GRAFE electrifies vehicle fleet at Blankenhain. 

With a total of 32 e-charging points at 16 pillars on the factory premises in Blankenhain and the fleet conversion of the GRAFE vehicle fleet with currently 22 electric and hybrid vehicles, GRAFE is on the fast track to a green company fleet. Matthias Grafe, Managing Director of the GRAFE Group, describes what started as a project idea almost two years ago in the course of the existing ISO:50001 energy management certification of the plastics refiner in Blankenhain in order to make a contribution to reducing CO2 emissions as follows: “We are aware that plastic has a widely negative image among the population, as it is usually only reduced to packaging. But life without this material, as we know it now, would no longer be possible. Just think of clothes, computers, smartphones, cars, … plastic is everywhere and everyone already takes it for granted. But we have to use it sensibly and we as processors also make a contribution to this. We work with heat recovery, save energy in our processes as far as possible and maintain high quality standards in order to keep so-called rejects low. Another building block is now the conversion of our company fleet to contribute to the environment outside our core process, the production of masterbatches and compounds.”

The current project costs for the vehicle conversion of €1.2 million, of which €150,000 was for the construction of the charging infrastructure, were borne without the provision of subsidies. More than 50 % of the electricity at the Blankenhain site also comes from renewable energy sources, and GRAFE is keen for the current electricity provider to increase this percentage in the future.

Employees without a company vehicle also benefit from the provision of the charging infrastructure, as 28 charging points can be used by them to charge their private cars during working hours. The remaining four are available to partners and customers for visits to the plant.

“We are far from the end of our sustainable corporate strategy, but have now taken another big step,” Matthias Grafe tells us and adds: “The entire plastics industry is undergoing change. We are part of it and are facing up to the tasks for a better future with the more conscious use of resources.”