Gerster AG: Swiss precision meets intelligent energy optimization
Initial situation: Energy requirements for high-precision heat treatment
Gerster AG from Egerkingen in Switzerland is a medium-sized family business that has specialized in complex heat treatment processes since 1950. Production comprises over 100 different systems on 25,000 square meters - from individual part processing to series production. In this environment, energy consumption is a decisive cost factor. At the same time, the consistently high quality of the components is essential, especially for demanding customers from the aviation, medical technology and automotive industries. In order to meet these conflicting demands, the company was looking for a solution that would avoid peak loads
System solution: demand management with technical precision
On the recommendation of an industry partner, Gerster opted for the EOS system from dibalog, which was implemented at the Egerkingen plant in 2001. The aim was to synchronize the previously isolated, energy-intensive processes in such a way that load distribution over the course of the day would be possible. The integration of the induction plants, which could only be controlled to a limited extent, into the system was particularly innovative. The heat treatment of a new component is only started when it makes sense from an energy point of view. In addition, a concept was developed in collaboration with the local energy supplier that allows Gerster to actively contribute to stabilizing the local power grid and thus avoid additional costs - a win-win situation for companies and suppliers.
Results: Stability, savings and production reliability
The benefits of the EOS system became clear shortly after commissioning. Gerster AG was not only able to successfully cut its peak output, but also compensate for fluctuations in energy consumption while maintaining its production capacity. Thanks to the flexible expandability of the system, new optimization measures were integrated on an ongoing basis. Demand management is adapted directly with every system expansion and new plant. The result: a permanently stable energy supply, lower operating costs and a significant contribution to operational sustainability - with consistently high product quality.
Future prospects: sustainable expansion through system intelligence
Continuous expansion of production capacities and the increasing use of modern heat treatment systems require equally dynamic energy management. This is why Gerster will continue to rely on close cooperation with dibalog and the constant further development of the system architecture in the future. The simple integration of new modules, the high data quality of the visualization and the self-learning algorithms of the EOS software make it easy for the company to accompany every investment in new plant technology in terms of energy and to secure it economically. Gerster thus continues to position itself as a technological pioneer in the industry.