In January 2022, the Material Compliance Office in Mulfingen received a report from the Freiburg-based Öko-Institut. It contained news about regulations on the amount of hazardous substances in electrical appliances.
Bert passes this information on to his Material Compliance colleagues Christof in Landshut and Christopher in St. Georgen: It concerns lead in aluminum alloys, which also affects ebm‑papst products. After an investigation of selected components, all three breathe a sigh of relief: “Our suppliers had already reduced the lead content,” explains Bert. If this had not been the case, the trio would have had to contact suppliers, obtain information and speak to customers, inform them, involve the purchasing department and other specialist departments in order to find solutions. This is the typical daily routine of the interdisciplinary Material Compliance Managers.
A Material Compliance contact person creates the foundation to ensure that ebm‑papst complies with or undercuts all regulations on materials used at all times and handles materials responsibly that could harm the environment or health.
Material Compliance Managers Bert from Mulfingen, Christopher from St. Georgen and Christof from Landshut work closely together. Here they visit Analytik Aurachtal GmbH.
A central part of the job is to consolidate and document information. This always involves two different perspectives - that of the customer and the supplier. In the role of the customer, the Material Compliance contact person approaches suppliers to obtain information for their own documentation, and in the role of the supplier, they inform customers when they want to know what products contain.
Not a job for lone warriors.
The Material Compliance Officers have been working together in the Material Compliance Office since 2021. But their collaborative work goes back much further. All three have long been experts in hazardous substances at their respective locations. As a result, the three specialists have an extensive network of different experts which helps them to react quickly and flexibly to unusual customer requests or unexpected challenges.
We use different products, but similar plastics, steels, etc. When it comes to the material analysis of a product, we carry it out once and share the findings with each other which makes working together very efficient.
Working with foresight.
Reacting quickly is one thing - seeing things coming from afar is another. The Material Compliance Managers are already turning over drafts of laws long before they actually become applicable law. "The worst case scenario would be if, for example, a customer from the USA said that a new regulation came into force yesterday and we had never heard of it," says Christof, who really enjoys his job. “What I like best about my work is that you have to deal with every department in the company, which gives you an incredibly good overview.”
The feedback and gratitude from customers for a quick, good and correct answer motivate Christopher. “When I hear, wow, that was quick - that's a huge motivation,” he says.
"I like working with materials - I really enjoy it - here I can directly apply my knowledge and experience and do something good for the environment."
Bert, Material Compliance Manager, Mulfingen
All three Material Compliance contact persons consolidate ebm‑papst's standing in the top group of sustainable companies – a significant competitive advantage these days.
