Projects and Features
Galvanizing: the sustainable choice
With its winning combination of long-lasting protection, ease of application and sustainability, galvanizing is the steelwork finish of choice for many industries including construction, manufacturing, and agriculture.
By its very nature, the construction industry alone has a significant impact on the environment – accounting for 36% of worldwide energy usage and 40% of CO² emissions.
It is no surprise therefore that the introduction of ever-more stringent environmental rules and regulations, as well as the high costs and ethical factors relating to industry, is seeing increasing numbers of contractors specify galvanizing.
One company at the forefront is Wedge Group Galvanizing: the largest hot-dip galvanizing organisation in the UK, which is committed to introducing innovative initiatives to become more environmentally-friendly.
Technical Services Director, David Nobes, explores the winning combination that galvanizing boasts, and shares why it is the original green solution:
“The galvanizing process produces a unique metallurgically bonded coating to the steel, offering the greatest resistance to mechanical damage – particularly useful to ensure a smooth and seamless transition during handling, transport, and construction.
“A single immersion in molten zinc will entirely cover the steel component inside and out – even the hard-to-reach areas – protecting against rust and corrosion for more than 70 years (and longer, in the right conditions). No additional maintenance is required, meaning minimal downtime, limited inconvenience and business disruption, and low lifecycle costs – all of which are especially important in the current climate.
“There’s little to no waste and any unused zinc can remain in the bath to be used for the next project. And, opting for a galvanized finish doesn’t hinder the lifecycle of steel – instead, at the end of the project, items can be recycled with scrap steel; or stripped down, re-galvanized, and used again and again…
“While the process itself is incredibly impressive in terms of sustainability, many galvanizing companies across the globe are seeking solutions to further enhance this, at Wedge Group Galvanizing, we’re no exception – we’re wholly dedicated to being advanced, novel, and pioneering in our triple bottom line (our people, planet and performance) approach.
“As part of our wider promise, we’re on a carbon reduction journey towards net zero – something that’s been high on our agenda for years. Over a decade ago, we introduced a bespoke rainwater harvesting system, which sees rainwater stored on-site through a series of gutters and tanks before being recycled back into the galvanizing process.
“We are also proud to be the only lead and chrome-free galvanizing companies in the UK.
“We’ve also collaborated – and continue to collaborate – with suppliers, industry-wide to find innovative solutions. As a result, we’ve recently invested in world-first technology, including: Hasco Smart Firing furnaces, heat exchangers, lagged tanks, and low-temperature degrease tanks, which have led to a company-wide 35% carbon emission reduction.
“While we’re making great advancements company-wide, we’re not naïve to the fact that (as an organisation and a sector) we still have a long way to go. This is a long-term commitment to becoming equally as advanced and novel in our approach to sustainability as the galvanizing process itself is, and to supporting our customers to do the same.
“Deemed to be the next industrial revolution, it is vital that we all make conscious, considered, and careful decisions to work collaboratively for a greener and more sustainable tomorrow.”
With the ongoing efforts being made within industry to ensure that practises and procedures are as environmentally-friendly as possible, and with many subsequently adopting galvanizing as their finish of choice, it seems that as a process it is set to remain a leader in the sustainability stakes.”
Wedge Group Galvanizing is the largest hot dip galvanizing organisations in the UK with a history dating back over 155 years. With 14 plants strategically placed across the country, they offer a truly national galvanizing service.
For further information please contact
Wedge Group Galvanizing on 01902 601944
or visit www.wedge-galv.co.uk.
Wedge Group Galvanizing
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