Sahm Splice Boosts Sustainability with Solar Power

Sahm Splice has installed solar panels at its Bremerhaven headquarters, saving up to 80t of CO₂ annually, and contributing over a quarter of electrical consumption at the facility on Germany’s North Sea coast.

A total of 27% of electrical consumption in Bremerhaven, Germany is generated by solar power.

The company provides test beds for non-destructive and destructive testing of steel wire ropes, synthetic ropes, chains, and shackles; and specialises in the mechanical splicing of wire rope. It is a supplier of end terminations and ferrules to the global rigging industry. The range includes ferrules made from aluminium, copper, steel, and stainless steel — all manufactured in-house in Germany and the U.S. It has additional facilities in France and the UK, where solar power has been generated at the Sherburn in Elmet facility in North Yorkshire, England since last August.

A total of 652 solar panels are installed in Bremerhaven, Germany.

The Bremerhaven site is an active manufacturing environment, where numerous metal saws are in constant use, while cleaning machines remove chips from ferrules after cutting processes. Thirty staff and operatives oversee production, which also involves assembly of test beds, swaging presses, and annealing machines. A standard range of swagers is available up to 4,000t capacity, while test beds are custom-made up to 2,500t capacity and more. The mid-sized 1225 wire rope cutting and annealing machine, for example, is utilised for separating wire ropes in 8-40mm diameters, enabling the ends of the rope to be conically tapered.

The solar panels combine to create 287kWp in total.

A total of 652 panels combine to create 287kWp (kilowatt-peak) maximum electrical output. With the operation consuming 185,000kWh (kilowatt-hour) per year, the 211,000kWh that the company produces allows for 52,000kWh of consumption and the sale of 159,000kWh across a 12-month period. Importantly, it means that 27% of electrical consumption is generated by solar power, saving 72-80t of CO₂ per year; this equates to 30 cars, more than 6,000 trees, or 25 transatlantic flights.

Sahm Splice’s solar-powered Bremerhaven headquarters is located on Germany’s North Sea coast.

Arne Niemann, managing director at Sahm Splice GmbH, said: “We were principally driven by the sustainability of solar power. The business is very conscious of its carbon footprint; we recycle scrap metal and use LED [light-emitting diode] lighting, which is activated by motion sensors. However, the added benefit is that the investment will be repaid in full within eight years. With solar power now part of everyday operations, we continue to optimise our consumption accordingly.”

Sahm Splice’s production machines have priority access to solar power.

Sahm Splice’s production machines have priority access to solar power, but it is even used to charge a fleet of electric company vehicles. The move to electric cars preceded installation of the solar system but as of next month (April), the company will own five electric automobiles.