Projects and Features
Decarbonised purlins add to appeal
voestalpine Metsec is one the UK’s leading specialist cold rolled steel companies, designing and manufacturing engineered solutions for a wide range of construction and manufacturing applications.
Voestalpine Metsec has high quality, added value, technical expertise, customer service and integrity at its manufacturing core.
Our market-leading purlins division remains at the forefront of the industry with a reputation for delivering quality products on time and all backed by expert design, alongside technical and logistical support.
Recognising the needs of customers and anticipating market trends ensures that we continue to lead, and we are early adopters of those industry standards and initiatives which allow our customers to stay ahead of the competition.
Key among these trends is the construction industry’s drive towards environmental responsibility, decarbonised steel and the Construction Products Association’s Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI).
Environmental responsibility
There is no escaping the fact that steel manufacture is one of the largest global contributors to carbon dioxide emissions, but we aim to make our product manufacturing as sustainable and environmentally responsible as possible.
Our commitment is not only evident in our compliance with relevant legislation and published standards, but also in the initiatives we have adopted.
Examples include our group-wide commitment to net carbon zero emissions by 2035 and the introduction of decarbonised steel purlins, supported by the publication of independently verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Carbon net zero
As part of voestalpine, the global steel and technology group, Metsec is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2035, well ahead of the government’s 2050 target.
Achieving this industry-leading target requires a focused effort within our company together with the co-operation of suppliers and others in the value chain. This includes investigating areas where we can save energy and optimise processes as well as exploring ways to source green electricity, or even generate our own renewable energy.
Moving our electricity requirements to 100% renewable sources has resulted in a 67% reduction in our carbon footprint and by the end of this Summer we will have installed enough solar PV panels to provide 30% of our total electricity requirements.
Further measures aimed at reducing our impact on the environment include a host of energy-saving schemes throughout our facilities, replacing company cars with hybrid and electric vehicles, installing charging points across our site and reducing gas consumption.
Decarbonised products
Recently released, Metsec Decarb provides a reduced carbon offering to the construction market. It is a range of purlins, side rails and mezzanine sections, which utilise the very latest steel-making technology, matched with renewable energy that can deliver reduced carbon content for the construction project.
The range uses steel manufactured by state-of-the-art electric arc furnaces, the modern alternative to burning fossil fuels in the traditional blast furnace method.
Metsec Decarb is a true move towards a reduced carbon future for the construction industry. It does not rely on the smokescreens of green washing, mass balance, carbon offsetting or the allocation of green energy for its environmental credentials, but stands by its own impressive outputs; compared to blast furnace manufactured steel, Metsec Decarb typically contains less than half the amount of carbon dioxide per tonne for the same quality of steel.
As with all our products, purlins manufactured from Metsec Decarb are supported by their own EPD, providing the ultimate assurance of the products’ environmental credentials, which brings us neatly on to the subject of CCPI and the integrity of product information.
Integrity
As market leaders, we firmly believe that providing accurate, verifiable information on our products and services in easily accessible formats is a key factor in assuring total confidence in the performance, quality and reliability of our solutions. This is why we have become one of the earliest adopters of the CCPI, with our roof, side rail and mezzanine floor systems being successfully verified under the scheme’s requirements.
Introduced by the Construction Products Association in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, set up following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, CCPI aims to address the review’s stipulation that construction product information needs to be communicated in a clear and accurate way.
Purlins Division Sales Director, Lee Whitford says: “Metsec Decarb, Carbon Net Zero and CCPI underline our commitment to the present and future needs of our customers. They are market-leading initiatives which enable designers to specify our products and systems with absolute confidence.”
voestalpine Metsec
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