Scania awarded for ecology and economy

The EKO-energy prize 1998: Scania awarded for ecology and economy Scania is awarded the 1998 EKO-energy prize for its work on more efficient energy use. One of Scania's environmental objectives is to cut energy consump- tion in production by 10 percent per vehicle by the end of 1999 - a goal which Scania estimates will be contained by a wide margin. The 1998 EKO-energy prize was presented today at a ceremony at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm. The presenter was Thomas Korsfeldt, chief executive of the Swed- ish National Energy Administration. Excerpt from the statement of the jury: "Through the policy established by its Executive Management, where the use pf energy is identified as an important environmental factor, Scania has managed to involve and engage its personnel to achieve significant progress and reduce the negative load on the environment." Accepting the prize, Mr. Kjell Svensson, Senior Vice President Truck Manufac- turing at Scania, made the following comments: "The manufacture of vehicles and engines are energy-consuming processes. For environmental as well as cost reasons, Scania since many years strives to re- duce its overall use of energy. "In our operations in Södertälje we have achieved heat savings of 20 percent, reduced compressed-air consumption by 12 percent and water consumption by 26 percent during 1997 alone. "During 1996 our own energy production accounted for 6 percent of our heat consumption. This share climbed to 12 percent in 1997. The target for 1998 is to source 30 percent of our heating from our own energy recuperation plants in Södertälje. "The collaboration within the EKO-energy project clearly demonstrates the po- tential of joint efforts between the State and the industry. The prize will act as an incentive for our continued work," says Kjell Svensson. Overall environmental load Scania's environmental philosophy entails considering the overall impact of the product during R&D, production, use, scrapping and recycling. With its 4- series trucks and buses, Scania has launched a common global product range and production system. Manufacturing takes place to the same environmental stan- dards at the production units in Europe and Latin America. Scania systematically sets both overall and detailed environmental targets and establishes various key indicators, including for energy use. Since 1995, the energy consumption has been reduced from 16 to 14 MWh per vehicle produced. The EKO-energy project Since a couple of years, Scania through its subsidiary Scania Partner is co- operating with the National Energy Administration on the EKO-energy develop- ment project. The objective is to reduce the load on the environment by cut- ting the consumption of energy and other media. The National Energy Administration is Sweden's national authority on issues regarding the supply and use of energy. The Administration's main task is to promote a safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable supply and use of energy. It does so by supporting research on renewable energy sources and technology, procurement of energy-efficient products and by providing invest- ment support for the development of renewable energy. For further information, please contact Marcela Petkov, Environmental Affairs, Scania, telephone +46- 8 553 819 24 or mobile telephone +46-70 582 3977. Scania is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. With 23,800 employees and production facilities in Europe and Latin America, Scania is one of the most profitable companies in its sector. In 1997, turnover totalled SEK 39,700 million and income after financial items SEK 2,800 million. Scania products are marketed in about 100 countries worldwide and approximately 95% of total production is sold outside Sweden. Scania press releases are available on the Internet, www.scania.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/11/10/19981110BIT00170/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/11/10/19981110BIT00170/bit0002.pdf