Part of a more efficient value chain

Höganäs contributes to sustainable development in several ways. Partly, the Company's products generate substantial environmental gains in various ways for customers, and partly, the Company strives constantly to reduce the environmental impact of its production processes.

Retained performance with more efficient consumption of resources
Höganäs has prepared sophisticated design programs that optimise the consumption of resources in component design. One example is the production of gear-wheels, where sophisticated modelling results in the minimum volume, and where apertures can be located to reduce weight and materials consumption. The result is a gear-wheel with optimal consumption of resources from an environmental standpoint, and retained strength in product characteristics. By reducing the weight of the gear-wheel, kinetic energy is also saved, in applications like gearboxes.

Shorter processes save time and energy
Customers can cut production lead-times by using Höganäs products, because fewer steps are necessary to achieve a complete product. This provides more sustainable development overall. An example is machinability
additives that streamline machine cutting of metal components. By simplifying selected production stages,
production gets faster, consumes less energy and gives customers better overall finances. Automotive components and hand tools are some of the end-products where this is successfully applied.
Sintering is another process that helps cut overall costs. Components are hardened straight after sintering with the aid of forced cooling in a cooling zone, eliminating a separate hardening stage. This is more efficient and simpler than the traditional process where products must be heated further to harden.

A combination of environmental savings and sound finances
Höganäs bases its product development on the principle of "everything we do should affect the environment less". Working from this principle, the Company has focused on reducing amounts of materials like nickel, molybdenum and copper in its metal powder. These elements often occur in low concentrations in the earth's crust, which makes them expensive from cost, environmental and extraction perspectives. In some cases, Höganäs has completely eliminated these materials, replacing them with chrome or silicon, for example. The result is lower costs for the customer and a reduced adverse environmental impact.