RUF's corporate DNA is all about sustainability. The plant manufacturer's briquetting presses have always recycled residual materials into secondary raw materials or CO2-neutral heating fuels. Through numerous measures, the medium-sized company in Zaisertshofen has also made its entire operation climate-neutral.
With its briquetting presses, RUF is protecting the environment. The plants press small production residues from 20 metal, paper, etc. into compact blocks, which are generally used as secondary raw materials. And wood chips are turned into briquettes for CO2-neutral heating.
In order to become a flagship company of CO2 neutrality, the management has implemented a comprehensive package of measures over the past decade - with the result that RUF Managing Director Roland Ruf proudly announces: "Our production is one hundred percent CO2 neutral. This was already the case for several years in the past. For RUF, the priority was on implementing this measures. The calculations were made afterwards, in the year 2021.
The start of using all roof surfaces for electricity production with photovoltaic systems was already made in 2009. Since then, 7,320 photovoltaic modules with a module output of 1692.4 kWp have been installed on an area of 10,732 square metres. They generate most of the electricity, consumed by RUF via 115 inverters. More than 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2021 could be avoided.
An integrated battery storage system with 307 kWh storage capacity helps to use the electricity generated as much and as directly as possible. If the company's own combined heat and power plant 40, which runs on vegetable oil, is added, RUF produces more ecological electricity and heat than the company consumes itself.
Parallel to the expansion of green electricity and heat generation, energy consumption was reduced by numerous of internal measures. As a result, RUF is now CO2 neutral and saves every year additionally almost 400 tonnes of greenhouse gases in CO2 equivalents of the atmosphere. One of the projects realised, for example, is an energy-saving ventilation system in the painting shop, which consumes around 60 megawatt hours less per year and saves 32 tonnes of CO2 emissions. However, several smaller projects also have an impact. For example, the switch to LED lighting in the production, which improves the annual CO2 balance by around eight tonnes.
However, RUF not only pays attention to its own CO2 neutrality, but also improves the energy efficiency of its briquetting plants. The new RUF 1200, for example, has succeeded in reducing power consumption by 25 percent compared to the previous model. At the same time, the throughput was increased by around seven percent to 1090 kg/h.
About the company:
Ruf is based in Zaisertshofen and was founded in 1969 by Hans Ruf.
Today, his sons Roland and Wolfgang Ruf manage the 80 stores of the company. Around 165 employees worldwide develop and produce highly innovative briquetting systems in modular design for wood, metal and other residual materials. The smallest machine from the RUF Formica achieves a throughput of up to 100 kg/hour (depending on material and chip type) with a motor output of 2.2 kW. The largest machine (RUF 90) with 90 kW achieves up to 2,500 kg/hour for aluminium, up to 3,000 kg/hour for cast iron and up to 5,000 kg/hour for copper materials.
Ruf delivered its first briquetting press in 1985. Until now it is fully functional, a proof of the solid construction of the RUF systems. Today, more than 5,000 RUF briquetting systems are running in over 100 90 countries.
