greater speed and lifting capacity – or it needs to be easily replaced by new technology. The need for new energy sources and reducing emissions and waste in the face of resource scarcity is leading to the development of more eco-efficient technology and new business models such as the circular economy. Working together as an industry, we can enable more efficient use of raw materials, increase energy efficiency and increase value through the entire value chain.

How do we move to a circular economy, in which consumption is based on using services – sharing, renting and recycling – instead of owning things? The new everyday life will be based on using services instead of owning things. We see our advantages especially in circular economy business models. Digitalization, demand of low-carbon products and the growing interest towards rental services are having an impact on our stakeholders and our business. Our aim is to inspire and challenge the market and support our customers by offering innovative eco-efficient solutions.

We design our products to enable them to be reused and recycled, or to be modernized to extend their life span. In our conjoined product offering we can provide innovative power sources such as hybrid technology and other energy saving solutions such as regenerative braking. Significant savings could be obtained through renting, repairing, modernizing, reusing, and recycling our products.

Modernizations and retrofits save a lot of resources by reducing the environmental impact for the entire lifecycle of the product, saving raw materials and improving the product’s energy efficiency and performance. This means considerable raw material, energy and emission savings from steel refining and manufacturing. Modernization increases safety, productivity, reliability and usability and less need for repairs and unscheduled maintenance. There will also be more technical and spare part support.

One good example of circular economy is our Agilon product and service concept. By selling material handling as a service, we are able to work in close co-operation with our customers, which improves understanding of the customer's situation and our ability to cater to the needs of the customers in changing environments. The remote control of the system reduces logistical needs: the required service can be identified without needing to visit the site. This reduces the environmental impact of the operations. The system is made up of modules so it can be reused. It is also set up based on customer needs and can be expanded if needed.

 

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