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Grundfos continues to put sustainability at the forefront of its business

By Voon Miaw Ping

BJERRINGBRO (Denmark), Oct 13  -- Renowned giant pump manufacturer and water solutions technology company Grundfos will continue to put sustainability as its core business, and innovate and develop state-of-the-art water solutions in addressing issues such as water scarcity and climate crisis.

Chief Sales Officer (CSO) of Grundfos, Poul Due Jensen said sustainability is the way forward in doing business, and the company, through its Strategy 2025, is committed to achieving the vision in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and 13.

SDG6 called for global actions to ensure access to water and sanitation for all people, while SDG13 is targetted at energy efficiency and global carbon emission reduction.

"We can't really be doing something without thinking about sustainability and connectivity across the full cycle,” he said during a meeting with a group of visiting journalists from five Asian countries at his office here, recently. 

Jensen, who is also the grandson and namesake of the company's founder, the late Poul Due Jensen, added: 

“If you don't worry and involve yourselves in this thing from now in creating a better world today and worrying about people's well-being and health (in the future), I believe you will have a tough time competing in the real world".

 

STRATEGY 2025

 

An ambitious vision launched by the company in June this year will see Grundfos joining the ranks of climate-positive companies – through the reduction of its water consumption and carbon footprint by 50 per cent –  by 2025.

Far from being a mere pledge on paper, Grundfos has in fact embarked on the mission a decade ago. To date, it has successfully reduced its water and energy consumption by 34 per cent and 31 per cent respectively since 2008. 

According to the company's data, it consumed 430,700 cubic metres of water in 2018, a 1.6 per cent decrease compared to 2017, while its production activity level increased to six per cent in the same period. 

Towards 2030, Grundfos aims to provide safe drinking water to 300 million people in need while saving some 50 million cubic metres of water through water efficiency and water treatment.

 

BIRTH OF A GIANT

 

Grundfos was founded in Bjerringbro in 1945 after the late Jensen developed a water pump called Foss (Water) following a request for help from a farmer to solve the water problem faced by the community in irrigating their plants.

It proved to be popular among the community of farmers, leading the senior Jensen to establish a company called the Bjerringbo Die-Casting and Machine Factory.  In 1967, the company changed its name to Grundfos which literally means ‘ground water’.

“The philosophy at Grundfos is always to improve, (and) look for ways to do things even better than what we are doing today. This has been part of our DNA, which not just makes our product better, but also to do better for the world,” Jensen said.

 

STAYING RELEVANT

 

Grundfos, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, is now present in 56 countries and with 19,280-strong employees worldwide, capable of producing 17 million pumps and water solutions annually.

It recorded a net turnover of RM16.45 billion (DKK26.7 billion) in 2018, an increase of 6.6 per cent from the previous year.

Jensen said the company strives to constantly push itself to come up with innovations that are efficient in meeting the needs of consumers as well as aiding in reducing water issues and climate challenges.

He also paid tribute to his grandfather and father's bold and visionary decisions that were ‘ahead of time’ in building the brand.

“Our products are mostly trendsetting, really built on the energy efficiency agenda, that impacts (on sustainability agenda),” he said, adding that whilst his grandfather had innovated the pumps, his father, Niels, who helmed the company in 1977, had taken steps to build ‘intelligent’ pumps by building electronics in their products.

 

THE WAY FORWARD

 

On moving forward, Jensen said the company is leveraging on the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and digitalisation, as well as putting the emphasis on improving its water treatment technologies – a crucial part in its water agenda to save and reuse treated water.

Jensen who is also the Vice President for the Grundfos Foundation – the biggest stakeholder of the company – said Grundfos will initiate more proactive engagements and outreach programmes with local communities worldwide in its efforts to increase awareness on water conservation. 

“We like to reach out to the people more, talk to them and hear their views on this issue. This will be transformational in our strategy; not that we have never done it before, but now at the more speed and acceleration from what we have done earlier,” he said.

-- BERNAMA 

 

 

 

 

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