Wohlhaupter certified for its sustainability commitment

The city and district of Esslingen have awarded Wohlhaupter GmbH the ECOlogical PROject for Integrated Environmental Technology seal known in short as ECOPROFIT. In doing so, they recognize the important contribution to sustainability the company makes through its resource-efficient production and responsible management.

Established in 1929, Wohlhaupter manufacture precision boring tools and systems. In 2016, Allied Machine and Engineering in Dover, Ohio, purchased the majority shares of Wohlhaupter. 

According to ECOPROFIT’s website, the program is an environmental management approach that provides technical and organizational guidance to communities and their companies. Participants attend workshops, receive individualized mentorship and seek certification to reduce both its environmental impact and operational costs sustainably. Members optimize their procedures and processes to balance economic growth, social well-being and environmental stewardship for future generations.

Wohlhaupter’s participation in Esslingen’s chapter of the environmental management program ECOPROFIT is one more step towards this sustainability. The project’s aim is to help local industry partners, traditionally responsible for about 50 percent of the region’s CO2 emissions, succeed in making an effective joint contribution to climate protection. Since the area’s initiative began in 2000, more than 90 companies have participated in sustainability projects. 

Responsibility for people and the environment is firmly anchored in the core of Wohlhaupter's corporate brand. This is reflected in the forward-looking corporate management, the appreciative treatment of employees and the sustainability measures implemented. As a partner of the Verband Deutscher Maschinen und Anlagenbau (VDMA) sustainability initiative Blue Competence, the manufacturer of precision cutting tools has been committed to the introduction and implementation of technical sustainability solutions, resource-efficient production and responsible corporate governance. In fact, Wohlhaupter has been drawing its energy from the earth via geothermal energy for more than ten years.

A field of geothermal probes with 44 boreholes, each 95 meters deep, in combination with three electric heat pumps, provides a heating capacity of 300 kilowatts in winter. In summer, the system cools the production buildings and thus ensures production of high precision products in a consistent environment. In 2020, Wohlhaupter converted from metal halide lamps and fluorescent tubes to energy-efficient LED lighting in the 7,500 square meter production and administration buildings - saving around 70 tons of CO2 per year. A low-pass filter was also recently installed at the company's headquarters in Frickenhausen, further reducing electricity consumption.

Frank-M. Wohlhaupter, managing director of the company, is pleased with the successful cooperation between the city, the district and the business community. Wohlhaupter states "We are making our production more sustainable bit by bit and always thinking about tomorrow. With the eco-label (ECOPROFIT), we are recognized for our continuous commitment and can network with like-minded companies in the region."