We exist to keep the wheels of industry turning, right across Europe. Through the services we provide, we reduce cost, unplanned downtime and environmental impact for our customers, helping to improve productivity, efficiency and the green credentials of their supply chain.

We take our responsibility to the environment seriously. We are members of the UN Global Compact we are rated by EcoVadis as Silver level.

We are taking steps to reduce our own carbon footprint and recently introduced automated packaging machines in distribution centres. This helps to reduce unnecessary cardboard consumption while increasing the capacity of the vehicles carrying the goods.

We have also optimised our transport routes and consolidated orders – cutting kilometres travelled by more than 20 per cent – and implemented video conferencing across all major sites, reducing flights by more than 30 per cent.

Although these actions make an important difference, we can make the biggest impact in our capacity as the leading European distributor of industrial products and services.

This position gives us both the opportunity and the responsibility to help reduce the environmental impact of industry.

It’s an ambition we share with our customers whether they are in the food & beverage, pharmaceuticals or paper and packaging sectors. Through our range of services, we are able to support their environmental initiatives at their manufacturing and processing plants.

Often we apply our services to manufacturing processes that rely on compressed air or hydraulics, where inefficiency produces environmental impacts that are often misunderstood and underestimated.

Taking compressed air as an example, on average 10% of all industrial electricity consumption can be attributed to the production of compressed air. Air leaks are a significant source of lost energy, often wasting as much as 20-30% of a compressor’s output.

Clearly, this has a significant negative impact on cost, productivity and the environment. Our condition monitoring services include air leak surveys. These help on-site engineering teams to easily identify leaks, correct them and put in place real-time monitoring to offer early warnings when the issue starts to re-emerge.

We identify and photograph each of the leak paths required to remedy each leak, including the creation of a list of spare parts to identify energy efficient alternatives.

At one customer site, we identified a total of 75 air leaks at site representing a potential annual energy cost saving of up to €150,000.

Sometimes, it can feel like the needs to reduce cost and increase productivity while reducing environmental impact are in competition with one another. For European manufacturing, they are – in fact – perfectly complementary.

We see this across industry sectors and industrial processes. Wherever energy is consumed, there are opportunities to reduce that consumption, while keeping the wheels of industry turning.

Gatien Gillon
Group COO

Improving energy efficiency at Magna Exterior Systems

Working with Magna Exterior Systems, Rubix introduced a leak detection programme for the compressed air systems. The system was analysed using state-of-the-art ultrasonic technology and a detailed photographic report on any leakage found in the system, showing the location, size and cost of each leak, was provided.

The customer’s maintenance crew then took over to address the leaks using the report as a road map.

“Our technicians went around the plant using these reports and signed each off as they completed the work,” stated Paul Howard, energy improvement co-ordinator at Magna Exteriors Systems.

“What’s more, we did the same six months later – and every six months from then – and audited the results so we have proof of the success of this approach. It has really improved our energy efficiency. Air is one of the most expensive forms of energy. It’s free to breathe but is very expensive to compress and pressurise!”