avk-esg-2024-25 - Flipbook - Page 15
Economic growth, social development, and climate action rely heavily on investments in
infrastructure, sustainable industrial development, and technological progress. In the face
of a rapidly changing global economic landscape and increasing inequalities, sustained
growth must be driven by industrialisation that, first and foremost, creates opportunities
accessible to all people, and secondly, is supported by innovation and resilient
infrastructure. Source: UN
A stream of disruptive events like
decarbonisation of energy systems, economic
uncertainty, political aspects, digitalisation, and
AI is reshaping the business environment and
the organisations. The effects of these trends
will be uneven across markets and industries.
For most companies, navigating the new
landscape will require increased flexibility along
with changes in strategy, financing, and talent.
The industrial market thus requires constant
adaptability to ensure responsible and economic
growth, while investing in green transformation,
digitalisation of processes, and automation to
ensure competitiveness. All these factors place
great demands on innovation and development
in AVK’s manufacturing companies. As a result,
we continuously invest in product development
and optimisation of processes throughout
the value chain, including automation and
digitalisation of production.
Product development
In the AVK Group, innovation and development
of new and improved quality products, with a
guaranteed long lifespan and recycling in mind,
remain a constant priority. As described on
the following pages, our focus on innovation
affects many industries. At the core of our
business is the development, manufacturing,
and delivery of high-quality valves and solutions
for clean drinking water supply, wastewater
management, fire protection, and irrigation
systems. In recent years, we have placed
growing emphasis on expanding our product
portfolio with intelligent valve technologies,
developed and managed by AVK Smart Water.
In February 2025, AVK initiated a phase-out
and subsequently implemented a ban on the
use of lead in all AVK Group products. This
decision is based on the European Drinking
Water Directive 2020/2184 & the 4MSI
regulation. Although certain metal alloys
containing lead will remain permitted under
current legislation, AVK has chosen to eliminate
lead entirely from our products through a twostep process. The first step involves identifying
all products and components containing
lead; the second is implementing suitable
alternatives. This phase-out must be completed
within a three-year timeframe.
Likewise, AVK has initiated the redesign of
components containing PFAS within a threeyear timeframe. This proactive approach
ensures that we can offer PFAS-free products
well ahead of the timelines expected in potential
future legislation.
The S756 Double Eccentric Butterfly PN10/16
range (DN150 to DN2000) has undergone a
complete redesign, resulting in an approximately
15% reduction in weight. Despite the lighter
construction, product performance remains
unchanged and, in some cases, even improved.
The reduced use of raw materials, primarily
cast iron, contributes to a lower environmental
footprint in the production process.
The global electrification of the automotive
industry continues to drive high demand for
microchips, in a market already challenged
by supply shortages. Combined with political
development encouraging local microchip
production, this creates promising business
opportunities for AVK. Our ball valves and
butterfly valves are well-suited for use in the
microchip cleaning process, which places
stringent requirements on all technical
equipment involved.
Geopolitical developments have led to the
introduction of new national standards and
specifications for products used in shipbuilding.
In response, AVK has adapted its product
range of butterfly valves to meet these evolving
requirements.
Rising competition calls for increased
automation and digitalisation in our production
processes. To support this transformation, AVK
has initiated the development of a completely
new design for our industrial knife gate valves,
enabling greater automation and efficiency in
our production.
Stable and more efficient production
with robots
At AVK, we continuously strive to optimise
and develop our work processes. Robotics is
one of the key technologies we use to ensure
consistent product quality and to enhance
production efficiency and stability, which
are critical factures for maintaining future
competitiveness.
Robotic solutions are particularly effective
for tasks involving large volumes of similar
products. These repetitive operations, known
as unilateral-reciprocal work, can be physically
demanding and demotivating for employees.
By automating such tasks, we improve both
working conditions and overall productivity.
Robots have been an integral part of AVK’s
manufacturing process for decades. Today, our
advanced robotic system manages multiple
processes simultaneously. Given the high
demands for component consistency, the
implementation of robotics has strengthened
our quality assurance throughout the production
process. With zero tolerance for deviations, all
upstream processes must meet strict standards
to ensure uniform component quality.
The integration of new technologies and
digitalisation is also driving the development
of new workflows. We continuously assess
how logistics processes must adapt and
what system changes are required to ensure
seamless coordination across the entire
manufacturing process.
Ultimately, the robotic system enables stable,
high-quality production, and optimised
workflow. At the same time, it frees up
employee resources to support increased
productivity and innovation.
AVK Group Sustainability report 2024/2025 | 15
