Continental India triumphs once more at the VDMA Manufacturing Excellence Awards

By OEM Update Editorial September 27, 2022 12:32 pm

The award is in recognition of excellence in Energy Efficiency and Conservation wherein Continental has once again showcased its continued commitment to sustainability throughout the manufacturing process.

Continental won the fifth VDMA Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2022 for the second time. The category of ‘Energy Efficiency and Conservation’ received the highest honours. The VDMA Excellence Awards honour German Engineering Federation members who have adopted and implemented sustainable manufacturing processes while improving the overall global environment.

Speaking of the achievement, Phanindra Karody, Plant Head Bengaluru, Continental Automotive India, said, “This is a great honor and we are happy to have been able to do it two years in a row. It goes to show that we are not just focused on bringing out cutting-edge technologies but also understand our responsibility towards a greener and cleaner planet. Sustainability continues to rank as a crucial commitment in our manufacturing process. Recognitions from such esteemed organizations only further enhance our motivation to optimize better in the future.“

Sustainability in focus

For many years now, Continental India’s Bengaluru plant has been using energy-efficient procedures to increasingly optimize the manufacturing process. The plant not only uses a host of 500KW panels installed on the rooftop to aid the electricity needs but has also set up a 5MW solar plant that results in 94 percent of energy consumption happening through renewable sources, the rest of which is provided by the State Government. Energy saving at the Bengaluru plant has been on the rise in recent years with there being a substantial hike from 2021 to 2022. While 685814 units were saved annually in 2020-2021, 2021-2022 has seen 737053 units of energy saved. Continental is looking to achieve carbon neutrality through its manufacturing processes by 2040 and extend this to its entire value chain by 2050. With a firm eye on this target, processes across the organization are swiftly implementing more sustainable practices.

The award-winning Bengaluru plant is ISO 50001:2018 certified for Energy Management System. The plant also has a Level 5 Rating of sustainability rating from one of the top Indian automotive OEMs in 2020.

Apart from the sustainability measures, Continental also has a strong CSR program with multiple projects being executed in the environmental space. The company inaugurated an Integrated Watershed Development Program in Anekal, Bengaluru, earlier this year. This initiative aims to conserve 280000000 liters of water that will aid the surrounding 8 villages and 2200 hectares of land. Additionally, 150000 trees were planted across India as part of the company’s 150th year anniversary celebration.