SECO/WARWICK Turns Green and Becomes an ECO Company
SECO/WARWICK, a manufacturer of industrial furnaces for metal heat treatment, proves that heavy industry can be green. The SECO/WARWICK Group is the Winner of the Social Responsibility Program Leaders and the Emblem in the category of ECO Company (Polish: EKO Firma) 2023, once again proving that care for the natural environment is in its DNA.
Caring for the environment is an important SECO/WARWICK Group value. It is understood not only as sustainable production of ecological and innovative solutions but also as care for energy savings, involvement in ecological social campaigns, or supporting Partners who contribute to improving the natural environment. This is a part of a long-term strategy. SECO/WARWICK implements innovative technologies allowing our company to make many pro-environmental changes in the energy, aviation, automotive and recycling industries. Thus, it makes the world a better place—an ecological place.
The innovations implemented at SECO/WARWICK directly related to the manufactured furnaces concern ecology, among others. Vacuum furnaces use a vacuum (heat treatment under pressure created by air evacuation) as the protective atmosphere for heat-treated part surfaces. “Vacuum heat treatment has a number of ecological advantages. Thanks to the vacuum-processed element’s high quality, the finished work does not require additional mechanical treatment, saving emissions, time, and costs. No need for protective gases, zero start-up time, and minimal preparation time also increases the total value of vacuum processing. Using SECO/WARWICK vacuum solutions, customers around the world reduce their carbon footprint. Low-pressure carburizing (LPC) is a green alternative to traditional carburizing processes. It is available in CMe, Pit-LPC, and Vector furnaces. It shortens the carburizing time by 5 times, leading to cost and energy consumption reduction,” explains Maciej Korecki, Vice President of the Vacuum Segment at the SECO/WARWICK Group.
An example of an ecological solution for aluminum technologies is the patented Vortex® Jet Airflow technology for processing aluminum coils that reduces processing time by up to 30 percent compared to other available technologies. The EV/CAB solution is SECO/WARWICK’s response to modern electromobility needs, or the eco-friendly JetCaster vacuum casting system with a gas crystallization method, which enables users to produce twice as many castings with a comparable level of energy demand, resulting in a reduction in production energy consumption by 40 percent and cooling water consumption reduction by 50 percent.
“Of course, these are not all of S(ECO) responses to the industry’s green appeal. We are a leader in the implementation of ecological solutions in metal heat treatment systems. We focus on both created as well as tried and true green solutions; in fact, an ecological approach is included in our mission, where we declare that the creation of innovative products providing our customers with reliable, safe and environmentally friendly heat treatment and metallurgy solutions can be monetized.” explains Sławomir Woźniak, CEO at the SECO/WARWICK Group.
SECO/WARWICK changes its technologies to green by providing solutions that reduce production energy consumption, increase production efficiency, shorten process and treatment time, and reduce energy and process gas consumption.
“The ECO prefix is inscribed in our name and the Group’s DNA. We do not talk and do not think differently about ecology other than Secology, because we look at environmental protection so broadly. Secology is therefore a set of projects and ecological social initiatives, ecological investments within the company and green technologies that we use or create. Therefore, Secology is not a new science or religion, it is the attitude and strategy of the SECO/WARWICK Group visible in various aspects of its operation,” says Katarzyna Sawka, Vice President of Marketing at the SECO/WARWICK Group.
SECO/WARWICK puts great emphasis on the rational use of energy and water, waste segregation, and minimizing paper utilization in administrative and office activities. The Group willingly invests in projects improving ecology, including the application of photovoltaics (solar panels), on-demand thermostat control systems and modern building heating systems. The company is also investing in an electric cars fleet and has built a charging station for such vehicles on the plant premises.
Every year, the SECO/WARWICK team engages in a number of ecological activities. Together, we plant forests, clean green areas, take care with recycling and water consumption, and are involved in a number of initiatives in the field of corporate social responsibility.
“The ECO COMPANY 2023 award we received is valuable because it confirms that our green activities are important, valuable, and noticeable. We know that heavy industry can be ecological, and we consistently prove this thesis with our solutions, actions, and attitudes,” concludes K. Sawka.
SECO/WARWICK has been proving for years that the ECO acronym is inscribed in its DNA and in its name. Through numerous initiatives, the company is a part of a global trend considering caring for the natural environment. But ecology is not a trend for SECO/WARWICK. It is a real need and value thanks to which we will leave the planet in good condition for future generations. SECO/WARWICK believes that working in heavy industry does not have to mean the devastation of what is most valuable – the natural environment. Heavy industry has a lot to offer to ecology. Constant striving to offer innovative products, as well as care for even the smallest matters, makes SECO/WARWICK one of the most pro-ecological companies in the metal heat treatment furnace production industry, hence the ECO COMPANY 2023 award.