Category: Industry News

Recently, Honeywell’s Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) for the third quarter of 2023 was newly released!

Key points of this period

86% of enterprises plan to increase investment in sustainable development

Enterprises mainly increase their budgets in four key areas: energy development and efficiency, emission reduction, pollution prevention and control, and recycling/recycling

About 80% of multinational companies in the manufacturing and energy industries state that sustainable development is a top priority for their work in the next six months

The Environmental Sustainability Index is based on a double-blind survey of 751 professionals in the fields of business, technology and sustainable development around the world, reflecting the key trends, attitudes and progress of global actions to mitigate climate change and other sustainable development initiatives.
As one of the leading companies in global energy and climate transformation solutions, Honeywell hopes to help more companies successfully carry out sustainable practices by tapping into the ideas and experiences of these pioneers in sustainable development.
Interpretation of the latest data
Steady progress in sustainable practice
According to the latest Honeywell Environmental Sustainability Index, sustainable development has become a priority for manufacturing and energy enterprises at present – about 80% of them regard the Sustainable Development Goals as the first action in the next six months. These companies stated that sustainable development prioritizes other key tasks, including financial performance, market growth, and talent development.
Large multinational enterprises are steadily investing technology and manpower to achieve their environmental Sustainable Development Goals, which is confirmed in the latest environmental sustainable development index. Sustainable development is the top concern of the company’s decision-making team, as they are incentivizing senior management to increase engagement and initiative to achieve goals.
——Chief Sustainability Officer, Honeywell
Evan van Hook
This survey also found that 93% of surveyed companies have a sustainable development reporting mechanism, and 82% of companies are optimistic that their reporting methods can meet the disclosure requirements that may be introduced next year. However, in terms of reporting process management, only 38% of companies indicate that they have dedicated employees or teams responsible for tracking sustainable development progress.
The fourth issue of the Honeywell Environmental Sustainability Index provides a new perspective for businesses on how to report and track progress on their sustainability commitments. This quarter, we have seen an increase in investment and transparency in sustainable development by enterprises, and have adopted a combination of technology and processes in the process of achieving goals.
——The Future Group, the executing agency for this survey
Chief Analyst and Founding Partner Daniel Newman

Highlights of the report gathered together
Sustainable investment momentum remains undiminished
The Honeywell Environmental Sustainability Index released this time shows that sustainable development investment continues to grow and maintain momentum, partly thanks to the political and regulatory environment:
Out of the 751 global companies surveyed, 86% of them expressed plans to increase their sustainable development budgets.
70% of surveyed companies stated that the political and regulatory environment has been favorable for their sustainable development measures in the past 12 months.
Up to 74% of the respondents said they were optimistic about achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but this figure was 3 percentage points lower than the previous index.
The increase in budget is mainly concentrated in four categories of sustainable development: energy development and efficiency, emission reduction, pollution prevention and control, and recycling/recycling.
Accelerating energy development and improving efficiency are the primary sustainable development commitments of enterprises in various regions around the world, with 87% of respondents prioritizing them.
About 25% of Latin American companies and 20% of companies in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa plan to increase their investment in energy development and efficiency by at least 50% in the next 12 months, surpassing the budget growth of companies in North America and the Asia Pacific region.
With the continuous deepening of the concept of sustainability, Honeywell believes that more and more enterprises are bound to join the ranks of sustainable development and walk with numerous partners on this path of development.
For Honeywell itself, we have always been an active practitioner of sustainable development – since 2004, the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions from our business operations and facilities has decreased by over 90%. Honeywell also pledged to collaborate with the Science Carbon Target Initiative (SBTi) to develop scientific emission reduction targets that include other indirect greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. “Scope Three” emissions) generated by the value chain.
Honeywell is gradually fulfilling its commitment to sustainable development and ultimately achieving its goal of achieving carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035. At the same time, we are also helping customers to achieve Sustainable Development Goals through mature solutions.

Automation technology empowers the sustainable development of human civilization
Vice-Chancellor of Germany and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck appeared at the Hannover Messe organized by the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (ZVEI) and the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA), and visited the booth of Beifu Automation. His conversation with Hans Beckhoff, the global president of Beifu, mainly focused on how automation technology ensures greater sustainability in all aspects of people’s lives and makes significant contributions to environmental protection.
When visiting the Hannover Messe, Robert Habeck, Vice-Chancellor of Germany, was attracted by Beifu booth and stopped to watch. Hans Beckhoff and his two children, General Manager Assistant Frederike Beckhoff and Johannes Beckhoff, who work in the R&D department, welcomed his arrival. After Frederike Beckhoff gave a brief introduction to the company, Hans Beckhoff highlighted Beifu’s various product lines, PC based control technology concepts, and automation solutions.
Automation software: a comprehensive technical solution suitable for all aspects of life
Automation technology has been widely applied in various industries around the world. It is a fundamental technology that can be used in every aspect of social life: from drug packaging to automatic filling of bottled pure water, to automotive manufacturing, “Hans Beckhoff explained and added, The performance of automation equipment determines production efficiency, which determines the consumption of resources. We hope to introduce more powerful automation technologies every year, so we have always regarded ‘engineers must shoulder the responsibility of saving the world!’ as our motto. Automation technology can make people’s daily lives more sustainable and accelerate the technological changes needed to achieve sustainable development. Robert Habeck We cannot live without the inventions and creations of engineers, but they must be guided by social needs in order to fully utilize their professional knowledge and achieve sustainable development

Save resources and reduce Ecological footprint
Hans Beckhoff then introduced various automation solutions that Beifu can provide to save resources and improve sustainability. Beifu’s automation technology is widely used in various applications such as battery production for electric vehicles, photovoltaic equipment, solar cells, and wind turbine control. One out of every three wind turbines in the world is equipped with our control technology. “He gave an example of Beifu’s application in the field of renewable energy power generation. In addition, the targeted implementation of automation solutions can save resources and significantly reduce the Ecological footprint of industrial production in all industries.
Artificial intelligence opens up a world full of new opportunities
When discussing the possibilities brought by Beifu’s future automation solutions, Robert Habeck and Hans Beckhoff both raised the topic of how to better apply artificial intelligence. Beifu has implemented artificial intelligence in the field of software engineering. We should actively explore the possible application scenarios of artificial intelligence technology; it can bring huge advantages. We should recognize this. Once again, the government needs to build a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, “said Hans Beckhoff. The minister added, “The political question is: regulating artificial intelligence or focusing on its applications? What I want to say is the latter. The decision-making power of human life and death cannot be entrusted to artificial intelligence. We must ask ourselves what impact artificial intelligence will have on humanity
Entrepreneurial Perseverance Achieves Dreams
At the end of the visit, Robert Habeck clearly expressed his deep impression of the diversity of Beifu Automation technology: “When you founded the company over 40 years ago, you didn’t know what the company would develop into in the future. It wasn’t just about the size of the company and the growth of the employee team; the speed of technological progress in the company was also shocking. This is a very remarkable lifelong achievement,” exclaimed the Vice Premier. Beifu currently has 5680 employees worldwide, including over 2200 engineers. We have a deep expertise in automation and apply it to the development of new technologies and products. Beifu will continue to maintain sustainable business growth, develop groundbreaking innovative technologies and products, and follow its new automation technology concept to continuously launch new product series to the market. Therefore, Beifu will continue to invest 80 million euros in research and development this year.

ABB launches new GoFa ™ Collaborative robots set new industry standards with higher loads, larger working ranges, and excellent repetitive positioning accuracy.

With Cat 3/PLd security certification, you can collaborate with people side by side.

Easy programming and rapid deployment further reduce the entry barriers for first-time users, small and medium-sized enterprises, and educators.

ABB has launched two new GoFaTM collaborative robots: GoFa 10 and GoFa 12, adding new possibilities for more efficient automation of collaborative robots. The two collaborative robots, with loads of 10kg and 12kg respectively, have excellent repetitive positioning accuracy and can closely cooperate with workers to complete more tasks, improving safety and productivity while addressing labor and skill shortages. The new GoFa collaborative robot supports simple and intuitive programming methods and can quickly integrate into production environments, reducing the entry barriers for first-time users, educators, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Since the launch of YuMi collaborative robots in 2015, ABB has created an industry-leading series of collaborative robot products to meet the growing demand for safe and easy-to-use automation solutions, filling the gap in technical labor, “said Ma Sikang, Global President of ABB’s Robotics Business Unit To meet the demand for collaborative robots with higher loads and larger working ranges, our GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 collaborative robots extend the advantages of automation to new industrial applications, benefiting even first-time users

In addition to improving load capacity, the tool center point (TCP) speed of GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 collaborative robots can reach up to 2m/s, with a leading repetitive positioning accuracy of up to 0.02mm, twice that of other similar solutions. At the same time, the IP67 protection level of GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 can prevent moisture and dust, extending the advantages of high-speed and high-precision collaborative robots to new industrial applications, especially suitable for tasks such as machining, welding, material handling, polishing, and assembly that require strict automation requirements. The GoFa 10 has a working range of up to 1.62m, which is 14% higher than similar products and is sufficient to cover American pallets, making it an ideal choice for palletizing applications.

Lowering the automation threshold for first-time users and small and medium-sized enterprises

The programming, deployment, and use of GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 collaborative robots are very intuitive and easy, reducing the threshold for first-time users and small and medium-sized enterprises to enter automation. Its guided programming and ABB’s Wizard simple programming software greatly simplify setup, eliminating the need to write complex programming code. Even non professionals can quickly achieve application automation by operating simple graphical instruction blocks.

The teaching pendant on the new GoFa is pre installed with the ABB SafeMove application, which has functions such as safety speed limit, static monitoring, and directional monitoring, eliminating the need for bulky protective fences to achieve close collaboration between robots and factory workers.

The GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 collaborative robots are driven by OmniCoreTM controllers. Thanks to ABB TrueMove and QuickMove technologies, OmniCore brings industry-leading motion control, combined with GoFa’s intelligent torque and position sensors, to ensure smooth motion for high-precision surface treatment, tightening, assembly, and testing tasks. In addition, OmniCore also has energy-saving features including energy feedback and braking energy recovery, reducing power consumption by 20%, thereby improving sustainability.

Fully utilizing the innovation of ABB robot ecosystem

In response to the increasingly diverse application of automation, ABB has launched the ABB Robot Ecosystem Program. It integrates with the ABB product line, including the new GoFa collaborative robot, compatible third-party accessories such as grippers, cameras, and custom software, allowing users to easily leverage the growing ABB robot ecosystem to quickly innovate.

Recently, Thermo Fisher Scientific (hereinafter referred to as “Thermo Fisher”), the global leader of enabling scientific and technological progress, released the 2022 annual corporate social responsibility report, deeply interpreting its strategic layout in the field of environmental, social, and governance (ESG), and highlighting its unremitting efforts and fruitful results in the field of corporate social responsibility.

Mission driven, creating a better world through global initiatives
Adhering to the mission of helping customers make the world healthier, cleaner and safer, Thermophile has continuously improved its Sustainable Development Goals and continued to fulfill its social responsibilities. In 2022, Thermofly further increased its carbon reduction target – achieving a 50% reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions from direct and indirect emissions by 2030 compared to 2018. In addition, it is planned that by the end of 2027, Thermofly will assist over 90% of its suppliers in setting their own scientific carbon emission targets and contributing to global carbon reduction.
In the past year, Thermofly has established partnerships with multiple international organizations to improve transplant diagnosis and increase the chances of organ transplantation for patients with related diseases; A new electron microscope was launched to help customers promote drug discovery for Degenerative disease and help them live a healthier life. At the same time, Thermophile also supports researchers around the world to accelerate the research on climate and Microplastics pollutants, and helps automobile manufacturers improve the efficiency of electric vehicles with innovative solutions, and work together to create a cleaner environment in all walks of life. In addition, Thermofly also ensures human survival and ecological environment safety through its cutting-edge water quality monitoring and analysis technology, as well as food safety testing solutions.
Centered around the four key pillars of environment, employees, community, and operations, Thermofly has also achieved remarkable achievements in the new year. In terms of environmental protection, Thermofly’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 has been approved by the Scientific Carbon Target Initiative (SBTi) and has achieved a 25% reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions, both direct and indirect, compared to 2018. In terms of employee care, Thermofly continues to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, continuously increasing the proportion of female employees. At the same time, for the community, Thermofly has reached over 89500 students through various corporate social responsibility projects, with employees volunteering for over 120000 hours throughout the year, and continuously improving the accessibility of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education worldwide. In addition, in the company’s operations, Thermofly actively evaluates the ESG performance of its direct suppliers and continues to fulfill the company’s ESG commitments.
Empowering the local community and jointly shaping a sustainable future with Chinese wisdom
In China, Thermo Fisher combines its mission with China’s development strategy of “continuously promoting green development and promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and nature”, using innovative solutions tailored to China to safeguard a cleaner environment and help achieve the dual carbon goal. For the lithium battery industry, Thermofly has launched a complete solution covering the entire upstream and downstream industry chain, empowering the entire process of lithium batteries from raw material extraction, production and processing, to material recycling and reuse. In the field of new pollutant prevention and control that has attracted widespread public attention in recent years, Thermofly has developed a diversified product portfolio and complete solutions, supporting the entire process of sample collection, preparation, analysis, and data processing for environmental testing, and comprehensively evaluating the environment