Protect the environment and cut costs at the same time? Yes please!

A cost-effective way to have bodywork damage repaired while saving resources at the same time: this is the promise made by our Totalrepair partner garages. To further reduce its carbon footprint in the future and protect the environment, AMAG is putting several body and paint shops under the microscope in collaboration with act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz. The ambitious goal: a solution for the entire network of Totalrepair businesses and perhaps even a future industry solution within Switzerland.

Many companies want, and indeed need, to do something about their carbon footprint. But the question is: where to start? act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz helps organisations from all sectors to improve their energy efficiency, allowing them not only to do good for the environment, but also to cut costs. “Our network of experienced energy specialists is on hand to support companies throughout – from the process of analysing the situation, through to agreeing on individual targets and implementing measures locally,” explains Rahel Liechti, project manager at act. The current partnership between act and AMAG shows what this sort of support can look like in practice. The Totalrepair centres officially appointed by AMAG Import repair Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Cupra and VW commercial vehicles in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and using only original parts. They include both AMAG’s own businesses and private dealers. 

Totalrepair already stands for sustainable and high-quality repair solutions. Going forward, however, the aim is to reduce the businesses’ carbon footprint even further. And this is precisely where act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz, which is supported by the federal government, comes into play. 

“The existing approach of ‘repairing instead of replacing’ already offers considerable potential,”

emphasises Rahel Liechti. “Together with AMAG, we have set ourselves the goal of creating a reduction path for emissions that will help body and paint shops in particular to reduce their emissions further, preserve resources and boost the energy efficiency of their operations.”

Potential industry solutions as the target

AMAG is aiming not only to identify sustainable solutions for its own operations, but also to create a possible future industry solution for all repair businesses in Switzerland. One aspect that is very important: “These have to be practical solutions that can actually be put into practice,” emphasises Martina Rothenberger, who is heading up the project on behalf of act. 

In a quest to achieve this, AMAG Import is involved in dialogue with industry associations, their members and other interested stakeholders. The first step will involve a comprehensive analysis in order to find out which sectors offer the greatest potential for optimisation. “Bodywork processes can be very resource-intensive, creating huge potential to save energy and CO2,” says Martina Rothenberger.

“We take a look at the processes and infrastructure of the individual garages on site and identify the key areas responsible for generating the most emissions and consuming the most energy resources,”

adds Rahel Liechti.

Based on this information, act is working with AMAG to develop a reduction pathway. This maps out how body shops and paint shops can realistically reduce their energy consumption in the long term using measures that are tailored to suit their specific requirements. 

To gain a broader perspective of the overall picture, the analysis not only scrutinises the individual garages, but also their partner businesses, the supply chain and other factors. “Emissions are also generated when new parts are purchased, when waste is handled or when replacement vehicles are used,” says Martina Rothenberger, citing a few examples. Although collecting this all-encompassing data is a challenging task, she believes that it pays off in the long term.

Reduce emissions, cut costs

The second step sees the specialists at act compare the current situation against the desired scenario. This is based on international standards and also takes into account the statutory regulations that apply at national level. “During this step, we find out how emissions need to be reduced in order to achieve the big objective of ‘net zero’,”summarises Martina Rothenberger. In the third and most important step, act develops realistic measures for businesses to enable them to reduce their emissions while also reducing costs and energy consumption in the long run.

“The focus is on the cost-effectiveness of the measures and their impact in terms of reducing emissions,”

explains Martina Rothenberger. 

To ensure this, measures have to be planned and implemented in detail for each company. Possible approaches range from optimising the energy sources used and replacing lights, to adjusting process technology settings and improving waste management.

Smaller garages also benefit

“The impact of this Totalrepair project emerges in particular from the leverage that AMAG has as a key player in terms of garage representation on the Swiss market,” emphasises Martina Rothenberger. The project manager is convinced:

“By helping to develop a potential industry solution, AMAG can make the topic of reducing emissions and preserving resources in connection with repairs accessible to smaller garages as well.”

Rahel Liechti from act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz is full of praise for the cooperation with AMAG. “The company is one of the early movers in the industry.” She highlights the fact that AMAG has been continuously optimising its operations for years now.

“The fact that AMAG really wants to achieve change is something we can truly feel and experience,”

emphasises Rahel Liechti. She says that this is precisely why the company is constantly on the lookout for pragmatic, viable solutions. This intrinsic motivation is an absolute must for all companies. Rahel Liechti emphasises: “The partnership with AMAG is close, constructive and interesting. It’s just really enjoyable for us.”