COMPANY

About

SCHAEFER

About SCHAEFER


Founded in 1964 in Sigmaringen (Germany/Baden-WĂĽrttemberg), the company occupies a leading position in the world of elevator technology and its name stands for excellent technical, user- and design-oriented complete solutions.


The product range includes operating and display elements as well as components that are used worldwide. For example, car and landing operating panels in a wide variety of shapes, colours, materials, surface structures and designs, which are individually manufactured to customer specifications and reflected in well-known references.  

SCHAEFER Hauptsitz in Sigmaringen


SCHAEFER Headquarters in Sigmaringen, Germany

HISTORY

Behind the name SCHAEFER hide “doers’ natures”, both then and now. 

Pioneering spirit, creativeness and optimism – our story begins close to today’s location of the company. There, several decades ago, the company founder Wolfgang Schäfer made his first money.

In the beginning he started with salary contracts; a short while later his first own developments followed – switching devices, controlling and operating units for the lift industry. Almost in parallel came about the development of the LT 18 "the grandfather" of our push button families. This meant the beginning of a product line that would be the winning building stone for our company.

Later came about displays and operating elements, fixture systems and components, all diverse but one-of-a-kind, supplemented by Lift Info Systems, access control systems and CANopen technology.

Today, SCHAEFER is operating world-wide, established as a global player and a leader in technology. We understand customer service and innovative strength as a vital way of thinking and acting – our potential for the future.

More about the company's history

philosophy

… searching questions and striving for recognition, seeking the origins of thinking and being with regard to the status of human beings – how does that fit together? We think, really well. Because business success is not possible without questioning and striving after the reason why. And not only that: It comes down to what you make out of it! With every conversation, in dealing with one another – of course also customer-orientated. This is our business philosophy, and it is everything but "a dust covered book of wisdom".

Our dedication has one goal to achieve: customer satisfaction. 

 
That implies, among other things, the following basic principles:

  • Every employee shares the responsibility for quality assurance.
  • User-orientated customer advisory service considers all requirements of the planned application range. The provided product leads to the optimal solution.
  • Innovative manufacturing processes, production facilities as well as systematic process planning and continuous process monitoring ensure the required quality at any time.
  • Environment is the future. We act environmentally responsible.
  • To keep our high level of quality guaranteed, our thoughts and actions are backed by a management system on the basis of DIN EN ISO 9001:2008. 
Photo by timJ on Unsplash

mission statement


The following guiding principles document our understanding of culture and values
from SCHAEFER worldwide.  They are the basis for our attitude and behaviour.
Together we secure the company and our jobs for the long term. 

IDENTITY

SCHAEFER develops, produces and sells operating and display components for the elevator industry worldwide and stands for innovation and service.

VISION

We want to be No. 1 in our market in forward-looking technology, customer-oriented service provision and entrepreneurial flexibility.

CUSTOMERS

The customer is the only one who pays us for our service. That's why we focus on them. We understand the requirements of our customers and always offer them the best solution. In this way, we create verifiable added value.

LEADERSHIP

Leadership also means having responsibility for the company and its employees. Only those who accept this responsibility and share our values can take on management tasks with us.

SUPPLIERS

We only work with suppliers who meet our values and general ethical principles.

HEALTH

Health is important to us. Social balance, fun at work and meaningful activities are our basis for this.

SERVICE PROVISION

We use all our manpower for the benefit of our company. We do this in the constant awareness of providing first-class quality in conjunction with economic and respectful handling of all resources available to us. This also includes special care with regard to nature and the environment.

LEARNING AND
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Qualified people and professional action are decisive success factors. The willingness to learn and to develop personally are important prerequisites for us to be successful as a company.

CORPORATE
DEVELOPMENT

We are convinced that the ability to develop and change is the foundation of our success. That is why we work resolutely and purposefully on the implementation / realization of our vision and strategy to secure the future of the company. We consciously place individual interests behind the interests of the company.

People

People are individual, culturally different and therefore unique. In order to be successful as a company, we treat each other tolerantly, openly, honestly and respectfully.

INTERNATIONALIZATION

Markets change continuously. We are developing into an internationally active company in order to take advantage of the opportunities and potential that present themselves to us.

Environment is the future!

 

This is not just a modern day slogan, it is part of our philosophy.

From this precept we work and that is why with SCHAEFER all are conscious about their environmental responsibility. Whenever possible, we implement this pretension in our products.

 

 

For example in view of energy efficiency. The saving of energy is a present-day topic in the lift industry. Or in the matter of ecology, among other points, the choice of materials, design, packaging, recycling right down to the point of logistics.

SCHAEFER is climate neutral since 2020

 

Hydropower project with partial free electricity supply to the state

Alaknanda Hydro Power Company Limited has set up a 330-MW hydropower project in Uttarakhand that follows the course of the river. The 330 MW Shrinagar hydropower project is located on the Alaknanda River, a major tributary of the Ganga, a perennial river in Uttarakhand. The project site is 110 km from Rishikesh railroad station, along the Rishikesh - Badrinath highway.

The power project was commissioned in 2015 and reduces the dependence of the New Integrated Northern, Eastern, Western and North Eastern (NEWNE) power grid on fossil fuels, which is dominated by emission-intensive coal-based thermal power plants.

Under the project, 88% of the power generated will be sold to Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited. The remaining 12% will be supplied free of charge to the state of Uttarakhand. The power purchase agreement for the project was signed with Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited in June 2006 and is valid for a period of 30 years from the commissioning of the last unit.

SCHAEFER GmbH has offset the company's CO2 EMISSIONS for 2023 by purchasing 1.000 CERTIFICATES from the "CDM Hydropower India" project.

WHY ARE WE A CLIMATE NEUTRAL COMPANY? 

Climate change represents the greatest challenge facing mankind since the end of the ice age and is the defining task of our time. The consequences of global warming are becoming ever more tangible and the pressure on politicians and companies - not least as a result of the Friday's for Future movement - is increasing. There is now a global consensus that we urgently need to counter man-made climate change. Success in reducing emissions depends to a large extent on voluntary and consistent action by industry in the industrialized countries. Thus, we at SCHAEFER GmbH are also prepared to take responsibility for the world we leave to our children and grandchildren. For this reason, we have had the greenhouse gas emissions caused by our company's activities recorded and offset by purchasing a total of 1,000 climate protection certificates for the year 2023. With these certificates, we support the Alaknanda Hydro Power Company, which has built a hydropower plant project in Uttarakhand (India) that follows the natural course of the river. We are aware of our special responsibility as a company towards future generations and have acted accordingly. The climate impact of our company was determined for us by Fokus Zukunft GmbH & Co. KG determined the climate impact of our company for us: Our carbon footprint is approximately 890 tons of CO2 equivalent pollutants per year.

To illustrate: On average, a German causes about 11.6 tons of CO2 per year through his lifestyle. Greenhouse gases are evenly distributed in the atmosphere. It therefore makes sense to avoid emissions where the costs are lowest. In addition, projects in emerging and developing countries help to improve the economic, social and ecological situation and support the realization of the sustainability goals of the United Nations. For emerging and developing countries, emissions trading is a key driver for the transfer of clean technologies and sustainable economic development. This greenhouse gas balance sheet provides a transparent overview of our company's greenhouse gas emissions. The report thus forms an important building block in our commitment to climate protection. On the basis of the values determined and through the purchase of a corresponding quantity of climate certificates, our company has been made climate-neutral. For the compensation of our greenhouse gases we have received the award "climate neutral company". This makes our company one of the first in our industry to voluntarily offset its emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol.

 

WHAT ADVANTAGES DOES CLIMATE NEUTRALITY BRING FOR OUR COMPANY?

1. Contribution to the goals of the government, the European Union and the sustainability goals (SDG) of the United Nations.

2. Raising awareness among employees, suppliers and customers regarding the handling of finite resources. 
This changes positively the handling of energy and other resources in the company and in the everyday life of the people.

3. Entry into the growth market of "sustainable companies". The "climate-neutral" status enables us to distinguish ourselves in our market segment.

4. At present, this enables us to play a pioneering role, positioning our company as progressive, innovative, partnership-based and forward-looking.

5. Promotes awareness of the energy system transformation.

6. Through its status as a climate-neutral company and its offer, the company becomes a partner for its customers in the above-mentioned topics.

"FAQs"

  • Why is our company committed to global climate protection?

    The international community has agreed that global warming must be limited to below 2 degrees Celsius in order to prevent catastrophic consequences. However, the current pledges made by individual states are only sufficient to limit warming to a maximum of 4 degrees. Closing this ambition gap will require additional and substantial commitment from businesses and citizens. We have recognized that voluntary emission reductions by companies are essential to effectively counteract climate change. That is why we have decided to neutralize our CO2 emissions and thus want to contribute to a future worth living. Because we not only want to analyse the problems, but also tackle and solve them.

  • What is a CO2 footprint or carbon footprint?

    The CO2 footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases (measured in COâ‚‚ equivalents) that are directly and indirectly generated by an activity of an individual, a company, an organization or a product. It includes the resulting emissions from raw materials, production, transport, trade, use, recycling and disposal. The basic idea of the CO2 footprint or carbon footprint is therefore to create a basis on which influences on the climate can be measured, evaluated and compared. This allows necessary reduction potentials to be identified, measures to be developed and their effectiveness to be evaluated. The corporate carbon footprint is the CO2 footprint of a company and the product carbon footprint is the CO2 footprint of a product.

  • What does climate neutrality mean?

    According to the principle of CO2 compensation described in the Kyoto Protocol, greenhouse gases that are generated in one place on earth and cannot be avoided should be saved by climate protection projects in another place. To finance these, companies purchase certificates for corresponding climate protection projects from the six available project sectors (biomass, cooking stoves, solar energy, forest protection, hydropower and wind energy). Each certificate stands for 1 tonne of CO2 saved by the respective project. There are numerous climate protection projects worldwide, most of which support renewable energy projects. The initiators of these projects receive emission credits for their commitment, which can be traded in the form of climate protection certificates. The amount is measured, for example, by comparing it with the emissions that would have resulted from the construction of a coal-fired power plant.

  • How was the amount of CO2 emissions calculated by our company?

    We have commissioned the external sustainability consultancy Fokus Zukunft to calculate our company's Footprint. The emissions balance was calculated using the official Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidelines.

  • What is reported under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?

    Within the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, emissions are broken down into Scopes 1, 2 and 3, each of which covers different types of greenhouse gas emissions. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from own energy plants. Scope 2 covers emissions that arise indirectly in the provision of energy for the company. Scope 3 emissions are other indirect emissions that occur throughout the entire value chain.

  • Which greenhouse gases are included in the calculation?

    The calculation of greenhouse gas emissions includes the seven main greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.

  • What are CO2 equivalents?

    Not all of the seven main greenhouse gases are equally effective. Methane, for example, is 21 times more harmful to the climate than CO2, nitrous oxide 310 times and sulfur hexafluoride even 14.000 times. In order to compare the emissions, all greenhouse gases are therefore converted to CO2. This is then referred to as CO2 equivalents.

  • How are the collected consumption data converted into greenhouse gas emissions?

    The conversion of the collected consumption data (e.g. electricity consumption or fuel consumption) is carried out using emission factors, which indicate the emissions per unit (e.g. per kilowatt hour of electricity or litre of petrol). The emission factors come mainly from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), but also from the GEMIS database (Global Emissions Model of Integrated Systems, IINAS) and the Ecoinvent database and are updated regularly.

  • How are emission certificates generated?

    The initiators of the climate protection projects - predominantly renewable energy projects - receive emission credits for their commitment, which can be traded in the form of climate protection certificates. The amount of emission compensation is measured, for example, by comparing it with the emissions that would have resulted from the construction of a coal-fired power plant instead of generating renewable electricity.

  • What quality criteria do the climate protection projects meet?

    The climate protection projects we purchase are each accredited, approved and controlled according to one of the three internationally recognised certification standards - VCS (Verified Carbon Standard), UN CER (Certified Emission Reduction of the United Nations) or the Gold Standard developed by WWF. The validation of the project results, in terms of the CO2 savings achieved, is certified by independent testing bodies such as TĂśV.

  • What happens to the CO2 certificates after they have been purchased?

    The acquired number of CO2 certificates was decommissioned. This is significant in that this decommissioning is a prerequisite for the design and marketing of CO2-neutral companies and/or products. Without decommissioning, a CO2 certificate could possibly continue to be traded on the voluntary market, which would not result in any additional emission reduction.

  • Why are international projects supported?

    Climate change is global, so it does not matter where CO2 emissions are emitted or saved, in the end the sum of greenhouse gases is decisive. In Germany the reduction or compensation of CO2 is very expensive, in emerging and developing countries, however, the compensation is cheaper. The Kyoto Protocol, which is binding under international law, therefore stipulates that so-called climate protection projects that avoid or store greenhouse gas emissions should take place where they are most economical. Accordingly, there are many projects in newly industrializing and developing countries, as the potential for savings through new technologies is still very high there and these can be used much more cost-effectively. In addition, the conditions for renewable energy plants (sun, wind, water and biomass) are often much more advantageous there. Furthermore, the projects in emerging and developing countries contribute to the improvement of the economic, social and ecological situation and support the realization of the sustainability goals of the United Nations. For emerging and developing countries, emissions trading is a key driver for the transfer of clean technologies and sustainable economic development.

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