Innovations are often associated with pioneering advances. In Stena’s world this means meeting our customers’ challenges in new ways that hopefully exceed expectations. And getting the job done without complications. Pioneering or not, we don’t like to praise our own solutions. Our customers and other stakeholders can tell us if we earn it.
We conduct thousands of improvement projects in the Group using the same methodology. The world is constantly changing. New laws, new knowledge, new customer demands, our own goals and consideration for the world in which we live. They all drive innovation in the Stena Metall Group. This is true regardless of where our customer is or we are.
10 examples of innovations will tell you more about new solutions that have made a difference.
A few examples of innovations that made a difference:
- LCD flat screens have quickly overtaken our homes. By 2015 the volume of end-of-life flat screens is expected to rise sharply to as much as 750,000 tons within the EU. But how will they be recycled? Stena Technoworld has developed a unique, closed process to recycle all kinds of material, including light bulbs containing mercury. This benefits not only the customer, but also the environment. In addition, we eliminate a health risk for employees who do the dismantling.
- Aluminium is perfect to recycle and energy-intensive to produce. Stena Aluminium is the only company in the Nordic region to supply liquid aluminium to industry. In specially built “thermoses,” we deliver it directly into our customer’s production plant. This makes it easier and creates huge energy savings for the customer: an 800°C benefit, you could call it.
- Plastics in computers and other electronics often contain bromated flame retardants to reduce the risk of overheating and fires. Stena has developed a unique method that makes it possible to separate large amounts of clean from bromated plastics. More plastics can then be reused and fewer have to be manufactured from the world’s shrinking oil resources.
- Shredding and sorting old cars and other heavy scrap produces fluff, a waste product that has always ended up in landfills. Stena has now developed a process whereby certain plastics, rubber, etc. can be extracted and added to fuel mixes instead. In this way, old car interiors and steering wheels provide fuel for cement furnaces or to heat homes rather than going to waste in a landfill.
- Gothenburg is the Nordic region’s leading port. Safety and efficiency are top priorities. Our unique solution eliminates 500 truckloads of hazardous waste through the city every year. Instead, the waste is picked up by our ship, the M/S Tell, and pumped into our recycling plant in the port. The safety level in the port has improved.
- Hair salons use a lot of chemicals such as hair coloring products. Until now they haven't had a good solution for the waste. Stena developed the Green Salon service to provide them with a complete solution comprising packaging, transports, handling information and marketing. It also gives consumers a more environmentally friendly option when it's time for haircut.
- Over the years Stena has recycled more than ten million cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors. But what do you do with the screen glass when the world is switching to flat screens? Stena has therefore developed totally new products made from the glass. Old monitors are now finding new life as X-ray glass or blasting abrasives, which also offer quality and environmental advantages compared conventional materials.
- Stena has offered solutions for medical waste for many years. This waste is dangerous if handled incorrectly. Stena has developed a bar-coded packaging solution that improves safety for hospitals. It facilitates waste management and allows hospitals to trace material within their organization.
- Efficient shipping is crucial to our collective welfare. Over 80 percent of global trade is shipped by sea, according to EUR-Lex. The right fuel has to be delivered at the right time in safe forms. Stena uses one of the world’s leading fleets to supply ship fuel. For a number of years the company has invested in improved performance through diesel-electric engines, double hulls and decks. Safer and greener at the same time. The Green Bunkering safety concept has been a trendsetter in the industry.