Press Release

Green logistics: e-truck pilot project at ZEISS

13 October 2020

Oberkochen, Germany | 13 October 2020 | ZEISS Group

We had to think a little bigger – no, it's not an electric car, but an electric truck! The electrically powered MAN eTGM will be hitting the road today for ZEISS as part of the vehicle fleet run by Schwarz Logistik GmbH. ZEISS is using the pilot project – which is being monitored by Aalen University – to test the suitability of electric commercial vehicles as part of the company's logistics. This constitutes yet another step on the road to greater sustainability for ZEISS Logistics.

  • The battery powered MAN eTGM truck run by Schwarz Logistik GmbH will shuttle between Herbrechtingen and Oberkochen three to four times a day during the test phase in order to deliver the preliminary products needed at any given time by the ZEISS Production departments.
    ZEISS

    The battery powered MAN eTGM truck run by Schwarz Logistik GmbH will shuttle between Herbrechtingen and Oberkochen three to four times a day during the test phase in order to deliver the preliminary products needed at any given time by the ZEISS Production departments.

Traveling between Oberkochen and Herbrechtingen under real-life conditions

The new e-truck's first mission is to supply the Production departments at ZEISS in Oberkochen. Goods must be transported between the sites between the individual production steps. The battery electric MAN eTGM truck run by Schwarz Logistik GmbH will thus shuttle between Herbrechtingen and Oberkochen three to four times a day during the test phase in order to deliver the preliminary products needed at any given time by the ZEISS Production departments. The e-truck will be charged at a charging station on a ramp at the logistics center while goods are loaded onto it. The 185 kWh battery will therefore provide enough power to make the journey from Oberkochen and back four times. The e-truck's environmental footprint – the truck actually produces zero emissions – will determine how the power supply is generated. As much power as possible will thus be sourced from the solar panels on the roof of the logistics center.

The hope is that e-trucks will enable goods to be transported completely emissions-free to and from the ZEISS sites, with very little noise pollution, too. The company is currently building a high-tech site at its founding location in Jena. The e-truck project with Schwarz Logistics will therefore also function as a test for this new site in Jena and for logistics as a whole at ZEISS.

An academic partner

The University of Aalen, as an academic partner, will monitor and evaluate the use of the e-truck during ongoing operations. The aim is to determine how the use of the e-truck can be optimized, particularly in terms of its utilization, routes and place of deployment, in order to identify application areas for using the e-truck as part of the existing logistics infrastructure. The goal is to deploy a workable, emissions-free transportation solution at ZEISS in an effort to further drive sustainability at ZEISS.

Future plans: green logistics

ZEISS is planning to conduct a further test to determine the extent to which self-driving cars could improve the current traffic situation. This demands that we take a holistic look at the situation, the transport links between sites, and sustainable logistics. The road to greater sustainability at the company comprises many building blocks – and optimization of logistics with regard to environmental sustainability is just one of these.

Proactive sustainability at ZEISS

ZEISS firmly believes that business success and entrepreneurial responsibility go hand in hand. As a foundation-owned company, ZEISS promotes scientific and technological progress, and campaigns for better living conditions worldwide.

At ZEISS, taking responsibility includes having clear goals and comprehensive measures to prevent climate change: In a bid to further drive climate protection at ZEISS, the company aims to be carbon neutral by 2022. ZEISS intends to do this by purchasing verifiably green energy, and by offsetting unavoidable emissions.

The concept created jointly by Schwarz Logistik GmbH and ZEISS foresees a possible Green Logistics vehicle fleet. This is an interesting option for ZEISS and a building block on the road to proactively making the entire company more sustainable.

Press contact Sarah Hailer

Corporate Brand, Communications and Public Affairs
ZEISS Group

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling more than 6.4 billion euros in its four segments Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (updated: 30 September 2019).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, as well as medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare and Smart Production as well as a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company's significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership.

With over 31,000 employees, ZEISS is active globally in almost 50 countries with around 60 sales and service companies, 30 production sites and 25 development sites. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG

Further information at www.zeiss.com

About the Schwarz Group

The Schwarz Group is a medium-sized, owner-managed group of companies headquartered in Herbrechtingen (Baden-Württemberg). The Schwarz Group includes German forwarding companies Schwarz and Blitz, Czech forwarding company Kareka, logistics subsidiary Schwarz Logistics and DiLoS, a specialist for digital logistics services. Today, the Schwarz Group employs around 600 people and generates an annual revenue of approximately €60 million. The Schwarz Group prides itself on meeting customer needs flexibly and reliably, driving digitalization, acting in an eco-friendly manner and offering its employees a secure and pleasant workplace. The forwarding companies of the Schwarz Group are specialized in the transportation of large volumes with a comparably low weight.

For more information, please visit www.firmengruppe-schwarz.com

Press photos

  • Electrically powered MAN eTGM

    File size: 1 MB

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