All-Rounder – Issue 3/2023

STRONG TOGETHER with Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE SWARCO Indusferica’s Glass Blasting Beads Are Used in Many Industries

Dear readers,

We humans like to stick to our habits. That’s why it’s even more gratifying when changes, such as a new name, are accepted quickly and take hold. And this is precisely what we’ve managed to achieve with SWARCO Indusferica. The new name is both to the point and easy to remember. We are very happy with the successful rebranding.

Through our products and research, we contribute significantly to innovations. Professional communication, be it between colleagues internally or our outward-facing communications, are a key factor for success. Trade fairs like Fakuma in Friedrichshafen, Germany, or events, such as the 2023 network meeting of the Kompetenznetzwerk Strahlmittel on blasting media, which will take place here on our premises, are important platforms.

Very much in the spirit of networking and mutual support, SWARCO Indusferica has also been participating in the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative “Giving Back”. Our collaboration with Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich is bearing fruit. We appreciate the hands-on support of their diligent helpers with packaging and mailing the customer magazine „All-Rounder“.

This much is clear: We are smartest and most successful when we work together and engage in a dialogue, sharing information and ideas – whether within the Division, in the region, or beyond.

Best regards,

REBRANDING

A few months ago, SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems became SWARCO Indusferica. In the meantime, the name Indusferica, which perfectly reflects the business unit’s core competences, has already become very well established. “‘Indusferica’ is short and to the point, and can be remembered easily,” says Andreas Peham, in charge of Business Development at SWARCO Indusferica, explaining the success of the rebranded name. “Just like the glass bead, our premium product, Indusferica is an all-rounder!”

A COMPELLING PRODUCT

Andreas Peham Business Development SWARCO Indusferica

SWARCO Indusferica’s SWARCOBLAST glass blasting beads offer outstanding precision, long service lives and perfect quality.

Blasting media for any occasion

SWARCO Indusferica’s glass beads, corundum and granulates make any surface shine.

In surface finishing, the versatile SWARCOBLAST blasting media are used for the treatment of workpieces in injection and pressure blasting processes, providing for perfect workpieces in the metal, wood, compound and 3D printing industries.

The wide variety of glass blasting beads are the flagship in the broad product range. They are made of lead-free hardened soda-lime glass and undergo regular testing to check the materials’ purity. SWARCO Indusferica strives continuously to develop new and innovative production processes for these micro glass beads. All these factors contribute to the high quality

of the products. With their outstanding precision and long service lives, SWARCOBLAST glass blasting beads make a compelling case. They are used for cleaning, deburring, smoothing, the reduction of surface roughness, matting, polishing and shot peening of any material imaginable.

Cutting-Edge Diversity

Glass granulates are used for derusting,descaling and deburring of metallic materials as well as in woodworking. They are particularly suitable when blasting media loss is unavoidable. Normal, high-grade and blasting corundum, crushed grinding wheels, plastic granulates, corn cob shot, and walnut shell granulate complete the SWARCOBLAST product range.

© Ebner/Premium Headshots

PARTNERING UP WITH PEOPLE FROM THE REGION

SWARCO Indusferica assumes social responsibility.

SWARCO has been taking social responsibility seriously for a long time. As part of the new “Giving Back” initiative, SWARCO Indusferica works together with Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich in Lower Austria.

The cooperation partner Lebenshilfe is a politically independent association that advocates for the rights of people with special needs. It provides a broad range of services and institutions to support them in their daily lives and promote their integration into society, with their inclusion into the labour market being a key element here.

Good Work

SWARCO Indusferica has already worked on projects together with

Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich clients in the past. As part of this collaboration, a sustainable insect hotel was created for the SWARCO Global Glass Beads Technology Center’s corporate garden, and the partners also worked together on labelling packaging material for reactive beads, for example. The decision was then made to include the diligent helpers from Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich in the distribution of the “All-Rounder” client newsletter as well.

Today, Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich ensures that the “All-Rounder” is perfectly packaged and sent to SWARCO Indusferica’s clients and partners around the world. “We can count on the quality of our partners, and that is a major benefit for us,” Andreas Peham explains. We are pleased to be able to continue our cooperation.

Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich’s helpers know the ins and outs of packaging and mailing SWARCO Indusferica’s “All-Rounder”.

STRONG REPRESENTATION

representative. In 2023, its 9th meeting will take place at the SWARCO Global Glass Beads Technology Center in Neufurth, Austria, on 27 and 28 September. This will be SWARCO Indusferica’s first time to host the event.

A Top-Quality Information Programme

FAKUMA

Network meeting on blasting media

The Kompetenznetzwerk Strahlmittel is a Germanspeaking competence network on blasting media that deals with all topics related to blasting, as well as surface cleaning and preparation, which are essential for corrosion protection. It primarily serves as a network for the professional exchange of ideas regarding blasting processes, techniques, and media. The Kompetenznetzwerk Strahlmittel was initiated by the Institut für Korrosionsschutz Dresden GmbH and meets once a year, each time hosted by a different industry

Both meeting days will offer high-calibre expert lectures on the following topics: “The EU Green Deal – Opportunities and Risks in Blasting Technology” by Ökoplus expert Wolfgang Stark, “Implementing Legal Sustainability Requirements” by Fred Hilgenfeldt from PwC, “Coatings for Hydraulic Steel Structures and Their Mechanical Resistance against Abrasion” by Mario Hörnig from the Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau, the German Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute, and “Efficient Abrasive Blasting” by Ralf Theeßen from Elcometer Instruments GmbH. In addition to these fascinating technical lectures, the programme will also include a guided tour of the newly built SWARCO Global Glass Beads Technology Center.

About the Initiator IKS

The Institut für Korrosionsschutz Dresden GmbH (IKS) is a non-profit, private-sector industrial research institution with more than 50 years of research experience. It is a competent partner for research, services and further education in corrosion, corrosion protection and corrosion analytics with a practical focus. Find out more about the IKS at: www.iks-dresden.de

From 17 to 21 October, SWARCO Indusferica will take part in Fakuma, the International Trade Fair for Plastics Processing, held in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The leading trade event for injection moulding continues to set new performance benchmarks in the fields of extrusion technology, thermoforming, 3D printing and the circular economy. In 2023, the fair’s focus will be on the value of plastics in everyday life. Over the course of five days, the material will be explored in all its diversity and from all perspectives. Numerous expert talks, high-calibre presentations and the international technology performance show will each contribute to giving new impetus in the thematic areas of plastics, the circular economy, efficiency, and sustainability. SWARCO Indusferica will be presenting all its innovations at the SWARCO booth B2-2115 in hall B2.

IN THE LIMELIGHT

Martina Dobner is Corporate Social Responsibility Specialist at SWARCO.

OUR VISION

Industrial

OUR VALUES Efficiency, Diversity, Intelligence

OUR MOTTO Universal Efficiency

Our Values EFFICIENCY DIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE

Martina, what did your career look like before SWARCO?

Before I joined SWARCO, I worked for four and a half years as a Portfolio Manager for an energy provider in Upper Austria in power plant deployment planning, and electricity and gas trading. Previously, I oversaw technical project coordination at an engineering and consulting firm for road and railway planning in Linz, Austria, for over six years.

What motivates you in your job today?

I am especially enthusiastic about fostering communication and cooperation between SWARCO and organizations and institutions in the region. I also find it exciting to keep developing and implementing new solutions for a circular economy.

What kind of challenges do you see in your work as a CSR specialist?

Corporate Social Responsibility is connected to numerous fields. There are so many interfaces, and projects often run in parallel. Each aspect is equally important, so it can sometimes be difficult to prioritize.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not at work?

To recharge, I often spend time in nature and like to go hiking, including long treks. When I want to relax, I enjoy reading or doing a puzzle. When I need a quick adrenalin rush, I love roller coasters. However, travelling is my greatest passion and source of inspiration.

What direction do you see your work at SWARCO taking?

We need to expand our external communication about CSR even further. Then, must to establish a roadmap and clear goals for SWARCO’s decarbonization. Networking and the exchange with my CSR colleague from the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Division will also continue to play an important role in the foreseeable future.

Martina Dobner, Corporate Social Responsibility Specialist at SWARCO

© Privat/Martina Dobner

We leverage the universal benefits of glass beads for your special industry applications, in energy-efficient ways.

glass beads by SWARCO Indusferica – the world’s preferred choice in all niches