The tech enterprise Rheinmetall has set itself the goal of attaining CO2 neutrality by 2035. The Group’s South African subsidiary Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) has taken the first steps toward improving its climate footprint, thus supporting Rheinmetall’s global goals. At the company’s Somerset West location, Rheinmetall has introduced e-vehicles and off-grid, solar-powered charging stations.

As Armin Papperger, chairman of the executive board of Rheinmetall AG, explains, “Around the world, we’re focusing a lot of attention on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. All over the Group, we’re committed to taking visible steps that demonstrate our sense of responsibility for the environment and society. The initiative in South Africa is just one example.”

The new vehicles were unveiled by Jan Patrick Helmsen, CEO of RDM, at Somerset West, the company’s main location in South Africa. They will operate there as well at Rheinmetall’s Boskop plant in Potchefstroom.

“As part of the Rheinmetall organization, which has set itself the goal of being climate neutral by 2035, RDM is supporting this ambitious objective with a masterplan that involves implementation of solar energy and green hydrogen, which, along with other projects in the renewable energy domain, are intended to lead to climate neutrality. An important step here is our move away from the internal combustion engine in our fleet of vehicles, with a completely new mobility concept at all four RDM locations in South Africa”, declares Helmsen.

To kickstart the process of eliminating more than 350 internal combustion vehicles from the RDM fleet, the company has introduced the first electrically powered buses at its Somerset West and Boskop plants. Electric cars, new “E-Bakkies”, and a new mobility concept based on e-scooters and e-bikes for getting around the plants also form part of the package.

RDM’s locations occupy a total of 5,000 hectares, meaning that large distances have to be covered not only between plants but also when onsite. The company already had an app-based system that let employees book a ride in a bus or car from individual locations. This system has now been expanded to include e-scooters and e-bikes. The result? Enhanced employee mobility and less impact on the environment.

The e-scooters and e-bikes will operate along much the same lines as a rent-a-bike system in large European cities and elsewhere, where a bicycle can be booked and picked up at specific station, and then dropped off afterwards at any other charging station. Solar-powered electronic charging stations of this type have been installed at various locations around RDM plants.

In 2021 Rheinmetall signed the United Nations Global Compact, which fosters responsible, sustainable, and transparent corporate governance.

Sedgefield-based Kromek Group plc has won first place at NATO’s Allied Command Transformation’s Innovation Challenge awards for its KAPscan pathogen detection technology.

Kromek’s Dirk Demuth demonstrating KAPscan

The biannual awards, hosted at the North Macedonia Ministry of Defence Military Academy in Skopje, focused on preparedness and effectiveness in the face of biological threats.

Competitors from ten nations were given a scenario in which they were asked to help NATO military medical services prepare for and ensure the identification and monitoring of hazardous biological outbreaks.

KAPscan (Kromek Automated Pathogen Scan) was awarded first prize with Mion’s BIONER solution, and Networkcentric’s A/VR Enabled Bio Crisis Management and Mitigation Training System named as the runners up.

KAPscan is an automated and autonomous technology solution that discovers the presence of airborne and waterborne pathogens. The integrated, portable environmental monitoring system allows early detection of any biological threat across large areas and can inform appropriate and timely response to potential danger.

Dirk Demuth, product manager at Kromek, who was part of the team, said: “The NATO Innovation Challenge is like the Oscars for Kromek. The biggest prize of all was being in front of NATO and networking with the other businesses.

“Apart from the uniqueness of the technology, which stood out to the judging panel, I think a lot of our success was down to going having a strong understanding of NATO’s needs and focusing on what was asked of us for the task itself. We were dealing with a complicated subject matter, so, we kept our explanations clear, simple and to the point, covering all the aspects of the scenario.

“We hope that winning this award will open doors for us to work further with NATO in the future.”

Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek, said: “Dirk and the team did a fantastic job presenting to NATO and I’m delighted that their hard work paid off and we brought home first prize.

“Kromek is at the forefront when it comes to delivering early warning systems to national and international organisations, and this award demonstrates the world-class talent and skill we have within our organisation.”

www.kromek.com